Arrows Of Forbidden Love

Chapter 16 - Broken

Ivy's POV

I woke up to birds chirping, and sunlight coming in from the widows. I slowly blinked awake and sat up. I nearly had a heart attack because when I looked around, I was back at my old cottage. Where I grew up.

Why was I here? Chase said he had a friend that lives here. This was my home! So who else was here?

I looked around, and my loft was exactly how I left it. Chase must have carried me up the ladder. I was still in my dress from the night before, and still had all my makeup on. I'm definitely going to have breakouts from that.

As I was digging through my dresser for something to wear, I heard footsteps downstairs, it was probably Chase. I found a faded blue t shirt, and put on some old bootcut jeans. I brushed out my hair and put it in a low ponytail.

"Who are you?" I said when I jumped down from my loft. I faced the man standing in my kitchen.

The man turned to face me. "Who am I? Who are you?" I cleared my throat and put my hands on my hips.

"I'm Ivy Ambrose. Who are you." I said very sassily. The man clearly wasn't getting the message and smiled at me.

"Brecken Brewer. Nice to meet you Princess."

I looked at him, almost stunned. "Brewer? Is Brice and Brandon your sons?" Slowly I lowered my hands from my hips and glanced around the room a few times.

The man chuckled, his big brown eyes gleaming in the way that Brice's do when he laughs. "Yes, they are."

Imminently I started to get excited. I will see Brice again! "Where are they?" I asked excitedly, not willing to even try to hide my eagerness.

"On their way." He replied, and went back to frying up bacon.

"Wait. Mr. Brewer, where is Chase?" I questioned, worry started to cloud in my head as I imagined the things that could have happened to him in the woods, or why he left me. But I wonder what he said last night...

"Chase? Oh he is long gone. He was lying down, probably by you and he heard me come in through the door. He jumped down from that ladder, then asked me who I was and before I could answer his eyes got real wide and he just sprinted out the door. " Bracken told me, shrugging his shoulders as he talked.

My heard filled with disappointment and dread. I really thought we had something last night. Now I know not to get my hopes up. "Ok." I said in a small voice. "I think... I think I'm going to go for a quick walk. I'll be back." With that I walked out the door, and into the woods.

Thoughts were churning and racing in my head as I walked down the familiar dirt road. I would be able to see my best friend again, but something here felt off. Very off. I heard the rumble of an engine behind me and I turned around to see a white pickup truck. They slowed to a stop.

When the dust cleared, the passenger side of the truck opened, and Brice ran towards me. "Ivy!" He exclaimed wrapping me in a big hug.

I hugged him back, tears filling my eyes. "Are you ok?" He asked me, his brow furrowed.

"Yeah yeah I'm fine it's just the dust." I told him half laughing as I wiped away the tears running down my cheeks. Brandon appeared behind me and grabbed my shoulder. I looked at him, confused.

"Get in the truck." Brandon demanded. The look in his eyes told me he wasn't kidding.

"Excuse me?" I asked him, trying to turn towards him but his grip kept me in place.

"Get in the truck." He repeated.

I wrenched myself out of his grasp and faced him. "No, that's kidnapping. Or princessnapping."

"I know, that's why we're doing it." He said with a small smirk crawling across his face.

"We?" I questioned and looked at Brice. My heart felt like it just shattered into a million pieces then went through a meat grinder. Brice was standing there in his grey t shirt looking fine as ever; with a blank expression. When he looked at me his gaze softened for a moment then turned stone cold again.

"Yeah, now get in the truck." Brandon demanded again, raising his voice. The vein in his forehead was popping out which I found quite amusing. His face was also red and I could see a few beads of sweat trickling down his forehead.

"No." I looked him in the eye and kept my cool. Why were they doing this?

I heard the click of a weapon that I'm a little too familiar with now, a gun. I was still looking at Brandon, so that means...

"Brice." I whispered my voice barely audible. I glanced at him and sure enough, he had the gun pointed at me. His hand was shaking and his bottom lip was quivering. "Don't do this." Another click of a gun. I was trapped.

Now, I turned to face Brice. "Why?" I asked. "Why are you doing this? I thought we were friends. I thought we had something going. Were you really just going to kidnap me and turn me in to the Queen this whole time? Were all those moments we had fake? What about that one night when you brought me to spot on the cliff. When you finally opened up to me and cried. Was all that not real or was I imagining things? Brice you cried in front of me. I saw you at your weakest and I was there for you. What are you doing now? Or when we even found Brandon. There was a moment there, wasn't it? And you obviously care for me, you took me on what seemed like dates. We stayed at your cousins house, you helped me train for missions, and we did that together. Did it mean nothing to you?"

I watched for his reaction. He was now definitely crying, as if each word I said was a punch to the heart. And I hoped it was. Brice's hand was shaking like crazy now but the gun was still pointed at me. I sighed and looked at the ground. Not fighting away my own tears any longer.

"Remember the first time we met?" I spoke softly. "I almost stabbed you. Now I wish I had."

BOOM! The sound of a gunshot echoed through the trees. Brandon fell to the ground, gripping his leg. The bullet went right through his thigh, his blue jeans now looked more of a purplish red.

Chase emerged from behind the thick underbrush of the trees. I sprinted towards him and he raised his gun to shoot at Brice. When he was about to pull the trigger I knocked the gun out of his hand. He looked at me wide eyed.

"No." I told him. "He won't shoot me." I looked back at Brice and he was just watching us, his shoulders shuddering with each breath he took, but at least he didn't have the gun pointed at us anymore.

"Ok, let's go." Chase told me and disappeared into the woods.

"The last time you said that you said we're going to a friends place and I ended up in a situation where I was about to be shot at." I said in a sassy tone. I was still crying but I didn't care.

"Ivy we have to go. Come on, I know of another place." He said and poked his head through a bush to see me. "Please, come on." Now he was almost begging me. I stood there looking at him. "Please please please pleaseeeee. With a cherry on top."

I smiled stupidly and he did the same. Have I mentioned I love his smile?

I took his hand. "Lets go, my knight in shining armor."

He just laughed, which was good because that sounded really cringey. And now I realized why I don't flirt. I'm terrible at it.

We walked hand in hand, deep into the woods.

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Sorry for the late chapter, but yeah here you go!

Have a great day!

-Ducky