Page 9

Rowan

E verything disappeared when the colour drained from Ivy’s face, and her eyes turned white with the power of a vision. I was out of the SUV before anyone could stop me, though I doubted any would try. I was the only one who could help her through it, especially the aftermath.

And the first vision was always the worst.

My heart pounded, from guilt and fear. Guilt over not telling her about my visions sooner. Fear that what she might see would hurt her more. Fuck, I should have said something earlier. I should have fought for it. It was the least I could have done for her.

But I failed. I couldn’t fail her again. I wouldn’t risk it, not when we were finally bonded.

“How long will she be in the vision?” Elias asked, voice emotionless. He stroked a hand through Ivy’s mused hair, her head resting on his lap.

Jaw clenched, I reached across him and cupped her cold cheek. “I don’t know,” I replied, honestly. “Usually, they don’t last long. They shouldn’t. But with Ivy—I can’t tell what’s different for her compared to me.”

He didn’t respond right away, and we went back to watching her. I didn’t even care that we were in the open anymore. Let Dante and his little army find us. I could really use someone to fight. And who better than the male responsible for all of this?

Rage burned in my chest, but it was quickly extinguished when the colour returned to Ivy’s face and her eyes returned to their beautiful, dark brown.

She sucked in a sharp breath. As soon as she blinked, tears rolled down her cheeks, and she broke down into a sobbing, panicked mess.

Ivy gasped for breath as she clutched at both Elias and me.

The flood of fear through the bond made my own heart race, and the fear I’d felt when she’d fallen into the vision crashed into me once more.

“Angel, we’re here,” Elias murmured, voice thick with emotion. “Rowan and I are right here.”

She sobbed out something I couldn’t understand, and it broke something inside of me. I’m so sorry, my love. You never should have had to see something like that, I said down the bond, hoping my words would at least cut through the panic, that she would hear me through her own fear.

But Ivy buried her face into Elias’s chest, and she cried for what felt like hours. All we could do was gather around her silently as the sun rose over the ocean, and give her what strength we had left.

The crying stopped after a while, and by the end of it, Ivy was exhausted. Her eyes were puffy and sunken, and there was an emotionless look behind her dark eyes that terrified me. Terrified everyone.

I left her side for only a moment to receive the incoming supplies. When we returned from the Old World, I’d have to thank the guys from Jay’s team. Somehow, that half-demon jackass knew his agents, and he was the one I trusted most from the compound.

When I returned with several bags of supplies, Ivy hadn’t moved, her stare still barely focused on the ocean. Several boats had gone out onto the water, which remained eerily calm despite everything else going on.

It was hard to see her so…still. I handed off the bags, until only mine and Ivy’s remained. Exhaustion wrecked the entire group, but they didn’t let it show.

Adrian stopped me before I could reach her, resting a hand on my shoulder. But like me, his eyes were on her. “She still hasn’t spoken a word,” he murmured. “I don’t know what she saw, but?—”

“It was bad,” I finished, voice tight. “I know.”

For a moment, he watched me, and not for the first time we escaped the palace, I noticed the despair written clear across his face. “Do you think she saw one of your visions?”

I pressed my lips together and shook my head. “I think she saw something far worse.”

Adrian let go of my shoulder and stepped back, returning his attention to Ivy. “You might be the only one she listens to.”

Then he took his bag and started for the SUV, where everyone changed into gear and prepped themselves with weapons and new charms. I rolled my shoulders back, tightened my grip on Ivy’s bag, and started towards her.

Elias, who stood with her, glanced at me briefly and sighed.

He murmured something to her before leaving, passing me without another look.

My heart thundered in my ears as I stepped in beside her. The emotionless look in her eyes made a lump form in my throat, but she didn’t react to my presence. Her dark eyes remained on the ocean.

I let my gaze roam her body; tears stained her cheeks, but no more fell; her hair was pulled back and messy, the pins that had been keeping it in place now falling from her head.

