Three Rings (The Fairytail Saga) (32 page)

‘
Provoke you
?’ Ivyanne demanded. ‘How?’

He glowered at her. ‘Oh come on! What was the point of you coming back here at all tonight, at this hour? You have your own place now, and it’s not exactly afternoon tea, is it? But here you are, naked and stinking of another man’s excretions and asking me to calm down?’

‘Don’t be crude.’ She snapped. ‘And I’m glad I’m here alone. Lord knows what might have happened to poor Link if you’d put two and two together in front of him!’

Ardhi felt like he was going to pop a blood vessel. ‘That’s why he’s not here, isn’t it?’ he demanded. ‘You’re Link’s crash test dummy in case my brakes fail me, right?’

Ivyanne crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. ‘Tell me it wasn’t a smart idea. Tell me you weren’t sort of hoping for a reconciliation that went a little beyond friendship with me! You went fucking crazy, Ardhi. I need to make sure if you’ve come back from there before I risk the life of the man I am destined for!’

‘The man you-’ Ardhi reached for her wrist and yanked her closer, seeing her eyes widen with shock but not easing his grip. He was so hurt, so mad-he needed her to feel it! How dare she credit destiny for his sacrifice?

But then Ardhi felt himself yanked backwards by his own upper arm. Ivyanne resisted the pull, and tore herself free, blinking at whoever was behind him.

‘Don’t let her do this to you again Ardhi!’ Lux hissed into his ear before pushing herself in front of him, her stance protective-her outstretched arms a barrier between them.
‘Ivyanne-I need you to leave.’ Though Lux addressed the princess, her gaze never wavered from Ardhi’s own. ‘Now.’

Ardhi glanced at Ivyanne who was hugging her towel to her chest with white-knuckled fingers, looking taken aback. For a moment, the only sound was the subtle drip, drip, drip as Ivyanne’s matted, sodden curls relieved themselves of the ocean they had collected onto the polished floors.

Ardhi stared hard at Lux, trying to keep his expression stoic even though he was raging on the inside. Flames of countless hates licked at his soul; Resentment for what Ivyanne and Lincoln had just done, judgement that she had been able to do it, fury that she’d done it just to piss him off, self-loathing for the fact that she was so unmoved by his return that she’d been able to stay away all day-and most predominantly-rage that Lux had interrupted his chance to make Ivyanne feel like shit about it. He’d had five minutes with her-f
ive
! Who knew when they could be alone together again?

‘Hang on just one minute-’ Ivyanne seemed to have found her voice, though it trembled like a leaf in heavy rain. ‘Lux- Ardhi and I need to have this out, and we don’t need an audience for it. He didn’t hurt me, and he won’t.’

Lux’s head whipped around, the platinum gold strands of her thick hair generating a slight wind across Ardhi’s face.

‘It’s not you I’m concerned about getting hurt!’ Her voice came out like a snarl, making even Ardhi flinch. When he looked down, he saw that Lux had a square timber box tucked under her arm.

‘Your little confession made it clear that he can’t move you to feel such a thing.’

Ivyanne’s lips parted, as she clenched the towel more tightly around herself. She looked at Ardhi, and her eyes were the morose green of a sea under the shadow of thunderclouds. For that moment, he could see straight into her, and she was his Ivyanne again-he could hear what she wanted to say, sense her regret as well as the undercurrent of arrogance that never stayed completely concealed behind her sweetness. She regretted only his pain, and that had to be enough for him. And it was. He loved her still.

‘Is this about how I hurt Ardhi by making love to Lincoln?’ Ivyanne asked quietly, her gaze landing on Lux once more. ‘Or
you
?’

Ardhi sucked air in between his teeth, feeling Lux shiver with offense.

‘At least I was there to offer Lincoln what he needed when he needed it most. You were too busy trying to hang onto to Tristan to see that Lincoln was barely hanging on himself.’ She moved to Ardhi, a sad smile quirking up her lips as she slung her arm around his waist and pulled him protectively against her ample side. ‘You cause pain, Ivyanne-I bring comfort.’

