by S. K Munt
‘Well it may not be risky at all,’ Ivyanne pointed out. ‘Maybe he truly has repented and gotten control of his rage-but on the off chance that he hasn’t, I’d rather test the theory without you there.’ She touched his face gently. ‘Your life is worth the paranoia Lincoln. Until I know for sure that he’s over his insane jealousy, I don’t want you getting too close to him.’
Lincoln kissed her gently. ‘What about you? Who’s going to be protecting you?’
Ivyanne smiled. ‘Daddy was in a great mood today,’ she said sweetly. ‘But he’s a different person when he’d mad. Ardhi wouldn’t get within two feet of me.’
Lincoln winced. ‘Now that you put it that way….best I avoid him for a few days too.’
Ivyanne laughed. ‘See? I told you you were smart.’
⁓
By the time Ardhi finally heard Ivyanne’s bare, wet feet padding up the porch steps, he was beside himself with anxiety. Since both his and Ivyanne’s parents had retired to their separate accommodations, he had been huddled on the couch with the television on, pretending to sleep while jealously watching the beach through a crack in the curtains, willing Ivyanne to return, and wondering why she had fled to begin with.
Midnight had come and gone, and Ardhi was exhausted from feigning exhaustion and bewilderment all afternoon. He’d put on quite the show and the families had clearly swallowed his web of lies completely-even Vana, who was a very shrewd woman indeed. Ardhi had even started believing his own complicated tale by the time they left him alone, teary eyed and emotionally raped, or so they believed.
He was anxious all right, but it had nothing to do with his exertions for the past four weeks-though fleeing to New Zealand then swimming up to Norfolk then flying to Hawaii, swimming then to Los Angeles and then flying back to Brisbane before returning to central Queensland in Dolphin form had taxed him, none of it compared to what he knew he was about to endure.
Lying was tiring, and seeing Ivyanne accept Lincoln’s ring through the same crack in the curtains he’d been monitoring all night had sickened him. Twenty minutes. He’d fallen just twenty minutes short of coming back to life before the princess officially moved on with hers. Although he knew it was the mer way to take steps towards breeding even in the aftermath of tragedy, he was seething that Lincoln had proposed so swiftly.
Ivyanne tip-toed into the room then, scales clinging to her legs and capturing the blue glow from the television, a towel pulled snugly around her entire torso, her head splattering sandy water on the floor.
‘I’m awake.’ Ardhi said evenly. ‘No point sneaking.’
Ivyanne’s face whipped around to his. After a moment of hesitation, she wet her lips and said: ‘I had a feeling you might be.’
Ardhi felt a surge of annoyance. If she’d known, why had she dragged her tail getting back? ‘Oh.’
‘How are you?’ Ivyanne asked, looking self conscious as she held the towel in place and leaned awkwardly against the kitchen table. ‘All things considered, I mean?’
‘You mean, considering the way you took off like I was a virus?’
There was a pause. ‘Yeah, she whispered, ‘among other things.’
Ardhi sighed. ‘I’m feeling slightly human again,’ he said softly. ‘Seeing mum and dad took a load off. And showering was a joy too, I must say. I’ve been living in somewhat of a primal state.’
‘They’ve been worried.’ Ivyanne glanced away. ‘Well, not worried, gutted. We all were.’
‘Really?’ Ardhi got to his feet, urging her to look back at him as he stalked her like a lion across the room. ‘Even you? After all I did?’
She swiveled her eyes back to meet his. They were glowing green with a concern that was almost maternal. ‘Of course,’ she whispered. ‘Ardhi...I didn’t eat for days. I couldn’t think. And then I went straight into denial.’ She reached her hand out and cupped his face with wet, trembling fingers, guiding his jaw left to right as though inspecting him for wounds. ‘But here you are. So I guess denial was a good place to be.’
Ardhi caught her fingers and pressed a soft kiss to one. ‘I missed you, Ivyanne. Not just lately, but before then. I’d move heaven and earth to get you back, or to make you happy.’
‘So I saw.’ Ivyanne’s eyes frosted with tears. ‘About Link, Ardhi-’
‘I know.’
She paused. ‘Well, yes that, I assumed you were told that.’ She smiled sadly. ‘I meant thank you.’
He shrugged and tried to look nonchalant. ‘It was nothing.’
