. and I didn't know what else. There wasn't a single word I could use to describe it. My heart did this weird flipping thing, and that made me not want to even think his name.
Exasperated with myself, I missed half of what Jo Ann was saying, and she had to rush to her next class to be on time. As always, she hugged me tight, like we'd known each other since we were in diapers, and I promised to text her over the weekend before we parted ways.
I caught a trolley to the Quarter, and with some time to kill, I made my way to Aunt Sally's Shop to pick up a box of pralines for Tink. Not that he needed more sugar in his little body, but I knew it would make him happy.
Stowing the box in my backpack, I headed down Decatur. It was early Friday evening, and the streets were crazy. Tonight would be off the hook, and the fae would be everywhere. It didn't feel right not hunting tonight, especially since I knew I could do it without hurting myself.
Mama Lousy was pretty busy as I passed by and peeked in. Jerome was behind the counter, looking as grumpy as an old man sitting on the front porch watching kids run across his lawn. He was retired, out of the Order for the last ten years, and he really was a poor choice when it came to working the shop.
Jerome was not a people person.
Grinning, I waved at him from outside.
He scowled in my direction as someone ambled up to the counter, dropping a fake skull on it.
I entered through the side and climbed the stairs. After a couple steps up, I glanced down, and relief coursed through me when I saw that the steps weren't covered with my blood. That would've been gross.
The door at the top opened about ten seconds after I rang the buzzer. Expecting Harris when I stepped through, I bit back a sharp curse when I saw Trent.
One side of his mouth curled up. "Oh, look. It's the crazy bitch."
I arched a brow. "Oh, look. That's so unoriginal." I stepped to the side, planning to walk around him, but he moved to block me. My patience dangled by a rope. "I'm surprised you're still walking today."
Two red spots blossomed on his cheeks. "I'm surprised they still let you in the Order after you spouted that crazy shit."
So many words rose to the tip of my tongue, but my patience was now hanging by a thread, and the last thing I needed to do was knee him in the balls again. So I was going to be the bigger person and walk away. Like an adult. I was going to be so proud of myself if I pulled this off.
I moved to walk around him, but he stepped to the side again, and this time he put his hand on my shoulder. The weight was heavy, and his palm trapped several strands of my hair, pulling on them. Our gazes connected, and I knew I was seconds from not only kneeing him in the groin but also permanently ensuring he would not reproduce.
A shadow fell across Trent's face and he jerked his hand away, stepping a foot back from me. Perhaps he read his impending neutering in my expression alone.
But a familiar deep voice filled the room. "Everything okay, Ivy?"
Every muscle in my body tensed as I realized Ren was behind me, and my fierce expression alone hadn't warned Trent off. I wanted to turn, but I would not give Trent my back. And I wasn't entirely comfortable with Ren at my back either. I was stuck between an asshole and a hot weirdo who was also a potential asshole. "Everything is peachy."
"Seems like it," he drawled.
Trent's jaw locked down, and I could tell by the way his cheeks were now mottled that he wanted to say something, but he nodded curtly at Ren. Total bullshit. Because did Ren's superior manliness warrant respect even though Trent had known me for three years? I hated people sometimes.
"I don't think everything is okay," Ren commented as I watched Trent's retreating form.
Having no idea what to even begin to think when it came to Ren, I turned to him. That clenching deep in my chest occurred again, a feeling I wasn't too happy with. But he was possibly the hottest mortal guy I'd seen, and that tattoo? With his short-sleeved black t-shirt, there was no missing the intricate tattoo as it wrapped down his ripped bicep and strong forearm. I dragged my gaze up to the almost angelic beauty of his face.
God, I was so incredibly vain.
Bright green eyes danced as they met mine, and his lips curled up in amusement. It was then that I realized he was waiting for my response. "What?"
His grin spread until the dimples appeared. "I was just kindly pointing out that it doesn't seem like everything is okay."
Oh. I'd missed that. I so needed to get a grip. "What makes you think that?"
He shifted his weight as he folded his arms across his broad chest. "Probably has to do with the fact that jackass called you a crazy bitch."
"Whatever." I waved my hand dismissively. "It's nothing."
"Is it?" One dark eyebrow rose. "Sounds like it might be more than nothing, especially since he was just in that room over there." Ren nodded at the double, paneled wood doors to the right, where the meeting would take place, and where Trent had just disappeared into. "He was talking."
I tensed as I felt my stomach start to drop. "Talking about what?"
"About what you said you saw Wednesday night and what happened. He was telling a whole room full of people." Ren's green eyes met mine. "Your sect leader was in there."
Barely able to keep the wince off my face, I struggled to keep my expression blank. I didn't think it worked because a shadow of a sympathetic look crossed his handsome face. I looked away, my hand tightening around the strap of my backpack.