The dress itself was ruined; the once magnificent gown that had been perfectly crafted for her now hung off her frame, tattered and destroyed.

A hole in her side revealed a now healed wound, bruised and discoloured.

I bit down on the new rage building within me. I forced myself to look away from the gaping hole in her dress and instead dropped our bags to the rocky ground.

“Does your head hurt?” I asked carefully, kneeling to poke through gear someone provided for her.

She had all the essentials, including a number of weapons for herself, a tactile belt charmed to hold a shit load of essentials, and gear.

Part of me still hated the idea that she had to be protected in this way, but now, I was more than happy for her to have it.

I’d put her in Fae armour if I could. Bubble wrap her and hide her away if it wouldn’t get me in trouble.

For a long moment, Ivy didn’t respond, but from the corner of my eye, I watched as she wrapped her arms around herself. “There’s a pounding in my skull,” she choked out, her voice hoarse. “Like someone is in my head trying to break out.”

I nodded slowly and rose, holding her new gear in my hands. “That’ll be the worst of it,” I replied. “But there’s a chance it might knock you out for a few hours. Let it, because it’ll only hurt more if you try to push through it.”

Ivy blinked, but she didn’t meet my stare. “Are they always so real?”

I hesitated a moment before sighing. “Sometimes. Usually, when I have them, they’re like flashes of a potential future. But…” I trailed off and shook my head. “When I met you, they became clearer. More real.”

She shuddered, arms tightening around herself as she released a shaky breath. “It felt so cold.”

I stiffened. “Were you?—?”

“I was in a cage,” she whispered. “And what I saw terrified me. It was the future if I failed, Rowan. And it was horrifying. I can’t—I can’t let it happen.”

“What did you see?” I asked quietly, reaching for one of her hands.

But she flinched away from me, ducking her head as she finally took her gaze off the horizon. “I can’t—” She stopped and tilted her head towards the sky. “I can’t say it.”

“Why?”

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. For the first time since she came out of the vision, she looked at me.

Whatever the vision was, it had broken something within her, something I worried she wouldn’t get back.

It took all my strength not to pull her into my arms, to hold her and promise her that the future she’d seen wouldn’t come to pass.

But that would be a lie. The truth was, I didn’t know if it would or wouldn’t. If she’d had a vision similar to mine, then it was possible that whatever Dante planned would happen.

We would fail in protecting her, and she would fall victim to his power .

Ivy pressed her lips into a firm line, glancing down at the fabric in my hands. “Is that my gear?” she asked, totally avoiding my question.

I clenched my jaw and nodded. “Specially made, just for you.”

For the first time, her expression changed, and she frowned. “I didn’t think any of you were into the idea of me having my own gear.”

I offered her a smile as I held out the clothes. “Really? Because Maeve had this ordered before we even arrived in Avalon.”

Her expression softened. Gently, she took the gear and brought it to her chest. “Thanks.”

“Nothing you need to thank me for, my love. But if I do get a reward, I’ll take a kiss.”

A crack formed in the sadness and her lips twitched.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she replied thickly.

Her eyes danced over the small clearing, taking in the others already changed into gear; Maeve and Elias stood back like they were trying to pretend they weren’t listening in on our conversation, meanwhile Adrian openly stared, as did Hawk and Orion.

“They are definitely listening,” Ivy murmured. “Not a moment of peace here.”

I snorted. “You keep picking through my thoughts, and I might think you have a thing for me.”

The twist of her lips, and the smile that replaced the dull look in her eyes, made me sigh in relief. Her eyes shone when they met mine, and I felt a twinge of hope again.

“As badly as I need a shower, I take it we have to keep moving.” She cocked her head, looking me over. “Why haven’t you changed yet? ”

I shrugged, reaching down and grabbing both of our bags. “I was waiting for you, my love. Shall we?”

The smile didn’t disappear. She took my hand, letting me entwine our fingers. Guiding her back to the SUV, I hid her in the corner of the door, where she would be protected while she undressed.