‘Maybe not now that we know you can do it so easily,’ Ivyanne whispered. ‘But you didn’t know that, did you? You thought you were giving your life for my happiness. And that’s a debt I can never repay.’
Ardhi chuckled, though he was touched by her gratitude. ‘I can think of one or two ways…..’
She dropped her hand, her expression instantly becoming guarded. ‘Oh?’
‘Yes.’ He moved closer to her, until their faces were just inches apart. ‘You can forgive me.’
Ivyanne visibly relaxed, and Ardhi had to fight back a triumphant smile. What had she prepared herself for? Him demanding her hand in marriage? There was no point to that, and would only make it look like he’d learnt nothing. No, that demand, he would leave to their people. According to her parents, Ivyanne and Link had three months until they took their vows-giving Ardhi three months to intercept the bride to be while his ringers kept Lincoln distracted.
‘Oh. For what?’ She eventually asked. ‘Ask and it’s yours.’
‘For the way I pushed you.’ He said, taking a lock of her hair and running it between his fingers. ‘And the way I let you down as a best mate. And...for Loveridge.’
Ivyanne made a weird gasping sound in the back of her throat and spun away, bringing her fingers up to her face. Ardhi flinched, surprised.
‘What? Not going to happen?’
‘Yes. I mean...no, I can forgive you. It’s just...Tristan.’ A sob racked her broad shoulders. ‘Oh god…’
Ardhi frowned deeply. She was crying over Tristan? Now of all times, her sadness for him was overpowering her relief to have Ardhi home? Ardhi was incensed. In fact, he kind of wanted to take her by the shoulders and shake some sense into her.
‘I’m sorry.’ He said shortly. ‘I figured with you and Lincoln engaged and all, that you’d be able to discuss the Tristan thing. Clearly you’re not ready.’
‘It’s just not the day for it.’ She whispered, staring down at her hand, twisting her ring anxiously. ‘Oh god seriously, can we not talk about this?’
‘I think that would be wise.’ Ardhi said, trying not to sound as put out as he was feeling. His eyes scanned her shoulders, trying to work out what was off about her appearance.
‘You’re not wearing a bikini.’ He said. ‘Did I chase you out the door that fast this morning?’
Ivyanne’s cheeks turned pink. ‘Something like that. I had one….I may have left it here….’
Ardhi frowned. ‘So where were you all day? I thought you’d come back a lot earlier.’
‘Oh. Well, Link and I went for a swim out there somewhere…’ she said vaguely, motioning towards the door. ‘We fell asleep at one point and woke up having no clue what the time was.’
‘Fell asleep? On a strange island? Ivyanne that’s such a risk!’ Ardhi couldn’t help but reprimand her. ‘Your parents said there boats everywhere all day. You should have been quicker in the water, not taken ten times longer.’
‘Well I wasn’t in the water that much....’ Ivyanne hedged.
‘Then what were you-’ The question spluttered to a stop on Ardhi’s lips and for the briefest of moments, he saw red. Ivyanne and Lincoln had been gone for twelve hours and she was returning naked after having fallen asleep? He was so pissed off and caught off guard by the insensitivity of the gesture made his hands throb. ‘Oh are you kidding me?!’
Ivyanne jumped. ‘Ardhi, don’t flip! I got engaged this morning, okay? There’s a natural progression from
there I shouldn’t have to apologize for.’
Ardhi put his hand to his stomach, trying to keep his dinner down. ‘I finally work up the guts to drag myself back here and grovel at your feet regardless of the fact that your insensitivity was partly to blame for my breakdown, and you decided to commemorate the occasion by getting down with your new fiancé?!’ He could not get his head around it. ‘What part of my appearance today made you hot, Ivyanne?’
‘Ardhi stop yelling!’ She hissed, stepping backwards. ‘Remember what’s happened the last few times your temper has gotten the better of you?’
‘Yeah, I do. Clearly you don’t or you wouldn’t try to provoke me!’
‘Provoke you?’ Ivyanne demanded. ‘How?’
He glowered at her. ‘Oh come on! What was the point of you coming back here at all tonight, at this hour? You have your own place now, and it’s not exactly afternoon tea, is it? But here you are, naked and stinking of another man’s excretions and asking me to calm down?’
