Surviving Ivy

by Rayne Rachels

  “That was impressive.” Ben leaned down and kissed her cheek.

  Ivy was disappointed he didn’t kiss her on the lips, but she plastered a smile on her face. “I’m ready to go.”

  Ben nodded. “I’ll grabbed the bags.”

  “I’m not broken. I can help.”

  He held out a hand to her. “I’ve got the bags. You just carefully navigate your way back to my place.”

  Ivy nodded and followed Ben out of her apartment. She locked the doors and whispered a spell to protect the home from intruders. When they entered Ben’s home, she said another spell to create a new protection around the house. “No one will be able to enter the house without our permission.”

  “You’re going to make my bear lazy.”

  “I can think of something we could do to give him some exercise.” Ivy bit her bottom lip. “If you’re willing to teach me.” Ivy wondered if he was going to catch what she was trying to tell him.

  “You’ve never had sex?” Ben slowly asked her.

  “Never. I’ve got a few toys, but I don’t think they count.” Her cheeks turned pink.

  Ben growled and dropped the bags. He picked up Ivy, making her squeal. “Mine!” He carried her to his bedroom and gently put her down on the bed and knelt down in front of her. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  Ivy smiled at her mate. “I’ve never been more sure of anything.” She put her hands on his cheeks and leaned forward. “We are mates. I want us to be mates in every way possible.” She kissed him. “I want you.”

  Ben returned her kiss, taking control. He broke the kiss and stood up. He kicked off his shoes. He then unbuttoned his work shirt and let it slid off his shoulders. The shirt fell to the floor. “Ivy Braxton, you are my mate. I will love and protect you for the rest of my life.”

  Ivy stared at his sculptured chest and abs. He was gorgeous, and he was hers. She slowly stood up, grabbing the hem, she pulled it up and over her head. She let it drop to the floor not too far from Ben’s shirt. “Ben Anderson, you are my mate, the other half of my soul. I love you and will protect for the rest of my life.” She slowly reached behind her and unhooked the fastener of her bra. She chewed on her bottom lip as she slowly slid the shoulders straps off her shoulders. She felt the wetness between her legs.

  Ben sniffed the air and growled. “Mine.”

  Ivy let the lacy bra fall to the floor. Feeling bold, she slowly caressed her large breasts. She watched Ben unfasten his jeans. He slid them and his boxers down his narrow hips and his muscular legs. He stepped out of them. Ivy’s eyes widened as she stared at his huge erection. “Great Merlin’s beard! Will that even fit?”

  Ben grabbed the waist band of her jeans and pulled her to him. “It will fit, but first we have to do something about these jeans.” He slowly unbuttoned her jeans and slid them and her lace panties down over her curvy hips. He knelt on his knee, lifted one foot, took off her shoe and slid the denim material off her leg, and repeated the process with the other. He caressed her curvy hips and kissed her stomach as he stood up. He moved her hands to his shoulders and cupped her large breasts in his hands. “You’re beautiful.”

  Ivy felt her cheek heat.

  Ben captured her lips with his lips. The kiss started gentle. He caressed and teased her nipples causing her to moan with desire. The kiss grew more demanding as Ben explored her mouth. When he ended the kiss, Ivy gasped to catch her breath. She looked up. The raw desire she saw in his eyes caused her to tremble with need. For the first time in her life, she felt beautiful and desirable.

  Without warning, Ben picked her up and gently put her in the middle of his bed and slid in next to her. “You are everything I ever dreamed of in a mate.” He moved until he was between her legs. Balancing on one arm over her, he reached between her legs and traced his finger along her slit. He pressed down. His finger slipped between her folds and onto her nub. Slowly, he rubbed and teased it.

  Ivy gasped at the new sensations Ben was creating in her body. He continued teasing her until Ivy thought she couldn’t take anymore.

  “It feels like I’ve waited for you forever.” Ben eased a finger inside her.

  “Please.” Ivy moaned.

  Ben eased a second finger inside her. He slowly caressed and teased her until he felt her muscles clinch down on his fingers.

