“What do you mean?”
I quickly reiterate my mother's words to her, and the table falls into a thoughtful silence as each of us tries to understand what the answer might be.
As the silence drifts on, I turn my attention to my food, barely chewing before I swallow it down, and it's just in time, because before any of us can speak again, the siren sounds throughout the room, signaling that a Rejuvenating Ceremony is about to begin.
My gaze immediately snaps to Ivy's, who gapes at me with an air of uncertainty. She's not walking into this clueless, like last time, but we both know what happened at the last ceremony we attended together.
We all instinctively rise from our seats, moving as one among the sea of students around us, each cutting off to their rightful areas as the five of us linger. Baron nods at Ivy before taking off toward the clifftops, Teddy squeezes her hand before moving toward the water, and Sax presses a kiss to her temple before slinking off toward the forest, leaving the two of us.
She steps up to my side as we move, and her hand brushes against mine with every step. I move on instinct, lacing our fingers together, and to my surprise, she doesn't fight the touch. If anything, it feels like she leans into the touch as I guide her toward the cave.
We're a step from entering the cave when Dorian appears, nodding to the side, and I pull my mate along with me as curiosity has me following his lead. He offers me a nod and a soft smile to Ivy before he speaks.
“Just a heads up, Francesca and Silas seem rather cozy. Just a little something for you to take note of,” he states, and I grimace, but nod.
“Good looking out, man,” I confirm, patting him on the arm before he disappears without another word.
“Why does he report that to you?” Ivy asks, and I shrug.
“Honestly, I'm not entirely sure. I’ve helped him with his magic and all, but he's never tried to wade in and push himself into business that's not his. I guess he's just looking out for me, for you.”
She nods, as if that makes sense, but it doesn't ring quite true, even in my own ears.
As we enter the cave, any thought of the matter disappears as our eyes fall on the two people in question, seeing for ourselves how they're huddled in the middle of the room. The ceremony hasn’t even begun and they’re already putting on a show.
I keep Ivy tucked at my side as the heat from the cave alone thickens the air, but as I move us behind the familiar boulder like last time, tension silently vibrates between us.
Clearing my throat, I nod to the ground. “Do you want to lie down?” I offer, and she presses her lips into a thin line as she considers her options. “Or we can lean against the boulder, if you prefer,” I add, and she nods, taking the seat against the rock with her hand still in mine, and I follow suit, nestling beside her.
The second my back hits the rock, heat blossoms throughout the entire room, rooting me through my core as it steals my breath. Her hand tightens around mine, and I work as hard as I can not to return the sentiment in fear of snapping a finger or two, but the heat is on the brink of being unbearable.
My head tilts back, and my eyes clench shut as the heat consumes me.
She whimpers, the throaty sound stealing my breath as I fight against the ache inside of me. Twisting my attention toward her, I tilt my head down to find her lashes already wide and her eyes even wider with her pupils blown.
“Archer,” she cries, another whimper falling from her lips as her free hand reaches for my t-shirt, her fingers curling into the fabric, and I nod.
Not a single ounce of more confirmation is needed as she slings her leg over and falls into my lap. The heat doesn't seem to wear her down like it did the first time. I feel rooted to the ground, yet she moves more freely. It only seems to energize her.
Her eyes are practically glowing as she fumbles with the neckline of her cropped tee while my hands trail over her thighs. My fingertips dig into her flesh as she peers down at me, jaw slack as she pants.
“Do you remember what you said?” she rasps, dragging her thumb across my bottom lip, and I gape at her in confusion. “When you admitted to underestimating me,” she adds, and I gulp, nodding, that moment forever engrained in my brain. “Me too.”
Her thighs clench on either side of me as she keeps her thumb pressed against my lip while yanking at the buttons of her top.
“I did more than underestimate you; I judged you without knowing a single thing about you. I assumed I was protecting everyone, and I thought I understood the situation, but the reality is… I was catastrophically wrong.”
Word for word, she repeats me, giving Baron a run for his money as her body moves, grinding against me, and I instinctively flex up, pressing my cock against her center.
“You deserve the apology of legends, something greater than I’ll ever be able to provide, but you better believe that I will try again, and again, and again, not just with words, but actions too. You owe me nothing, not friendship, not affection, and definitely not forgiveness. I was wrong. I’m still wrong. I thought I was doing it for your own good. There’s no justifying this shit, me, or anything that goes through my head. Giving you what you need means giving you a piece of me I haven’t found yet. I shouldn’t even ask for patience, I don’t deserve it, but fuck knows I won’t get this right the first time.”
“Ivy,” I rasp, gaping in disbelief at the words she remembers that fall heavily in the room like an ignition, cranking the heat up further.
“Help me, Archer,” she begs, and I bring a hand to her breast as she reveals her lace lingerie.
I run my thumb across her taut nipple that peeks through the fabric. “Whatever you need,” I promise a second before she inches closer, her lips an inch from mine.
With heat pulsing between us, need takes over, and our lips crash together, both fighting for control as we delve into one another. Her fingerprints sear into my skin as we claw at one another, desperate to satisfy the ache inside.
