Page 8 of Torn Ivy
I freeze, my blood running cold at Vex’s words. “What do you mean, if he hasn’t already?”
Vex’s expression is grim. “Death isn’t known for his patience. If you’ve run, he may decide to take matters into his own hands.”
“No,” I whisper, shaking my head. “He wouldn’t…” But I know in my heart he would. Of course he fucking would.
“We don’t know for sure,” Josh says quickly, shooting Vex a glare. “But the longer we wait, the more danger they’re in.”
I clench my fists, torn between rage and fear. “So I’m just supposed to trust you and your crazy plan to become some kind of chaos entity to fight Death?”
“It’s not ideal,” Cathy says softly, “but it may be our only chance to save them and stop Death’s corruption.”
I look between the three of them, my mind racing. As insane as their plan sounds, do I really have any other choice? If Death has my guys, though. There isn’t any choice, really, is there?
“Fine,” I growl. “What do I need to do?”
Josh nods once. “First, we need to awaken your latent abilities, and for that, we’re going to need to piss you off.”
I snort. “Trust me, I’m plenty pissed off already.”
“Not enough,” Vex says, shaking his head. “We need to push you to your absolute limit.”
“And how do you plan on doing that?” I ask, shoving my hands into my hair and tugging, the anxiety of this entire night getting to me.
“Like this.”
The new voice resounds around the chamber, cutting above the hum of the computer machines and the soft murmurs of the workers.
Turning to it, I feel actual homicidal rage.
“Hey, Ives,” Ramsey says, holding his hand up in a half wave. “Angry?”
My vision goes red as I lunge at Ramsey, all rational thoughts fleeing my mind. “You fucking bastard!” I scream, my fistconnecting with his jaw with a satisfying crack. “I trusted you! You are my handler! My best friend!”
He staggers back but doesn’t fall, a smirk playing on his lips despite the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. “I know, but it had to be this way. You weren’t ready, Ivy. You weren’t ready to take on this fight. There has to be something worth it. Something you couldn’t lose.”
“Rah!” I swing again, but this time he’s ready. He ducks under my punch and uses my momentum to flip me over his shoulder. I hit the ground hard, the wind knocked out of me, but rage and adrenaline surge through my veins, pushing me back to my feet in an instant.
“You manipulative piece of shit,” I snarl, circling Ramsey. “Was any of it real? Our friendship? Or was it all just part of your grand fucking plan?”
Ramsey’s smirk falters for a moment, something like regret flashing in his eyes. “It was real, Ivy. You are my friend. But this is bigger than friendship. This is about the fate of the supernatural world and, eventually, the human one, too.”
“Fuck the worlds,” I snap, lunging at him again. This time, I manage to tackle him to the ground, pinning him beneath me. “You lied to me. For years. You’ve been playing both sides. You double-crossed me!”
I punch him again, relishing the crunch of cartilage as my fist connects with his nose. Blood sprays, but I don’t care. All the fear, confusion, and anger of the past few days comes pouring out of me in a torrent of violence.
“Ivy, stop!” Josh shouts, but I ignore him.
Ramsey doesn’t fight back; he just takes the beating. That pisses me off even more.
“Fight back, you arsehole!” I scream, grabbing the front of his shirt and shaking him. “You wanted to piss me off? Well, congratu-fucking-lations! Mission accomplished!”
Suddenly, I feel a surge of energy coursing through my body—a raw, primal power that makes every nerve-ending tingle. The air around me crackles with electricity.
I look down at my hands and gasp. They glow with an eerie pink light, wisps of dark energy swirling around my fingers.What the actual fuck? I don’t have active magick.
Ramsey grins up at me through bloodied teeth. “There she is,” he says. “The Chaos incarnate.”
The rage inside me reaches a fever pitch. With a scream of fury, I slam my palms down onto Ramsey’s chest. “You are a dick!”
