Chapter 61 Maeve
Maeve
Icould barely breathe looking at her, seeing the bruises and scars covering her body. The harsh lines glared at me from the water as she stood at the edge of the tub so I could try and detangle her long hair.
Even the scars on her back looked bruised. They hadn’t healed entirely, and I had a feeling that was Dante’s doing. Not just because of her mortal body, but because of whatever he’d done to her.
My chest ached with each gentle run of the brush through her wet hair.
Ivy remained quiet as I worked to undo the knots.
Tension hung in the air, and every time I spotted the collar around her neck, I felt that quiet rage rise within me.
The rage that drenched me in Hyperion’s blood, the rage that kept me in his cell for days at a time as I tried to pull her whereabouts from his lips.
Ivy barely seemed to notice it, not as she tipped her head back, allowing me to run the brush over her scalp and through the tangles of her hair.
From the corner of my eye, I caught Elias’s stare. The male remained in control over himself and his wolf, though I had no idea how. Not with the metal around her throat, the runes carved into her back, or the fact that we could both scent her pregnancy so clearly.
When I breathed in, it wasn’t just her scent that tickled my nose anymore. Intermingled with her own was the scents of the babies growing inside of her. Two very distinct scents that were obvious replications of their fathers.
Elias and Adrian. Their scents marked her so clearly within the pregnancy. I’d hoped Adrian was wrong, that he’d misunderstood whatever he learned in Dante’s mind.
But I couldn’t unhear the two quiet yet fast heartbeats. And I doubted Elias couldn’t, either.
He didn’t even try to give in to his natural instincts. His wolf would be telling him to ensure her and their child were safe. If he listened to his wolf, it would be him caring for her now.
When the last knot came free, Ivy sighed.
She’d been eerily quiet since coming in here and revealing the rest of Dante’s abuse.
I knew if she wanted to talk about it, she would.
But I also knew she was likely giving us a chance to comprehend it.
Maybe she was worried about our reactions. Or maybe she was too tired to care.
“You know, don’t you?” Ivy asked, her voice soft yet tense. “I don’t have to spell out what…what’s happening?”
I stiffened, looking from Elias to her. But she was staring at the shifter, her face only just visible in the mirror across from us.
I wished I could reach into our bond to understand what she was thinking, because I couldn’t read her at all.
When had she gotten so good at masking her feelings?
What else had Dante done to make her capable of hiding even from me?
Elias sighed, uncrossed his arms, and pushed off the wall he’d been leaning against. The bear shifter in the corner of the room tensed, all the muscles in his body coiling tight in preparation for an attack. He tracked Elias with his eyes, though he did nothing else.
The wolf moved to the other side of the tub and knelt, eyes softening on her. “We’re getting a potion prepared for you. To…stop what Dante did.”
Ivy’s shoulders rose in sharp breath. “How did you know?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Elias replied, gaze flickering to mine. There was no good way to explain what happened to Adrian, especially without him here. “At least, not right now. But we’re going to stop it, and then…”
“And then we wait,” she said, hands moving to her stomach. “I figured you would be more excited.”
“I’m only excited if you are,” he said, voice darkening. “What he did—and Sable hiding it from us—that wasn’t what any of us wanted. And I know it’s not what you want.”
Through the reflection, I noticed tears brimming her eyes. But she released a shaky breath. “I think I’m ready to get out now.”
Elias and I only shared a look as we rose, meeting her at the stairs leading into the tub.
Facing her fully, I could see it all; the bruises circling her arms from the hands of his soldiers, healed welts on her wrists from tight shackles.
Her ankles were swollen and red, feet bruised and cut.
And yet, she stepped out of the tub without a word, without showing how much pain I knew she had to be in.
There was a surprising amount of things already stocked in the bathroom.
Towels in one of the cupboards. Brushes and combs, as well as soaps, conditioners, and anything Ivy might need.
Orion had, at some point, taken the time to stock the place with what he could find—which included Ivy’s coconut scented shampoo.
I never realised how much comfort I could take from a hair product.
Leaving Ivy with Elias, I grabbed a towel, one so large I knew it would wrap around her comfortably.
The air inside the bathroom might have been warm from the steam of the bath, but the rest of the manor was cold.
I made a note to check if there was any way to heat the place, though I doubted Orion expected us to be here when the weather turned cold.
He likely thought this place wouldn’t be used for at least another year.
But winter had been closing in on the mortal world, and it was here in Avalon.
I wrapped the towel around Ivy’s body, eyes straying to her stomach. To others, it wasn’t noticeable. But I knew my mate’s body, understood every part of her better than I knew myself. She used to be all gentle slopes. Where she used to be soft, there was now a barely perceptible swell.
“Are you sure you’ll be able to stop it?” Ivy asked, looking between us. “You can stop them from coming early?”
I gave her a stiff nod, heart pounding. “Yes,” I replied. “We think so.”
“Cyrus says he can make a counter potion,” Elias replied, voice gruff.