Ivyanne stared at their interlocked bodies, and then her gaze drifted down. Her eyebrows pulled together and she lifted an indicative arm. ‘Is that…? Is that mum’s crown?’ She looked up at Lux, genuine confusion in her eyes. ‘What are you doing with it? That’s royal property!’

Lux’s lips curved with a secretive smile. ‘Oh it was just lying around, so I figured I’d try it on. But my head isn’t swollen enough to pull off Court headgear, so here-’ She tossed the box to Ivyanne, who caught it clumsily, looking startled, almost losing her grip on her towel. But she did catch it, glaring balefully at Ardhi’s godmother afterwards.

‘Touch it again, and there will be consequences.’ Ivyanne said, scowling.

‘Big words for someone who was so repulsed by the sight of it earlier today. I guess you’re more of a princess than you thought.’ Lux taunted. But then the mirth left her face, making it something hard. ‘Now leave me with Ardhi. You need to go and wash the scent of your defunct innocence off you anyway-Ardhi doesn’t need to smell your betrayal any more than he needs to hear about it.’

Every muscle inside Ardhi seized, mirroring Ivyanne’s stiffening gait.

‘I am your princess, Lux,’ Ivyanne said, keeping her voice even, though tears had sprung to her eyes. The remark would have stung her-it was very possibly the first time she’d been so insulted. It even cut Ardhi to the quick. ‘And I won’t be spoken to like that.’ She lifted her chin regally. ‘I’ll leave you two to talk, but when I wake up in the morning, you’d better be gone.’ She turned to Ardhi. ‘And if you share her sentiment, you can go too. I will not be affronted like this in my own house, for making a decision that was mine to make, and living a life that is mine to waste as I see fit!’

How she managed to look so dignified despite being naked and wet and offended was beyond Ardhi, but it made him love her even more. He wanted to lunge for her, but that wasn’t part of the plan, and if he wanted her to feel more regret than she already did, he couldn’t leap to her side as he had always done. He was a mystic, and a martyr and a champion of their kind now-his days of chasing her were over. He wanted to be a king, and king’s bowed to no one, not even their queen.

‘I’ll think it over.’ He said tightly, looking away. ‘Perhaps I’ll see you in the morning.’

Ivyanne blinked, clearly surprised that he hadn’t officially taken her side, then shrugged. ‘Suit yourself then,’ she said softly. ‘Because it’s not my job anymore.’

With that, she turned and walked up the stairs, taking his heart with her.

Ardhi didn’t exhale until the princess had disappeared from sight and he’d heard the bathroom door click gently shut behind her. All that remained were wet footprints leading up to the landing. That was when he realized that he’d clenched his fingers so tightly into Lux’s side that it would probably bruise her. It was funny-he hadn’t even been aware of returning her embrace. How was it possible that he still needed her support, like the little boy he’d been when they’d first met?

‘Um, thanks,’ he forced the words out, even though he still wanted to smack the back of her head for interrupting him like that. What was her deal? ‘Maybe I needed a time-out.’

‘A
time-out
?’ Lux wheeled on him, breaking the contact between them and throwing him off-balance. There was nothing supportive about the ire in her indigo eyes. She looked like a mad woman. ‘You need a fucking jacket with straps, Ardhi Kayu-Api! What the
hell
has gotten into you?!’

Ardhi stepped back. Lux’s words felt like they’d been screamed at him, though he knew they’d been little more than a forced whisper. ‘W-what are you talking about?’ He demanded. Never before had she taken that kind of tone with him, and his empathy towards Ivyanne increased. This was not a good,
bad
side to be on!

‘She’s the one who just took off with another man all night. All I did was come home! What’s
your
problem?’

Lux reached into the folds of her quilted wrap dress and pulled out a leather bound book, slamming it onto the kitchen bench between them so hard that the items on the side of the sink rattled where they’d been put to dry. The slap sound made Ardhi jump, but the recognition of the book made him feel faint. Why did she have that? How did she…?

‘
This
is my problem.’ When Lux was angry, her Scottish accent came through more clearly, thickening her words. ‘So explain it and see if we can make the problem go away.’

