Page 1 of Hero of Havoc

1

ARCHER

It’s official.

Ivy Hayworth is going to be the death of me, and I’m going to enjoy every inch of the fall.

I knew it the moment I saw her with my own eyes two years ago, but now, there is so much certainty that I’m unable to deny it anymore. It’s exactly the reason why I followed her and Hugo into the damn meeting and the driving force behind me storming out, right on her tail.

Protective mode activated.

My magic thrums through my veins, my heart lodged in my chest as we bolt down the hall, leaving Leonardo and the other Kingdom leaders in our wake.

Ivy's two steps ahead, her composure on the brink as she darts into the ladies room, stopping us in our tracks.

“What the fuck was that?” Baron grunts, and I shake my head, unable to form an answer that makes sense of what the hell just happened in there.

Dragging my hand down my face, I glance over my shoulder, retracing our steps to ensure we're still alone. The coast is clear, but the anticipation and discomfort of danger loom heavily above us.

Leonardo Corrigan killed the leader of the Third Kingdom, merely for interrupting.

He’s a madman.

A madman with his eyes set on my fated mate.

Something feels off in the air, and I can’t stand how out of control it makes me feel.

“Maybe we should follow her in there,” Teddy murmurs, and Sax grunts.

“Give her a minute to compose herself. She doesn’t need us charging in and pissing her off more.”

“I wouldn’t piss her off,” Teddy insists, and I roll my eyes, but before I can disagree, Sax beats me to it.

“We’re all overbearing fuckers, and she’s done with our shit. If we go in there right now, simply breathing in her vicinity will tip her over the edge.”

I hate how right he is.

Sighing, I lean back against the wall beside the door, pinching the bridge of my nose as I try to figure out what’s off. The distant music coming from the ball does nothing to ease the tension rolling through my limbs; if anything, it irritates me more.

We should never have come. Or maybe we should have stayed in the ballroom and enjoyed the bullshit celebration, but something tells me denying the request for Ivy’s presence would only ignite a bigger reaction.

That doesn’t mean I’m not pissed at Hugo, though. In what mind is it a good idea to take her into that meeting to begin with, requested or not?

There have to be boundaries in place, especially with Viola and the rest of the people in power in the kingdom, but letting Leonardo get so close to her is an error on all parts.

To me, it looks as though Ivy has been used to draw people out, but in the end, she wound up tossed into the snake pit.

Fuckers.

The topic of a Kingdom Champion was fresh on everybody's lips, a position I’m not familiar with, but otherwise, the meeting in general was as pointless as the ball.

Teddy groans obnoxiously loudly, jarring me from my thoughts, like we’re not all struggling. “Maybe if we just⁠—”

“Fuck. Shut up,” Baron grunts. “She's not alone,” he snaps, charging toward the door without a backward glance.

I blink at him for a moment, wondering what the hell he's talking about before I recall his ability to hear from a distance. He doesn't share anything more, which tells me it's dangerous and there’s no time to waste.

The door opens before us with a thud, revealing the silhouette of a figure standing between Ivy and us.