"I do not think it is wise for you to speak so openly about what you saw," Ren advised quietly.
My spine straightened even further. Hindsight was a bitch. Of course, I probably should've kept my mouth shut when I spewed everything in Trent's face, but I didn't need him rubbing it in mine. "Thanks, but I didn't ask for your opinion."
A moment passed and then Ren sighed. He stepped so that he was directly in front of me again, and he looked like he wanted to say something more, but he never got the chance.
The door to the meeting room opened up and David strode out, letting it slam shut behind him. Ren turned at that moment, unfolding his arms and widening his stance in a way that had a weird, protective vibe to it. I couldn't really tell what mood David was in because he looked like he always did.
Which was pissy as hell.
I braced myself nonetheless. If Trent had been in there running his mouth after David told me to keep quiet, I knew this was not going to be pretty, especially as the dark skin around his eyes wrinkled as they narrowed.
David stopped in front of me, his deep brown eyes moving between us. "I'm actually glad both of you are here." Completely confused by that statement, I lifted my chin as the sect leader's gaze met mine. "You don't need to go to the meeting."
My jaw unlocked. "What?"
"I told you to keep your mouth shut." His gaze hardened. "You did not do that. Kind of like you had one job, Ivy. You failed at that."
The entire nape of my neck burned. To have David say something like that to me at any point sucked monkey balls, but with an audience, and that audience being Ren, it made me want to pitch myself off the balcony outside the window. Knowing my luck, I'd end up in a piss-filled puddle. But what David was saying wasn't fair. "I only said something because Trent already—"
"I didn't ask for an excuse," he fired back. "It doesn't matter what Trent said. You know he's full of shit half the time, and you should've left it at that."
That was such bullshit, but before I could voice that startling accuracy, Ren chimed in. "Seems like the issue is with Trent and not Ivy."
Surprised, I cut a look at him. Considering the fact I had not been relatively nice to him at any point since I'd met him, the last thing I should've earned was his defense.
"And I didn't ask for your opinion, did I?" David's gaze flipped back to him.
Ren gave him a half grin that was part smug and part daring. "All I'm saying is, from someone on the outside, if he brought the shit up first, how is that Ivy's fault?"
He j
ust earned cool points. "Totally agree with that statement."
"Here's the thing. I have about forty-five members of the Order in a room where the fucking air conditioning isn't working, running their mouths like a bunch of old women now. Half of them think Ivy's got a screw loose, and the other half think we have a fucking ancient running around. Trent wouldn't have said shit before the meeting if Ivy hadn't bruised his balls. Literally."
My eyes widened.
His eyes narrowed even further, until just a thin slit of brown was visible. "Yeah, I know that, too. He wanted to file a goddamn complaint against you, and you're damn lucky I fucking hate paperwork and already had to file one on your ass once this week."
"You had to file one because I got shot since maybe we do have an ancient on the streets," I said, then twisted toward Ren as my arms fell to my sides. Our gazes locked, and this was the perfect time for him to speak up, to say what he'd told me the night before.
Silence.
And I waited—waited for Ren to say what he said to me last night when I spied the same fae that shot me and he stopped me from following it. I waited while I heard a burst of laughter from the room the rest of the Order members were holed up in and told myself that laughter had nothing to do with me. I waited.
Ren said nothing.
Another half a minute passed as I stared at his profile. I sucked in a sharp breath as realization kicked in. A muscle had begun to thrum along his jaw as the seconds ticked by. He wasn't going to say a damn word, nothing that really backed me up. The burn that now traveled across my cheeks deepened. I didn't understand. Anger rose, but so did something I honestly felt stupid for even feeling. I was hurt, and that was dumb. I didn't know him and had no reason to trust him.
David scratched at his jaw. "You, on the other hand, do need to get your ass in there as soon as we get done with this annoying ass conversation. The other sect members need to know you so they don't end up accidentally trying to kill you." Then he turned back to me, and the edges of his expression softened. "I know I pulled you off rotation until next Wednesday, but I can't spare anyone else, so I need you to show Ren around town until then. You won't be hunting. If you do happen across a fae, he will handle it until then. You will basically be shadowing him and making sure he knows his way. You'll start tomorrow night."
Oh hell.
"Sounds good to me," Ren said.
Oh—oh hell to the no.
I took a step back, because I was really afraid I might turn into a rabid squirrel. "No can do."
Ren looked at me sharply.
"You don't have a say in this, Ivy. Let that sink in for a second before you continue with whatever you're about to say," David replied calmly.
My hands curled into fists.
"Are you letting that sink in?" he asked.
Man, it was so sinking in. David was giving me a direct command, which meant if I refused it, I was in breach of the Order. And that meant I'd get a formal write-up. You only got three before you were kicked out, stripped of your tattoo, and even your wards. They were hardcore like that.