Ardhi looked at the book, then to Lux, wetting his lips. ‘It’s a book.’ He managed eventually, trying to read her expression.

‘Your favorite book. The one you used to read all the time when you came to visit me in New Zealand.’ Her eyes remained locked on his. ‘It’s full of the scary mer lore-the bad stories and legends. You used to read it all the time when you were thirteen, and you always left it lying around the house. I’d have to remind you that it was three hundred years old, and that you needed to take care of it.’ She narrowed her eyes. ‘And yet you never remembered to.’

Ardhi felt a shiver of fear tremble through him, and a current followed as his instincts sensed danger. ‘And…?’ He asked.

Lux reached over and placed one purple polished fingernail in the centre of the book. ‘Well you haven’t been by in awhile...brooding over Loveridge and I and all of that. So imagine my surprise when I checked in on my summer cottage last week-and found
this
sitting on my bedside table.’

Ardhi was as appalled as she. Had he been so foolish as to leave the damn thing out? How was he going to cover this?

Deny!
A panicked voice within his mind cried.
Deny!

‘So even though I haven’t been there in over two years, it’s my fault, hmm? Anyone could have broken into your place!’

Lux’s lip curled. ‘This is a journal full of ancient mer entries, Ardhi, and therefore, highly confidential. I keep them locked away, as you remember, in the trunk at the foot of my bed. The only key to that trunk was hung on the back of the fridge, out of sight, and the only key to my house, for that matter, was in the pond at my front door.’ She gazed at him levelly. ‘And you’re the only one who knew where either was-because
you
picked both spots.’ She stepped into him. ‘What the hell, were you doing in my house two weeks ago, when I heard you tell your parents today, that you were up near Papua New Guinea the whole time out of your wits and trapped in the form of a dolphin?’

Ardhi’s terror iced over. Lux, true to form, had missed nothing. This was the woman who had taught him how to be sneaky, taught him his poker face-taught him poker! And she was seeing right through him now. The question was,
how deeply
?

He dropped his face into his hands and rubbed at his temples, trying to look overwhelmed. ‘Look, I needed somewhere to hide for a day or two okay? I meant it when I said I couldn’t think straight-’

‘You thought straight enough to have female guests though!’

Ardhi’s head jerked up. ‘What?’

Lux picked up the journal and smacked him on the shoulder with it-hard. ‘Ardhi I’m not fucking stupid and you know that better than anyone. Not that you’d have to be a genius to work out that two women have been using your bathroom-one wealthy guest, by the look of the Chanel body wash left on the windowsill, and one poor one, by the look of the generic shampoo and conditioner left in
my
marble shower.’ She leaned closer, unblinking and added: ‘
Both still wet
. You must have left in
some
rush.’

If his ‘girls’ had been within grasp at that point, Ardhi would have snapped both of their necks. He’d commanded them to erase all evidence of themselves at the house before leaving!

‘You think I brought two girls to your house?’ Ardhi demanded, taking pains to keep his voice low. He tried to maintain a neutral expression, a cross between amused and surprised, like her theory was laughable-even while he was mentally throttling the girls for being so careless. ‘Because I’m
such
a player?’

‘I don’t know why you had guests, but you did, and don’t insult me by denying it. This isn’t the only proof I have that everything you told us this morning was bullshit.’ Lux took his arms and gripped them, forcing him to stand still. Only then did he realize he’d been shifting from one foot to the other nervously. ‘I also have a description of a young Indonesian boy who went snooping around the Maori Mermaid village nearby, asking questions.’ She pointed to the book, releasing one of her hands. ‘Questions about the merman in the legend. The one who’s fascinated you since early childhood.’ Her own eyes frosted over. ‘The only psychopath in mermaid history who’d be better off remaining a myth. What is it about this monster that interests you Ardhi? And why were you seeking him out?’ She released him and stepped back. ‘What’s going on inside that head? I need to know before I assume the worst-that you went looking for a monster, as an ally.’

Ardhi felt his façade crumble around his bare feet. All of a sudden, the lies were upon him, exhausting him. He wanted to curl up in Lux’s arms and have her sing him to sleep, telling him that everything was going to be okay.