Chapter 66 Thor
Thor
Ivy stared at me like she didn’t recognise me. And yet, something flared in her eyes, a softness appearing in her features.
Her words reverberated through my head as she beckoned me to follow her out of the strong-smelling glass room. A greenhouse, she’d called it. A place to grow food outside of different environments.
The gathered fruits in the basket each had a distinct scent that tickled at memories I couldn’t find. When we left the dark storage room, she took the basket from my hands, set it on the counter, and took my hand.
Are you certain you can hear me? she asked, mouth not moving. And yet, I heard the words clearly inside my head, almost how he used to communicate with me.
Her voice didn’t feel like his. When I’d heard him inside my head, there’d always been a sick feeling that would follow. A darkness that would leak through my mind, fingers reaching for control.
With her, it felt…nice. Calm. Peaceful. Her voice brought a warmth that flooded my chest and made my beast happy.
I nodded once to her question but realised quickly when her eyes narrowed that she wanted an answer. Yes.
She sucked in a breath, eyes widening. “Okay. That’s not what I expected,” she said aloud, keeping her voice quiet. “Could you always do that?”
I’m not sure, I replied. I’ve always been able to hear him. But I heard the winged one’s voice when death tried to claim me.
Ivy blinked hard, releasing a slow breath as she looked over her shoulder.
Outside of the cage, she was far more radiant, especially now.
Even with the collar, there was something about her that drew me towards her.
I wasn’t sure if it was her scent, which was more distinct now, no longer clouded by the stench of the other creatures or soldiers, or if it was something else entirely.
But the pull towards her was one that couldn’t be ignored.
My beast wanted to claim her. I only partially knew what that meant; could understand the urge that came with it.
But I knew I couldn’t. That she wouldn’t like it.
“You heard Hawk’s voice,” she whispered, finally looking back at me. “The winged one. Hawk. The male we rescued?”
Yes, I replied. Him. He spoke to me.
She nodded before looking at the kitchen door. “Alright. Cool.” She gave my hand a tug. “We need to tell the others.”
Why? I asked, though I followed without any other complaint, especially since she continued holding my hand. It fit so neatly into mine; her smooth skin pressed against my rough palms, her flesh unblemished while mine was covered in scars. She didn’t seem afraid of any of it.
“Well, we thought you were a shifter with no mage abilities. But I shouldn’t be able to hear your thoughts, and you shouldn’t be able to hear mine.
We aren’t bonded mates,” she explained, briefly looking back at me as we left the kitchen.
“You having mind mage abilities is the only way. Which shouldn’t be possible. ”
I frowned, her explanation not making much sense to me. You think I have to be like him then?
She stopped, whipping around to face me, features soft. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “Maybe you have a similar power. But you aren’t anything like him, Thor.”
I flinched at the name, the one given to me by Watcher. I’d loathed it the moment he’d given it to me and wished I could shed it.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured. “You don’t like the name. That’s okay. We can find you a new one—one that’s better, that you actually like.”
Could it be that easy? To find another, one no longer tied to Watcher or the cages?
“Yes,” she said quietly, smiling up at me. “It can be.”
“Who are you talking to?” the only other female here asked, appearing down the darkened hall. She frowned as she took in our joined hands, eyes darkening. “Is everything okay?”
“Actually, we were coming to find you and the others,” Ivy said, keeping hold of my hand as the female vampire came to a halt in front of us. “He can hear my thoughts. At least when we touch.”
The vampire’s nostrils flared, eyes finding mine. “Is that so?”
Her name is Maeve, Ivy whispered into my mind. Not vampire.
I am sorry, I replied, looking down at her.
“What is he saying?” the vampire—Maeve—asked, crossing her arms.
“He’s apologising for calling you the vampire,” Ivy replied, smiling. “I think he might have mind mage abilities.”
Maeve eyed me for a moment before shaking her head. “Dante was experimenting with the shifters. We weren’t able to figure out what exactly he’d been doing other than playing with lifespans, but it is possible this is something he did.”
Ivy stiffened, eyes darting to mine. “That would make sense, I guess,” she murmured. “Are you sure?”
“I would need to contact the holding facility in the human world to see if they’ve learned anything from those we captured,” Maeve replied, glancing at me warily. “This does mean we have an entirely new source of information, though.”
“Maeve,” Ivy snapped. “I don’t think he can give us that much. He was in a cage.”
The soldiers spoke freely around us, never knowing that we could understand, I told her, squeezing her fingers gently. I know more than they ever realised.
Ivy sighed, chewing her bottom lip as she looked between me and Maeve.
“He said the soldiers liked to talk freely around him. That they revealed a lot, not realising he could always understand them,” she said quietly.
Her pounding heart picked up speed, like she was afraid. Though of what, I couldn’t be sure.
The vampire nodded once. “Later, we can go through what you know. You may not realise it now, but you likely learned a lot.”
I bowed my head. I know I did, I said to Ivy. They simply never cared.
My beast enjoyed the physical contact holding her allowed. For us to communicate, we had to be touching, unlike how he got into my head. Ivy believed that maybe one day, I would be able to project my thoughts into others’ minds like he did, but that would take time and practice.