‘Don’t be crude.’ She snapped. ‘And I’m glad I’m here alone. Lord knows what might have happened to poor Link if you’d put two and two together in front of him!’
Ardhi felt like he was going to pop a blood vessel. ‘That’s why he’s not here, isn’t it?’ he demanded. ‘You’re Link’s crash test dummy in case my brakes fail me, right?’
Ivyanne crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. ‘Tell me it wasn’t a smart idea. Tell me you weren’t sort of hoping for a reconciliation that went a little beyond friendship with me! You went fucking crazy, Ardhi. I need to make sure if you’ve come back from there before I risk the life of the man I am destined for!’
‘The man you-’ Ardhi reached for her wrist and yanked her closer, seeing her eyes widen with shock but not easing his grip. He was so hurt, so mad-he needed her to feel it! How dare she credit destiny for his sacrifice?
But then Ardhi felt himself yanked backwards by his own upper arm. Ivyanne resisted the pull, and tore herself free, blinking at whoever was behind him.
‘Don’t let her do this to you again Ardhi!’ Lux hissed into his ear before pushing herself in front of him, her stance protective-her outstretched arms a barrier between them. ‘Ivyanne-I need you to leave.’ Though Lux addressed the princess, her gaze never wavered from Ardhi’s own. ‘Now.’
Ardhi glanced at Ivyanne who was hugging her towel to her chest with white-knuckled fingers, looking taken aback. For a moment, the only sound was the subtle drip, drip, drip as Ivyanne’s matted, sodden curls relieved themselves of the ocean they had collected onto the polished floors.
Ardhi stared hard at Lux, trying to keep his expression stoic even though he was raging on the inside. Flames of countless hates licked at his soul; Resentment for what Ivyanne and Lincoln had just done, judgement that she had been able to do it, fury that she’d done it just to piss him off, self-loathing for the fact that she was so unmoved by his return that she’d been able to stay away all day-and most predominantly-rage that Lux had interrupted his chance to make Ivyanne feel like shit about it. He’d had five minutes with her-five! Who knew when they could be alone together again?
‘Hang on just one minute-’ Ivyanne seemed to have found her voice, though it trembled like a leaf in heavy rain. ‘Lux- Ardhi and I need to have this out, and we don’t need an audience for it. He didn’t hurt me, and he won’t.’
Lux’s head whipped around, the platinum gold strands of her thick hair generating a slight wind across Ardhi’s face.
‘It’s not you I’m concerned about getting hurt!’ Her voice came out like a snarl, making even Ardhi flinch. When he looked down, he saw that Lux had a square timber box tucked under her arm.
‘Your little confession made it clear that he can’t move you to feel such a thing.’
Ivyanne’s lips parted, as she clenched the towel more tightly around herself. She looked at Ardhi, and her eyes were the morose green of a sea under the shadow of thunderclouds. For that moment, he could see straight into her, and she was his Ivyanne again-he could hear what she wanted to say, sense her regret as well as the undercurrent of arrogance that never stayed completely concealed behind her sweetness. She regretted only his pain, and that had to be enough for him. And it was. He loved her still.
‘Is this about how I hurt Ardhi by making love to Lincoln?’ Ivyanne asked quietly, her gaze landing on Lux once more. ‘Or you?’
Ardhi sucked air in between his teeth, feeling Lux shiver with offense.
‘At least I was there to offer Lincoln what he needed when he needed it most. You were too busy trying to hang onto to Tristan to see that Lincoln was barely hanging on himself.’ She moved to Ardhi, a sad smile quirking up her lips as she slung her arm around his waist and pulled him protectively against her ample side. ‘You cause pain, Ivyanne-I bring comfort.’
Ivyanne stared at their interlocked bodies, and then her gaze drifted down. Her eyebrows pulled together and she lifted an indicative arm. ‘Is that…? Is that mum’s crown?’ She looked up at Lux, genuine confusion in her eyes. ‘What are you doing with it? That’s royal property!’
Lux’s lips curved with a secretive smile. ‘Oh it was just lying around, so I figured I’d try it on. But my head isn’t swollen enough to pull off Court headgear, so here-’ She tossed the box to Ivyanne, who caught it clumsily, looking startled, almost losing her grip on her towel. But she did catch it, glaring balefully at Ardhi’s godmother afterwards.
‘Touch it again, and there will be consequences.’ Ivyanne said, scowling.
