30. Ivy
IVY
My heart races so fast, I swear I'm going to keel over as I strain for control.
The inability to breathe is only heightened by the hysteria that scatters through my veins.
Archer draws closer, hands raised in surrender, and the fear that shines in his eyes threatens to make me crumble.
What only feels like thirty seconds ago began with a thud at the door, swiftly followed by a knock. Curiosity got the better of me, and when I opened the door to see a man I'd never met before, I was caught off guard.
“I’m so sorry to disturb your evening, darling, but Archer is struggling, and I'm not sure whether he's going to need medical attention.”
I should have known then that this was no business of mine to get involved in, but even as I think it, I know I would make the same call again and again. I thought my hated mate was in trouble, and I did the only thing I knew I could.
Help.
This is never what I anticipated walking into, unaware that the predator was leading its prey into its trap, and I fell for it. Not only did I bear witness to the pain Archer was going through, but I had the unfortunate experience of having the same sensation.
I don't know what he was doing in my mind, but it leaves me delirious.
My phoenix frazzles inside of me, desperate to set the world on fire. It takes everything inside of me to hold it together, and as Archer inches closer and his scent envelops me, I grasp for the smallest sense of comfort, but it's not enough.
A sob parts my lips as my breath trembles, my mind repeating the words his father said. The bullshit he spewed doesn't matter; it's the meaning beneath it all. One word that took root inside of my soul, igniting what was already there, and he knows it.
Worthless.
I shouldn't care, but there's a part of me on the brink of igniting destruction at the truth.
It's like he slipped into my mind, turned it over until he found what he wanted, and used my kryptonite against me until I was nothing but a fumbling mess.
“Ivy,” Archer breathes, standing a few feet away. “Tell me what you need.” I shake my head, unable to form words, and he gulps. “Do you need me to call the others, or do you just want it to be the two of us. Or, shit, do you need me to leave?”
“Don't leave,” I rasp, my voice croaky in my throat.
He stares at me helplessly, too scared to move any closer, like I’m a ticking time bomb and he can see how long is left, making him desperate for a solution.
I try to clear my throat, but fail miserably. “Call them,” I murmur, and he nods, reaching into his pocket to pull out his small device.
He taps away on it a moment before his eyes draw to mine. “Before I hit send, Ivy, I need you to know that your eyes are…” His inability to finish his sentence leaves me uneasy as he gulps, swirling his finger near his eye. “They’re ringed in orange,” he states, and I gape at him in disbelief.
Viola warned us of that, but…
“What does that even mean?” I manage, and he shakes his head.
“I don't know, but if I were to make a guess, I would assume it’s your magic.”
“My phoenix,” I state, and he nods. “Okay,” I breathe, watching as he hits send before slipping his device away.
“Who is next door, specifically?” he asks, and I scoff.
“Don't act like you don't know.”
He nods, guilt in his eyes. “Do you—”
“Please don't let them see me like this,” I breathe.
He exhales, nodding as he steps toward the door. “Did you see Dorian?” he asks, and I shake my head.
“It's okay, just don't go anywhere.” He reaches for the door handle, and I yelp, an indiscernible sound forming from my lips that makes him glance over his shoulder at me.
“Don't leave,” I panic, certain that if I'm left alone, I’ll shrink into my emotions and self-combust.
There will be nothing left of this entire world, all Five Kingdoms included, everything reduced to ash.
He turns his back to the door, lifting his hands once again. “It's okay, I'll wait right here until the others arrive.”
As if sensing his promise, a knock comes from behind him, and Archer waits for another nod from me before he opens it.
Sax steps over the threshold first, panic in his eyes as he takes me in.
There’s an immediate sense of desperation that seems to stiffen his muscles as he considers approaching me, but when Archer plants a hand on his chest, he takes a step back, keeping his distance as he fully enters the room.
I hold my breath, watching as he moves to take a seat on the bed.
Baron enters next, his hair loose, falling around his face, and I sink further into the wall behind me. His eyes narrow as he assesses me, keeping his mouth shut as he leans against the wall next to the door, foot propped up behind him.
Teddy rounds off the group, rushing to a halt in front of me, his eyes penetrating mine, making it clear that the orange hue Archer mentioned is still there.
“Nobody touch her. Don’t even speak,” Archer orders, not waiting for a response before he darts from the room.
