2. Ivy

2

IVY

Turning onto the street where the two-bedroom terraced house is that I share with Ramsey, I stop and breathe in deeply. Being Poison makes me itchy inside, but it's a necessity. Too many creatures think they are above the law, both human and supernatural. I know this all too well. My parents were killed, no murdered , ten years ago when I was eleven, leaving me an orphan. Today, the case is still cold with the Supernatural Investigations Agency, with no leads to go on.

I was handed off to my aunt to care for me, and while she did her best, she made an Arctic blast look like a warm summer breeze. I hold no grudges. She didn't neglect me, she just didn't love me.

It's fine. Whatever. I'm an adult now, living my own life, but this entire experience has driven me to do what I do. Through runic means, and a little help from the dark web, I'm hired out as an assassin to take out those who escape justice. It's my raison d'être. I would call it my calling, but my bosses make it impossible to forget this is a job. They are dark, dark creatures. But they give me what I want, so I do what they want. It's a win-win.

Pulling my hair over my shoulder, I start walking again. This time, picking up the pace. I need to get inside and get in the shower. The guys' touch lingers on my skin like lightning sparks. This is my fourth encounter with them as Poison. I first got on their radar under my alter ego when we were both after the same target about six weeks ago. I got there first. They showed me how pissed off they were with that by doing pretty much what they did to me tonight, but less lovey-dovey.

Do I care? Nah. I don't give a shit. This is how they operate, how they show dominance. They're obsessed with Poison, and that gives me power over them. Power they don't even know is slipping away every time they come across me. They don't know that Ivy Hammond watches them at the academy, learning all about them and who they work for. They don't know Ivy Hammond exists.

Torin's little group of miscreants may be the Kings of Thornfield, but they are weaker than they think when it comes to Poison.

Approaching the house, I push open the small garden gate and walk the short distance to the door. It's unlocked, so I shove it open and then close it, quickly locking it behind me. I lean against it for a second, blowing out a breath, before I head into the living room.

"I'm back!" I call out.

Ramsey sticks his cute blonde head out from the kitchen with that cheeky grin. "Hey. How'd it go?"

"Done."

"Well, I figured that, or you wouldn't have come home."

"You know I don't do details. Done is done."

"True," he says, coming over to me with a mug of tea in his hand, which he blows on. "Tea?"

"I need a shower, then yes, please. Is Josh here?" I peer around him, expecting to see his boyfriend.

"Ugh, no. He was acting like a bitch drama queen, so I sent him home. Who has time for that?"

I snicker. "Don't be so hard on him. He is besotted with you."

Ramsey smiles a little secretive smile. "I know. The feelings are mutual. Besides, it's better he's not here. We have business."

"Yeah," I say with a sigh. "Showering now."

"Don't be too long."

"I won't," I say as I turn to the stairs. I take them two at a time, eager to get these clothes off.

I strip them off as soon as I get to my room, wishing I could burn them, but they are Poison's uniform. Her armour. So, I shove them in the laundry basket and wrap a towel around me, grabbing another for my hair. Once in the bathroom, I turn on the shower to heat up and brush my teeth while I wait.

Dropping the towel when I'm done, I step in and hiss as the scorching hot water burns my skin. But I need it this hot to cleanse the night from my soul. It's not that I don't like my job, or mind killing evil creatures, I do, but I try my hardest to keep Poison and Ivy as separate as possible. I feel the stress of the night leave my body as I stand under the torrent of lava water, and I scrub every inch of my body, washing away the traces of blood, sweat, and cum and letting the scalding water wash away the remnants of Poison. The bruises on my hips and thighs from those bastards' rough handling fade as my shifter healing kicks in. By the time I step out, my skin is flushed pink and tender, but in a good way. I wrap my hair in a towel and then dry off, tucking the towel around me as I head back to my bedroom.

Ramsey is there, waiting on my bed with his laptop and a mug of steaming tea on the dressing table.

"Godsend," I sing as I grab it and take a sip, burning my mouth, but not really caring. "Divine."

He nods, his mind clearly on business already. "You need to check-in. Boss-man is getting edgy. That was a high-profile kill tonight. He needs to know the score."

He hands me the laptop, and I place it carefully on the dressing table with the tea next to it. I sign into the dark web chat and give him the words he is looking for: Completed. Poison off duty.

A message jumps up seconds later: Good.

And that's it. No fanfare, no need for a detailed report. They were hired to kill this dude, and it was contracted to me, and now it's over. My phone dings with the bank transfer, and the second half of my 50K fee has landed.

"So, Mr Handler-man," I say to Ramsey as I reach for my brush and yank the towel off my head. "What else you got for me?"

When I start brushing my hair, my towel slips down, pooling around me on the stool. I don't bother hiding. I'm not Ramsey's type, and it's not like he hasn't seen me naked a thousand times before.

"What the fuck is that?" he asks, jumping off the bed and crouching behind me.

"My arse?" I say, looking over my shoulder at him.

"No," he growls, jabbing at the deactivated rune inscribed into my skin on my lower back. "That."

"Oh, that would be a little help from a warlock friend who owed me one."

"Which. Friend?" he clips out, rising and glaring at me in the mirror.

I lower my gaze and concentrate on brushing out my hair. "Vex."

He hisses at me. "Vex? You mean Vex ? The warlock who doesn't think the word ‘consequences' exists? "

"That would be him."

"Jesus, Ivy!" he snaps. "Why did you go to him? You know there will be payment for this!"

"No, he owed me. This was payment to me. We're square."

"Oh, you na?ve little shifter. You will never be square with Vex."

I shrug, not overly worried. Vex is an arsehole, sure, but I know which buttons to push on him. He's easy to handle if you handle him right. And Poison has the right hands for the job. "Look, never mind that. You said we had business."

He huffs out an annoyed breath, probably already thinking of a dozen ways to make sure Vex doesn't come looking for a payment for this little loan. It's one of the many reasons why I love him. We were thrown together by the Syndicate, the creatures we both work for, but ended up besties for life. I couldn't do any of this without him.

"New job," he says distractedly and picks up his laptop, tapping in for a few seconds before he places it back in front of me.

I blink at the new screen that is up, and then my blood freezes. I look up at him, and he gives me a shrug.

Staring back at the screen, I let out a low growl. "Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me?"