Novels by Ivy Brown

Toby stood up as soon as he noticed the door start to open. She came out wearing the nightgown and robe, which fit her perfectly."Did you have a nice bath?" He asked, leaning forward a little."Yeah, thank you." Maia's voice wasn't as strong as it was before. She almost sounded like she was afraid of him."Great." He led her back into the room and headed toward the bathroom himself. "You know, you can sit on one of the chairs or get in the bed, it's up to you. You don't have to stand there all awkward." He joked and smiled as her cheeks flushed red. "I'm going to go get ready for bed myself. Feel free to do whatever. As I said, you have free range." He slipped out of the room.Maia looked around and noticed how comfortable the bed looked. She wanted to crawl under the blankets and snuggle in, having the best sleep of her life; however, she decided to wait until Toby was ready for bed. Walking over to the chairs, she chose one and sat down.Looking into the crackling fire, Maia began

Toby and Maia spent all night getting to know each other. She felt something different. She found herself missing him as soon as he left.But he made sure to not leave without a promise for another dinner the next night.Maia laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling and replaying the night over and over in her head. What was it about him that she liked so much?What was it about anyone that she liked? She quickly named off a few things about each person but took her time with Asher and Toby. She wanted theirs to be special.She didn't understand what it was about those two, but she felt the same way differently about both of them.The next night at dinner, she sat there, looking at the prince. His outfit was similar, except this one was green.But there was something different in the air tonight. Maia just couldn't figure out what it was."So, Maia," Toby started. "I've been thinking. What if we do something other than just dinner?"She looked at him with confusion."Not like that, but

The next day was quiet. Maia didn't have classes, so she sat in her room, drawing to pass the time."Maia! You have mail!" she heard Mr. Sween call from outside her door as he knocked a couple of times.She jumped up and opened the door. She was hoping it was a letter back from Jasmine.It was a small purple envelope addressed to Maia. She ripped it open and started reading.Dear Maia,I'm so glad you're liking your new life!! You definitely deserve it. There's not much going on around here. It's a lot more lonely without you, though.But I have some good news! I've been adopted too! Don't worry about replying to this letter, I plan on sending you another one as soon as I get to my new home so you have my new address.I'm happy to see you're able to read and write now. Everyone needs to know how to do that. I'm so glad we met, Maia. You're my best friend.JasmineMaia held the note close to her chest, taking a moment to remember her time with Jasmine. In a way, she missed it.There wa

Maia sat on her bed, waiting for Oliver to come to pick her up. She had her nicest dress on, but she didn't own much. She was shaking a little bit and her hands felt sweaty.Then there was a knock on the door.She slowly stood and walked towards the door, taking a deep breath.Once she opened it, she was welcomed by both Oliver and Asher."Oh, hey guys," she said, confused."Hey! I figured we could just have dinner here. It'd be more private." Asher said, walking in with a picnic basket."Oh, okay." Maia stood aside and Oliver walked in. They all sat in a small circle on the floor as Asher started passing out sandwiches and drinks."So, Maia. Asher said you needed to talk to me." Oliver opened his sandwich. Maia didn't miss the hint of sternness that was hidden in his voice. She could tell Asher didn't miss it either."Yeah, um, about earlier-""Nothing happened earlier." he cut her off."Oh." Maia shut up and opened her sandwich, her stomach was twisted into all sorts of knots and he

Maia was awoken by the sound of knocking on her door. She was afraid she had overslept for her lessons, so she jumped up and quickly opened the door."I'm sorry, I'll be ready in a" she stopped as she became face to face with Oliver. "Oh, hey, Oliver.""Hey there. Are you free today?" she had to check her schedule. Today was Wednesday, so she had classes at 9."Sorry, I have classes at 9 every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday." she went to close the door, feeling anxious about the whole thing, but Oliver stopped her."Well, it's only 7 now. Would you like to grab breakfast before class?""I don't usually eat breakfast but... I guess I could do this once." she didn't see a way out of it and she did like Oliver and want to spend time with him. But the words that Asher told her the day before still rang in her head.Who was Oliver? Is it all just a front he's putting up to take advantage of her? In the end, what's he getting out of it? Thoughts and questions twisted and turned in Maia's hea

Maia lay on her bed, looking up at the ceiling. She just couldn't get Asher out of her mind. There was something about him and the way he acted... She wanted to be around him more.She thought Oliver seemed kind, but Asher was something else. Compared to Asher, Oliver seemed almost... up to something. But she pushed that thought from her mind. She already bit the bullet and trusted Oliver more than she probably should have. Now is not the time to get worried that he's not who he says he is.She wanted to get to know Asher better. So, she went to Mr. Sween.Standing at his bedroom door, she knocked three times with a shaky hand.He opened the door with a smile."Maia! What can I do for you?" he asked cheerfully with that kind smile he seemed to always wear."I have a question. Do you know Asher?" Maia looked up at Mr. Sween."Asher, as in, Oliver's brother?""Yeah.""I do. What about him?""I want to get to know him," she said plainly, hoping he'd tell her some basic facts and she coul