  She whimpered at the loss when he pulled out of her.

  “You are my mate. Mine forever.” He lined the head of his cock with her entrance and eased into her until he was completely filling her.

  Ivy closed her eyes and threw her head back into the pillow. She gasped for air. She had imagined what it would be like having her mate inside her, but this didn’t come close to imagination. It was so much better. Her body was on fire with new sensations.

  Ben slowly eased out and then pushed back inside her. Ivy arched her back wanting…needing more. Lifting his mate’s hips, Ben was soon thrusting deep into her.

  Ivy felt as if she was going to burst. “Ben!” she screamed as her release crashed over her.

  Ben felt his teeth grow. He leaned down and bit into the curve where Ivy’s neck met her shoulder. The sharp pain surprised Ivy but it quickly faded as a more intense wave of pleasure swept over her. Ben held tight to her shoulder as his release crashed over him.

  The last waves of pleasure faded. Ben gently removed his teeth from Ivy’s neck and licked the wound until it was closed. He looked at Ivy only to find her staring at him.

  “That was beautiful,” she whispered. She caressed the side of his face. “I love you so much.”

  “I love you too.” He smiled at her. “I have a confession.”

  “A confession?” Ivy’s forehead wrinkled as she frowned.

  Ben rolled to his back, pulling Ivy with him so that she rested on his chest. He wrapped a hand in her hair. He pulled her toward and kissed her. “You are the only woman I will ever make love to for the rest of my life. You are my mate.”

  Ivy felt the tears forming in her eyes. “You are my one and only. You are my heart’s mate…my soulmate.” Her wrist grew warm and itchy. She lifted it up and gasped. A ring of ivy encircled it. “Ben?”

  He held up his wrist and raised an eyebrow at her. “Is there something you need to tell me?”

  “When a witch mates with her heart’s mate, both mates are marked by a symbol…identical symbols.”

  Ben looked at his wrist. He picked up her hand and looked at her wrist. “A ring of ivy. Pretty cool. Heart’s mate. You are my heart’s mate too.” He wrapped his arms around Ivy and pulled her close. “Rest my heart’s mate.”

  Our mate. Our heart’s mate. Ben’s bear nodded its massive head. It curled up and put its head on its paws. You rest. I will keep watch over our beautiful witch.

  Chapter 11

  Ivy closed the document she was working on and logged off the computer. She stood up and stretched. Her back made little crackling noises. She closed her eyes and rolled her head in first one direction, and then in the other direction. When she finished, she opened her eyes and sighed.

  Something was off, but she wasn’t sure exactly what.

  Ivy walked over to the front window of the customs shop and stared at the scenery. It had been a week since the demon attacked her and Ben, and not once had it made another appearance.

  And that made her uneasy.

  She knew the demon was out there somewhere, waiting and watching for the moment she and Ben dropped their guard. The thought of losing Ben scared her. Would her magic be strong enough to protect him? Would her magic stay with her, or would it disappear?

  And then, there were the other questions. Why had her magic been bound? Who did it? Her parents? Her grandmother?

  “Are you okay?” Ben wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tight against his chest. He kissed her check, and then he kissed the scar left by his mating bite, sending a surge of desire through her body.

  “It’s just been too quiet. I know the demon is out there waiting to m
ake his move.” She snuggled against Ben’s warm body. She felt his hard muscles against her back as easily as she felt his hard cock pressing into the small of her back.

  “We will be ready when he makes his appearance,” said Ben.

  “I hope you’re right. I’ve never seen or heard of a witch going so far into the dark that he or she has literally given their body and soul over to a demon. I don’t know what powers Robert had or what he gained from his union with the demon.”

  “This evening after work, we’re meeting with my family to come up with a plan.” Ben turned her around and kissed her.

  The kiss left Ivy breathless. Ripples of desire flowed through her body. She rested her forehead against Ben’s chest. “What are they going to think? Not only do we have a demon problem, but you’re bringing home a witch as your mate.”

  “They are going to be happy I found my mate, and they are going to adore you.” Ben reassured her.

