Page 59 of Far From Sherwood Forest

A heat starts to boil in my chest, the pressure in my jaw rising. “One, Robin did notsaveme.” Leaning forward, my scowl deepens as dread and suspicion coil around my spine. “Two, I never told you about that bear.”

Ivy sucks her lips between her teeth like she’s just let slip theworld’s biggest secret.

I think she might have.

Standing, I start to slowly round the desk as I keep my eyes fixed on her. “Do you want to tell me how the fuck you knew about that?”

“What are you talking about?” She laughs as she gets to her feet and moves behind the chair. Her laughter sounds uncomfortable, but there’s something in her eyes that contradicts it, a kind of mischievous gleam. “You told me, silly.”

“I most certainly did not. And if you don’t explain to me what the hell is going on right the fuck now, I’m going to make you regret it.”

She frowns, but it’s exaggerated. “Come on, Henry. We’re friends.”

“Not right now we’re not.”

Moving forward, I grab the back of the chair and hurl it behind me where it topples over and crashes onto the floor. As I approach Ivy, she takes small steps back. With how fucking furious I am, any normal person should be terrified right now. But even though she’s moving away from me, she doesn’t look afraid.

In fact, it looks like this is exactly what she wanted.

And that only ramps up my rage even more.

I take a few more long, quick strides toward her until she’s forced to press her back against the wall. I slam my hand against it beside her head, not touching her. If I did right now, I’d probably snap her damn neck.

“Fucking tell me,” I snarl in her face.

She doesn’t even flinch, instead giving me a smile that’s somewhere between playful and sympathetic. “You already know, Henry.”

My next words come out low and grinding. “I want to fucking hear it.”

But I don’t get to. Just then, a breeze blows into the room through the office door. It’s out of place since I never heard the front door of the building open. And, yet…it’s familiar.

I stumble back with the recognition that comes with it. The realization.

That was my answer.

“You.”

Her smile widens. It’s not cruel, but it feels like it is anyway. “Me.”

Before I can do anything—not that I knowwhatto do—the wind picks up, so strong that papers fly off my desk and my eyes sting. I turn away from it, and my brief distraction gives Ivy enough time to slip quickly and gracefully out of the room. The moment she’s out the door, the wind dies.

I rush forward, stepping into the hallway and turning left and right. But, of course, there’s no sign of her.

“Fuck!”

Going back into my office, I slam the door shut behind me. Marching to the desk, I sweep everything off of it that the wind didn’t. My mug hits the wall and shatters, coffee and bits of ceramic raining down onto the floor. My laptop is next, flipping midair and slamming into the wall with a hollow, cracking thud. Plastic and metal split on impact, and the screen fractures. Keys pop free, and pieces scatter across the carpet.

It feels like a reflection of myself.

Breathing heavily, I bend down and stare at the broken computer.

Her own brand of magic…

I’ve been a fucking idiot.

Once again, I’m all alone. The one person I thought was a friend—or at least something akin to a friend—betrayed me. I was stupid. I thought because she helped me, I could trust her. She saved me, but it turns out it was her fault I needed saving in the first place.

I’ll never trust anyone again.