Chapter 10
1273 Words
Ivy’s POV
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
The steady sound pulled me from the darkness.
Everything hurt.
A sharp ache throbbed through my head while every breath sent pain through my ribs.
The smell reached me first.
Antiseptic.
Metal.
Medicine.
Hospital.
My eyes fluttered open, squinting against the bright fluorescent lights above me. White ceiling tiles blurred together as I tried to remember where I was.
Then it all came rushing back.
The locker room.
Darren.
The punches.
The darkness.
My breathing quickened.
“What…” I whispered hoarsely.
A familiar warmth brushed against my mind.
“I’m here.”
I froze.
“…River?”
“Yes.”
Tears instantly filled my eyes.
“You weren’t a dream.”
A soft chuckle rippled through our bond.
“No, little one. I promised I’d find my way back to you.”
A lump formed in my throat.
Before I could answer, footsteps echoed from the hallway.
River’s tone changed immediately.
“Someone’s coming.”
The hospital room door swung open.
Without thinking, I let my head fall back against the pillow and closed my eyes, forcing my breathing to slow.
Three sets of footsteps entered.
Jace.
Darren.
…Kolton.
The room fell silent for a moment.
Then—
“Darren, you dumbass,” Jace growled. “Look at her.”
“I didn’t mean for this to happen,” Darren shot back defensively. “She mouthed off. She looked me right in the eyes like she wasn’t scared.”
Jace let out a sharp, frustrated breath.
“You almost killed her.”
Silence.
“I said I was sorry.”
“Sorry doesn’t fix stupidity.”
Footsteps paced across the room.
I imagined Jace dragging a hand through his hair the way he always did when he was trying to keep his temper under control.
“You better pray she wakes up.”
Darren scoffed.
“Why are you acting like this?” he asked. “She’s just a girl.”
The room went deathly quiet.
Even pretending to be unconscious, I felt the shift in the air.
Danger.
Jace laughed once.
It wasn’t amused.
It was cold.
“Just a girl?”
No one answered.
“Do you have any idea who her mother was?”
“…No.”
“Didn’t think so.”
More silence.
I could almost picture Jace staring at my unconscious body.
“Her mother carried one of the oldest bloodlines in existence.”
Darren frowned.
“So?”
Jace’s voice dropped lower.
“So… that’s why she’s still breathing.”
A chill crawled down my spine.
My mother?
No one had ever told me anything about my mother’s family.
Not once.
Darren still sounded confused.
“I don’t get it.”
“You don’t need to.”
Jace sighed.
“The day she turns twenty…”
He paused.
“…everything changes.”
“What changes?”
“You ask too many questions.”
“But—”
“No.”
Jace’s voice hardened.
“The less you know, the longer you live.”
Another silence settled over the room.
Then Darren spoke again.
“So that’s why you bought her?”
My stomach twisted.
Bought.
Even after all these years…
Hearing it still made me sick.
“She was worth every penny.”
Every word felt like another chain locking around my wrists.
Not a person.
Not Ivy.
An investment.
Something to own.
Something valuable.
“Easy,” River whispered.
“Don’t let your emotions control your breathing.”
I took a slow breath through my nose.
She was right.
If they realized I was awake…
Everything would fall apart.
Kolton finally spoke.
It was the first time I’d ever heard his voice this close.
Quiet.
Controlled.
“She didn’t deserve what happened.”
The room went still.
Jace turned.
“What did you say?”
“I said…” Kolton replied calmly, “she didn’t deserve it.”
Darren scoffed.
“You’re seriously defending the slave?”
Kolton ignored him.
“She couldn’t even fight back.”
Jace stared at him for several long seconds.
Then…
“Careful, Kolton.”
His voice was almost pleasant.
“Sympathy has a way of making people forget where their loyalties belong.”
“I know exactly where my loyalty lies.”
“I hope so.”
The tension eased just enough for me to breathe again.
Then—
The door burst open.
“Jaceyyyy!”
A woman’s voice rang through the room.
High heels clicked excitedly across the tile floor.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
I heard fabric rustle before she wrapped herself around him.
“There you are.”
“Katherine,” Jace said flatly.
She pouted.
“You promised you’d help me pick decorations for my Luna Ceremony.”
“Not now.”
“Oh, come on.” She laughed. “This hospital is depressing.”
A pause.
Then—
She noticed me.
“Ew.”
The single word sliced deeper than I expected.
“Is that… her?”
“Yes.”
She wrinkled her nose.
“I still don’t understand why you’ve kept her around.”
Neither did I.
Jace answered before anyone else could.
“Because she matters.”
She rolled her eyes dramatically.
“Well, she’s unconscious now. She isn’t exactly useful.”
My hands clenched beneath the blanket.
Useful.
Property.
Investment.
Not once had anyone in this room called me a person.
Katherine shrugged.
“If she dies, we’ll just move on.”
Darren nodded.
“Exactly.”
A low growl vibrated from Jace’s chest.
“No.”
Everyone fell silent.
“You don’t understand what she represents.”
Katherine folded her arms.
“Then explain it.”
Jace’s answer came after a long pause.
“I won’t.”
His tone left no room for argument.
“The fewer people who know the truth…”
He glanced toward my bed.
“…the better.”
Katherine huffed dramatically.
“Fine.”
She grabbed his arm.
“Come on. You promised.”
After a moment, Jace sighed.
“We’re done here.”
Footsteps moved toward the door.
Kolton lingered.
For several seconds…
He didn’t move.
I could almost feel him looking at me.
Then, quietly…
“So much pain…”
His voice was barely above a whisper.
The door clicked shut.
Silence returned.
I waited.
One minute.
Two.
Three.
Only when I was certain they were gone did I slowly open my eyes.
The room was empty.
I stared at the ceiling, trying to process everything I’d heard.
My mother had secrets.
Secrets no one had ever told me.
Secrets that had somehow shaped my entire life.
“River…”
“I’m here.”
“What aren’t they telling me?”
River was quiet for a long moment.
“Answers will come.”
I swallowed.
“I’m tired of waiting.”
“I know.”
I closed my eyes.
“I can’t stay here.”
“You won’t.”
I turned my head toward the window.
Outside, the sun had begun its slow descent.
“When?”
River answered without hesitation.
“Tomorrow.”
I frowned.
“Tomorrow?”
“After 4:30.”
“That’s insane.”
“No.”
Her voice remained calm.
Certain.
“It’s survival.”
Fear settled in my chest.
Not because I doubted her.
Because I knew she was right.
I took a shaky breath before giving the smallest nod.
“…Okay.”
River’s presence wrapped around me like a blanket.
Warm.
Steady.
Comforting.
“Get some rest, Ivy.”
I closed my eyes.
“Tomorrow…”
A quiet determination filled her voice.
“We begin taking your life back.”
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