♞ Ivy's POV ♞

I was on my way to visit Aaron again for the second time since the assassination of Delia.

I made my way to the garage, my coat keeping me warm against the freezing cold night air. My fingers adjusted my scarf, pulling it up a bit as the brisk wind hit me again. I rushed into the small building, searching for my keys to my car. I was a bit surprised when I couldn't find them on their usual shelf.

I bit my lip as I looked again, my eyes never catching sight of the keys with the little metal 'I' key ring on them. Where were they? I knew I had put them there last time.

I let out a frustrated huff as I still couldn't find them, until an engine roared to life in the garage, headlights blinding me.

Psh, I should've know it would be him.

Zayn seemed rather smug as he stared at me from the driver's seat of his black Maserati, my keys in his fingers. I rolled my eyes as I stepped back, letting him pull the sleek sports car out a bit. He rolled his window down and just smirked at me for a bit, my keys still in his fingers.

"Give me my keys, you idiot." I didn't have time to mess around.

"I will when you tell me where you're going." He countered, sticking his tongue out at me like a child. I really didn't have time to deal with a childish Zayn, knowing full well he would exploit his king status to get me to talk.

"Out. Now give me my keys." I sassed him, Zayn rolling his eyes this time.

"I figured that. Normally people do that when they drive."

"Hurry up, Zayn. Give me my keys, it's important." I urged him, Zayn only shaking his head and rolling his window back up. I was about to ask what he was doing until I heard the Maserati's engine roar again, the car beginning to drive out of the garage.

That bastard.

"Zayn! Give me my keys!" I yelled, chasing after the black sports car Zayn had nicknamed Ebony. It surprised me when the car stopped just before leaving the Manor gates, Zayn rolling the window down again once I had caught up with him.

"Just get in, I have an errand to run. Might as well take you to see Sebastian too."

He knew.

***

I had instructed Zayn to take me to the bar first, afterwards remaining in uncomfortable silence as the Maserati zoomed down the city streets without care. No one would pull over the king, besides, I doubted Zayn would care about the ticket price. He probably carried that amount of cash in his pocket.

"Isla told me you've been seeing him." Zayn spoke quietly, all joking long gone from his voice. "I know he hasn't woken up yet, but I think he will soon."

I didn't say anything. I didn't tell him about the nights I had lost hours of sleep researching coma patients, searching for a number that would tell me the chance Sebastian had of waking up. The most I could find was that every patient was different. Some who had minor injuries had never woken up, and sometimes those with life-threatening injuries were the quickest to wake up. Other times it was vice-versa , those with minor injuries waking up a few hours after surgery, others never waking up at all. My stress wasn't eased with the fact that Sebastian had suffered a gunshot wound, and those were the ones that could cause life-threatening complications easily. So no, I didn't say anything.

I just changed the subject.

"What's the errand you have to do?" I asked, feeling like it was only polite to ask him.

"I have to go get Odette another lipstick, the one I got her for her birthday somehow fell out of the bag and uncapped itself. I couldn't find any stains on any of my clothes, but the lipstick was all messed up. Plus I have to go somewhere else to pick up her last present." Zayn spoke easily, never taking his eyes off the road. "Then I gotta get to wrapping everything. A servant named Sabrina is going to help me with that, and then finish getting all the decorations together."

"Sabrina? The maid?" I asked, the name sounding mildly familiar. She often cleaned the Elite's training center.

"Yeah. She made me promise if Odette caught her with the presents, I would take care of that whole mess." He laughed, and I nodded.

That was our only conversation until we had reached the bar. I had told Zayn to take his time and then pick me up whenever he finished his errands. The cheeky king didn't say anything, only smirked and tossed me my keys before zooming off into the heart of the city.

The bar wasn't too crowded tonight, I assumed that was due to the fact that it was a Tuesday night, people were at home getting ready for sleep before working the next morning, not out getting drunk and partying. There were a few people sitting at other tables, but other than a few guys and a girl, there was no one else. I didn't think I had ever seen the bar so desolate before.

I found Aaron quickly, sitting at a different table than our usual. This one was in a more secluded corner, Aaron's sense of dress having changed to all black, the only color on him his swirling tattoos. I didn't think anything of it, Aaron's smile when he saw me never changing.