They began the moving process almost immediately.There wasn't much work to be done for Hunter and June; the servants did most of the work, despite June's protest. Hunter allowed her to carry her suitcase, though, just to make her happy."How are you feeling?" Hunter came up behind her, bringing her into a small hug."I don't know yet. We haven't finished moving in," she said into his chest, a mix of emotions filling up inside her and threatening to spill out."Well, I mean so far. How are you feeling so far? About the move and everything."June took a deep breath. "Well, I'm excited, I'll admit that much. It'll be a nice change, and I think I'll enjoy the coziness of this place a lot more..." she started."But..." Hunter started for her."But... I will also admit that I'm nervous about the change. It's a big one and I had just gotten used to the castle and how things worked there.""Don't worry about it, okay?" Hunter rested his head on top of hers, bringing her in tighter. "It'll be

The next few days, June took good care of Hunter. She brought him everything he could need and used all her strength and magic to ensure he was healing as fast as possible.“Junebug, I’m all better now.” Hunter could finally walk and run freely now that his health was normal.“I know, I know. I’m just worried about you.” June mumbled as she sat a platter of dishes down on a nearby table.“Well, don’t be. I’m just fine,” he assured her with a soft kiss before heading back toward the bed.“June, do you like it here?” he asked after a few moments of complete silence.“I mean, yeah,” June answered, surprised by the question.“No, I mean really. Do you like living here? Or would you rather live somewhere... smaller?” he turned to face her, watching her reaction.She sat down and back in her chair, thinking about the question.“I would enjoy living someplace homier, but there’s nothing wrong with here. As long as I’m with you, I’m happy.” she turned and smiled at him, hoping her answer was

June returned to the bedroom, frantically looking around for something that would be personal to both of them.Looking under the bed, she found her personal box that she put her favorite things in, like pretty stones she found while walking and little notes that Hunter would sometimes write her if he knew he'd be working late.Inside, there was also a watch. A watch that Hunter's father gave him when he was young, and he gave it to June so she could keep track of time when he was gone.Gently picking it up, she remembered the moment he pulled it out and told her how important it was to him. Once he handed it to her, she handled it with the utmost care. Not wanting to lose or damage it, she put it in her box and slipped it under the bed, bringing it out only when she was missing him.She closed her eyes and cherished that memory, holding the watch close to her chest. Then she took a deep breath and took off running back towards the magic room."Here!" she declared as she busted through

There they were.Three black fang spiders.June had only read about them in one of the books Hunter had in his room back on earth but now she was looking one right in the eye. Or rather, eyes. It had eight.They looked like a spider in the sense of the eyes and the long, sharp legs. They had claws that poked out on the sides of their faces and they were covered in ugly hair. It looks almost like a beat-up chihuahua bred with a spider. It had four fangs instead of the standard two normal spiders would have and was twice the size of the average human.Once June made eye contact with the first one, she felt like she was swirling and suddenly she was back in her childhood bedroom.She stood there all alone, staring at the locked door as she could hear laughter from below. She was only four years old and forced to sit out of her older brother's birthday party because she asked who the gifts were for.Later that night, her brother would try and sneak her a slice of cake, which she would enj

The next day, June woke up and rolled over, noticing Lucas sleeping in the far corner.Her head throbbed from the crying the night before, and the cold weather bit at her face. She knew the temperature was going to be dropping soon, but it seemed colder than she expected. More lonely.She longed to be back at the castle, laying in bed while the fireplace filled the room with a comforting warmth, reaching over and giving her lover a morning hug. She bit the tears back and threw the covers back, jumping up.Walking over, she lightly tapped Lucas with her foot."Hey, wake up. We need to get going." she was already slipping on her warmest pair of pants as Lucas slowly stood."How did you sleep?" he asked kindness in his eyes."Forget about it. Just get ready." June zipped up her coat and stepped outside the tent, getting her horse ready as Lucas got prepared to go. They took the tents down and made sure the fire was out completely before they got on their horses and took off.Making their

June and Lucas make their way through the trees, dodging branches and avoiding fallen logs."So June, how did the King find you?" Lucas broke the silence.June took a deep breath."He tracked me down somehow. I don't know.""Why do you think he chose you? He put a lot at risk doing that, ya know?""Lucas, shut up. I don't want to hear it.""Sorry. I just figured since we'd be spending the next few days alone we should at least communicate, maybe even get to know each other a bit." Lucas responded, defeated."I'm not going to fuck you now that my fiance is dead," she said coldly, causing Lucas to panic."No! No, that's not- That's not what I was trying to do. I swear!""Oh shut up and keep riding before I decide to kill myself instead."Lucas kept his eyes forward, afraid to speak another word."We need to set up camp. Go on ahead and see if you see any clearings we could use." June called out for Lucas.Lucas did as he told, finding a small clearing that was just big enough for their