Page 86 of Torn Ivy
“Let’s just hope we find the fucker, or we are stuck here forever,” I grit out, feeling a sense of purpose, even if it is just finding the snake. It’s something to focus on. For now.
41
TORIN
I trudgethrough the deepening snow, eyes scanning for any sign of the serpent. The cold doesn’t bother me much, being a vampire and all, but the others are starting to shiver.
“This is fucking pointless,” Bram grumbles, kicking at a snow-covered bush. “That snake could be anywhere by now.”
“We have to keep looking,” Ivy insists, her teeth chattering slightly. “It’s our only lead on how to fix this mess.”
I glance over at her, worry clawing at me. She looks pale, fragile. Nothing like the fierce, vibrant woman I remember. How much of her is truly back? Did we leave some of her scattered across dimensions?
Tate moves closer to her, hesitating for a moment before wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “We should get you inside soon. You’re freezing.”
She leans into him instinctively, then stiffens and pulls away. “I’m fine. We need to find that snake.”
Tate doesn’t even look bothered that she brushed him off, which is fucking weird.
“We need to find the snake. If Death is right, that thing has parts of us inside it, or representative, whatever. Tate’s love forIvy is that fucking thing. Bram’s magick, probably and my…” I trail off with a frown. I still don’t know.
“Your what, Torin?” Bram snaps, sounding pissed off. “What exactly did you lose in all this?”
I’m about to tell him to fuck off when a white-hot pain lances across my arm, and I grunt. Looking down, I see the pristine white snow covered with crimson, and I frown harder as I realise it’s coming from me. The wound I made during the ritual is back and flowing freely.
“Shit,” I hiss, clasping my hand over the wound to stem the bleeding. The others turn to look at me, alarmed.
“What the hell?” Bram says, moving closer to inspect my arm.
“The ritual wound,” I explain through gritted teeth. “It’s reopened.”
“But that healed as soon as you fed. How is this possible?”
I shake my head, at a loss. “I’m guessing this is my lot.”
Tate frowns, his gaze intense as he studies my bleeding arm. “What do you mean?”
“You lost your love, Bram lost his magick, and I will continue to bleed out until we fix this,” I state, somehow not as upset by this revelation as I should be.
“Here,” Cathy says, pulling a blood bag out of the small backpack she’s carrying.
“What? Are you like some blood dealer or something?”
She purses her lips. “Do you want it or not?”
I snatch it from her and rip it open with my fangs. As soon as I drink, the wound starts to heal again.
“This is not fun,” I grouse.
“Better make sure we keep you topped up,” Bram states and turns to search the ground again.
Looking over at Cathy, I ask, “You got more?”
She pats the backpack. “Got you covered.”
Ivy’s face is pale as she stares at me, and I smile, reassuring her I’m okay. For now. But then tears flood her eyes. “I’m so sorry. All of this has happened because of me. You are all suffering because of me.”
Ivy’s words hang heavy in the frigid air. I want to support her, to tell her it’s not her fault, but the words stick in my throat. Because, in a way, she’s right. We did this for her. We tore reality apart to bring her back.