Holly and Adrian would've been so disappointed in me if that happened. The same with Shaun, because none of them had disobeyed the Order at any point in their lives, but I already did once, and they had paid that price with their lives.
As much as I hated the idea of having to do anything with Ren, especially after he let me throw myself under the fully-loaded bus with the ancient thing, I couldn't dishonor the memory of those who burned inside me. Disobeying the Order over something so simple would be exactly that.
"I got it," I said hoarsely.
David didn't look so thrilled for some reason. "Good. Meet him back here tomorrow at five. You're no longer needed here tonight."
There was a beat of tense silence then Ren exhaled softly.
One of the hardest things I'd ever had to do was walk away from David and Ren with my back straight and my chin up, but I did it and I did it without even looking back at them. I gathered what felt like a torn shred of pride, and I walked out of there before those fragile slivers of control broke.
~
My phone dinged twice by the time I was opening the door to my apartment and dropping yet another stack of Amazon boxes on the chair. Part of me hadn't wanted to look at it, but as I slipped the phone out of my bag, I saw it was from Val.
U were shot by an ancient? Thought it was a thug?
That was the first text.
The second text read, u need to call me girl, bc every1 is saying cray cray shit.
I needed to talk to Val, but I really wasn't feeling it at the moment. Sending a text back that read I'll call you tomorrow, I was relieved when I got an okay from her.
Sighing, I opened up my door and nudged it shut behind me. The TV was about ten decibels too loud and was one of the Twilight movies—maybe New Moon. Tink was nowhere in sight as I walked across the hardwood floor and picked up the remote, turning the volume down. Placing it back on the old chest I'd converted into a coffee table, I gasped when I saw the couch.
A troll doll with bright green hair peeked out from behind the tan throw pillow, and its face, the color of suntan lotion, was frozen in a wide smile. It was also naked.
Sometimes Tink did that. Placed the damn dolls in weird places for me to find and be creeped out over. I snatched it up then walked down the hall and into the kitchen.
Tink sat on the island, crossed-legged in front of my laptop. I sighed. Yet another thing I needed to change the password to. He was so caught up in whatever he was watching, he didn't hear me walk up behind him. I bent over and blew on his bare back.
He shouted and shot up in the air, his wings beating rapidly as he whirled around, placing his hands like he was about to break out some kung fu. Despite the crappy evening I was having, a laugh bubbled out of me.
Tink dropped his hands to his chest and dragged in several deep breaths. "I think you gave me a heart attack. I can feel it in my chest. It's the big one." Pressing his hands to his front, he staggered back. "Oh no. It's happening. I'm about to die."
I tossed the doll at him. "Stop leaving these things laying around the house. It's weird."
He caught it, dropping slightly under the sudden weight. "I did no such thing. I told you what they do. They come alive when I'm sleeping. It's not my fault."
Rolling my eyes, I looked at the laptop. "Why do you have one of the Twilight movies on in the living room and Harry Potter on my laptop?"
"I'm doing research." He landed in front of my computer and placed the doll next to it. "Important research."
"Okay." I headed over to the table and shrugged off my backpack.
Tink flew over, hovering next to me. "How was your day, honey?"
I smiled faintly as I dropped the bag into the seat then zipped it open. "Not the greatest."
He cocked his head to the side. "You want to tell Dr. Tink all about it?"
"Thought you didn't like to be called Tink."
"Don't question my inconsistencies."
I laughed again. "I don't really want to talk about it." I pulled out the box of candies. "But I have pralines."
You'd think I pulled out a handful of naked brownies that were willing to live and serve Tink by the way he reacted. Buzzing around the kitchen excitedly, I was worried he was going to accidentally fly into one of the windows. Eventually he calmed down, and we ended up watching the rest of what turned out to be Eclipse and then Order of the Phoenix for whatever research purposes he wasn't ready to share. I was okay with the brain candy. It kept me from stressing over everything that had happened and what I'd have to do going forward.
I crashed a little after nine like a total loser, but I ate five more pralines before I rolled myself into bed, my stomach not appreciating the overdose of sweetness. Unable to fall asleep and striving to keep my mind free of all the crap, I grabbed a worn novel off my nightstand, cracking open Rule. A little after ten my eyes grew too heavy for me to keep open. I put the novel down, flippin
g off the light, and shifted onto my side. I wasn't sure exactly when I fell asleep, but when I blinked open my eyes, my bedroom was lit with a soft glow.
It took me a couple of seconds for my brain to process that there were only two lights in my bedroom. The ceiling one, which was much brighter, and the lamp on the nightstand, but I'd turned that off.
Thinking that Tink was being a freak again and had sneaked in my room, I started to roll onto my back, expecting to find a damn troll doll on the pillow next to mine, but my hip hit something warm and hard.