Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy (ARIA) novel Chapter 602

Chapter 602

IVORY

"But she's close," he said.

"She's perceptive," I said. "The lunar connection makes her more perceptive. She feels things through the bond that others don't." I paused. "She'll figure it out. Probably before the root removal."

"And when she does," he said.

"I'll deal with it," I said.

"You'll manage her," he said.

"I'll address the situation," I said.

"Ivory," he said. "You're going to die. You've been planning to die for four years. You told nobody. You're writing everything down so it exists after you're gone. You took the cure this morning so you could run with your pack one more time." His voice was very even. The evenness of someone holding something very tightly. "Is there anything I can say that would change this."

"No," I said.

"Is there any argument," he said.

"No," I said.

"The research is complete," he said. "Your analysis is final. There's no other pathway."

"There is no other pathway," I said.

Ivy said: *There might be.*

*There isn't,* I said.

*You haven't shown anyone the map,* she said.

*The map is complete,* I said.

*You could be wrong,* she said.

*I'm not wrong,* I said.

*You could be,* she said. *You're not infallible. You're Ivory, not omniscient. What if there's something you missed.*

*I didn't miss anything,* I said.

*You missed the death eater in the second year,* she said. *Not immediately. You figured it out. But you didn't see it coming.*

*That was a different—*

*You're not infallible,* Ivy said. *You're very good. You're extraordinary, actually, I'm your wolf and I know exactly how extraordinary you are. But you have the specific bias of someone who loves Kael and will accept a worse personal outcome for his sake. And you've been analyzing this map alone for four years without anyone checking the work.*

I was quiet.

*Tell him,* Ivy said.

*I told him the cost,* I said.

*Show him the map,* Ivy said. *All of it. The research. The pathway analysis. The failsafe architecture.* A pause. *Let someone check the work.*

"What," Killian said.

I looked at him.

"You were—" he started.

"Talking to Ivy," I said.

"What was she saying," he said.

I looked at the desk. At the compound notes. At the documentation I'd been building for weeks with the specific careful precision of someone who was sure of the destination and was making sure everything was in order before arrival.

*You could be wrong,* Ivy said. *And if you're wrong, Kael lives. And if Kael lives, you live. And if you live—*

*Don't,* I said.

*You could have everything you want,* she said. *Or you could be right. But you should know which one it is before you make it irreversible.*

I sat with this for a long time.

"The research," I said. "The full analysis of the curse's architecture. The failsafe. The pathway mapping." I looked at Killian. "I've been the only person who's seen it. For four years."

He was very still.

"I could be wrong," I said. "It's possible. Not likely. But possible." I looked at the documentation. "The bias argument is — not invalid. I have a specific relationship with the outcome that could affect the analysis."

"Show me," he said.

"You don't know enough about curse architecture to—" I started.

"Show Jordan," he said. "He'll understand enough. Show Aria — she's a moon child, the power that breaks the root runs through her, she has a connection to the architecture that nobody else has." He held my gaze. "Show someone. Anyone. Let someone check the work."

*Yes,* Ivy said.

I looked at the desk.

At forty pages of documentation.

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