Chapter 29 Ivy
Ivy
The fresh air steals the breath from my lungs the moment I rush outside, flashing lights dazzling me at every turn. All around, faeries dance in perfect tempo, filling the street with music and laughter, and I soak up every second of it, adjusting to the new sights and sounds.
My soul is aflame as the pulsing waves thrum through my veins, and when I sway my hips to the lilting notes, raising my arms high in the air, I suddenly feel it…
How alive I am.
The moment I donned that gauzy green dress of gossamer, all my inhibitions vanished. I lost my fear and my sense of survival as I willingly ran into a nest of vipers—vipers that would gladly hunt me down and torture me for sport.
A voice warns me that this is wrong: I should leave right now before anyone realises I’m here.
My body keeps undulating like a wisp of smoke, though—slow, seductive, hypnotic.
The music reaches places deep inside me, vibrating in the marrow of my bones until I’m utterly possessed, and finally, I tilt my head back, laughing at the swirling sky.
My dress breathes against my skin as I twirl and flex to the beat of the drums, and then I cartwheel, having no idea I could even pull such a manoeuvre. This glamour makes me even move like the Fae, and now I’m just as agile and graceful as these beautiful creatures.
As I land back on my feet, the vibrant lights of wisps swimming in my peripheral vision, a hand grips my shoulder, and I turn to find those glowing eyes. Tegwyn hovers close, and his pine and woodsmoke scent has never smelled so good.
Does he have any idea what he does to me? Probably not.
“Ivy, what are you doing?”
He’s incandescent with rage, yet I merely giggle, grabbing his hand. “I’m dancing! Join me.”
I tug him towards the crowd of revellers, but he’s steadfast, planting his heels firmly in place. His fingers find my wrist, and then he starts pulling me away from the revel. “No. We need to leave. Now.”
I shake my head. “No. I want to stay. The night is so beautiful.”
He yanks me close until we’re inches from a kiss, and that’s when my eyes fall to his carved Cupid’s bow lips.
The blood rushes through my head, making me lose all common sense. What is happening to me?
He moves his mouth to my ear, whispering, “These faeries will eat you alive.”
Two little Fae girls pass us, hand in hand as they dance in a circle. They both have horns like Tegwyn.
I smile, peering his way. “Even those two?”
Tegwyn glances at the small children strangely for a moment, looking at a loss for words. Then he regards me pointedly. “Yes. Even the children will take turns rending your flesh.”
My, he really does paint quite a bloody picture.
I heed his warning for a moment, but in the end, I shake my head, making up my mind. “I don’t care. I don’t know what this glamour has done to me, but this is the most free I have felt in a long time, and I haven’t even had a drop of faerie wine.”
His unwavering eyes don’t leave me as he keeps on glaring, and I take that as my cue to proceed. “Just one dance. Please? Then we can go.”
His hardened gaze melts at the sound of my pleading tone. Then he sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Fine. One dance. Then we go.”
I bat my eyelashes, leaning closer. “So, does this mean you will dance with me?”
He gives me a deadpan look, his eyes returning to solid gold. “No.”
My heart sinks, but I understand. He’s shy.
“All right. I guess I’ll dance by myself.”
I walk right into the heart of the revel, and his groan vanishes somewhere behind me.
Hopefully, most of the Fae here really are too intoxicated to notice the fake tips of my ears.
The last thing I should be doing is drawing more attention to myself, but when I jerk back and forth, trying out some new, off-kilter moves, the revellers stop.
They cheer me on, even when my dancing makes no sense, but who cares?
I’m having fun.
As I dip back in a low arc, I find his heated gaze.
Tegwyn regards me, rather impressed this time, and I can almost read his thoughts from where I dance.
Not bad.
That’s when I catch a flash of gold in the corner of my eye, and I find that beautiful, yellow-eyed female heading my way.
My gut clenches, and then my every inhibition returns with a vengeance. It's her. From the tavern.
Minnow.
And she still has that sour expression on her gorgeous face. Tegwyn was right; this was a bad idea.
She knows exactly who I am, and now she’s going to make me suffer.
Finally, Minnow reaches my side, and she really is a sight to behold. That flash of gold I spied earlier was, in fact, her crown of leaves, and they match her eyes perfectly.
Her companions wear similar wreaths. A fair-skinned female with hair as white as snow wears a crown of holly berries to match her red lips, and the other wears woven branches of frosted pine. They all have beautiful wings, too.
The white-haired female has translucent wings of shimmering green, and the other has the spotted red of a peacock butterfly.
Minnow tucks her dusty, mottled wings behind her back, giving me a once-over. “My, where did you learn such a dance?”
