Chapter 35 Ivy
Ivy
There was so much blood. It flowed through his fingers where he tried to stop the bleeding.
But I watched, despite the distance between us, as something changed in his eyes. They went from dark and unseeing, to something else.
Something familiar.
I choked on a gasp as he stumbled back, and several soldiers rushed into the ring. There was a flurry of action and commands. Dante was out of his seat, radiating a rage that was now becoming too familiar.
Hawk hadn’t betrayed me. Dante had stolen his mind.
And somehow, despite it all, Hawk figured out how to break free.
I saw it all so clearly now. His eyes locked on mine, and it was like he was seeing me for the first time. No, recognising me after being without sight for so long.
I held my breath as guards dragged him from the ring. Hawk didn’t even try fighting back; he just watched me until he was pulled from the arena, taken out of sight.
Beside me, Dante cursed. I turned to him, feeling more like a fool. How had I not seen it? Had I been so blinded by my anger towards Hawk to notice the control?
Dante looked at me, jaw clenched, shaking his head. “Keep her here,” he said, pointing at my cage, directing his words to a set of guards who’d appeared behind me. “I need to deal with them.”
A shiver rolled down my spine as I took in my captors.
They were soldiers I hadn’t faced before, a couple of males who were clearly Fae—they had the pointed ears and striking features, but also their skin was marked with glowing tattoos that probably meant they belonged to the same court. I just wasn’t sure which one.
Maybe Winter with how icy they appeared. They stood either side of the cage while Dante led another group of soldiers off towards the back of the arena where Hawk had been taken.
My heart pounded with fear. What if Dante got into his head again? What if Hawk had only broken part of his hold?
What if Dante killed him for that act of rebellion?
I fell into my seat and pressed a hand to my racing heart as bile rose in my throat.
All I could do was watch the darkness beyond the arena as the pain demon tried to regain control over the fights.
He said something about team fights, which gained some attention, but there were many too distracted what happened.
My breathing became harsh in my own ears as pressure built in my lower abdomen.
It felt like a seriously bad cramp during a period, the clenching of everything in my belly until it caused an ache that radiated through my entire stomach and around my lower back.
Tension locked my body as the pain spread through me, making my breaths shaky, vision hazy.
But I shouldn’t be cramping. Not like this. Not with the way it felt like someone had reached inside of me and twisted my uterus in their fist.
I doubled over, pulling in deep breaths as the pain receded just enough for my body to loosen from the shock of the cramp.
“What the hell is wrong with her?” one of my guards asked, a hint of concern darkening his voice.
I blew out a breath and sat up, touching my fingers to my heated cheeks.
“I’m pregnant,” I said, glancing towards the Fae male, who looked almost shocked.
His ice-blue eyes darted to where my arm was wrapped around my stomach.
“Oh, you didn’t know? I thought your king would have told everyone by now. ”
Straightening, I closed my eyes, trying to breathe through the aches wracking my body. I couldn’t tell if I felt any different. Hell, I couldn’t tell if there was anything wrong.
I knew cramping wasn’t good. I remembered my mom rushing to the doctor when she was pregnant with Maisie because of cramps and bleeding. I remember being scared, researching what it could mean, freaking out when I thought she might be miscarrying.
It’d been a false alarm, a request for bed rest and less stress.
Of course, neither of those things could be afforded to me.
The Fae guard cleared his throat, gaze moving to the other male. Neither spoke, though I could read the discomfort in his eyes. Something about my words unsettled him.
And I couldn’t tell if I liked that or not. Of course these males would get uncomfortable about pregnancy. Because that meant something to them.
The only reason Dante cared about my life now was because of the two babies growing inside me. It was the only reason why I wasn’t facing the full wrath of Rowan’s visions. Why I wasn’t being tortured, having my breath stolen from me, why I could sit here rather than be in the ring myself.
First, I was a vessel for power.
Now, I was a vessel for Dante’s control.
Maybe that’s what I hated about all of this.
Not the being pregnant part—because the dreamer in me, the part of me that had given up on love and marriage and children, who’d been traumatised by years of being told I was less than because of my size, was happy.
But being controlled for it fucking hurt.
Knowing that this wasn’t my choice anymore, that it never had been, was painful. And now, I couldn’t be excited for something I only ever dreamed of because soon, these babies were going to be ripped away from me and used as pawns against my mates.
It was because I was never meant to be anything other than a vessel. A vessel for Nyx and her power. A vessel for the future of her realms. A vessel for Dante’s insanity. And now, a vessel for his control.
I just wanted to be me again.
When I opened my eyes, I was met with the worried stares of the two Fae males. They’d moved to stand in front of the cage. Icy-eyes watched me with serious concern, while the other, who looked a little like Jack Frost with his ice-white hair and blue lips, tapped his chin.
