Page 1 of Torn Ivy
1
IVY
Glaringat Josh with utter shock and an anger that quickly dissipates when I realise I’m just as big a betrayer as him, I huff out a breath. “You are a total arsehole.”
“Back at you, bitch.”
“What are you even doing here?”
Josh smirks, crossing his arms over his chest. “What, you thought you were the only one with a bone to pick with Death and his merry band of psychopaths?”
I narrow my eyes at him. “So what, you’ve been some kind of supernatural spy this whole time?”
“Not exactly,” he says, “Let’s just say I’ve got connections you couldn’t even dream of.”
Vex clears his throat. “As touching as this reunion is, we’ve got more pressing matters to discuss.”
I whirl on him. “You knew about this? About Josh?”
He shrugs. “I know a lot of things. Doesn’t mean I share them all.”
“Fuck you both,” I spit, feeling annoyed but having no leg to stand on. “I want answers. Now.”
Josh sighs. “Fine. Short version? We’re part of a resistance. Against Death, against The Syndicate, against the whole fucking system that’s been controlling shifters and other supernatural beings for centuries.”
My mind reels. “A resistance? How? Why?”
“Because the system is corrupt,” Josh says, his eyes blazing with an intensity I’ve never seen before. “Because beings like us shouldn’t be slaves to Death or anyone else. We should be free.”
I look around the cavern, taking in the other creatures still working away. “And all of these beings are part of this resistance?”
“Yep.”
“Why do you look like Death in your other form?” I demand.
Josh’s lips curl into a sardonic smile. “Because we are Death, in a way. Or at least, we were created to be.”
I blink, trying to process this. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“It means,” Vex cuts in, “that Death isn’t just one entity. It’s a role, a chosen position, and these beings,” he gestures around the cavern, “were all potential candidates.”
“Candidates?” I echo, my head spinning.
Josh nods. “Yeah. Think of it like a cosmic job interview from hell. We were all created, trained, and tested to potentially become the next Death. But some of us decided we didn’t want the gig.”
I let out a shaky breath as this blows my mind even further than being confronted with Death in the first place. Now, there are stacks of them milling about. “So you’re, what? Death’s rejects?”
“We prefer to be called independently minded cosmic entities,” Josh says with a smirk. “But yeah, essentially.”
“And what does this have to do with me?” I ask though I’m starting to get a sinking feeling in my gut.
Vex and Josh exchange a look that makes me want to punch them both.
“You, Ivy,” Vex says slowly, “are something special. Something that wasn’t supposed to exist.”
“A glitch in the system,” Josh adds.
“You two are going to have to stop being so fucking cryptic. It’s pissing me off. Just say it. I can handle it!” I snap, frustration building.
