SAX
The afternoon sun streaks across the sky, distorted by a smattering of clouds.
Usually, my tiger would hate taking a break from the rays, but we're both too preoccupied to mind today. It's amazing to acknowledge even the smallest changes Ivy has drawn from me.
Well, not just me, but my tiger as well.
I feel more alert, yet also more at peace. More ravenous, yet more settled. More content, yet ready to pounce at any given moment.
I feel at one with myself, and as my eyelids fall for a moment, and visions of her from last night come to mind, I practically purr as my tiger basks in her grandeur too.
She was a vision of beauty, absolutely stunning, not because of the gorgeous dress she wore or how pretty her makeup was, or even how long and lush her hair looked in that high ponytail, but in the way she smiled and laughed as she had a moment with her friends that she'd been longing for.
It took a lot of back and forth earlier in the day, pushing to ensure she got this freedom from the crazies, but man, was it fucking worth it.
It was like staring at a new woman. Every inch of her. She's on track to become who she's supposed to be. Not the Angel of Heaven's Ridge, not the damn Phoenix of the Fifth Kingdom, but the absolute beauty that is Ivy Hayworth, my fucking mate.
My eyes dart open, my tiger chastising me with the need to be alert growing prominent as I’m reminded where I am. As good as memory lane is, now isn't the time. I have to remain focused.
Staring up at the Fire Protector’s building, I nestle in the grass, and my tiger grumbles, but there's no urge to move as we find ourselves locked in on the job at hand.
Half a day has passed since I last spoke to her, but that doesn't mean I haven't been watching.
After she slipped beneath the water last night, sending us all into a panic, we’ve been even more on edge, despite how calm and steady she was. Baron was the first to get there, but even as he sat in the still water beside her, the rest of us were watching their every move.
I don’t know what they spoke about—Baron refused to share—but she quickly called it a night and darted for her room swiftly after.
Instinctively, I followed after her, and I’ve been here ever since.
I know of every single person who has entered and exited the Fire Protector dorms since. The second she slipped beyond the fiery entrance, I took my spot, and remained observant and guarded.
Usually, my tiger would be antsy and starved by now, but not today, not when it comes to her.
My tiger snaps our attention to the right, watching as two girls leave the building for the first time since they arrived a little while after I did last night. I make a mental note, cataloging it in my mind along with everybody else.
Two minutes pass before another figure steps through the flames, exiting the building, and my tiger snarls instantly.
Silas.
My mother hates the taste of the word, but it has to be said that he is a fucking cunt.
The anger that rages through my veins laces with my tiger’s desire to charge at him. While the familiar tang of copper rests on my tongue, I wonder what his blood would taste like.
The things I would do to sink my teeth into that man's throat.
Fuck.
I'm going from one fantasy to another, both on completely opposite ends of the spectrum today.
It seems maybe I'm growing a little tired after being here for so long, but I know I’m justified.
He was pushing it from the second he arrived last night.
He was pushing his luck as they made their way down the cliff, and he pushed it again on the dance floor, but despite all of that, I kept true to the promise that I made my mother, and none of us fucking moved.
Not once.
Not even when she made eye contact with Archer and let him take control, which I didn't think would happen. When Archer insisted on having a plan in place, I thought he was foolish, but to my surprise, the moment came, and she did lean on us.
That feels like progress.
Movement catches my eye as Silas drifts off toward the main academy building, and the snarl on my lips only grows more intense as I spy Francesca and Bonnie, retracing his steps back towards the dorm.
Teddy is right behind them, and I rise up onto my paws, pressing them into the ground, ready to take off at full speed.
It doesn't matter that I know he already has it handled. What matters is the taste of blood that I'm so thirsty for. It’s not my fault that some of my most hated people all show up all at once, leaving me with little control.
I don't think Ivy knows it yet, but Teddy used his abilities to lock the bitches in Odesa’s room last night, and I have to say, it worked out for the most part.
We did fill Dorian in on the situation in case Ivy caught on, but he hasn't mentioned that he had to speak to her about it.
Continuing to track their every movement, I can't help but wonder what Teddy is saying to them now as he drags them to a halt before the flames. I can see his nostrils flaring, his anger palpable before they disappear inside the dorm, leaving him to drag a hand through his hair and stalk off.