But for entirely selfish reasons, I didn’t want to. I liked having her small hand in mine. The way her fingers lightly traced my scars brought me a comfort I didn’t expect and yet liked.
“I could rattle off names for you,” she offered, looking up from the scars on my hand, eyes bright.
“I’m good at that. Or well, I used to be.
” Her free hand went to her stomach, where two soft heartbeats raced.
“I don’t know about that, anymore. But I used to have these baby books and websites saved with all sorts of ideas.
Granted, I looked for girl names more. But there are lots of boy names out there you might like. ”
I cocked my head, taking in the slight flush darkening her cheeks. You could give me any name, and I would be happy with that.
She pressed her lips together. “You deserve to choose your own name,” she muttered, “not have someone else pick one for you. Don’t worry, we have time to figure it out. Anyway, you might hear one and really connect with it—you should connect with it.”
It’s nice that you care, I told her. No one ever actually cared. Thor was given to me by Watcher when I was taken from the room with the other children and moved into the prisons. It was then he made me enter my first battle in the Pit, and he could use the name for what he wanted.
A warrior. An executioner. Something that would draw blood better than any weapon and was just as expendable.
Her eyes softened as she cupped my hands between hers, trapping my fingers in her warmth. The touch had shivers racing down my spine and electricity prickling my skin.
“You are going to find out here, there are going to be so many people who care about you,” she said quietly, lips pulling in a small smile. “And I do care, if that matters. Probably more than I should.”
Before she could pull her hand from mine, I took it and entwined our fingers. Somehow, she still fit perfectly. Why would that bother me?
Her eyes searched mine for a moment before dropping to my thigh, where our hands rested. “I don’t know how much you know about…this world,” she said slowly without looking at me. “About things like mates.”
I know some. I’d heard the guards talk about them before. And I’d heard my beast whisper the word when death closed in on us, and she was the only thing to bring me back.
Are you my mate? I asked carefully, watching her face. Surprise flickered in her dark eyes as they met mine, lips parting in shock.
“How…?”
I heard my beast, I said, smoothing my thumb over her hand. When I was dying and you pulled me back. He claimed you as our mate.
Ivy visibly shivered, the skin on her arms prickling as she shifted uncomfortably. “Oh, well…” She trailed off, chewing her bottom lip as she finally met my stare. “I didn’t realise you knew that.”
Does that make you uncomfortable? I didn’t want her to feel that way towards me, though she was here with many mates from what I’d gathered. Maeve was her mate, as was the wolf, and the other world creature—which I’d only figured out because he always called her his fated.
Quickly, she shook her head. “No, of course not. It’s just a big thing in this world, finding your mate. It was a lot for me to understand and accept, so I understand if you need to ask questions or think about it more. Especially with what you know about it. I’ll answer any questions you have.”
Tell me about you, I said. I knew enough about the concept of mate bonds because of the soldiers; I knew one male who found his at the compound by accident and they completed their bond immediately.
I knew about the shifters who accidentally found theirs and were punished for it because we were never allowed to have them.
But we were not in the cages anymore, and I knew without a doubt in my mind that her being my mate was good. It was right. I had no fear over claiming her.
Another pink flush coloured her cheeks. “Surely there are other things you want to talk about,” she said, rolling her eyes.
Nothing else I really care about, I replied.
I knew she worried that my time in the cages meant I never experienced anything, that I was limited in my knowledge about the world.
But the cages allowed for observation, and the guards had no filters regarding what they talked about.
I understood enough about the different creatures because of my exposure to them, about events in the world because the soldiers usually bemoaned things during their rotations, and details about experiences were shared freely in front of us because they thought we didn’t understand.
Ivy’s eyes met mine as she drew in a sharp breath. “Okay,” she said, voice trembling slightly. “I didn’t grow up in this world. I didn’t know anything about it before Maeve, Elias, Rowan, and Adrian found me in the human world. That’s how we met, actually, and well…”
The story of her life, how she came to be in this world, was far more interesting than anything else I could have learned. While the thunder rumbled in the distance and rain pelted at the windows, Ivy explained how she came into this world, from being human to becoming Queen.
And it was better than any other story she could have told.
By the time she was done, night had settled in, and her eyes fluttered with exhaustion. “I’m sorry,” she said with a yawn. “I probably rambled a little too much.”
Not at all, I said, itching to reach for her face and cup her cheek. But I kept my hands on hers, maintaining contact in the only way I was sure she would accept—for now.
“Are you sure?” She shook her head with a soft laugh, sitting back.
“You’re too nice to tell me, anyway.” The smile pulling at her lips made my heart stutter.
“I like knowing you have a way to communicate, now. This is a good thing. But don’t feel pressured to tell the others what you know about Dante. ”
This time, I didn’t stop myself from touching her face, feeling the warmth of her flush beneath my scarred fingers. I will do anything I can to stop him, I told her honestly, stomach clenching. I will not let him take you or anyone else.
I would happily relive the cages if it meant putting an end to his terror. For my mate, I would do anything.