Bitter Brambles (The Ivy Institute #2)

Chapter 1

KAGE

O ne second, Briar is right in front of me, and the next, she’s gone. I blink several times, but nothing I do brings her back. I lift my hands to cover my ears and realize there’s a deafening roar rattling the stone walls around me, and I know with unwavering certainty that it has something to do with my creature’s absence.

I pivot to see Ziv, his mouth thrown wide as he bellows. He’s hunched forward with his arms out, as if he’s ready to grab whoever gets close to him. His eyes, though, are locked on a statuesque female with dark green hair that falls down her back in smooth waves. From her profile alone, I know she’s something more. This must be the guest of honor Syrinx was alluding to.

There’s an aura of power around her that can be felt even with the throng of novices filling the arena, but the biggest clue is the fact that she isn’t cowering from Ziv while everyone else is, even though he’s separated from the female by at least twenty feet. In fact, her mouth is turned up at the corners as if she finds something about Ziv’s rage entertaining.

My mind takes way too long to process the implications and realize that this being has something to do with Briar’s disappearance. I scan the area behind her, wondering if she somehow managed to move Briar to keep her away from us, but my body already knows what my head is having a hard time accepting—my creature is gone. I feel the distance between us like a piece of me is missing.

“Now, now, Ziveet. Calm down before you rattle the rabble.” Her voice is rich like honey and just as sweet, even while referring to everyone in the arena as peasants. If I hadn’t already begun to suspect what she is, her demeanor now would have told me. She’s a god, and not a fallen one like Ziv. There is nothing about her that’s been dampened or stifled. I’m not sure how much it says about Ziv that I can barely tell the difference between them—if he was once exceptionally powerful or she is just a weaker deity. Even thinking of her as weaker feels wrong in so many ways, however, because she could never be mistaken for feeble. I have no doubt she could lay waste to this entire field—hell, maybe even the school—but something tells me Ziv could too.

“Where the fuck is she?” Ziv seethes, and it’s only then I realize she is holding him immobile from the neck down. His stance hasn’t shifted. If he could get to her, he would probably rip her apart with his bare hands, maybe even his teeth.

The goddess cocks out a curvy hip, shifting her weight in a move that seems casual, but I can see the small lines of strain around her eyes from her narrowed gaze as she keeps tabs on Ziv. “If you do not calm yourself, I will leave.” I’m certain she knows just as I do that her hold on Ziv will not last. Even now, I see the cracks in her grasp on him as he makes small, jerky movements as if he’s caught in a different time loop than the rest of us.

My thundering heartbeat ratchets up even higher knowing that if she leaves without us learning where Briar is, it could take ages to locate her. I toy with the idea of getting closer to the goddess, but the only weapon I have would kill her, and then we would never get any answers.

“Where would you go that I wouldn’t find you, Oaktar?” Ziv questions calmly. His voice is at odds with his demeanor, because he’s still physically fighting against her hold on him.

Her name gives me a small bit of insight. Oaktar is the goddess of envy, and she is known for her vindictive nature and how ruthless she is when she wants something. My gut drops into my balls. What could she want with Briar?

The goddess raises her hand and examines her nails as if she’s bored, but I see the way her eyes can’t seem to stray from Ziv for very long before she notes, “You might remember that I have a lot more friends than you do, Ziveet. Many of them would love a reason to… get reacquainted with you.”

An expression so sinister I can’t call it a smile curls the fallen god’s lips. “If it’s a war you want, then I’m more than happy to oblige.”

Her lips part as if she might reply, or maybe it’s an unintended show of emotion, but the headmistress angles her way through the crowd of onlookers as she greets the goddess with a small dip of her head. “Oaktar.”

“ You did this?” Ziv turns his head, finding an additional target in the headmistress. I have to wonder if the goddess allowed him the movement to take some of the focus off herself.

“What exactly did I do?” Syrinx questions, bouncing her gaze between the two most powerful beings I’ve ever been in the same room with. It’s proof she sees them both as threats. Smart.

“You brought her here. Where is Briar?”

“At this moment, I don’t know. Is there a reason I should?”

Oaktar tilts her head, making her sleek hair slide over her shoulder as she shifts her gaze to the headmistress. Something about her guarded expression triggers warning bells in my mind, but I can’t pinpoint why. Before Ziv notices the goddess’s curious look, she returns her attention to him. “The girl is fine… for now. If you want her to stay that way, then I suggest you be a good boy and do what you’re told.” Her gaze turns possessive as she slides her eyes up and down the fallen’s frozen form.

