Shattered (Book 2)

Chapter 8

Jackson

Gypsy and I filled most of the day together preparing my survival for the council meeting. If I was honest, they were a sham, and they'd find some way to execute me. Shit, Juliet had been begging to have me annihilated since my arrival, and that was over a hundred years ago. She was another useless member and a pain in my ass, and if I had it my way, her ass would've been booted the fuck out of here. Now her wish might be coming true. Go fucking figure.

All the council members had issues, and Artimis was the leader of the airheads. Most of them were thorns in my sides, except Noella, Sebastian, and Aurora. The rest could go fuck themselves. All they were underneath that dead skin were manipulative psychopaths ready to slaughter anyone who stood in their way, and it just so happened I was that idiot who tried to. Because I couldn't keep out of risky fucking situations when I knew damn well I would get caught, regardless of how sneaky or well thought out the plan was.

All the details Gypsy and I went over were for the safety of Ivy. I was well aware she could handle herself in battle, but the council was who I feared the most. Not for my safety, but for Ivy's. Ivy had become a vampire over my own selfish needs, and in the process, I didn't think my plan through enough to realize I left her unarmed and unprepared; I'd basically thrown her to the wolves that happened to be whiny old vampires.

Gypsy would make sure that if I didn't return, she would take over my duties of helping Ivy. Theodore had some twisted evil plan stirring behind the scenes, and If I wasn't there to help stop it, Gypsy could. I had all my faith in her, and to be quite frank I didn't deserve it, but her love for Ivy ran as deep as mine, on a different level of course, so her helping me was mostly for Ivy.

The meeting was set to eight pm sharp, and not only was I attending, but Ivy was supposed to be inducted before then, and she'd take part in my voting process. The irony was not lost on me.

The late afternoon began to slip away, the sky darkening with rich purples and pinks painted the sky. All the trees on the property had finally adapted to the appropriate colors of the season. Autumn air clung to my skin as I waved to Gypsy goodbye, wanting to return to the outpost before Ivy awoke. I needed time to think before she woke, knowing that a long-overdue talk awaited back there. I was dreading the conversation as much as the meeting for my possible execution, but I'd promised Ivy so much, and if I died before the truth was finally set free, then she'd be a fish out of water.

Fog lingered just enough to create a milky haze, cloaking me inside the forest. The last several hours had been draining to the point where maybe an execution would be an easy way out. But then I thought of Ivy. All the shit I had done and put her through would be for nothing, and it would be the cowardly thing to do. My bad habit was running when things got tough, a shitty quality I'd never fixed about myself.

I recalled the earlier events when Finn announced Ivy's new status.

Once the truth was out, the rest of my fellow peers couldn't even look at me. They'd all scattered before I could defend myself. Also, Rebecca had strutted off with Mabel, leaving Gypsy sad, and royally pissed off. I won't ever understand her feelings for Mabel, but I hoped Gypsy realized she deserved better.

Trent had been MIA during the whole big reveal, and my gut was warning me he had disappeared someplace else. A place I knew damn sure the minute I arrived back at the outpost. That fucker knew Ivy had changed before the rest of them. Heck, I bet money it was Rebecca's big ass mouth who'd spilled the beans to get a rise out of me. The girl couldn't move on from our relationship, she had to stir the pot.

The door had been ajar on my arrival, and if I was correct, the sonofabitch would be downstairs where Ivy slept. Debating on whether to go down there, make a scene, or let Ivy rest in the arms of a manipulative asshole that was Trent, ate away at me. I stood inside the cabin, weighing my options; to pick a fight, or to let him win. In this situation, I needed to be the bigger man, but the thought of Trent's arms encased around Ivy fueled the fire inside me. To hell with everything, she already despised me, and I'd been dying to punch something or someone.

As quietly as I could, I squeezed my body through the half-opened door, tiptoeing my way through the hall, hoping the little fucker wasn't already downstairs, holding Ivy while she slept. I squared my shoulders and made my way to the basement, when I noticed Trent in the middle of the staircase, also trying his best to tiptoe down each step. Do I make my presence known? Or do I drag him by the collar and hurl his ass back up the stairs?

Not wasting another second, and really loving the second option my mind created, I skipped some of the steps as quietly as I could and gripped the back of Trent's lame leather jacket, pulling him backward, watching his arms flail out from losing grip on the side railing.

"You fuck!" Trent whispered harshly, trying to reach behind himself in an attempt to get my hands off his jacket.

"Now, now, let's settle this like adults," I said, reaching the top of the steps and throwing him aside. I shut the basement door as quickly and quietly as I could and then proceeded to grab him by the collar again and drag his ass over to the living room.

"Ivy is my girl," he stated, struggling against my hold.

"Damn, possessive much?" I pushed him aside, anger rolling off my body like a heat wave.

"You're one to fucking talk." Trent started to size me up, smirking, thinking he could take me on.

"Why can't you leave her the fuck alone?" I snapped.

"Why can't you?!" He shoved me back, trying to rile me up. Well, he got his fucking wish.

"Ya know, that dark, bad boy persona you have going on isn't hiding what you truly are."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" he scoffed.

"A pussy."

I didn't know what amused me more, the expression on Trent's face after calling him a pussy, or him finally taking the first swing at me. I caught his fist just in time, bending his arm back until he landed on his knees. Trent wasn't going down easy, with his other free hand he punched me right in the gut, breaking free from my hold, and tried to escape. I got myself together and charged after him, dragging him back once again by his jacket, when he slipped out of the sleeves, ready to swing, and kicked at my face. I happened to dodge at the right time, but not quick enough to expect his next attack. Trent got me in a chokehold, trying to cut my airways off with his arms. I stuck my elbow deep in his stomach, and he peeled over, groaning like a baby.

Trent began to laugh in between gasping for air. "Look at you. You're fucking pathetic. No wonder why Ivy thinks you're a little bitch."

Rage clouded my eyes, even my mind, as the last thing I saw was my fist flying through the air before blacking out.