"Hello, Victoria." He greeted me, holding his hand out for his payment. I took out the crumbled bills and tiny plastic bag with pills inside, wasting no time in handing them over. Aaron smirked when he saw the sufficient payment, raising his tumbler of amber liquid to his lips before addressing me.

"What do you want to know?"

"Do you know who's behind the Revolution?" I wasted no time in getting my information.

"I do." Aaron smiled victoriously. I waited, expecting him to continue, but he didn't.

"And? Who is it?"

"Someone you would never guess, Victoria. I found out their plans too." He smiled before taking another swig of his drink.

"Plans? What are they going to do, Aaron?" I interrogated. This was great, for once Aaron had finally gotten me some good information.

Aaron urged me closer before whispering.

"They're going to take away the country's most powerful person. They believe that if they can get rid of that one sole royal, they can control the Empire. The Maliks will be left in a frenzy, it will only be a matter of time before they break."

My eyes were wide as I heard that. The country's most powerful person. My heart stuttered when I realized what Aaron meant.

Zayn. The Revolutionaries were going to kill Zayn.

"Aaron, when are they going to strike? I have to know, this is important." I begged him, but Aaron only seemed to get a dark look in his eyes. He shook his head no. "Please, Aaron. I need to know."

I had to protect Zayn and the royal family.

"No can do." Aaron spat before lighting a cigarette, breathing the smoke into my face.

"Why not? I've paid you, I've done everything you've asked me."

"Sorry babe, I work for someone else now." Aaron sneered, snapping his fingers with ease. Immediately, three figures clad in black, the two males and one female from the other table, stalked towards my end of the table. The atmosphere grew thick with tension as Aaron casually sucked in on his cigarette again. "As for you, Ivy Salvatore, I can't say you'll be able to even make your report back to the King after tonight."

Everything suddenly made sense. Aaron's vague information, the secluded corner in the bar, the small crowd present. Aaron planned this, plotted every second of this meeting.

I was a fool, walking right into a trap I should have seen coming.

My heart was pounding,  eyes wide as the three Revolutionaries stalked towards me.

"Don't make a scene, Ivy. Why don't we take this outside?" Aaron whispered with a smirk. That dirty, no good son of a-

Wait. A scene. That's it.

I was about to open my mouth to scream for help, when I felt the cool metal of a knife pressing against my lower back. The girl was right behind me, expertly hiding the weapon in such a public place.

"Make a sound, and you're a goner." The girl hissed. I sighed before nodding.

"Why don't we go walk around town? Go see some sights." Aaron suggested loudly to reduce suspicion, the girl pushing me forward to walk until we had exited the bar. My blood was running cold as we got further and further away from the bar, if something happened to me, Zayn wouldn't know.

Thankfully we didn't move too far, only a few buildings down. I was pushed into a dark alley between two ragged looking buildings, old business that had gone bankrupt, I assumed. The knife was released from my back, and I was spun around to face my attackers.

I moved to attack, go on the offensive, when a hard fist knocked into my forehead. I immediately saw stars, my legs feeling like jelly as I crumpled to the hard concrete. God, that hurt.

I saw the men pull out another switchblade and a gun, the girl cracking her knuckles as her weapon. The girl stepped closer, tight leather clothes and dark makeup fitting for her occupation.

Her dark eyes were cold and cunning, and she wasted no time before kicking me in the stomach. The breath was knocked out of me for a second, and I must have looked ridiculous holding my stomach and gasping for air like a fish out of water. I tried getting up quickly to inflict damage on her, when suddenly I couldn't breathe.

One of the men had take my scarf in his hand, roughly yanking it up so it cut off my airway. I gasped for breath, my fingers clawing at the deadly scarf to try and loosen it. How ironic, my scarf I brought to keep my warm was know acting like a hangman's noose, quickly shutting off my air supply. I managed to relieve my neck of the scarf, collapsing and gasping for air. For a second, the corners of my vision had been going black.

God, I was so sick of being pushed around.