  Ivy nodded her head. She wasn’t so sure about the adoring part. With Ben? Yes. With his family? She really doubted it.

  “Would you two save it for after work?” Forrest shook his head as he walked out of the garage. “Mated couples!” He stopped at the front desk and dropped several papers next to Ivy’s computer. “Did you call in a lunch order?” he asked Ivy.

  Ivy’s cheeks turned pink. “I did, and it should be ready. I probably should go pick it up from the diner.”

  Ben gave her another quick kiss. “I need to get back to work. Be careful.”

  “Always.” Ivy smiled at him. She watched Ben go back into the garage. She frowned and bit her bottom lip.

  “Are you okay?” asked Forrest.

  “I think so. I just have this nagging feeling that something isn’t right.” She looked at Forrest and shrugged her shoulders. “I’m probably just being silly.” She walked back to her desk and grabbed her purse and keys. “If the order is ready, I’ll be back in about fifteen minutes. Twenty at the most.”

  “Do you have money?” Forrest reached for his wallet.

  “I’ve got the company card.” She smiled. “I’ll be back in a little bit.” Ivy walked to the front door and let herself out of the building.

  *****

  The drive to the Blue Plate Diner took longer than Ivy expected. Somehow, she managed to hit every red light there was between the shop and the diner, and to make matters worse, the closer she got to the diner, the heavier the traffic grew. Someone or something was conspiring against her.

  “Freakin’ horse feathers!” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them as she drove around the block for a third time, looking for a parking place. She was about to give up and park several blocks away when she spotted an empty parking space right in front of the diner.

  Ivy jumped out of car and walked up the cement steps to the sidewalk in front of the diner. She opened the glass door with the “We’re Open” sign and stepped inside. Tantalizing smells assaulted her nose and set her stomach to growling. “Maybe I should have ordered me a burger.”

  She wound her way in and out of the tables and people. It was still about fifteen minutes before noon and already the diner was full. Good thing I called in the order. She glanced around but didn’t focus on the patrons as she walked over to the counter toward the back of the diner.

  “Hi Ivy. Are you here to pick up your order?” asked Bonnie.

  “I am,” said Ivy. She hopped up onto one of the empty chairs at the counter, and looked around. Absentmindedly, she started rubbing the ivy ring on her wrist.

  “Let me check on it.” Bonnie turned and walked over to the window to the kitchen area.

  Ivy nodded but didn’t say anything. The mating mark on her neck started stinging. She frowned and touched it.

  Ivy.

  Her eyes widened. A chill went through her. Ben?

  I will always love you.

  Fear hit her like icy water.

  Ivy gasped for air.

  “Are you okay?” asked Bonnie.

  Ivy looked at the woman. She saw the concern in her eyes. “I…I have to go.” She slid off the chair and grabbed her bag and keys off the counter.

  “What about your order?”

  Ivy shook her head. “I have to get back to the garage. I just hope I’m not too late.” She rushed out of the diner and ran straight to her car. She managed to get the car unlocked, but starting it was a completely different story. Ivy’s hands shook causing her almost to drop the key as she tried putting it into the ignition. After several tries, she managed to get the key into the ignition. She turned it and the car roared to life. Putting the car into reverse, she slammed her foot down on the gas pedal. The car lurched backwards out of the parking space. Once she was out of the space, Ivy put the car into drive. The tires squealed as the huge car sped down the road.

  “Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay.” Ivy chanted the phrase. She raced through several traffic lights as they changed from yellow to red. In half the time it took her to drive to the diner, Ivy made it back to the garage. She pulled into the parking lot and gasped. Her whole body trembled. It took some effort to get her body to cooperate, but she managed to stop the car, turn off the ignition, and get out of it.

  Ivy stared at the building…or rather the remains of the building. The glass front of the lobby was completely destroyed. Glass shards covered the sidewalk and pavement. The garage doors were hanging in odd angels. One was bulged outward as if something had slammed into it. the lower section of another door was partially ripped off. It slowly swayed in the breeze.

  “Ben,” whispered Ivy. Fear twisted her gut and threatened to paralyze her, but she couldn’t give in to it.

