Aura's SUV glided into the open space in front of Ivy's apartment building. She turned off the ignition and faced Ivy with squared shoulders. Ivy did her best to avoid looking at Aura. The two had been playing nice when they were at training. Other than that, they didn't have anything to do with one another. A knife wouldn't have even cut through their tension.
"Ivy-" "Aura-"
The two spoke at the same time immediately stopping at the sound of the other. Neither wanted to be rude and continue on without giving the other a chance to speak. Tucking a stray dark curl behind her ear, Ivy gestured for Aura to go on.
"Ivy, I just wanted to say," she looked past the earth witch at the on-coming ominous clouds in the distance before returning to the expressive brown eyes of her friend, "that it's good to have you back."
Ivy stared at Aura unsure how to respond. Her mouth fluttered open, but all that came out was a soft sigh. She sat back in the dark leather, her chest rising and falling with intakes of deep breath. She tilted her head and ran her tongue against the ridges of her teeth. She was at an utter loss for words. Instead, Ivy reached forward and grabbed Aura's hands. Smiling, Ivy gave them a squeeze before cracking open her door to step out.
At the last second Ivy leaned down, poking her head in just underneath the frame of the door. "It's good to be back."
Aura exhaled in relief and a small, barely noticeable smile tugged at the corner of her lip. She bid adieu to her friend and drove off.
Ivy darted up to her apartment on the top floor. She furiously pressed on the buttons hoping that it would speed up the elevator. She had a lot to process from her training session and what they had learned at the end of it. The revelation about the vines but then a dead body turning up, it was all happening so fast.
The doors opened to her floor. She did her best to keep her worries to herself so that the hallway plants wouldn't react. Despite her efforts, they all sagged from her worry. The leaves drooped a little deeper, buds closing up if they were starting to bloom. She ran a hand across her freckled face and let out a groan.
"So fucking annoying," she muttered while attempting to open her front door.
Before she could further make a fool of herself, the door burst open with a beaming Hunter. He tempered his delight when he felt the mood Ivy pushed out. He pulled her in for a hug, cocooning her in a safety blanket in the form of his arms.
"Rough day?"
"You wouldn't even know the half of it." Ivy pulled away and set her bag on the couch.
Hunter walked over and peeled the jacket off her, taking note of the new burns she had come home adorned with. His fingers brushed against one at the nape of her neck. Sensing him analyzing the marks, Ivy snuck a glance at him before scurrying forward.
"It's nothing." She avoided the inquisitive eyes of her boyfriend. She busied herself with kicking off her Nikes and heading for the kitchen for some wine. Feeling his eyes on her, she swayed her hips with exaggeration and shot him a flirty, over the shoulder smile.
"Don't think you can distract me with those hips." He followed her into the kitchen and slipped onto the barstool.
She knew very well that she could, and she would continue to if it meant he didn't ask about her marks. Knowing she mostly had burns on her arms, she was safe with this next move. Ivy stripped off her leggings and threw them toward the living room, leaving her in her top and lacy underwear.
"You're such a tease." Hunter rolled his eyes, reaching for the bottle of wine to uncork it. He refused to be sidetracked. "How's training? Antonella isn't giving you too hard of a time, is she?"
Ivy watched him as he turned the device into the cork and slowly twisted it out. She rounded the counter keeping her eyes locked on his until she stood beside him. Hunter's breath hitched as he turned toward her. She moved so her body was between his knees and rested a hand on his chest. Their eyes remained locked on one another, and a feral need rushed over her. The burning in the pit her of stomach flared up, growing as restrained herself from him.
In the blink of an eye, the two collided and became one. Hunter's hands found her backside and gave it hard squeeze. She pushed herself further against him and felt that he wanted this as badly as she did. She navigated them to the bedroom all the while stealing kisses. They almost didn't make it, opting for the couch, but she thought better of it. Guests do sit there after all.
Once they arrived in the bedroom, she pushed him down and pulled his sweats down. Hunter took care of his own shirt, tossing it to the side. Ivy crawled onto him and straddled his waist. His hands roamed over her shirt and found their way back to the curve of her hips. They danced gleefully, snapping the lace of her underwear.
Ivy held his face with both her hands as her lips moved in sync with his. She bit at his bottom lip to let her in and their tongues soon danced as one. A hand moved to tangle itself in his hair to deepen the embrace. Ivy lost herself in the act and forgot about the events of the day. For a moment, she was just a human making love with her boyfriend. She sat back on his hips, shuddering as she could very much feel him, and pulled her shirt over her curls.
As the shirt landed on the floor, all the energy that had been building up was sucked out of the room. Hunter's mouth hung open, not at the beauty that was Ivy but at the little burns that littered her body. Ivy completely misread the vibe and bent over to kiss him, as her hand reached underneath his boxers. Hunter groaned as her hand reached him but also as he had to push her away. What he saw trumped this moment. He moved deftly and quicker than she ever could so that he was across the room, his back against the windows. Ivy sat defeated on the bed looking up at him quizzically.
"What's wrong?" She pouted, letting her arms fall to her side. She felt no need to cover herself considering the moment. His eyes racked her body taking in every fresh, still healing burn that covered her arms. To be fair, there were a lot more of that today than usual. Ivy didn't want to bug Aura and have her swing by Anne's Apothecary for the healing ointment she was using.
