Page 81 of Poison Ivy
“So what are you saying?” Bram asks, still giving me that look like I’m a bug under a microscope.
“They want to see if I’ll go through with it, even knowing who Torin is.”
The room falls silent as the implications of that sink in.
“If that’s the case, then thisisa test for you,” Tate says. “Fuck, Ivy. We’re sorry. We had no idea it would get this far out of hand.”
“I have to run,” I mutter.
“No,” Tate says, gripping my hands. “You said it earlier, you can’t. They will never let you run.”
“But I can’t kill Torin!”
“I would. He’s a total arsehole,” Bram murmurs.
“Bram,” Torin growls. “Not helping. Look, Ivy…” Hetests out my name and apparently likes it rolling off his tongue. “Ivy. There has to be another option. Let us help you fix this, seeing as we created it.”
“It’s the least we can do. Maybe we fake his death?” Tate states, throwing that out there.
“How? They are watching everything, all the time!” I know this is true now. All the little things they know but couldn’t possibly unless they were spying on me makes this statement true. It’s chilling, and I wrap my arms around myself.
“They’re watching everything?” Bram asks, his brow furrowing. “How do you know?”
I shake my head, trying to gather my scattered thoughts. “Little things. Comments Swann has made, information they shouldn’t have. It’s like they’re always one step ahead.” I don’t know why I’m trusting these guys with this, especially Bram, but the floodgates have opened, and I’m being swept away in the current.
Torin’s eyes narrow dangerously. “So they’ve been spying on you?”
“Seems like it,” I mutter, sinking onto the couch. The weight of the situation is crushing down on me. “Which means faking Torin’s death won’t work. They’ll know.”
Tate sits beside me, taking my hand. “We’ll figure this out, Ivy. I promise.”
I look up at him, seeing the determination in his eyes. Despite everything, I want to believe him, but it all comes down to the fact that I’m in this messbecause of them, because of their obsession with Poison.
I sink my head into my hands and let out the sobs that I can’t contain any longer. Tate wraps his arm around me and rocks me slowly, trying to soothe me. Torin comes to kneel in front of me and strokes my knee. It makes me laugh through my tears, but they don’t stop.
“Ivy,” Bram says, sitting on my other side. “Poison Ivy, look at me.”
I lift my gaze to meet his intense violet eyes. There’s something in his expression I’ve never seen before - concern and passion that catches me off guard.
“We’re not going to let anything happen to you,” he says. “Whether you are Poison or Ivy, you are the same person we can’t live without. No one hurts you.”
“Except you,” I sniff.
He smiles slowly. “Oh, don’t think I’ve forgotten about that stunt you pulled in the forest. You will get your arse tanned for that, but no other fucker will ever lay his hands on you.”
I smile sadly. “You can’t protect me from The Syndicate. No one can.”
He grasps my chin lightly. “You have no idea what we are capable of, princess.” He leans forward, almost cautiously and brushes his lips over mine, before plunging his tongue into my mouth. I gasp as the kiss is deep and possessive. For a moment, I’m toostunned to react. Then my body takes over, responding to him with a hunger that surprises me.
Tate’s arm tightens around me, and I feel Torin’s hand slide up my thigh. The air in the room suddenly feels charged, electric.
Bram pulls back, his eyes dark with desire. “We protect what’s ours,” he growls.
“Yours?” I whisper, my head spinning.
“Ours,” Torin confirms, his voice low and dangerous.
I look between the three of them, seeing the same possessive heat in each of their eyes. “Why?”