  Ivy ran across the parking lot. The glass under her feet made odd sounds as she stepped on them. She entered the building through the broken front door. The stench of black magic slammed against her. Ivy’s eyes widened as she gasped. She was barely able to breathe. Alarms went off in her mind.

  Robert did this.

  He destroyed the shop.

  Something told her he wasn’t too far away. She had to quickly find Ben and the others before Robert returned. She had to make sure they were safe so she could concentrate on her brother, and somehow put an end to his alliance with the demon.

  Ivy took a couple of steps into what had been the lobby. Ceiling tiles littered the floor along with yellow strips of insulation. Wires and the remains of ductwork hung from the ceiling. Slowly, she wove her way around the dangling obstacles until she reached her desk. She started toward the offices when she saw a hand sticking out from behind her desk.

  Praying for the best, but preparing herself for the worse, she moved around the desk. It wasn’t Ben laying on the floor unconscious. It was Forrest. She knelt down and checked for a pulse. It wasn’t as strong as she would have like it to be, but Forrest was alive. She just had to get him out of the building.

  Ivy realized she wasn’t going to be able to drag him, much less carry him out of the building. Reluctantly, she tapped into her earth magic and focused on floating Forrest out of the building. Sweat trickled down her spine. By the time she got Forrest out of the building and safely on the other side of the parking lot, she felt as if the back of her shirt was soaked.

  She checked Forrest’s pulse. It was a little stronger. She made him as comfortable as she could and went back into the building.

  Ivy quickly checked what was left of the offices and break room. She found no one there. When she left earlier, Ben and Wes had been working in the garage, and that was where she had to go. Ivy made her way across the room. Stepping into the garage area, the destruction was worse than what the front of the garage had implied.

  The wall to her left was nothing but a pile of cinderblocks and rubble. Ivy started to by-pass it when a low moan reached her ears. She stopped and stared at the pile of debris that used to be one of the interior walls in the garage. Again, she heard the low moan. Several cinderblocks moved. A hand appeared.

  Flippin�
�� Sugar Lumps.

  She knelt and touched the hand and immediately knew it wasn’t Ben. “I’m here. Let me move some of the stuff before you try to get up.” Ivy hoped Wes was conscious enough to hear her words. Carefully, she moved some of the smaller pieces of debris away from his hand until she found a shoulder. The sharp iron smell of blood drifted up to her nose. “Bloody hockey sticks!” She knew shifters were tough, but losing too much blood was bad, and if she could smell blood?

  Ivy shook her head. It was going to take her forever to remove all the debris off of him. She stepped back from the rubble, and closed her eyes. Please work, she prayed to her goddess. Ivy took a deep breath and slowly let it out, clearing her mind of everything but the rocks. She held out her hands and whispered the same spell she had used years ago to levitate the boxes. The debris and cinderblocks slowly rose.

  Ivy opened her eyes.

  Her heart thumped against her ribcage.

  She moved her hands to the left and lowered them down to her sides. The rubble moved several feet and dropped to the cement floor.

  Wes groaned and tried pushing himself up but collapsed. Ivy reached his side just as he pushed himself up again. Wes grabbed her arm and pulled himself up. Ivy strained under his weight.

  “Demon.” He looked at Ivy with the eyes of a predator. His face and chest were covered with blood. “You shouldn’t be here. It’s not safe.” His voice was deep and gravelly, but weak. He took a shaky step.

  Ivy wrapped her arm around his waist and braced herself to keep them from both falling. “Put your arm around shoulders.” She felt his warm, sticky blood soak through her clothes. It freaked her, but she shoved the thoughts aside. The sooner she got Wes outside with Forrest, the sooner she could go back and find Ben.

  Wes stumbled several times as they made their way out of the building. Each time, Ivy braced herself to keep them from both falling to the floor. Halfway through what was left of the lobby, the remains of the building shifted raining debris down on them. Wes pulled her close, covering her head and shoulders with his upper body. “We have to get out of here before the building comes down on us,” he said after the shower of debris stopped.