“I’m going to need some help,” she murmured, red rushing to her cheeks.

I raised a brow, but I didn’t question why she didn’t just use magic to whisk the dress away. Instead, I motioned for her to turn, and I helped her pull her hair over her shoulder.

Chewing my lip, I stared at the back of her bodice for a long moment. “You know, I might be the most useless of your mates right now.”

“You can cut it off,” she replied quietly. “I don’t think it’s salvageable.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to risk hurting you. But Adrian should—” I glanced over my shoulder and found my friend already approaching slowly, his brows furrowed. “He can help.”

Ivy hesitantly bowed her head. “Okay.”

I moved aside for Adrian, but I didn’t leave her. The prince slid in beside me, jaw clenched. But rather than questioning her, he started pulling at the ties of her bodice, undoing them with deft fingers. As he moved, the dress slid down her figure, pooling at her feet and leaving her naked.

“I probably shouldn’t question how you know how to do this,” Ivy said over her shoulder, offering Adrian a strained smile. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you, Sweetheart,” he replied, conjuring a damp cloth in his hand. His eyes weren’t on hers; I followed his line of sight to the bruise on her side, the blood still caked to her skin. “Can I help with that?”

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “Okay.”

It didn’t take long to wipe the blood from her body; I helped her twist so Adrian could see the pattern of the bruise more clearly, sucking in a breath as she turned to give us her front, where it continued over her stomach.

Fucking Nyx, I wanted to hurt him . I bit down on the need to ask her about it, but I had a feeling either Hawk or that bastard Orion would know, because Ivy’s thoughts weren’t offering much.

Ivy barely glanced at it, though her breath came out in a soft sigh when Adrian finished cleaning away the blood. “It’s not that bad,” she whispered.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Adrian’s jaw clenched. “It’s worse than it needs to be, Sweetheart.” As he ghosted the rag over the darkest part of the bruise, she flinched.

“And clearly, it hurts,” I muttered, catching her stare.

“It’s healing though, and that’s all that matters.” She jutted her chin, though dropped my stare after a moment to take in the way it wrapped around her stomach. “I’ll be fine in a few hours.”

At that, Adrian and I shared a dark look.

We were both thinking the same in regard to that statement.

A few hours too many . The knowledge she was hurting and there was nothing we could do to help her burned through me.

It brought on a sense of uselessness, one that was hard to ignore.

All I offered her as her mate was pain, and there was little I could do to heal her physical or mental wounds.

Stop that , she said, her voice snapping me out of my thoughts. You have done nothing to hurt me, Rowan.

I pressed my lips together. I did keep a secret from you, though, and that has caused more than enough hurt .

She didn’t respond to that, sighing instead. “I feel way too exposed out here, naked and all.”

Adrian cracked a half smile, letting the rag disappear. “Alright. Let’s get you geared up. I also don’t like the idea of anyone catching you naked.”

I handed Adrian the remnants of Ivy’s underwear, which were about as good as it would get considering summoning anything from the palace would alert Dante and his men to our whereabouts. Ivy grimaced down at the fabric, but she didn’t protest as Adrian knelt and helped her into it.

“If we’re lucky, we’ll get replacements in the Underworld,” I said, helping her with the clasps of a bra. “If not…”

She glanced at me, eyes shining. “If not, I’ll deal with it. I doubt the Old World has lingerie stores.”

I offered her what felt like a genuine smile. “You’d be right about that, my love. Unfortunately, I don’t think any of us have sewing skills, either, or I’d offer to make you a pair.”

A wary smile cracked across her lips. “I suppose we’ll find out when we get desperate.”

My heart clenched, but we finished helping her into the gear.

I grabbed a belt from her bag, one designed specifically for Ivy.

It had a sheath for the dagger Maeve gave her, as well as places for other items she could use for spell work.

Whatever happened out there, I vowed to ensure she would be prepared for battle.

Nothing like what happened at the ball could happen again.

I had to make sure of it.