by Louise Rose
Loud music blares as I walk up the drive towards Declan’s house. Out of all the main houses in King Town, this one is the best. It’s like a big cottage with ivy crawling up around the white stone and next to it is two more modern houses. The rest of the area is covered in thick trees, making it impossible to see much further. Expensive cars line the driveway around the naked Greek goddess statue, water fountain in the middle, water pouring from her open hands. Teenagers are spilled all over the place and my driver has to stop further away when it’s clear a passed out teenager isn’t going to move.
“Thanks!”
“Ivy, be careful,” my driver tells me, and I don’t recognise his voice. I look into the screen, wishing I could see who the new driver is before getting out. I’m sure my dad will not let him be nice to me for long. God help anyone who is nice to his heir. Kindness is a sin in King Town. Going inside, Ally pushes past me, tears streaming down her face and we both nearly tumble over.
“Ally! What’s wrong?”
“You are so welcome to him!” she sobs. “I’m going to ruin you both for this! I’m glad he doesn’t care about the consequences anymore because they are going to hurt him bad. You. Did. This.”
“What do you mean, Ally? Ally?”
She ignores me, running off into the night and for a moment I feel bad for her, if not a little confused. If we were friends, I would have gone after her, made sure she is okay, but Ally has made it very clear we are rivals, so I leave it to someone else to deal with her.
Instead, I head off in the direction of what I think is the kitchen so I can fix myself a drink. If I am not driving, I am going to hide in a corner and get absolutely off my face and try to puke on my dad’s expensive shoes when I get home. Whatever the reason is behind my father wanting me to be here, I don’t care. I am going to stick around until midnight and get the hell out of here the moment I am allowed.
Declan’s house is jam-packed with teenagers, most of them from the Academy, although there are a few faces I don’t recognise. Inside it looks like a regular home, quaint and kinda cute. Pictures of Declan and three other guys who could have been his twins are above a stone fireplace. They must be his dead brothers.
I soon spot Carly kissing some guy I don’t recognise as someone bumps into me and I step to the side. It looks like her romance with Archer was as short lived as mine.
Leaving the dancers, I find myself in the kitchen. It is as big as the whole ground floor of Katy’s house, with a breakfast bar and two hobs. A trestle table had been set up along one side of the room, heavily laden with food. My stomach rumbles and I realise I hadn’t eaten since lunch and then it had only been a sandwich.
I go over to the table and fill a plate with snacks before getting myself a glass of punch. Then I go through the double doors to one side of the room and out to the back garden. There is a large pool and there are a few people skinny dipping.
Better them than me.
I perch on the edge of a lounger and take a large swig of the punch. It is sweet, a combination of fruit juices I can’t completely identify, but it certainly packs a kick. There is more than a little vodka mixed in with a couple other spirits.
“Ivy! I’m so glad you came. I was hoping you’d change your mind.”
Declan sits down next to me and I breathe in his scent. Masculine with a mix of lemon and it’s comforting as well as sexy.
“I wasn’t given much of a choice. How did you manage to persuade my father to make me come?”
“Your father?” Declan looks genuinely confused. “What’s he got to do with this?”
“Don’t play dumb with me,” I say. “My father basically ordered me to be here. I have no idea why, but he made it very clear that I had to be at this party, so here I am. But if you think I’m going to do anything more than sit here and get quietly drunk so I can ruin his shoes, you’re very much mistaken. So why don’t you go find your girlfriend and see what’s got her so upset.”
“I don’t need to,” Declan says quietly. “I already know. She’s not my girlfriend anymore.”
“Not your-? Why? What happened?”
“I stopped being an idiot. You are right. I shouldn’t even have thought of kissing you while I was seeing Ally, but ever since that moment, our kiss is the only thing on my mind. I can’t stay with Ally when the only girl on my mind is you and I told her so.”
“You told her that?” I shook my head. “Jeez, Declan. Nobody can accuse you of having Romy’s charm.”
“I figured honesty is the best policy,” Declan says. “I’ve had enough of all the lies. There’s so many secrets in this town and there’s just no need. If the Houses are upfront with each other, we can work together and we’d all benefit.”
Gazing into his eyes, I can see he meant every word.
“She said something weird to me. Something about ruining you,” I tell him, wanting him to be prepared. “What secrets do you have, Declan?”
“I’m an heir. I swim in a pool of fucked up secrets for breakfast and claim them all as my own,” he counters. “Let her spill a few. I don’t give a fuck anymore.”
“This is so messed up,” I whisper, as Declan leans into me.
This kiss is so different to any other time I have been kissed. It speaks of love and romance, caresses and tenderness. It makes me wonder what making love would be like with Declan–and it would be making love. There is a chemistry between us that is like nothing else. This is why we wrote such powerful songs together. Our souls speak to each other.
I kiss him back, my hand resting on his thigh. I love the feel of him beneath me. He is surprisingly muscular and I wonder what he looks like naked. I can’t get the image of his chest out of my mind. God he is so ripped.
He leans into me, his hand brushing against my breast as he moves his hand round to my back, pulling me towards him.
