It was like staring at a new woman. Every inch of her. She's on track to become who she's supposed to be. Not the Angel of Heaven's Ridge, not the damn Phoenix of the Fifth Kingdom, but the absolute beauty that is Ivy Hayworth, my fucking mate.
My eyes dart open, my tiger chastising me with the need to be alert growing prominent as I’m reminded where I am. As good as memory lane is, now isn't the time. I have to remain focused.
Staring up at the Fire Protector’s building, I nestle in the grass, and my tiger grumbles, but there's no urge to move as we find ourselves locked in on the job at hand.
Half a day has passed since I last spoke to her, but that doesn't mean I haven't been watching.
After she slipped beneath the water last night, sending us all into a panic, we’ve been even more on edge, despite how calm and steady she was. Baron was the first to get there, but even as he sat in the still water beside her, the rest of us were watching their every move.
I don’t know what they spoke about—Baron refused to share—but she quickly called it a night and darted for her room swiftly after.
Instinctively, I followed after her, and I’ve been here ever since.
I know of every single person who has entered and exited the Fire Protector dorms since. The second she slipped beyond the fiery entrance, I took my spot, and remained observant and guarded.
Usually, my tiger would be antsy and starved by now, but not today, not when it comes to her.
My tiger snaps our attention to the right, watching as two girls leave the building for the first time since they arrived a little while after I did last night. I make a mental note, cataloging it in my mind along with everybody else.
Two minutes pass before another figure steps through the flames, exiting the building, and my tiger snarls instantly.
Silas.
My mother hates the taste of the word, but it has to be said that he is a fucking cunt.
The anger that rages through my veins laces with my tiger’s desire to charge at him. While the familiar tang of copper rests on my tongue, I wonder what his blood would taste like.
The things I would do to sink my teeth into that man's throat.
Fuck.
I'm going from one fantasy to another, both on completely opposite ends of the spectrum today.
It seems maybe I'm growing a little tired after being here for so long, but I know I’m justified. He was pushing it from the second he arrived last night. He was pushing his luck as they made their way down the cliff, and he pushed it again on the dance floor, but despite all of that, I kept true to the promise that I made my mother, and none of us fucking moved.
Not once.
Not even when she made eye contact with Archer and let him take control, which I didn't think would happen. When Archer insisted on having a plan in place, I thought he was foolish, but to my surprise, the moment came, and she did lean on us.
That feels like progress.
Movement catches my eye as Silas drifts off toward the main academy building, and the snarl on my lips only grows more intense as I spy Francesca and Bonnie, retracing his steps back towards the dorm. Teddy is right behind them, and I rise up onto my paws, pressing them into the ground, ready to take off at full speed.
It doesn't matter that I know he already has it handled. What matters is the taste of blood that I'm so thirsty for. It’s not myfault that some of my most hated people all show up all at once, leaving me with little control.
I don't think Ivy knows it yet, but Teddy used his abilities to lock the bitches in Odesa’s room last night, and I have to say, it worked out for the most part.
We did fill Dorian in on the situation in case Ivy caught on, but he hasn't mentioned that he had to speak to her about it.
Continuing to track their every movement, I can't help but wonder what Teddy is saying to them now as he drags them to a halt before the flames. I can see his nostrils flaring, his anger palpable before they disappear inside the dorm, leaving him to drag a hand through his hair and stalk off.
I almost pout over the fact that he doesn't stay to take over, but I know it's not his shift next.
As if sensing my thoughts, a shadow floats above me, and the sound of my brother's dragon fills the air as it comes to perch on the rooftop of the Fire Protector dorms. Beyond Alaric’s scales, my eyes lock with my brother. A simple nod, and I know my shift is over. Stretching out my limbs, I push through the ache, but I don't waste any more time before I stalk toward the Land Protector’s building.
I’m slightly aware of how sluggish I feel as I let the fatigue and exhaustion seep through my tiger, and it threatens to claim me. Once I'm beyond those doors, showered and changed, I'm going to pass the fuck out.
My mind is more alive than my body as I move, making it easy for my thoughts to drift back to Ivy again. I can't tell whether it's a dream replaying before me or a harsh reality plaguing my thoughts.
