26. Archer #2
My sister joins me, and I bask in the essence of love that is captured in such a small space.
“I’ll go and get the paints,” Arabella confirms, and my mother nods.
“I’ll get the canvases.”
My heart aches when I need to leave them, but seeing them fall into a routine so comfortable on their own reassures me. Taking comfort in knowing my father is not here, I take their nudge and head for the door, stepping outside onto the gravel driveway.
I feel a piece of me left behind, and I knowingly leave it there for safekeeping as I tug my compass from my pocket and spin the dial.
I barely blink when my surroundings change, and I find myself at the entrance of the academy.
Storming ahead, I’m lost in my thoughts when the main academy building comes into view.
My stomach grumbles at the sight of it, reminding me that I've been so caught up in my father's business that I haven’t eaten a single thing all day.
That's not very useful if we’re supposed to be having a Rejuvenating Ceremony soon.
I consider the idea of speaking to Coal about bringing some food up to the room, but it seems pointless when I'm walking past the dining hall now, so I dip inside, only to stall at the entryway when I find Baron, Sax, Teddy, and Ivy all seated at the center table.
Francesca and all the others who usually sit with us aren't present, and I can't say I’m disappointed.
As if sensing my presence, Ivy's gaze cuts across the room and our eyes meet.
She looks stunning, as always, with her hair twisted into a messy bun atop her head, her face free of makeup, wearing a cropped button-up with a denim skirt. She looks all country, except for the sandals on her feet. But more than anything, she looks refreshing… free.
Her wide, blue pools lure me closer, step by step. Unfortunately for me, she's always surrounded by Sax and Teddy, with Baron seated beside his brother, so I reluctantly take the spot beside the Water Protector among us.
An awkward silence takes over the space as I make quick work of ordering some food. The second I’m done, Teddy clears his throat.
“Who wants to tell him?” he asks, and my eyebrows furrow as my chest tightens.
Surely I can't take anything else going wrong today.
“Tell me what?” I ask, and Teddy nods towards Sax, but it's Baron who speaks first.
“It's Sax’s turn for a beating,” he declares with a grunt, and Ivy scoffs, gaping at the dragon rider.
“You're his brother. Aren't you supposed to be the nicest one to him? Like, be on his side and all that?” she blusters, and Baron narrows his eyes.
“When it comes to your safety, no.”
She shakes her head in disbelief, but I can see the glint in her eyes that says she's not as hard up about Baron being protective of her as she's letting on.
Exhaling, I place my hands on the table and lean forward. “Somebody tell me,” I grunt, ready to rip the Band-Aid off.
“Sax decided to get them breakfast, and while he was gone, someone decided to pay Ivy a visit,” Teddy explains at the exact moment my food appears before me, but the perfectly cooked steak before my eyes does nothing for my appetite as I freeze. My gaze snaps to Ivy as I check over her.
“It was my mom,” she blurts, waving her hand. “Just before you get any ideas of it being anything else more treacherous,” she states as Sax shakes his head, clearly beating himself up enough.
“What happened?”
Ivy shrugs, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. “She talked some crap, then fled the second Sax returned.”
Sax places his hand on her shoulder and jealousy floods my veins. “And when she says fled, she means literally shifted into a phoenix and shattered the window.”
I gape at them in disbelief for a moment before slowly shaking my head and gaining some form of control over my thoughts. “Did she say anything of importance?” I ask, and Ivy sighs.
“No, not really. She mentioned phoenixes liking the sun, having an ego, and wanting power and control. Oh, and my female ancestors are all somewhere, so they don't threaten her abilities.”
With my eyebrows raised to my hairline, I gape at her in bewilderment. “She sounds—”
“Neurotic, I'm aware,” Ivy finishes, disappointment in her tone as I scratch along my jawline, recalling my mother's words from earlier; the reason I left to begin with.
How odd that she would offer such a random fact when the person in question was already so close.
“Did she mention what kingdom she was from?” I ask, and Ivy’s eyebrows pinch.
“What do you mean?”
I quickly reiterate my mother's words to her, and the table falls into a thoughtful silence as each of us tries to understand what the answer might be.
As the silence drifts on, I turn my attention to my food, barely chewing before I swallow it down, and it's just in time, because before any of us can speak again, the siren sounds throughout the room, signaling that a Rejuvenating Ceremony is about to begin.
My gaze immediately snaps to Ivy's, who gapes at me with an air of uncertainty. She's not walking into this clueless, like last time, but we both know what happened at the last ceremony we attended together.
We all instinctively rise from our seats, moving as one among the sea of students around us, each cutting off to their rightful areas as the five of us linger.
Baron nods at Ivy before taking off toward the clifftops, Teddy squeezes her hand before moving toward the water, and Sax presses a kiss to her temple before slinking off toward the forest, leaving the two of us.
She steps up to my side as we move, and her hand brushes against mine with every step. I move on instinct, lacing our fingers together, and to my surprise, she doesn't fight the touch. If anything, it feels like she leans into the touch as I guide her toward the cave.
We're a step from entering the cave when Dorian appears, nodding to the side, and I pull my mate along with me as curiosity has me following his lead. He offers me a nod and a soft smile to Ivy before he speaks.
“Just a heads up, Francesca and Silas seem rather cozy. Just a little something for you to take note of,” he states, and I grimace, but nod.
“Good looking out, man,” I confirm, patting him on the arm before he disappears without another word.
“Why does he report that to you?” Ivy asks, and I shrug.
“Honestly, I'm not entirely sure. I’ve helped him with his magic and all, but he's never tried to wade in and push himself into business that's not his. I guess he's just looking out for me, for you.”
She nods, as if that makes sense, but it doesn't ring quite true, even in my own ears.
As we enter the cave, any thought of the matter disappears as our eyes fall on the two people in question, seeing for ourselves how they're huddled in the middle of the room. The ceremony hasn’t even begun and they’re already putting on a show.
I keep Ivy tucked at my side as the heat from the cave alone thickens the air, but as I move us behind the familiar boulder like last time, tension silently vibrates between us.
Clearing my throat, I nod to the ground.
“Do you want to lie down?” I offer, and she presses her lips into a thin line as she considers her options.
“Or we can lean against the boulder, if you prefer,” I add, and she nods, taking the seat against the rock with her hand still in mine, and I follow suit, nestling beside her.