They track my every move as what feels like a lifetime passes, while I stand with my back plastered against the wall, staring off with my hated mates. Really, it’s probably only a few moments that pass before he returns, clicking the door shut behind him with ease.
Taking a deep breath, he dares to approach me. “Let's work on your breathing, Ivy,” Archer says, and I shake my head.
“It's not working,” I admit as a single tear trickles down my cheek, and my heart aches, making desperation claw through me. “Help me, please,” I breathe, and Sax clears his throat.
“We don't know what to do,” he states, and I hate the truth in his tone, but we both know that's not the case.
“Somebody please explain the orange eyes,” I rasp, and Baron drags a hand down his face.
“I did some research. It apparently means your phoenix is more present than you. Your magic is in control, which means it’s harder to calm you.”
I gulp. “You know what I need.”
I hate to admit it.
I hate that it goes against everything I fought for today, but as I gape at them, I know there's no placating me.
This is the worst I've ever felt.
Despite my reservations, I have to trust them.
“Ivy, are you aware of what you're asking for?” Teddy murmurs, and I nod.
“Please, I—”
“Ivy, we can't ground you when we are this distorted. It's not right,” Baron says, and I shake my head.
“Help me, please, I’m…”
My eyelids fall closed as I fall further against the wall, heat coating my veins, but as I pry my eyes open, desperate to plead with them one more time, I realize it's not just my veins that are on fire, but my entire body.
Curses ring around the room, barely audible behind the flicker of flames as Archer steps closer, cupping my cheek and embracing the heat that thrums through me.
“I can't fight it any longer,” I breathe.
“I know, we're here, and we're not going anywhere, but I'm not going to be able to help you come down if you're on fire.”
“Are you sure?” I clarify, mesmerized by how handsome he looks bathed in flames too.
My hands clench at my sides and he grins.
“I can withstand the heat, Ivy. I just don't know if I can withstand you.”
The magic consuming me flickers, and the flames engulfing me moments ago disappear, but they nestle beneath my skin, ready to explode at any given moment.
Teddy exhales from behind Archer, while Sax clears his throat.
“You can't hate me any more than you already do by the time we're done,” the Land Protector states, and my nostrils flare.
“Ground me,” I rasp, the hoarseness that I assume is coming from my phoenix flickering through my veins.
“Grounding you means we all need to be touching you while you come,” Archer explains, capturing my gaze. “Can you handle that?”
I nod. “More than I can handle this,” I admit, and Baron steps forward.
“It will also connect us all further,” he clarifies, and I gape at him.
“How?”
“I don't know,” he murmurs, shaking his head, “But there is no coming back from this,” he adds as Archer reaches for my hand, letting me feel the heat through his fingertips.
Truth.
“Then there are no others,” I declare, that same hoarseness rippling through.
“Others?” Teddy repeats, and I nod.
“It doesn't change anything between us, but you can't ground me and connect us on a higher level if you're only going to go and flirt with others.” An orange haze filters my vision, confirming the command is coming from deeper within, but I don’t do anything to stop it.
I wouldn’t know how, even if I tried.
“Then no flirting with Silas to piss me off either,” Archer snaps back, amusement dancing in his eyes.
“Just us,” Sax adds, and I run my tongue along my bottom lip as I exhale.
“I can handle that.”
Baron scoffs. “You can't stand us, Little Flame.”
My eyes meet his, a shiver running down my spine at his nickname.
“I also can't stand others laying claim on you.”
I'm not sure if it's me or my phoenix talking right now, but Teddy snickers.
“Jealousy looks good on you,” he muses as Archer shakes his head.
“Besides, there are no others. There haven't been since the night we stood in that hall and rejected you.”
Disbelief coats my veins, balanced on the tip of my tongue, ready for me to call them out, when Archer's magic heats my hand again, giving me the truth.
“It doesn't make any sense,” I blurt, and Sax offers me a soft smile.
But now isn't the time to understand. I just need this feeling to go.
Uncertainty wars inside of me, but as Archer’s hand remains warm against mine, keeping me trapped in the truth, my phoenix settles in a way I didn't think would be possible.
“I still don't forgive you,” I fluster, and Archer grins.
“I wouldn't expect you to.”
“The ball's in your court now, Ivy,” Teddy murmurs, and my gaze lingers on each of them.
Sax's hands are clenched in his lap, while Teddy scrubs at the back of his neck nervously. Archer sinks his teeth into his bottom lip, but as I reach Baron's stare, all I see is longing.