“That’s one of the reasons why I want to get close to you,” he tells me. “We’re the next generation. We can change things if we want. We don’t have to do things the way our parents did. We can come up with a new way, a better way. What do you think?”
“I think…” I wave my glass in his direction. “I need another drink.”
“Coming right up.”
Declan takes the glass from my hand and heads back inside.
After he leaves, I slump back on the lounger. What was I thinking? This isn’t my father’s twisted attempt to play Cupid, is it? Am I playing straight into his hands?
Now that Declan is gone, my thoughts are a little clearer. I can’t let myself be confused by his body, his scent, oh dear god, his incredible scent. The guy is so sexy…
No, Ivy! Wake up!
I’m not falling for the sexy boys of King Academy. They will ruin me.
Declan might be single, but I am not interested. If he has cheated on Ally with me, he will cheat on me the second someone more interesting comes along.
Nothing has changed. I am done with men and my stupid treacherous heart for loving them all.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Suddenly, there are screams as gunshots interrupt my reverie. Teens flood out of the house, running in all directions and making it impossible to see what is going on. My body shakes as I try to block out the screaming and hold onto the chair as so many teens run around me.
“He’s been shot! He’s been shot!” I hear someone yell. “Call an ambulance!”
My blood runs cold. Is Declan hurt?
I race into the house, pushing against the tide of people trying to escape, not caring what they think or how crazy this is. I have to know he is okay.
“Declan!” I cry. “Declan!”
“I’m out front!” came his strained reply.
I run out to the front of the house to find Declan cradling someone in his arms.
“Archer!” I gasp, paralysed with shock at the sight of my former lover covered in blood. I lied to myself. I care too much about the boys of King Academy.
I’ve fallen for them…and I coul
d lose everything tonight.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Ivy Archaic
“Don’t just stand there, Ivy. I need you!”
I snap out of it, rushing over to help Declan.
“Here,” he says, grabbing my shaky hands. “Press down on the wound. We have to stop the bleeding.”
“Has anyone called an ambulance yet?” I ask, as I do what I was told. Archer looks so damn pale and his whole body shakes as he lifts a hand, placing it on my cheek. Tears mix with the blood he leaves on my cheek and I see the reflection of myself in his eyes.
Oh god.
“No… hospital…” croaks Archer.
“Save your energy,” says Declan. “We can talk later. I won’t let you fucking die. We need to change shit in the future so this doesn’t keep happening. So stay fucking alive!”
Romy comes hurrying over. “I tried to get the license plate of the shooter’s car, but they covered it in mud. It can have been anyone,” he says.
“Worry about that later,” I say. “We have to get Archer to the hospital before he bleeds out.”
“I said. No. Hospital.” Each word clearly pains him, but he insists on speaking. “This is a set up.”
“He’s right,” nods Romy. “Whoever did this is a pro. They waited for Archer to arrive, then they whacked him before he came inside.”
“Which means that if we take him to the hospital, whoever organised this is likely to be waiting there to finish the job,” Declan finishes.
“So we take him to a different hospital,” I desperately say. “You told me the place you are in is just for the House families. There’ll be other hospitals for everyone else.”
“No can do.” Romy shook his head. “It’s a gunshot wound. They’ll contact the Houses as well as the police and it’ll be game over. Archer’s right. We can’t take him to a hospital.”
“We can’t leave him here. He’ll die!” I can’t believe what I am hearing. “If we don’t get him help, we’re doing the assassin’s job for him.”
We all sink into depressed silence.
“I’ve got it!” I snap my fingers. “We can go back to mine. My dad has a private doctor who comes to give him regular check-ups for his heart. I’ll get him to come round. He won’t tell anyone and Archer can stay at our house while he gets better. I know there’s been a fallout between our Houses, but my dad keeps saying he’ll do anything for me. He’ll get Archer the help he needs and since no one else will know he’s at my place, he’ll be safe from the assassin.”
Romy and Declan look at each other and nod.
“I don’t see that we have much choice, to be honest,” Romy grimly states. “What do you think, Archer?”
Archer nods weakly, lifting up his thumb to show his approval.
“I’ll get a car then.” Declan scrambles to his feet and hurries away, leaving a dying Archer in my arms.
“Hold on, Archer,” I whisper, taking his hand in mine and hating how cold he feels. “We’re going to get you the help you need.”
The doctor is already waiting for us, my father standing next to him as we pull up outside my house.
Declan and Romy open the door and help Archer out. He can still walk, but it is a struggle. At least the bleeding seemed to have stopped and I hope that means good things.
“Bring him in here.” My father motions to the boys to go into a room to the back of the house. I try to follow them, but my father steps in front of me. “Not you, Ivy. I need to speak to you.”
“But I want to be with Archer!” I protest. “I need to know he’ll be okay.”
“He’ll be fine,” Dad reassures me. “You can see him later. What I’ve got to tell you is important.”
Reluctantly, I leave the boys with the doctor and follow my father into his study, trying not to be worried about the fact that two armed guards are taking up positions outside the room the boys are in.
