King of the Mountain (Witchfire 2)

Chapter 12 - Banter and Battleships

───── Ivy ─────

I stared at the smartphone Sail had given me, suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of responsibility. I didn't recognise the brand, though he'd assured me it was the standard issue for all members of the High Pack. Having once belonged to Dean, it had supposedly been wiped of all his personal information so that I could use it instead.

"What's your decision?" Sail asked. When I looked up to gauge his reaction, the gravity of his expression stalled my thoughts even more. "I need to know."

I looked back at my phone. There were so many options; so many chances of failure and success. What would I choose?

I couldn't stand the tension any longer. I decided to wing it. "Missile to E4," I announced, and felt an immediate thrill of adrenaline. Would my hunch pay off?

Sail groaned and my screen flashed with explosive colours as the missile I launched hit one of his ships. The word 'HIT' came up in big, flashing letters, and behind it was a visual of one of his smaller ships combusting into flames.

"Sucker!" I exclaimed. The rush of my victory was only a little tarnished by the need to move carefully.

Sail scowled, and I fought the urge to giggle. It was hard to take his anger seriously. He was using the bedside table as a seat, much like Ethan had, but he dwarfed the furniture and the contrast made all of his reactions seem comical. "Stop hitting on me!"

"I'm hitting on you?" I asked, incredulous. Sail had been in the ward with me for almost half an hour now, and somehow, no matter what we talked about, he would twist the conversation to deliver a pick up line. It was both flattering and exasperating.

He flashed me a mischievous grin, one that reached his eyes. "Yes. Yes, you are. In fact, I might even consider taking you up on —"

The phone in his hands started vibrating. He brought it up to his ear, muttering something about putting it on silent for a reason. I smiled, but my amusement faltered when I glimpsed the caller ID.

I couldn't hear what was being said on the other end — as Sail had explained earlier, High Pack phones emitted low volume when a call was being had, so that conversations couldn't be monitored by those with superior senses — but I could tell that it wasn't good. Sail's humour dwindled with every word.

"I'll be there in five," Sail said abruptly. He ended the call and stood up, hesitating by the end of my bed for a moment. I realised he was trying to think of a way to explain why he needed to leave without revealing too much about his business.

"What's going on?" I asked, sitting up straighter.

Sail shook his head. "Just High Pack business," he said. "I have to help Colden sort something out. Stay here and get some rest. I promise I'll visit as soon as I can."

"I'm coming with you," I insisted, ripping the covers aside, ignoring the dire protestations of my body. My nerves screamed as one foot and then the other touched the floor, and the world see-sawed when I stood up, but I rode out the dizzying sensation. "I'm a member of the High Pack, too."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Sail exclaimed, hovering about me like a hummingbird as he tried to determine the safest way to push me back onto the bed. "You got cut up with silver, Ivy. That doesn't just go away."

So he hadn't seen me heal that gut wound in the arena, then. Piper was the only one who knew my secret. I wasn't sure what to make of that.

"Is Piper going?" I asked.

Sail blanched. "Well, yes, but -"

"A member of the High Pack must put the needs of the school before their own," I interjected. "Don't you dare try to stop me."

I meant the words with every fibre of my being. I couldn't lie here and wait to heal. Time was precious, and how I spent mine would determine how others viewed me and whether I would eventually be accepted as a member of the Ridgeview community. I needed to show everyone that I was serious about my new position. I needed to prove myself a role model and a leader, a serious and valuable member of the High Pack.

"Now," I said, trembling with the effort of staying upright. I had the horrible feeling that I looked like an old woman. "You can leave without me, if that's what you want. But know that if you do, I'll follow at my own pace, and track you by your scent until I catch up."

Sail narrowed his eyes. "I could call the nurse," he threatened. "She has silver shackles for unpredictable patients."

"You wouldn't..." I trailed off, realising I didn't know what he would and wouldn't do. We'd just met. "Go on," I snapped, calling his bluff. "Call the nurse. I'll put her in the bed next to me."

We stared each other down, neither of us budging. Then he broke the trance by reaching out for me. I felt a flash of fear, but resigned myself to his decision either way. I might have stood a chance against a nurse in my condition, but I doubted I could take on Sail, especially considering he outranked the girl who'd put me in this hospital bed.

I did not expect him to take my hand.

"You're an idiot," he huffed, slinging my arm around his neck. Then he swept me off my feet — literally.

Cradled against the solid brace of his chest, we stared into each other's eyes again, but this time something had shifted between us. Our noses were inches from touching; our lips were inches from touching. I wallowed in the warmth seeping through his shirt, wondering if it would be presumptuous to lean a little closer...

I heard him swallow and saw the jump in his throat. Was he just as affected as I was?

"You're an idiot," he repeated, and then he started carrying me to the High Pack meeting. "But I respect that."