“No,” I croak, but it’s inaudible over the sound of Ivy’s screams as she collapses to her knees, clutching her head with the same pain, and I can't stand it.
My soul bleeds, but my father finally withdraws his abilities just enough for me to be able to use my tongue.
“His mother wants to be in the same room as you.”
The room falls eerily silent, and I can practically hear my father think.
“Cressida?” he confirms, and I nod, my entire body spent, but curiosity gets the better of me as he grins.
Relief floods through me as I watch Ivy shuffle back to her feet, pressing her back against the wall, but when my eyes latch onto hers, panic takes over.
She's panting, and I can sense from here that her magic is as scattered, even more so, as it was earlier today. She looks like she wants to kill him, but it's not as simple as that. If it was, I would have done it already myself.
“Ivy,” I breathe, and frightened eyes find mine as my father clamps a hand down on her shoulder.
“I should thank you, Angel,” he rasps, his mouth at her ear, and I want to burn that nickname to the ground. “I should thank you for getting my son to talk,” he says wistfully, while Ivy’s teeth chatter as she clenches her hands at her sides, eyes so wide I can feel the burning sensation myself.
“I wasn't aware he said much,” she whispers, and my father winks.
“He said enough. Now, how can I thank you?”
She shakes her head. “I'd rather you just left,” she mutters, splaying her fingers out on the wall behind her as she struggles to contain her magic.
“I will,” he says, tapping his chin as he leans closer, crowding her space. Anger burns through him as he reaches out, dragging his fingertip down her cheek. "Your father promised you to me until you were announced as the fated mate of my son,” he murmurs, my pulse quickening in my ears as my hands burn red at the truth in his words. “Now it seems he's had a higher offer. Reginald has never been anything more than a backstabber,” he grunts, tilting his head as he continues to assess my mate. “I should kill you for it, make him hurt, but you know what will hurt him more?” he pushes, but before she can answer, he continues, venom tainting his eyes. “Anything. Anything would hurt him more than hurting you, because he doesn't care about you. He never has, and he never will.” He leans back, fueledby his anger as he snarls at her. “I should have known when I brokered the deal for him to marry your mother that it would end in turmoil, but I'll get my peace. I'll enjoy watching you dismantle it.”
He presses a kiss to her head before sauntering from the room, as if he hasn’t left wreckage in his wake.
I sag in relief as I hear his footsteps in the distance, racing toward Ivy as fast as my aching wounds will allow me, but the closer I step, the more panicked I become.
“Ivy,” I rasp, and she gapes at me, eyes ringed with orange.
Fuck.
30
IVY
My heart races so fast, I swear I'm going to keel over as I strain for control.
The inability to breathe is only heightened by the hysteria that scatters through my veins.
Archer draws closer, hands raised in surrender, and the fear that shines in his eyes threatens to make me crumble.
What only feels like thirty seconds ago began with athudat the door, swiftly followed by a knock. Curiosity got the better of me, and when I opened the door to see a man I'd never met before, I was caught off guard.
“I’m so sorry to disturb your evening, darling, but Archer is struggling, and I'm not sure whether he's going to need medical attention.”
I should have known then that this was no business of mine to get involved in, but even as I think it, I know I would make the same call again and again. I thought my hated mate was in trouble, and I did the only thing I knew I could.
Help.
This is never what I anticipated walking into, unaware that the predator was leading its prey into its trap, and I fell for it. Not only did I bear witness to the pain Archer was goingthrough, but I had the unfortunate experience of having the same sensation.
I don't know what he was doing in my mind, but it leaves me delirious.
My phoenix frazzles inside of me, desperate to set the world on fire. It takes everything inside of me to hold it together, and as Archer inches closer and his scent envelops me, I grasp for the smallest sense of comfort, but it's not enough.
A sob parts my lips as my breath trembles, my mind repeating the words his father said. The bullshit he spewed doesn't matter; it's the meaning beneath it all. One word that took root inside of my soul, igniting what was already there, and he knows it.