I almost pout over the fact that he doesn't stay to take over, but I know it's not his shift next.
As if sensing my thoughts, a shadow floats above me, and the sound of my brother's dragon fills the air as it comes to perch on the rooftop of the Fire Protector dorms. Beyond Alaric’s scales, my eyes lock with my brother.
A simple nod, and I know my shift is over.
Stretching out my limbs, I push through the ache, but I don't waste any more time before I stalk toward the Land Protector’s building.
I’m slightly aware of how sluggish I feel as I let the fatigue and exhaustion seep through my tiger, and it threatens to claim me. Once I'm beyond those doors, showered and changed, I'm going to pass the fuck out.
My mind is more alive than my body as I move, making it easy for my thoughts to drift back to Ivy again. I can't tell whether it's a dream replaying before me or a harsh reality plaguing my thoughts.
Seeing her so happy and joyous last night makes my chest ache because it forces me to realize the part I played in holding her back from becoming this version of herself. Acknowledging it is fucked up but taking ownership of it is the only way I'm ever going to have a chance of getting past it.
Or at least hoping that she might.
I've held back as much as I can, letting her see that hating her isn’t the idea or the plan, but fuck, after feeling her for myself early in the week and letting everybody know exactly who she belongs to, I’ve been filled with a fire that’s never burned inside me like this before.
Now I need to figure out what I plan to do about all this, how I might get myself out of this mess and take my brother and friends with me.
The truth would set us all free, the reasoning behind our rejection to begin with, but that can’t happen. I know it would only make it worse.
Approaching the hedged entryway into the Land Protectors’ building, I sigh in relief as I step inside, prowling up the stairs two at a time, until I arrive at my dorm room.
The hallway is clear, offering me a free path as I shift back into my human form, completely naked, and open my door.
The second I step inside, screams and hysteria vibrate through the room, making the click of the lock inaudible as disbelief cuts through the air.
“Ew, Sax! What are you doing? That's disgusting. Oh my God, somebody put some clothes on that thing. What on earth?”
“Give this man some kind of shield protection disguise. Whatever it is, just get the hell away from me.”
I gape at my sisters sprawled across my bed, hiding their faces behind their hands as they bellow at the top of their lungs, rolling around like lunatics while my mother cackles from her spot by the window, eyes covered by her hand.
My shock quickly morphs into amusement.
“Why the hell are you in here, anyway?” I grumble, scrubbing a hand along my jaw, and Aster screeches.
“Never mind that. Get dressed, and then we'll tell you,” she insists, and I hear my mother chuckle as I head toward the bathroom.
“Mother, why aren’t you more disgusted?” Cami snaps, making our mother laugh louder.
“I wiped his baby butt,” she states, and the twins fake gag.
"Gross,” Cami grumbles, and my mom plants her hands on her hips.
“I wiped your baby butt too,” she insists, making them cringe even more.
“Stop it!” Aster cries out, and as I close the bathroom door behind me, I can't rid the smile from my face.
I wasn’t expecting to come back to them, but it’s nice getting to bask in their unique version of insanity.
Showering in record time, I towel off before finding a clean stack of shorts and a t-shirt already waiting for me on the vanity. Definitely my mom, preempting all of this.
The second time I re-enter my bedroom, I dart straight to my mother, who still remains standing by the window, and wrap her in a warm embrace, which she returns just as tightly.
“So, what are you guys doing here?” I ask, spying my sisters still hiding their faces behind their hands.
“Is that thing covered now?” Aster mutters, and I snicker.
“If you weren't hiding out in my room, it wouldn't have been out for you to see. I'm a shifter, Aster. What were you expecting?” I grumble, and Cami fake gags again. “You guys can leave any time, you know.” My pointed look goes unnoticed as they wave me off.
“We were here to check on you,” Aster declares, and I cock a brow at her.
“Check on me, or check that I didn't fuck it up last night with Ivy?” I clarify.
“Both,” my sisters say in unison, making my mother hum in agreement as they finally reveal their faces from behind their hands with wide grins, then shrug in sync too.
“So, go on, tell us all about it,” my mother insists, joining the girls in being little busy bodies.
“It was a nice night. We didn't overstep.”
“And?” my mother pushes, prodding my arm, and my eyebrows furrow.
“And what?”
“That can't be all, Sax,” she chastises, and I shrug.
“It can.”