Page 26 of Torn Ivy
She doesn’t return it. She is not in the mood to be swayed by charm by the looks of it.
Ivy’s eyes narrow as she looks between us. “Don’t give me that. I know you’re talking about what just happened and what it means. So spill it.”
I exchange glances with the others, unsure how much to reveal. Cathy steps in smoothly.
“We were discussing the nature of your powers and how we might help you control them better,” she says. It’s not a lie, but it’s not the whole truth either.
Ivy’s not buying it. “That’s not all of it.”
“We’re worried,” Torin admits. “That kind of power is dangerous, Ivy. For you and everyone around you.”
Her face hardens. “You think I don’t know that? You think I’m not terrified of what I might do if I lose control again?”
“That’s not what he meant,” I say quickly, moving towards her. But she takes a step back, her eyes flashing with hurt and anger.
“Isn’t it? Because it sounds like you’re all scared of me. Like you think I’m some kind of monster that needs to be contained.”
“No one thinks that,” Bram says firmly. “We’re just trying to figure out how to help you.”
Tears well up in her eyes, and I gather her to me, wrapping my arms tightly around her. “Ivy, we are here to help you however you want us to. Just tell us what you need, and we will deliver.”
She sniffles into my chest, and then a phone on the counter vibrates harshly, cutting through the silence.
11
IVY
Ramsey’s phonerattles on the counter, making everyone in the room freeze.
He swoops in and snatches it up, checking it with a frown. He looks up at me with a grim stare.
“An assignment?” I ask, arching my eyebrow.
“Yeah.”
“And I’m just supposed to accept it and go on my merry way to delivering a soul to Death that might be a rig of the system?”
“You don’t really have a choice,” he says quietly.
He’s right. I know he is. Ignoring The Syndicate isn’t an option. “What does it say?”
He turns it around to show me.
TARGET: David Beech
LOCATION: Thornfield Cemetery
TIME: Midnight
I frown at it. “No species or any other information? How the fuck am I supposed to know how to kill him?”
“This is unusual; I’ll give you that,” Ramsey mutters. “Let me call through and see if I can find out.”
He dials and presses the phone to his ear as he disappears from the kitchen.
Ramsey returns a few minutes later, his expression even more troubled. “Something’s not right. The Syndicate has no additional information. None. It’s like this target just appeared in the system.”
“What? That makes no sense. Every target has a file, a history, a reason for being marked.” The magick stirs beneath my skin, responding to my unease. Pink energy crackles along my fingers. “Could someone have hacked the system?”
