Chapter 18: Talks 2
1893 Words
“And probably magical. What the hell.”
We stood there for a moment—two girls caught in something older than both of us—trying to find meaning in the madness.
Then she pulled me into a tight hug, clutching me like I was her anchor.
“We’re reading everything,” she said into my shoulder. “Witch history. Vampiric bloodlines. Ashgrave legends. I want to *know* what I am before I step foot in that pack.”
“We’ll read together,” I promised.
She pulled back with a shaky breath. “You always manage to tell me the most life-altering things right before bed.”
I cracked a grin. “What are best friends for?”
She gave a soft smile, eyes still damp but steady. “You sure you don’t want to come cuddle in my room and make blood pacts and plan our magical dynasty?”
I laughed. “Tempting. But I need to process all this too.”
Jade nodded, stepping toward her door. She paused before turning the knob.
“Ivy?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you. For telling me. For trusting me.”
“Always.”
She stared at me for a second longer, then disappeared into her room, the door clicking softly behind her.
I stood there, heartbeat slowing, the weight of the truth finally out in the open.
And though the night outside was quiet…
I knew the storm was just beginning.
---
RAYMOND'S POV
The second we stepped into the manor, I felt Damien’s gaze pin me from across the room.
He was leaning against the bar with a lazy grin, vodka in one hand, eyes sharp as hell. Jade was beside him, practically vibrating with mischief as her eyes bounced between Ivy and me.
“Someone’s late,” Damien said casually.
I ignored him and kept walking. Ivy did the same.
But I didn’t miss Jade whispering something to Ivy. Ivy elbowed her without looking back, and I swear Jade looked like she’d just won a bet with herself.
Damien followed me into the hallway, chuckling under his breath. “So… that was a long talk.”
“Don’t start.”
“I didn’t say anything,” he said innocently, then raised an eyebrow. “But judging by the wrinkle in your shirt and the slight daze in your Luna’s eyes—”
“She’s not my Luna,” I muttered.
Yet.
He smirked. “Uh-huh.”
I ignored him and headed toward the east stairwell. Damien followed like a damn shadow.
“How’d she take it?” he asked.
“The prophecy? The truth about her bloodline? Jade? Tasha Cavalero being Edward Lavis’ sister?” I asked, pausing. “Or the part where I told her she couldn’t reject me?”
He barked a laugh. “*That* one.”
I shrugged. “I meant it.”
His grin softened. “I know.”
And he did. Damien might’ve been the light-hearted one, always cracking jokes and deflecting pain with sarcasm—but he’d seen more than most. He knew what that kind of connection meant. What a *bonded* connection did to a man like me.
When you found the one… you didn’t let go.
No matter how chaotic the world around you became.
“She doesn’t know how powerful she is yet,” I said quietly.
“Yeah,” Damien replied, “but she’s learning. And she’s got you.”
I didn’t answer. Because the weight of *having* someone like Ivy Quinn wasn’t light.
It was war and fire and sacred responsibility wrapped into one.
---
Later that night, I found myself in the study—again.
Old books lay scattered across the massive desk. Pack histories. Bloodline records. Mentions of Silvana Roe, Edward Lavis, and finally, *Tasha Cavalero*.
The missing thread in all of this.
My fingers traced the faded text.
One passage stood out, written in archaic script:
*“The blood of the chosen three shall awaken what the scepter alone cannot. The bond must be forged in unity—not fear.”*
A knock on the door snapped my head up.
Ivy stood there, barefoot, her hair slightly damp from a shower, eyes tired but glowing.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she said simply.
“Me neither.”
She stepped in slowly, gaze flicking to the books. “Still digging?”
“Yeah. Trying to stay ahead of Diego for once.”
She sat across from me, resting her arms on the desk. “You know, I was thinking about what my mom said.”
“The cousin thing?”
“No,” she said, half-smiling. “The part where she said I should stay with you.”
My pulse kicked.
“And?” I asked carefully.
She looked me straight in the eyes. “You said I couldn’t reject you, right?”
I nodded.
“Well… good.” She exhaled, voice steady. “Because I don’t want to.”
I didn’t move. Didn’t speak.
Because in that moment—everything felt quiet inside me for the first time in *years*.
“I’m scared,” she added. “Not of you. Of this. Of what I have to become.”
“You won’t do it alone,” I said.
Her eyes softened. “You really believe in me that much?”
I stood slowly, walked around the desk, and pulled her to her feet.
I tilted her chin until our eyes locked.
“I believe in you more than you believe in yourself, Ivy Quinn.”
And when she leaned into my chest, head against my heartbeat, arms wrapping around my waist—I realized something I hadn’t said aloud yet.
