“Ivy, I am so terribly sorry. I didn't know—”
Ivy shushed her big brother, leaning sideways to rest her head on his shoulder, glad when he lifted his arm to curl around her. She felt safe, complete in the strangest way. A twin thing, probably.
After that day in the meadow, Ilex and a handful of his loyal warriors helped get everyone back to the coven house. A large portion of the Fae stayed back to guard what they were now referring to as The Bastard Tree, because apparently, despite having been decapitated and put inside a tree, Donnatar was technically still alive.
He was just a head in there, but over time his body would regenerate, and his powers would grow strong enough to bust out of his prison and return to the world. Ilex assured her it wouldn't happen in her lifetime or even her grandchildren's lifetime, but he wasn't taking any chances.
Ilex had briefly gone back to what had been his home to ensure the land was healing—which it was—and to make sure the people living there were in no danger of dying out—which they weren't—and explained to her the reason everything had gone to shit so fast was because Donnatar refused to spill his own blood in a ritual as old as Fairy itself.
The gods of the land were supposed to metaphorically sacrifice themselves each year in a special ritual that released a portion of their magic back into Fairy. A natural give and take that prevented such things as famine and drought.
Donnatar sacrificed others in his stead, hoarding his magic, his power, like a bloated tick, refusing to give up so much as a drop of his blood to save his own lands. Ilex said Donnatar convinced himself he wasn't responsible, therefore in his mind, it was the truth.
Ilex hadn't said it outright, but from the hollow looks of rage on the faces of the twenty Fae who'd come with Ilex to the meadow, Ivy got the idea some of the people sacrificed had been their loved ones. They all had this haunted look about them that made Ivy want to hug each one until it went away.
After sorting things in Fairy, only five of the original twenty stayed with Ilex. All of the warriors had been promised freedom once Donnatar was out of the picture, and the majority of them wanted to go home and rebuild their lives.
The five who stayed were... complicated.
Unless spoken to directly, none of them spoke out of turn. Three of them guarded the Bastard Tree at all times; the other two were never more than a stone’s throw away from Ilex, rotating in their self-appointed duties, so she'd gotten to know all of them, at least on sight.
The only time they smiled at all was when Ivy or the girls brought them sweet treats, their favorite so far having been the berry cobbler Ivy baked. She was determined to make them smile more, and if that meant she had to bake something sweet every day, she was willing.
With Rowena's permission, the warriors were building a little village in the meadow. Uriah went and helped them almost every day, sometimes bringing his own work crew out to speed things up.
So far, three small solar-powered cabins had been built at the tree line on the edge of the meadow, the huge glass windows all facing the Bastard Tree so that even in comfort, it could be guarded.
Personally, Ivy thought it was an unfortunate view. The tree a blight on the otherwise gorgeous landscape.
Life with Uriah in the last three weeks had been surprisingly the same
He said he felt like he should know her coven, but couldn't recall their names. He did know with absolute certainty that he had no desire to sleep in Ivy's room at the coven house despite not being able to say why, precisely.
He didn't remember anything about why he'd built a house or that it had been for her, but it had been beautiful to watch him go through every room of the cabin, examining his own workmanship with pride and satisfaction.
He still doted on her, got upset anytime he heard her stomach growl with hunger and was immediately in the kitchen to remedy her need. He still found intense pleasure in bathing her, he treated her with the same level of love and kindness and was for all intents and purposes, exactly the same.
The sex was actually better now because he seemed determined to memorize every inch of her body, and more often than not, his bear rose to the surface to stake his claim in gloriously rough bouts that always ended in the most spectacular orgasms and tender cuddles.
Sex also soothed the angry bear that got pissed whenever another male—brother or not—came within touching distance of her. After Uriah's scent was all over her, his territorial aggression faded, and she was able to hug Ilex without Uriah going all snarly and furry.
It felt like they were rediscovering each other all over again, and Ivy wasn't opposed, she just... she liked the way things had been and missed the Uriah from three weeks ago.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Ivy told her brother, smiling to see Uriah fumbling to catch a particularly energetic fish that most definitely did not want to be lunch, chuckling when it escaped, and the bear gave a growl of frustration. “He's still mine even if he never remembers the old us, and he loves me just the same. We'll be okay. Did you finish reading Mom's journal?”
Ilex sighed, accepting her change of subject with a nod. “I did.”
“Are you okay?” she pressed gently, the wealth of sadness he managed to squeeze into two words made her want to cry.
He was quiet for a moment, his hand absently rubbing up and down her arm. “Before I came to understand that much of what our father said was artful lies and misdirection to ensure my loyalty, I spent my childhood resenting her, and you. He told me I had been unwanted, practically abandoned in the woods to die when he'd come to rescue me.
“He said mother didn't want me for a myriad of reasons that sounded terrible and damning to a young boy, and went on to tell me all the right things necessary to make me believe it and be loyal only to him.
“It wasn't until after he realized my magic wasn't as strong as it should be for having been solstice born that he told me I had a sister, and he made you sound every bit as cruel as Mother. Said she'd kept you because you were the more powerful. I learned early on not to ask questions about who she was, as it always sent father into a rage.”
Ilex's voice was as hollow as the log they leaned against, devoid of emotion, reciting his past as though it were someone else's, but he absently touched the scar on his face, and Ivy knew he'd gotten it after having asked about their mother.
She kept quiet, even as she wanted desperately to get up and take an ax to the Bastard Tree and see how their dear old dad liked the way it felt.
“I never knew that she'd come to Fairy to find me, or that our father was responsible for her murder.” Ilex sighed and rubbed her arm with more vigor, a faint smile touching his mouth.
“But, for all that she suffered, I was glad to learn about your life and hers through her own words. Many of my questions were answered, and it is good to finally have the whole truth.”
Despite some minor doubts in the beginning, Ivy quickly came to adore her big brother. He was quiet and reserved, but kind.
He dealt with the craziness of the coven with remarkable steadfastness, hardly ruffled at all by Kerrigan and Juliet's abrasive behavior, patient as the day was long when Callie bombarded him with questions about flowers or items she was interested in for her alchemy potions.
He seemed to greatly enjoy Rowena's practical nature and had asked Astrid to teach him the art of meditation. He even seemed to like her alien music. Along with his men, Ilex had a standing appointment with Astrid every Sunday night to sit and meditate under the stars.