Hunter's chest rose to speak, but it deflated without a word. He exhaled sharply through his nose, jaw clenching. Ivy knew what he would say before he even said it. Waiting for a comment, she rose from the bed and grabbed her silk robe, tying it around her waist. She left him in the bedroom as she returned to the bottle of wine.
Her boyfriend didn't dawdle and followed hastily behind her. His angry footsteps pounded on the floor and came to a halt as she lazily crossed her legs with a glass of wine in hand on the barstool.
"Burns, why are you covered in them?" He huffed out, crossing his arms over his chest.
"You know why," she retorted taking a sip of her wine. "Training, I'm in the middle of training."
"I thought you had given all of that up." Hunter narrowed his eyes, his lips growing narrower by the second.
"I had." Ivy's usual expressive eyes stayed neutral. "I'm back at it now though."
"Ivy," Hunter breathed, his hands falling to his side, "Magic only brings trouble, especially with you involved."
"No it doesn't," Ivy shot back. "It also brings life and some sense of happiness."
"Oh, does it now?" Hunter stole her glass for a sip.
Her eyes narrowed into slits, rage seething under the surface. In the back of her head, she felt the vines twisting toward, slithering against the wall out of his sight. She knew if he saw them he would use it as evidence against her, pointing out her lack of control of her plants. While still somewhat true, she better controlled them once she sensed them.
"Yes, yes it does. Just look at my shop."
"You don't think I haven't noticed the shop?" Hunter shook his head, a look of disappointment hanging on his features. "You don't think I haven't noticed the thorns on almost every creation in it?"
Ivy was too stunned to gasp. Instead, her nostrils flared as she tightened her jaw and balled her fists. Hunter was picking a fight, one he had no business starting. He knew nothing of what it felt to shut out a part of yourself or hate what you were capable of doing.
For almost a year, Ivy fell into shambles and stayed there. She had stayed in the comfortable piece of life she carved out with Hunter and with pretending she had no powers. Even on those days in the shop when she tried to push the magic away, it just wasn't possible. She couldn't create without it. She couldn't nurture her babies.
The scene outside their window grew darker. The clouds rolled in and settled over Malachi Peak, producing a suffocating feeling. Rain hadn't begun to fall. The thunder started to roar, slowing growing louder and louder.
"That's a low blow." Ivy jumped off the stool and stomped back into the bedroom. She wanted to run from him and create as much space as possible, but he followed her back in there. Hunter was sure doing a lot of chasing this evening.
"It's not a low blow." He pointed a finger at her as lightening lit up the sky, their bedroom windows providing the perfect backdrop for the argument. "It's a fact, plain and simple."
Ivy hissed, scrunching her nose up. She lacked any type of real response. Running a hand through her curls, she placed her other hand on the window and looked down on the city.
"Look at what magic has done." Hunter lowered his voice, the calm replacing the fury. "Look at what happened to Cassie. Her ghost haunts you night after night."
Her ghost isn't haunting me, Ivy thought to herself. What if it's actually Cassie reaching out?
Screeching, Ivy turned her anger on him. The vines had halted at the door, but as her anger grew, they began to scale the walls. Hunter looked around, and his eyes widened when he took note of them. They didn't inch toward him, as they knew what Hunter was to her and what he had done for her. They stayed in the background waiting in case she needed them.
"Don't you try to use Cassie like that," Ivy literally roared as another crack of lightning burst across the sky. "Of all people you know what she meant to me and how her disappearance broke me. I'm finally putting together the pieces you helped me pick up."
Silence lapsed between them as the storm raged on. Hunter watched the witch in complete awe. She was finally starting to get back to her old self, a slight temper with the stubbornness, but nevertheless there she was. This training was exactly what she needed – what they both needed – for things to get back to normal.
"You're right."
Ivy had to strain forward to hear it. She almost didn't believe her ears. She spun on her heel and registered what he said. She joined him on the bed and rested a hand on his bare thigh. His hand moved to cover her own, and their fingers wove together.
"I just want you to be careful and not get hurt," he added, kissing her on the temple. Ivy leaned into him and settled into his embrace.
"That's why I need this training." She looked up at him through her lashes. "Other people like me have been disappearing and we think Cassie was only the start. I can't be weak. I have to be strong."
"Babe, you are strong, even without this training." Hunter pulled her down onto the bed. "You're the strongest person I know. You know I love you no matter what choice you make, right?"
Ivy nodded against his chest, snuggling closer to him. The storm retreated into the depths of the sky, taking with it the lighting and thunder. All that remained was the rain, a normal occurrence in the Pacific Northwest.
"If this training helps you accept who you are, then it's exactly what you need." Hunter pulled her so she was completely on top of him. Propping his head on his hand, he stared down at her with a big smile. "I love you."
"I love you too." She pressed a small kiss to his lips before squealing and falling into a fit of giggles. "I see that the other Hunter also loves me as well."
"He has a mind of his own." Hunter roared with laughter and rolled around so Ivy was now underneath him. "In this case, he might have the right idea."
Giggling, Ivy nodded and let Hunter devour her in kisses and pleasure. Rain pattered at the window as the two lovers descended into bliss.
--
A/N
Ehhh, sort of a filler chapter? I needed to write them having a sort of a tiff. Not everything is peachy keen in relationships.
Also, finally changed the title of the book. I don't have any plans to change it again (lol). I am very indecisive at times. Please bear with me :D
Thank you to everyone for reading/commenting/voting! I hope you are all staying safe in the midst of this pandemic. Sending you all positive vibes!