“What the fuck?” Bonnie screams, staring down at the wound in disbelief as her chest rises and falls rapidly with distress.
“Heal it,” Francesca grunts, but I can't move.
All I can do is fight against whatever force she is using to suck in my next breath of air. Clawing at my skin, I will her grip to release, but it's impossible.
“I said, cry, bitch.”
Unshed tears bead along the bottom of my eyelashes. I fight against it as best I can, but the inability to push back against the suffocation is impossible.
My face reddens, my pulse rings, and my life crumbles as a single tear drops down my face.
She captures it effortlessly, grinning just like my father does when he gets his way. She holds the droplet on the edge of her fingertip as she snatches Bonnie's hand, bringing the wound toward her before she lets the single droplet fall.
They watch with bated breath, while I’m fixated with narrowed eyes, desperate for oxygen as I gape in disbelief. The blood stops pouring, and the wound slowly stitches back together.
By the time the magic is done, not even a blood-stained mark remains against her flesh.
“Holy shit,” Bonnie blurts, but Francesca snarls with rage at me.
“You're no better than me, bitch, and I'm going to make sure you know that every time I do this.”
“Do what?” Bonnie asked, deliriously looking up from her wound to gape at me as I focus on the pressure growing around my neck.
My vision turns blotchy, but just before darkness comes for me, I’m blessed with one more glimpse at Francesca’s manic glee.
13
ARCHER
Anger thrums through my veins.
Today has gone from bad to worse, with no hint of stopping.
I was pissed from the get-go. All because Ivy decided that she wanted to spend the day acting like nothing bad happened in the past week. But my irritation was only made worse with the begrudging passion and insistence I saw in her eyes, which lured me in.
I’m supposed to want as much distance between us as possible. Yet there she was, wading through the whispers and scrutiny Neverbound Academy has to offer without so much as blinking an eye.
Even when she questioned how people knew some of the more intricate details of her situation, she wasn't dramatic or frustrated. If anything, she was disappointed, but she didn't react as I assumed she might.
Heaving a sigh, I shake my head. It's fair to say my assumptions aren't based on her actions, but the actions of others, and deep down, I know it's unfair for me to judge her when there has never been a true cause to do so.
The reality is, every action I've seen her take has been demure, purposeful, and brave.
The second we stepped into the Fire Protector’s cave this morning, and Francesca snarled her name, I knew my other assumptions had already come to fruition.
Ivy’s blessing from The Fates came with more than the art of resurrection; it came with an instant opposition from people threatened by her.
I should have known what kind of day I was in for then, but I bit my tongue and did the best I could in favor of Ivy. A decision I already regret.
If it had been my way, I would have ensured they knew not to fuck with her again, but when she looked at me with those eyes, demanding I acknowledge that she could defend herself, I was a goner.
Despite the fact that I was mad when she was forced to stay behind, and I couldn't stay too, I needed a moment to breathe, to think, to exist outside of her close proximity before it threatened to destroy me and everything I stood for.
Thankfully, Dorian did me a solid, but the second I returned, I added him to my shit list.
Of all the things I expected, finding her consumed in flames from head to toe wasn’t it.
She’s insane.