I lower my gaze, muttering under my breath, “I… made it up.”
She flutters her long, feathery eyelashes. “Come again?”
I should get back to Tegwyn; he will be waiting for me on the pavement. He was right. We should have left after all, and if I survive tonight, then I will tell him personally. He will be so smug.
Minnow leans closer, and her scent of spiced apple chokes me. “What’s your name, fair one?”
That’s where she’s wrong. I am not fair.
I am deceiving these creatures, and when they finally discover who and what I am, they will kill me.
“I-Ivy.”
Minnow hums. “Ivy? Like the parasitic plant? Most befitting.”
The snowy-haired female laughs like a pealing bell, and the pure timbre seems to mock me. Minnow’s smirk widens, and that’s when she shows me her perfect teeth—teeth perfect for rending flesh.
“Aspen, Willow, will you help me dispose of this beautiful parasite?”
Aspen and Willow wear matching sneers, and soon all three faeries crowd me, gripping my arms with cruel, cutting nails.
“Maybe she could show us that lovely dance again,” the pale-haired faerie, Aspen, warbles.
“Or we could gouge her pretty eyes out,” Willow whispers, and I release a silent gasp when she exposes her fangs.
Now these beautiful, winged creatures turn before my very eyes, dragging me closer into the jaws of hell for daring to crash their revel.
When I blink again, Tegwyn is standing in front of me, shielding me from sight. All three faeries release my arms the moment he snarls, “Back off.”
Minnow produces a husky laugh, flicking back her long, chestnut hair. “Tegwyn, why haven’t you introduced us to your lovely friend?”
The growl rises at the back of his throat, and my heart quivers at the merciless sound. “I told you to back off…”
Aspen and Willow have already gone, but Minnow remains.
She purrs, stepping closer to whisper into his ear, “You’re highly tempting when you’re like this, Teggy.
Almost takes me back to that night when you kissed my—” Her words die in her throat when he grips her arm, extending his claws.
Now Minnow’s perfect facade cracks when he punctures her shining skin, drawing dots of blood.
“And yet, I still can’t rid your foul taste from my tongue. You’re pathetic, Mabel, or whatever your name is. So go and fuck someone else tonight.”
My jaw drops at his crude words, and then I blush bright red as I imagine them together, their shimmering bodies entwined like a beautiful knot.
What was I thinking? As if Tegwyn would ever want me when he’s had Mabel, I mean, Minnow.
I feel Minnow’s satisfied smirk, and it looks like her job here is done. She may not have got to sink her claws into me, but she has still broken my spirit all the same.
I have never felt so small.
Finally, she rejoins her friends, and Tegwyn turns my way. “Ivy?”
I lift my face, and my heart cleaves in two when I spy the sorrow in his eyes. He knows that Minnow’s words got to me, yet he has no idea how to offer me comfort.
“You…you were right, Tegwyn… We should have just left.”
My voice cracks, and he doesn’t look as smug as I thought he would. No, he looks sad and broken, and I just want this night to end.
Suddenly, he places his arms around me, pulling me flush to his chest. Our noses brush, and soon it’s just the two of us, the revelers and the dancers all forgotten.
His warmth comforts me as he moves effortlessly, and who knew he could dance so well. My head is reeling, and once again, I feel as light as air.
“I didn’t know you could dance,” I giggle.
He looks a little affronted. “I’m not a complete heathen, you know, Ivy.”
There’s no missing the humour in his tone, and I laugh louder, uncaring who sees us now. Minnow can eat her heart out.
He chuckles. “Why are you laughing?”
“I’m just wondering what you will do next. Breathe fire?”
Tegwyn’s eyes flash, and then his fangs glint beneath the lanterns as he whispers huskily, “Only one way to find out.”
I’m not sure if he is wholly serious, but I embrace every moment, wrapping my hands around his neck.
Our hearts beat together, and I savour his proximity, breathing in his intoxicating scent.
“Ivy…” he whispers, his breath feathering my cheeks.
I open my eyes, drowning in his honeyed gaze. “Yes?”
His gaze falls on my lips, and then his pupils blow out, taking over his eyes. Then he turns his face away, sighing in defeat. “N-nothing.”
Well, that’s disappointing. For a moment, I thought he was going to… Never mind.
“Tegwyn?”
“Yeah?”
A frustrated huff escapes me, and I meet his black eyes, the ones ringed with gold. “When are you going to kiss me?”
His countenance falters, and then he stops spinning. “What are you—?”
He doesn’t get to finish his sentence as I grip his cheek, letting our lips meet for the first time.