Caged by Damnation (Caged #2)(32)

"I never lived a real life either. Other than Savannah, no one wanted anything to do with me. I've never kissed a guy, let alone been with one for any reason, and maybe if you stood up for yourself, Death would treat you differently. He tried that ‘I'm the master’ bit on me and I made him choke on it."

Taking a deep breath, I looked in her eyes once more, "I don't know all of the details about your lives here, but it seems to me that you can lie down and take it or find a way to really live. You can't blame me for what didn't happen to me. I'm here now. And sure, I can cross the threshold to see my friends, but you can cross it too. I just happen to have one in my room."

Disgust ran rampant in Ivy's voice. "You've never even kissed a guy?"

Of course, of all the things I said to Ivy, she would fixate on the thing that mattered the least. I sighed, staring at the ceiling, willing the angels to help me with the impossible task of communicating with her. When I received no answer, I turned to her.

"Nope, never sucked face, never seen the one-eyed snake or anything. Guys have been completely off my radar and I have certainly been off theirs." I thought about high school, junior high, and pretty much my entire life. I had never really been into anyone. Maybe it was because I had grown up with the guys in Meadow Falls, but they all either seemed annoyingly immature, brotherly, or plain old disgusting.

"Off your radar, huh? Does that mean girls are? Cause it's cool, if – "

I threw a pillow from her bed at her face, which she unfortunately managed to catch. The edge of the plush headrest hit Brass in the midsection and he hissed.

"I am not into girls! I just haven't found anyone worth exploring things with, okay?" Reddening, I tried to sift through the embarrassment to find a topic that could wipe the evidence of my innocence off my cheeks, but came up empty-handed.

Ivy's eyes widened in a mocking version of innocence."Whatever you say, it's certainly none of my business." She placed Brass on the ground, dusted off her hands and took on a more serious tone. Her sudden changes in personality were beginning to make me think she might be bipolar, or have multiple personality disorder.

Since I had taken up her bed, Ivy pulled a chair over to stand across from me and straddled the back of it. She seemed reluctant to give me her gift or her name. While I waited for her to get around to business, I looked back to her paintings. How could someone so foul create such beauty?

"What did the others give you?"

Ivy's question caught me off guard. "Um, Scrye gave me this dress, Whisper gave me the diadem, and Echo gave me daggers. Why?"

Shifting uncomfortably in her chair, Ivy spoke slowly. "Our gifts are supposed to reflect us in some way."

Now I was unnerved. I glanced at Brass, praying that he wasn't supposed to be my gift. What would I do if he was? I would have to accept him, but where would I put him? Then I looked around at the plants, wondering if she planned to give me something equally as disturbing and just as likely to take a bite out of me.

Ivy slid from her chair to walk into an adjoining chamber. When she returned, she was carrying a ball of fur in her arms. A tiny mammal, barely large enough to wrap around her forearm, peeked through her hands to examine me. Its eyes were wide like a china doll’s, with a rounded head and a tiny snout that was similar in shape to a panda. Its body reminded me of a flying squirrel with a broadened form, two arms and two legs. The fur pattern on its face was a mixture of black, white, and gray, like that of a ferret. It could easily have been a hybrid of a monkey, a koala, and a squirrel.

"What is it?" Though I had never seen an animal like it, I found it oddly adorable. Its eyes were the sort that inflicted the need to verbally sigh at its cuteness. In fact, everything about the animal screamed ‘lovable.’

Ivy lovingly stroked the fur on the top of its head. "It's called a Slow Loris. They are an endangered species. Her bite is venomous so you'll have to be careful, but they only bite when threatened or are protecting their young. I have anti-venom just in case. She's yours if you want her." Ivy held the Loris out and I gently placed one palm beneath her hind legs and the other against her back. Pulling her into my chest, she settled in, rubbing her cheek against my skin.

"She's the best gift ever." I didn't even care that she was poisonous. Ivy had given me something I needed, a family. In this little fur ball I would have a companion, a friend, someone who loved me unconditionally. I hadn't thought I would find anything like that in the Hellhounds’ lair. "Where did you get her?"

"She's young. I think her parents were killed by a predator. So I rescued her. Slow Lorises are nocturnal, live in trees, and eat things like fruit and insects. I figured your atrium would be a great place for her to live." Ivy came closer to rub the Loris’s head. "I wasn't sure what to give you and I didn't think you would want a plant or a reptile." She smirked, looking at Brass and back at me.

I laughed. "Yeah, she is much better. What should I name her?" I wanted the name to suit her, but still be unique.

"Hell if I know. I got her for you, don't ask me to name her, too. I'm terrible with names. Brass got his name because I was looking at a pair of brass candlesticks while trying to come up with it. That's how bad I am at it."

I had to laugh. I couldn't help but think of naming my new pet after something I saw in Ivy's room. If I named her painting, venom, or even maroon, I would definitely regret it. I could see it now, walking into my own domain and calling out for ‘Flytrap,’ my Slow Loris. The idea was ludicrous.