Ivy tensed, lips pulling in a sneer. “Cyrus?”
Elias and I shared another look. “Yes,” I replied slowly. “What’s wrong?”
Her heart raced, her breathing fast. Even without the bond, I could sense her panic—her fear. All I wanted to do was sweep her into my arms, take her to bed, and hold her until she fell asleep. But she took a step away from us, towel wrapped firmly around herself.
“He used to work for Dante.” Her eyes flickered between us, a pink flush darkening her cheeks. “But you know that.”
This time, Elias nodded. “He did. But he’s out of Dante’s control. Has been for years. He knew exactly what Dante did to you, and how to reverse it.”
Ivy just stared at him for a long moment before blinking hard. “He put you in a cage.”
Elias had moved to take a step towards her, but he stopped, eyes wide. “How—?”
“I guess we all learned things,” she murmured, dropping his stare. “I need the potion soon, or I’ll give birth before the next lunar eclipse. I might already be a couple months along just from it being sped up.”
And that didn’t account for how long she’d already been pregnant before Sable put the spell on her. Likely only a couple of days, so barely perceptible. Perhaps only just conceived. But we wouldn’t know until we got her to a healer who specialised in pregnancy and birth.
Ivy turned towards the bedroom, a soft breath falling from her lips.
As she did, the bear shifter rose. They’d called him Thor, though every time the name was used, I’d noticed the male flinch.
It wouldn’t surprise me if they’d given him a different name, one that hadn’t always been his.
My Sire had tried to give me a new name, one of his own liking, but I’d never allowed it to stick.
“You should have a bath,” Ivy said softly. “You’ll feel better after. Trust me.”
The male cocked his head, still wearing the flimsy cloth around his waist. We needed more supplies, especially for him, the Primal, and Hawk. All three were either underdressed or in the clothing Dante gave them, and I wanted anything related to the false king burned.
“Or a shower,” she offered, pointing towards the almost hidden alcove. “Then we can do something about that hair.”
It was clear he could understand what Ivy was saying. He tore his eyes from her and looked towards the shower stall, then at the bath she’d walked out of. His nostrils flared, almost out of frustration, like he wanted to ask something but couldn’t.
But almost like she could read his mind, Ivy stepped towards him and held out a hand. “I won’t leave your side.”
The male took her hand, and without a word, she led him to the edge of the tub. I couldn’t find it within myself to feel strangely about it.
Elias eyed them similarly. I could tell he was thinking along the same lines as me, though there was something else going on in his mind.
He’d recognised the male when we first found him. Known him. Elias never said it, but I’d seen it when we found Ivy on the island.
Had he been one of the children from Elias’s memories?
When I’d slipped into the memory with Elias, there’d been a young bear shifter, maybe a year or two older than Elias. Was this him?
Ivy helped take the cloth off Thor, baring him to us. I used that as my sign to look away, jaw clenching. As he moved into the water, I stalked back into the bedroom in search of the bag Adrian had put together of our clothes for Ivy.
The duffel had been left on the trunk at the end of the bed, but none of the other males were here. Rowan had been the first to leave, saying something about getting rid of his pack.
By the time I re-entered the bathroom, the bear shifter had fully submerged himself in the bath. Elias stood at the edge, arms crossed as he watched Ivy, who sat on the edge of the bath, legs dangling in the water.
Ivy looked up, lips pressed together, eyes darting to the duffel. “What’s in there?”
“Clothes for you,” I said, stopping near Elias. “Marked with our scent.”
She looked down at the water, at the male standing beside her. “And socks?” she asked softly, kicking her feet. Feet still bruised and torn apart from walking through the tunnel, on the beach and on the island.
“I believe so,” I replied, kneeling to riffle through it. “Adrian put the bag together for you. Said it would be comforting for you, to have clothes with our scents.”
Ivy blinked hard, barely nodding her head. “Where is he? And the others?”
“I don’t know, but I can go find them if you want.” I wished so badly to understand her emotions, but I wasn’t entirely sure she understood them, either. Ivy seemed to be drifting between different states of shock, relief, and sadness, and I couldn’t tell where she was now.
She might have been here physically, but how present was she mentally?
Ivy shook her head, clearing her throat. “No, it’s okay,” she said, meeting my eye again, this time with a tight smile. “I’m going to help Thor, and then I’ll change. If you two need to do something, I’ll be fine.”
“There is no place I’d rather be,” Elias replied. “I’m not leaving your side, Angel.”
“And they would be here, too,” I said, hoping to the Goddess she believed me for her own sake. “But you know Rowan. He is…”
“I know.” She dropped my stare, kicked her feet again, and sighed. “Could you bring me some shampoo? If you thought my knots were bad, I hate to think about his.”
That pulled a reaction from the male, a soft growl that had Ivy smiling. It was like a reassurance that he knew, even if he couldn’t communicate back with her, that he understood.
If only we could reassure her the same way. Because right now, I couldn’t tell if she trusted our ability to keep her safe or understand what she needed. And I was terrified that would push her away completely.