Page 122 of Hero of Havoc

Rumbling footsteps sound from behind me, and I glance over my shoulder just in time to find Baron standing in the open archway, anger burning through him as he points a jagged finger toward the dragon.

“Don't ever separate us like that again.”

The dragon stands tall, elongating every limb before looming over us dangerously.

“Don't ever step into my chambers and make threats, dragon rider,” he commands, his voice not simply in my head but barked into the open air around us, and I’m not the only one to stumble back as Baron stares at him in disbelief. “There are protocols and a hierarchy that you don't seem familiar with,” he adds, and Baron scoffs, nostrils flaring as he glowers at Rapture like it doesn’t stand so tall in comparison.

“And I'm a desperately protective mate that you don't seem to be familiar with,” he retorts. “Respect the fact that she has just died,” he growls, and the dragon huffs.

“A phoenix is born to die.”

“Maybe other phoenixes are, but not mine, not her. She deserves more than a life in flames.”

My pulse races in my ears at his defensive tone, but to my surprise, the dragon doesn’t snarl back as I anticipate. Instead, he inches closer, lower, until his face is but a breath from my hated mate, and fear spikes through my limbs again.

“Continue to protect her like this, and you just might have a chance of surviving.” He tilts his head, eyes boring into mine as a purr-like sound ripples from his throat as his next words go straight to my mind. “If you don’t wish to gain answers by exploring what Leonardo has to offer, I suggest you demand the attention of The Fates.”

28

IVY

We return to campus with a thud, the hostile air between Baron and Alaric palpable, neither one of them willing to concede.

My mind is swirling through too many thoughts all at once to deal with their tension as well.

As scrambled as my mind is, the trip to see Rapture is just what I needed, even though it hasn’t come with a definitive answer. Instead, it's come with a pathway leading to more questions, offering a fork in the road with signs aiming in completely different directions. And as much as I hate to admit it, Francesca was right the other day.

We need to stop reacting and start acting.

“Do you have Hugo's contact information?” I ask once I reach the bottom of Alaric's wing, offering an extra stroke in silent compassion as Baron joins me.

“I do,” he states, cocking a brow at me, and I nod.

“Perfect. Can you tell him we need a meeting immediately?”

His brows dip, furrowing instead as he peers at me. “We don't get to call meetings,” he states, and I sigh.

“Call my brother.”

He runs his tongue along his bottom lip, eyeing me curiously as he pulls his device from his pocket, doing as I ask.

It rings three times before my brother's familiar voice comes through the line.

“What do you want, fucker?”

“It's Ivy.”

“Oh, what do you want, Angel Face?” he corrects, and I shake my head.

“A meeting. Now.”

He sighs heavily down the line.

“I went out on a limb for you last time, and look how that turned out. I'm not putting my neck out there again, Ivy.”

“It's different this time,” I insist, hoping to reassure him, but he scoffs.

“I’m sure you'll say that every time,” he corrects, and I snatch the device from Baron's palms.