“I owe you a huge thank you, Ivy,” my father begins once we are sitting in his study. “My plans have been years in the making, but if it wasn’t for you, I would never have been able to get the three heirs together in the same place. It seems their fondness for you has worked in my favour in ways I could never have anticipated.”
“What do you mean?”
“Who do you think sent the shooter?”
My father laughs at the look of shock on my face. “Oh, my dear child. It seems there’s still so much for you to learn. Still, don’t worry. There’s plenty of time for you to come into your own as a true Archaic. One day you’ll thank me for all of this.”
I narrow my eyes and shake my head. “No, I won’t. You disgust me.”
“You’re being silly.”
“No, I’m not.” Filled with a rage the likes of which I have never experienced, I can’t stop shaking. “You kidnap me, use me, manipulate me, and then expect me to be grateful? You’re sick in the head and my mother must have been so horrified. No wonder she ran away and chose me! You likely made it so easy by being crazy!”
“Calm down, Ivy.” He demands, his eyes burning with anger.
“Calm down? Calm down?” It is the worst thing he could say. I’m not a child and I won’t let him kill my guys. “Go on, make me, old man. I’m so sick of being scared of you!”
With a roar of rage I throw myself at him, wanting to scratch his eyes out and do any damage I can. At that moment, I wanted my father dead.
“If anything happens to Archer, I’ll kill you!” I scream. “If you touch Romy or Declan, I will kill you fucking slowly!”
My father is almost too stunned to defend himself as I slap him hard, but he quickly recovers, grabbing my wrists with impressive strength. That doesn’t stop me as I start kicking him getting hits in wherever I can. I don’t care how I hurt him. I just want him to feel the same kind of pain Archer is in.
“E-nough!”
With a deft movement, my father spins me round, pinning me down so I can’t move.
“I. Hate. You,” I scream as my eyes burn with tears. “I wish you weren’t my father!”
“If you feel like that now, you really won’t enjoy what’s going to happen next,” says my father with a coarse laugh. “I need you alive because you’re my heir, but that doesn’t mean I owe you anything. You are a resource for me to use as I see fit, nothing more. Your mother knew this, which is why she stole you away from me. She swore I would never get my hands on you.
“The foolish woman had no idea that the only reason I left you alone is because it suited me. All I needed to do was give the word, and you’d have been back here in a heartbeat. Know your place, Ivy. You are my property, nothing more, nothing less.”
“I’m your daughter, you sick psycho!” I cry, but my father just laughs.
“And as my daughter, you get the privilege of choosing the nature of how each of your friends die. I hear some of them have treated you rather badly, so if you would like them to suffer for their crimes that can easily be arranged. Once I’m done with them, we’ll be the only House in a position to rule the town, which unfortunately makes you a very, very precious resource to be protected. Isabella!”
My father’s aide had clearly been waiting nearby because she appears only a few moments later.
“Yes, Solomon?”
“Escort my daughter to her room and lock the door. Make sure she is comfortable and has whatever food and drink she requires, but she is not to leave her chambers under any circumstances or I will hold you personally responsible. Do you understand?”
“Of course, Solomon. She won’t be going anywhere.”
“And if she gives you any trouble, feel free to tase her,” my father instructs and lowers his voice for me. “I’m protecting you and knocking out all the chess pieces in the way so you can rule like the queen you were born to be. One day, you will thank me as you rule the town.”
“It would be my pleasure.” The smile on Isabella’s face sent chills through me just as much as my dad’s words.
She steps forwar
d, a set of handcuffs in her hands. She snaps them around my wrists, making sure they are super tight. Roughly grabbing my arm, she shoves me in front of her.
“Come on, Ivy. You know the way.”
“I’m going to get you for this,” I say over my shoulder as we walk away.
“Try little girl,” my father grins. “Try.”
Chapter Thirty
Ivy Archaic
Isabella shoves me into my room, making me fall to the floor and scrape my hands across the carpet.
“Get up,” she coldly orders.
“Why are you being like this?” I ask, clumsily pulling myself to my feet.
“Like what?” Isabella asks.
“Like a bitch,” I say.
Isabella laughs. “I serve your father, not you. He wanted me to befriend you, so I did what I was told. See, your dad found me in London using my body to pay for my life and I wanted to die. I hated myself and he showed me I could be so much more. You were so wrapped up in yourself, you never thought to ask anything about me or see how loyal I was to your father. That’s what a real heir would do…you are just a silly girl who one day might be turned into someone important. Or you’ll have a kid who will be.”
“Yeah, like a good little lapdog,” I sneer, even though what she said is so true. I didn’t ask Isabella anything about herself and there is a good chance my dad does want me for the kid I might give him one day. He never wanted me to rule.
“Give me an excuse to tase you. I dare you,” says Isabella, pulling me towards her to undo my handcuffs.
Like I was going to do anything to play into her hands.
She undoes my cuffs and I rub my wrists, more instinctively than because they are hurting.
“Now if you’re a good girl, I’ll bring you some breakfast in the morning,” Isabella says. “If not… I know just how long someone can survive without food. Your father wants you alive, but right now I don’t think he really cares what condition you’re in.”