“What?” I asked, voice low.
Icy-eyes broke contact first, clearing his throat. “Are you—do you feel—?”
“Is there an issue with your pregnancy?” Jack Frost interjected, hand dropping from his chin as he straightened.
I blinked hard at the pair of them, sitting back and crossing my arms as I did.
If I told them about the cramping, then chances were, they would take me to the bitch who put the spell on me, and the last thing I wanted was to be put under so she could play doctor with the lives of my babies and me.
But if I lied and said nothing, then I risked possibly hurting not just them, but myself.
Before I could decide, the lights in the arena dimmed. I sat up a little straighter, tearing my eyes from the Fae to take in the sudden hush falling over the Pit and the tension that seemed to follow.
From the corner of my eye, I spotted Dante with the team of soldiers he’d walked off with. But there was no sign of Hawk.
Bile rose in my throat, and for the first time in weeks, I couldn’t hold it back.
I puked all over the dusty boots of the Fae males.
It burned my throat and mouth, each heave painful as it wracked my body. I couldn’t hear anything over the blood rushing in my ears or the harsh breaths I sucked in as I tried to control the hard spasming of my stomach.
I watched through bleary eyes as the vomit froze and cracked before being whisked away. How fucking convenient. Pressing a hand against my forehead, I finally lifted my head, only to find a hand had breached the bars of my cell to offer me a…handkerchief?
I frowned as I stared at the simple piece of material Jack Frost held out to me. With trembling fingers, I took the fabric without saying a word and used it to wipe my mouth. All I could do was nod my thanks to him as Dante appeared with his swarm of guards.
“Do not interact with the prisoner,” he hissed, slamming himself onto his throne.
Both icy-eyes and Jack Frost jumped away from the bars. All I could do was look at Dante from the corner of my eye. “I puked all over their shoes. They kind of had no choice.”
Dante’s furious eyes snapped to mine. “Oh, did you now?”
“I could show you, if you’d like. Just stand in front of the cage. I’m sure I could summon another heave just from looking at you.”
His lips pulled back in a snarl, the rage in his eyes almost…funny. Maybe I was going insane.
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes and sit back, fisting the handkerchief tightly in one hand, while the other went to my stomach. Still had that bloated feeling to it, but it suddenly felt a little firmer.
My stomach rolled again, but this time, there was nothing left to puke up. Maybe the cramp hadn’t been a sign of something wrong, but a sign of the spell working.
Dante chuckled, though the dark glint in his eyes didn’t fade. “When we created the spell, we weren’t aware that you would be having twins, so it’s working a lot slower than we anticipated. But you’ll start feeling the effects now.”
My lips curled in disgust. The taste of vomit was still strong in my mouth, so the only small act of rebellion I could muster was spitting what was left at Dante. Not as powerful as actually puking all over him, and not as effective.
But to my great delight, the mage flinched. My spit landed on his perfectly pressed jacket sleeve, which he stared at in disgust.
“You bitch,” he hissed, jumping up again from his throne. “I knew humans were pathetic, but—”
“How are you planning to handle two babies who are only ever going to spit up on you, Dante?” I asked, smiling.
He said nothing, sneering as he shucked off his suit jacket. It was odd that he didn’t just use magic to clean it. Instead, he handed it off to one of his guards, a mage I guessed, who made it disappear without a word.
I knew Dante was lazy, but that…That was something else. The male threw himself back onto the throne without a word, instead waving a hand, which somehow indicated to the demon running the show to start.
“The fight you’ve all been waiting for. Our very own brute, a warrior who has proven himself time and time again. Versus the beast that should not exist. A creature that shifts into something we’ve never seen before!” The crowd made its excitement known, their shouts ringing in my ears.
The demon went on to talk up the fight, but I couldn’t bring myself to pay attention to anything else he said, especially not with the knots forming in my belly.
Not when fear spiked in my heart at the thought of having to watch my mate fight to the death against a creature who only wanted to survive.
Beside me, Dante laughed, a manic kind of cackle that had me turning towards him. “What?” I snapped.
The false king lazed, throwing his head back as he continued to laugh. “Oh,” he said finally, looking over at me as he did, “this is going to be delightful.”
My lip curled as I shook my head. “No, this is just unnecessary violence. I don’t know why your soldiers don’t see that.”
“Because they follow me,” he growled. “They don’t need to see anything unless I allow them to.
I’m not a benevolent King, Ivy. I’m a force, a true vessel of the Gods.
He who came before me was weak. He let himself get killed.
But me? I am the epitome of greatness. I am the true king.
And they will all see that in due time.”