‘Big words for someone who was so repulsed by the sight of it earlier today. I guess you’re more of a princess than you thought.’ Lux taunted. But then the mirth left her face, making it something hard. ‘Now leave me with Ardhi. You need to go and wash the scent of your defunct innocence off you anyway-Ardhi doesn’t need to smell your betrayal any more than he needs to hear about it.’
Every muscle inside Ardhi seized, mirroring Ivyanne’s stiffening gait.
‘I am your princess, Lux,’ Ivyanne said, keeping her voice even, though tears had sprung to her eyes. The remark would have stung her-it was very possibly the first time she’d been so insulted. It even cut Ardhi to the quick. ‘And I won’t be spoken to like that.’ She lifted her chin regally. ‘I’ll leave you two to talk, but when I wake up in the morning, you’d better be gone.’ She turned to Ardhi. ‘And if you share her sentiment, you can go too. I will not be affronted like this in my own house, for making a decision that was mine to make, and living a life that is mine to waste as I see fit!’
How she managed to look so dignified despite being naked and wet and offended was beyond Ardhi, but it made him love her even more. He wanted to lunge for her, but that wasn’t part of the plan, and if he wanted her to feel more regret than she already did, he couldn’t leap to her side as he had always done. He was a mystic, and a martyr and a champion of their kind now-his days of chasing her were over. He wanted to be a king, and king’s bowed to no one, not even their queen.
‘I’ll think it over.’ He said tightly, looking away. ‘Perhaps I’ll see you in the morning.’
Ivyanne blinked, clearly surprised that he hadn’t officially taken her side, then shrugged. ‘Suit yourself then,’ she said softly. ‘Because it’s not my job anymore.’
With that, she turned and walked up the stairs, taking his heart with her.
Ardhi didn’t exhale until the princess had disappeared from sight and he’d heard the bathroom door click gently shut behind her. All that remained were wet footprints leading up to the landing. That was when he realized that he’d clenched his fingers so tightly into Lux’s side that it would probably bruise her. It was funny-he hadn’t even been aware of returning her embrace. How was it possible that he still needed her support, like the little boy he’d been when they’d first met?
‘Um, thanks,’ he forced the words out, even though he still wanted to smack the back of her head for interrupting him like that. What was her deal? ‘Maybe I needed
a time-out.’
‘A time-out?’ Lux wheeled on him, breaking the contact between them and throwing him off-balance. There was nothing supportive about the ire in her indigo eyes. She looked like a mad woman. ‘You need a fucking jacket with straps, Ardhi Kayu-Api! What the hell has gotten into you?!’
19.
Ardhi stepped back. Lux’s words felt like they’d been screamed at him, though he knew they’d been little more than a forced whisper. ‘W-what are you talking about?’ He demanded. Never before had she taken that kind of tone with him, and his empathy towards Ivyanne increased. This was not a good, bad side to be on!
‘She’s the one who just took off with another man all night. All I did was come home! What’s your problem?’
Lux reached into the folds of her quilted wrap dress and pulled out a leather bound book, slamming it onto the kitchen bench between them so hard that the items on the side of the sink rattled where they’d been put to dry. The slap sound made Ardhi jump, but the recognition of the book made him feel faint. Why did she have that? How did she…?
‘This is my problem.’ When Lux was angry, her Scottish accent came through more clearly, thickening her words. ‘So explain it and see if we can make the problem go away.’
Ardhi looked at the book, then to Lux, wetting his lips. ‘It’s a book.’ He managed eventually, trying to read her expression.
‘Your favorite book. The one you used to read all the time when you came to visit me in New Zealand.’ Her eyes remained locked on his. ‘It’s full of the scary mer lore-the bad stories and legends. You used to read it all the time when you were thirteen, and you always left it lying around the house. I’d have to remind you that it was three hundred years old, and that you needed to take care of it.’ She narrowed her eyes. ‘And yet you never remembered to.’
Ardhi felt a shiver of fear tremble through him, and a current followed as his instincts sensed danger. ‘And…?’ He asked.
Lux reached over and placed one purple polished fingernail in the centre of the book. ‘Well you haven’t been by in awhile...brooding over Loveridge and I and all of that. So imagine my surprise when I checked in on my summer cottage last week-and found this sitting on my bedside table.’