27. Ivy #2
He pauses, his hand on my arm. “She was calling me names, wasn't she? I knew it. She’s always calling me shit. I can sense it.”
I press my lips into a thin line, but it does nothing to hide the smile lifting the corner of my mouth.
“She's definitely holding a grudge,” I offer, and he plants his hands on his hips as he dips his chin, disappointment lurking through him, and it catches me off guard.
Twisting my lips, I look at him. “I know how to fix it, though,” I state, and his eyes widen.
“How?”
“If you tell me why you rejected me, I won't assume you're all my hated mates anymore, and then she'll forgive you, because I might even consider it.”
His jaw falls slack as he gapes at me. “Hated mates?”
I shrug. “I’m just calling it as I see it, and I'm going to take that little expression on your face to mean that you're not going to be a happy sharer either.”
He shakes his head, his jaw still slack, and I huff in disappointment, but I’m not overly surprised.
Instead of letting him see the hurt on my face, I spin on the spot and follow after Sax, who hangs quietly down the weird stone walkway.
He leads me into a replica meeting room of the space we were in just a few days ago, only this time we're behind a rock in a random cave area.
Uncertainty nestles in my gut as I take in the room, still slightly surprised that Odesa and Bonnie can't lift their heads in my direction.
Francesca either. But their mere presence ignites irritation inside of me, which isn't hard when I'm already this overwhelmed.
Sax waves me over to where Teddy and Archer are already seated, and I drop down into the spot beside Teddy, pointing at the free chair to my right for Sax to sit down before Baron gets any ideas that it might be open to him.
He and Archer have both pissed me off today. They don't get to sit near me. The jury is still out on the other two for when I dare to ask again.
“You can talk to Lucky?” Hugo's voice carries across the room, snapping my gaze to the entryway I just came through, and I smile. His eyes are wide and his jaw slack as he stares at me in disbelief. “You just talked to Lucky,” he repeats, and I smile sweetly at him.
“Hi to you too, brother.”
He hurries toward me, shaking his head. “Don't downplay this. That's cool as hell,” he insists, and I roll my eyes as Professor Viola claps her hands, drawing everyone's attention her way.
“So it seems our phoenix can speak to dragons.”
“She's not ours,” Sax grunts, and the room goes eerily quiet.
“She may be the mate of the four of us, but she is her own entity. Not ours, not the Kingdom's, and not The Fates’.” His words slice through the air, painstakingly clear in a way that catches me completely off guard, leaving me speechless.
Professor Viola clears her throat, straightening her jacket as she stands tall, trying to keep control of the room.
“Thank you for that, Sax. That's not how I was referring to the matter, but it's good to know where you stand. Now, on to the meeting at hand.” She gives him a pointed look for a moment before dragging her attention around the room.
“Unfortunately, for the phoenix that stands as her own entity, she is a hot topic, since she's now received two notes from Leonardo, the leader of the Second Kingdom. Do we have the notes to hand?” she asks, and Archer waves them in the air.
Hugo snaps them from his grasp, reading them out loud without breathing.
“Ivy, watching your father’s certainty flourish before my very eyes is a sight to behold.
You are a sight to behold. Don’t worry, my Evergreen, times are changing.
You will be the catalyst to my plans and the center of my desires.
We shall meet again. L. My dearest Ivy, it pains me to know you have felt the resurrection surge twice.
I promise that when the time comes, you will not face such dangers again.
I will ensure, with my utmost abilities, to treasure you as you should be treated.
All of your wishes, wants, and desires will be met, along with my own.
Thinking of you, wanting of you, needing of you. Leonardo.”
I feel like I'm burning from the inside out under the intense scrutiny from everyone in the room.
Overwhelm settles over me, making it impossible to breathe.
“I believe there was also a visitor yesterday?” she clarifies as I press my lips in a thin line. Hugo’s eyes find mine, and it's only because of my connection with my brother that I find the words to speak.
“My mother.” His eyebrows rise in surprise as he takes a step toward me, but I shake my head, signaling I'm fine. “She didn't say much, apart from clarifying that she is a phoenix herself.”
“And how did she do that?” Professor Carbon asks, intensifying the scrutiny I feel around me.
“Well, at first she referred to things that were phoenix-related.”
“That doesn't mean she is a phoenix,” Francesca snaps, and Sax scoffs from beside me.
“No, but it was probably the part where she shifted into a phoenix and bolted through the window.”
Whispers flicker around the room as Viola takes the letters from my brother's hand and lays them down on the table.
“I believe it's time we confirm the plans to go ahead with the ball.”
The taste of urgency is thick in the air, one that leaves me unsettled, and I don't stand alone as the commotion around the table grows louder.
“Are we forgetting what happened the last time?” Silas grunts, drawing my attention to his presence as his hands curl into fists.
“Why are you so bothered about Hugo's mate who died?” Bonnie mutters, and Silas snarls.
“Because she was my sister!”
My chest hollows out as I gape from Silas to my brother and back again.
Silas snarls at anyone staring his way, but my brother just hangs his head in pain.
Tension thickens in the air as I start to understand the true threat a ball would pose.
“What do we specifically intend to gain from hosting this ball?” I ask, and Francesca slams her fist down on the table.
“Shut your fucking mouth. We've heard enough about you, and enough from you. Let the grown-ups here deal with the situation while you get passed from one mate to another, whore.”
I lurch to my feet, palms flat on the table, as anger vibrates through me.
It's accelerating, almost like it’s separate from me as my chest heaves every breath and I struggle to contain myself.
“Watch your mouth,” I snap, my voice husky, like the words aren’t coming from me, but from my magic… from my Phoenix.
“Ivy…” Teddy breathes, and I shake my head, snarling at the sound of Francesca snickering.
“It’s not my fault four poor souls were assigned to be your mates,” she bites. “This room is for kingdom business, not everything to do with Ivy fucking Hayworth. Maybe you might be able to read about it in the whore’s book of conduct. I wouldn't know. I don't have it.”
My limbs burn as my eyes narrow on her. “You'll do well to remember that I have four mates because that's what my magic requires to settle, and if it doesn’t…” I falter, and she laughs, still unable to lift her eyes to mine.
“I hope it burns you alive, knowing you can't die,” she spits, rising to her feet. “I hope it burns you again and again—” Her words cut off as my hated mates dart to their feet, Hugo too, but it’s Sax’s snarl as he shifts into his tiger beside me that pauses everybody.
Viola claps her hands, gaining the attention of everyone in the room before she swirls her finger.
“The ball will go ahead. Everybody out now.”
All but swaying on my feet, I try to steady myself and follow her command, but before I can take a single step, she stops in front of me, my mates holding at my sides as she locks eyes with each of us, tiger included.
“You need to figure out how to ground her, and you need to do it now, before her eyes turn orange. There’s no coming back from that.”