But I would.
Soon.
Because I was already hers.
In every way that mattered.
Something warm shifted beside me, and my eyes opened instinctively.
For a second, I didn’t move. I just stared.
Ivy.
Her head rested lightly on my chest, one arm draped across my ribs, breathing even and soft. She was awake now, blinking slowly like she’d just surfaced from something heavy and real.
I hadn't meant to fall asleep.
But something about having her there—curled into me like she belonged, like I was more than just the monster under the bed—shut everything else out. My thoughts. My past. Even the looming war.
She looked up at me, and the second our eyes met, something settled in my chest.
“Good morning,” I murmured.
At that moment, I realized Damien and Jade were hovering at the doorway like nosy ravens trying to stay quiet. I cleared my throat.
“Out,” I said to them sharply.
Damien raised a brow but smirked. Jade winked at Ivy. Then they both vanished like shadows.
Once the door clicked shut, I looked back down at her.
“I… apologize,” I said slowly, honestly. “I don’t know what came over me. I meant to sit watch, not pass out like a damn human.”
“It’s okay,” Ivy whispered, shifting to sit up a little straighter, still leaning into me. “You needed it. We both did.”
I nodded, watching her closely.
She was calm. Not shaken. And in her eyes, I didn’t see fear. Just something warmer. Stronger.
Acceptance.
“You really don’t sleep?” she asked.
“Not unless I have no choice. One of the… perks of my blood. We rest, but sleep leaves us vulnerable. I never allow myself to be.”
She tilted her head. “But you did. With me.”
I didn’t answer right away. Just brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear and studied her. “I think my soul already made the choice.”
She blushed.
And I, Raymond Hart—Alpha Vamp, feared prince, leader of Ashgrave—felt like I was finally home.
She stretched slightly, arms brushing mine. “We’re going to have to get used to this anyway.”
Her words hit me deeper than I expected.
We.
Not you or I, but we.
The future in that tiny word made something twist—good and terrifying—in my chest.
It wasn’t just about prophecy or survival anymore.
I wasn’t just protecting a woman with rare blood.
This was my mate.
Mine.
And for the first time in over two centuries, I didn’t feel like I was walking this cursed road alone.
I was walking it with her
And maybe that made all the difference.
IVY’S POV
I stirred slowly, blinking against the soft morning light streaming through the curtains. My muscles felt warm, relaxed — almost too relaxed for someone who’d just discovered she was partially descended from a White Witch and an Alpha Vamp… and might be one of the key players in stopping a centuries-old blood ritual.
My brain was groggy, but I was alert enough to notice something… strange.
Why was it so *quiet*?
And why did I feel like I was being watched?
I opened my eyes fully — and immediately froze.
Jade and Damien were standing at the foot of the bed, staring at me like I’d grown wings and started levitating in my sleep.
Jade’s expression was somewhere between amused and unhinged excitement, while Damien looked like he was holding back a laugh with everything he had.
My mouth opened to ask *what the hell* they were doing, but before I could speak, I shifted slightly — and felt the warmth behind me.
I turned.
Raymond. Asleep. Arm wrapped completely around my waist, his chest pressed against my back. His face buried in my hair like he belonged there.
And he was… smiling in his sleep?
“Oh my—” I gasped.
Raymond stirred, blinking awake just as I sat up awkwardly, trying not to fall off the bed. He opened one eye, took in the room… and then groaned.
“Good morning,” He murmured.
At that moment, He realized Damien and Jade were hovering at the doorway like nosy ravens trying to stay quiet. He cleared my throat.
“Out,”He said to them sharply
“Seriously?” he muttered, rubbing his face. “You two are *still* here?”
Jade stifled a giggle, and Damien held up his hands in mock surrender.
“Relax, Romeo,” Damien said. “We didn’t interrupt anything. Yet.”
Raymond sat up, his voice still gravelly. “You could knock.”
“We did,” Jade said smugly. “For like five minutes. Ivy was out cold. And you were… very cozy.”
Raymond turned to me, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry. I don’t usually sleep that easily. Let alone that deeply.”
I swallowed, trying not to look as flustered as I felt. “It’s… it’s okay. I guess we all need rest. We’ll have to get used to it anyway.”
He looked at me then — properly, fully — and I swear something in his gaze softened. Not possessive or intense… just safe.
He nodded. “Yeah. We will.”
Jade snorted. “Well, I’m glad we’re all one big sleepy power couple now. Can we go eat something? Preferably not infused with wolf herbs or vampire weirdness?”
Damien raised a brow but smirked. Jade winked at Ivy. Then they both vanished like shadows.
- Writer