“Do what I’m told, and what would that be?” Ziv’s lips barely move as he sneers the question.

“I could think of so many things, Ziveet,” Oaktar coos suggestively.

Ziv jerks his arm free from the invisible grasp the goddess has him in and flexes his fingers into a tight fist. “I suggest you quit running your fucking mouth and tell me what I want to know.” The threat is clear—her hold on him is crumbling. It won’t be long before he’s completely free.

The goddess takes a step back, putting distance between her and Ziv. The coy grin playing on her full lips drops, erasing any sign of teasing. “You know how these things work. You’ll get the information when we decide it’s time. You’d do well to remember who has the power here, because it certainly isn’t you.”

In a blink, she’s gone, and Ziv lunges in the direction she was in as if he might be fast enough to grab her.

Everything happens so fast, I nearly miss the fallen changing directions at the last second and going for Syrinx. His hand closes around her throat before she can open her mouth to issue a wail that would be deadly to some and more than inconvenient to others.

Several other instructors flinch as if they may try to intervene, but the headmistress lifts her hand in a gesture meant to keep them at bay. Ziv lowers his head, so his face is near Syrinx when he speaks. “Tell me why I shouldn’t kill you right now.”

Syrinx slowly lifts her hand to Ziv’s, which is still coiled around her neck, then shifts her head up by a millimeter in an effort to speak. “I wanted her here just as badly as you do,” she rasps. Her eyes bulge for a split second, making me think the fallen might kill her where she stands, and I can’t even blame him. The headmistress has no concept of how badly he wants Briar. She isn’t capable of understanding the longing of a missing mate, especially one who could be in danger. Even now, my body aches in a way I can’t comprehend with the need to have her near and know she is safe.

“Your desire to win is nothing compared to my need for her.” Ziv’s fingers dig deeper into the banshee’s long neck before he finally releases her with a small shove.

To Syrinx’s credit, she straightens her spine as if Ziv wasn’t just about to kill her in front of half the institute.

“As I’m sure you remember, the gods don’t make it a habit to inform us of their plans. There was no reason for me to think she would have an interest in Briar, but I also wasn’t privy to your personal relationship with the goddess.” Syrinx’s implication is clear. She’s blaming Ziv for this and making it clear she picked up on the possessive undercurrent from Oaktar. Could it be as simple as the goddess of envy realized Ziv was mated and became so jealous that she took Briar from him? The gods are not known for their empathy, so will she kill my creature just to spite Ziv?

“She knew of Briar before coming here. This was planned, not spontaneous. Gods are not impulsive, so that means you told her about Briar and what she is to me,” he seethes, still placing a hefty amount of blame on the headmistress.

“Of course they knew about her. They know of every novice at all the institutes. How else would they make their wagers and decide their allegiance?” Syrinx scoffs. “I understand you’re upset?—”

“I’m not upset. I’m fucking homicidal,” Ziv interrupts.

Her lips thin into a tight line, and she gives him a single tight nod. “Be that as it may, Ziv, I cannot tolerate your insolence. If you make a move against me again, I will be forced to rescind your invitation to the Ivy.”

Ziv’s lip curls up in a sneer that would cow even the strongest among us, but he doesn’t threaten Syrinx, which shocks me nearly as much as his next move. Without a word, he pivots on his boot and stalks out of the room, knocking anyone out of his path who doesn’t have the forethought or agility to move quickly enough.

The room is stunned into silence for a heartbeat, and Syrinx takes advantage by clapping her hands together with a crack so loud it resembles thunder. “Let this be a reminder—strength isn’t your only weapon. I am the headmistress of the most powerful institute for a reason. I earned it, and I will do whatever it takes to make sure it remains so.”

With a dramatic flair, she spins, whirling the folds of her long skirt in an arc as she exits the arena. Several other instructors follow in her wake. I’m not sure if they are going to her to pledge allegiance or if they just want out of the charged environment.

“Return to your dorms,” is bellowed through the space. I have no idea who it came from, but everyone, including me, reacts to the dismissal. I have no intention of returning to my dorm. I have to find Ziv to see what we are going to do about locating Briar.