My heart skipped a beat for a moment, but I nodded. “Of course, Angel.”
The watery smile she gave me did nothing to calm my racing heart as she started for the front door. “I really want to take a walk,” she said, looking over her shoulder at me. “Get some fresh air.”
I tensed, but I didn’t stop her from opening the door. My wolf rose within me, wanting to turn her around and lock her in her room where I knew she would be safe, but I pushed against the urge.
She hadn’t left the manor since we got here, except to sneak into the greenhouse she didn’t think we knew about. I’d found it hours before she had, cleaned up as much of it as possible, and made sure the baskets were in plain view for her in case she went wandering in. So, I knew she probably needed the escape.
We left the house without a word and stepped out into the dreary afternoon. The smell of rain was still heavy on the wind, but it continued to hang over us like a threat.
“Careful,” I murmured, moving in close behind her before she could make her way down the stairs. “They’re still slick.”
Ivy glanced over her shoulder at me. “I know.”
And yet, she still allowed me to help her down into the courtyard.
“You know, this will be so nice in summer,” she said, gazing over the space. “I’d love to get a nice table out here. Large enough for everyone.”
My chest warmed with hope. “Yeah?”
She smiled at me, though darkness flickered in her honey-brown eyes. “Yeah.” A sigh passed her lips as she looked away, staring out over the wing of the manor we hadn’t found access to yet. “What do you think is in there?”
“We found a ballroom,” I admitted, glancing at the long room to our left, which did have an outside access. “Whoever lived here before liked to throw parties.”
Ivy snorted and slowly walked through the courtyard, pulling me behind her. “And the rest?”
“No idea,” I replied honestly, keeping my eyes on her. “Maeve’s been looking for old records.”
And she hadn’t found anything yet. Depending on who built the manor originally, there could be hidden assets throughout, but from what we could tell now, only Black would know.
“Could the witches have built it?” Ivy asked, drawing me out of my thoughts as we made it to the bridge. More water filled the creek, which we knew now fed a large lake behind the manor. There were structures back there, like a pavilion and what might have been sheds, though Kingsley and I weren’t sure. We just knew it was a dumping ground for materials Black had dragged out of the house.
I moved in closer to Ivy, keeping an eye on her as we walked over the bridge. “Possibly, though we’d probably find more signs of the coven that lived here.”
She nodded slowly. “We—I mean, Adrian and Rowan—would feel the magic, wouldn’t they?”
“Yeah,” I replied, clearing my throat, glancing over her head at a dirt track between the tree line and creek. “Look, there’s a path that follows the creek. Want to take it?”
Something loosened in her shoulders as she looked at me. “Yeah.”
For several moments, we walked in silence. Out here, it was like we were in an entirely different world, one untouched by the war being waged on the mainland.
“I doubt you wanted to talk about the manor,” I said after a while, keeping my eyes on the path ahead as it declined towards the back of the house. “What’s wrong?”
Ivy sighed loudly, scrubbing a hand down her face. “I’m…sad,” she started slowly, dropping her hand after a moment. “I’m sad and I don’t feel right.”
I stopped, pulling her to a halt with me and turning her to face me. “Why?”
“You would know if we still had our bond,” she murmured, head cocked.
A lump formed in my throat, the guilt I’ve been shoving down rearing its head again. “Angel?—”
“It’s okay,” she said. “I didn’t mean for that to come out the way it did.” She closed her eyes for a moment, forehead dropping to my chest. All I could do was wrap an arm around her. “You haven’t saidanythingabout the pregnancy. You or Adrian, and these are your babies. I guess I expectedsomething?—”
“I’m sorry,” I said, voice low. The guilt became worse, flooding me painfully. “I’m not going to speak for Kingsley. He has his own shit to work through, things he still needs to talk to you about. I won’t pretend like I don’t have shit to work through, especially knowing what I know now.”
“Which is?” she asked softly, looking up at me.
I swallowed hard past the lump in my throat as I stared into her dark eyes. The darkness I’d spotted when we found her was there again, shadowing her expression. Her eyes were full of doubt and fear.
