Page 79 of Volatile

“I’m not feeling so great.” Ivy pried her hand off her face and sucked in a cool dose of air. Wait—scratch that. She was instantly better. “False alarm.”

“Let’s just help you inside,” one of them said. She couldn’t distinguish which one.

“Thank you.” Ivy swiveled from side to side, viewing both of them. “And thank you for inviting me over.”

“My pleasure.”

This would all come down hard on her the next day, no doubt about that. As much as she’d enjoyed their company and could easily see them becoming close friends and confidants, there was still an obscene amount of information to process. Why did they both adore Jonathan so much? Why did he have to be such a great fucking guy? And why couldn’t it just stop there? Dominants and submissives and Joshua and Lily and fuck, fuck, fuck, her head throbbed. And what about Julia? Ivy had attempted to ask about her several times but fought back the urge. There was only so much shit she could get thrown at her in one night. She massaged her temples. Splendid. Now her head was in a vise, and it had nothing to do with the tannins.

“Ivy?”

“Huh?”

“Do you have your key handy?”

Ivy fumbled for her purse. It appeared to be glued to her shoulder, so she yanked it free. She rubbed the aching joint. Damn, that hurt.

“Would you like us to stay awhile?”

She rooted around inside her bag and pulled out the front key. “Aww, that’s sweet of you guys, but I’ll be fine. I’m just going straight to bed.” She had some ceiling tiles to count.

“Okay, but let us at least walk you to your apartment.”

She nodded, pushing open the door and entering the hall. She gave her eyes a minute to focus in the darkness. Damn lights were burnt out again.

Ivy hugged them goodbye once she was at her door, thanking them again for the evening. She slipped her key into the lock. Crazy the way shit worked out. Life was un-fucking-predictable, that’s for sure. She stepped inside and gave them a quick wave before shutting the door, ready to bunker in for the night.

Man, her tongue was pasty. It was like she’d spent the past couple hours licking drywall. Water. That’s what she needed. An entire gallon of it. Maybe that would also help ease some of the banging inside her skull. She was just about to flick on a light when a gloved hand covered her mouth.

The adrenaline spike caused her heart to explode out and drop to the floor along with her purse. Pain coursed everywhere as the sensations jabbed at her from inside her body. She couldn’t scream even if she were able. Am I going to die tonight?

She buckled, her legs too inadequate to support her. The intruder tightened his hold, and her brain shut off. Her lungs barely allowed her to breathe. She had never felt so weak.

Was she going to die? She wasn’t sure. She only knew she’d never come out of it the same.

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