I got up, my body consumed with rage as I lunged for the girl. I managed to knock her to the ground, fists colliding with her face until I heard a satisfied crack of a broken nose. The girl yelped in pain, rolling over and clutching her bloodied nose, eyes wild and dangerous and fixated on me. I was about to hurt her again when I felt a someone pull me off of her.

Someone let loose a hard kick to my side, some cracks audible as several ribs broke. Breathing hurt even more, sharp pains running through me as I took in each ragged breath. I fell to the ground, my arms wrapped around myself as the men chuckled, Aaron looking satisfied as he watched on, counting his large number of dollar bills I had given him for payment.

I tried getting up to fight again, but someone knocked me over too easily, a boot pressing to my back and pushing me over. I rolled over to try and get up again, only for one of the men to smile wickedly at me and try and swipe at my face with his switchblade. I had enough energy left in me to dodge the attack, but not too long later the girl was on me again, this time her fists taking revenge on my face. I felt my lip split as she landed a heavy hit to it before hitting my nose. I felt blood gush out of it, but it didn't feel broken.

The men picked me up and threw my weakened and crumpled form to the end of the alleyway, making me moan in pain. My vision was starting to go, black spots dancing in front of me. I saw them, all four, at the entrance of the alleyway. Fear rushed through my veins.

The girl stepped closer, her bloodied fists clenching as she stopped in front of my crumpled figure. But I still had enough spark left in me to taunt.

"Go on," I challenged her. "Finish the job."

A wicked smile spread across her face, twinkling eyes sparkling with a hint of something dangerous and vengeful.

"Oh believe me, I will."

She raised her fist, a sharp pain hit my head as her knuckles collided with my temple, and the world finally faded to darkness.

***

King Zayn Malik had been waiting outside of the bar for a good thirty minutes now. He had finished his errands, buying Odette her replacement lipstick and picking up the last present. He had texted Ivy already, why wasn't she coming out?

He huffed as he decided to go inside, maybe the bartender knew where she was?

The bar wasn't crowded as he stepped inside, making him wonder where on earth his royal advisor could be.

"Excuse me, do you know if a girl with dark hair and a maroon coat was in here?" He asked the bartender, who couldn't have been more than twenty-five, a tree inked into his skin for a Mark.

"Yeah, she left here about an hour ago with some friends I guess. Went down the street I think." He answered simply as he cleaned his drink glasses before setting them down on the counter.

"Thanks." Zayn said before rushing out. That didn't make sense, Ivy had told him to pick her up at the bar, why would she leave?

He walked down the somewhat crowded streets. There were mostly teenagers and young adults with no responsibilities out, making him nervous. Did Ivy just leave?

He stopped his walking in front of two abandoned-looking businesses, getting frustrated and pulling out his phone again. She was really going to get an earful for making him look for her like this. He called her quickly, waiting impatiently for her to answer.

A ring tone echoed close to him, and he recognized it immediately. It was Ivy's.

He sighed in relief, she was close-by. But why wouldn't she answer him? His call was unanswered, Ivy's voice mail sounding in his ear before he hung up and tried calling her again. He didn't understand, the ring tone sounded so close.

As his phone dialed his Royal Advisor, he heard the ring tone again. He spun in a circle, quickly realizing the sound was coming from behind him, in the alleyway. The king slowly took the phone away from his ear before starting to walk cautiously into the dark alley. He kept the call going, relying on it as the only way to find Ivy.

When he found her, his phone dropped to the ground. The store lights dimly illuminated the alleyway, but he knew the state she was in was much worse than it looked. He rushed over to her unconscious form, careful to not injure her more.

She looked terrible. Her nose had dried blood smeared over it, her lip was split, and her breathing was ragged and painful sounding.

"Oh my god, who did this to you?" Zayn whispered as he carefully lifted her up bridal style. He was careful to support her head, her dark hair that had previously been in a tidy bun was loose and matted with more blood. His heart was pounding as he looked around the dark alley for possible attackers, but couldn't find any. He walked quickly, rushing back to his car to try and get the Royal Advisor back to the Manor.

He didn't see the gun aimed at his heart from the shadows of the rooftop.

"Can I take him out?" The girl asked, her blond curls hidden underneath a dark hood. Her grip on the pistol was steady, ready at once to sink a bullet into the king's heart. She glanced over at her Leader for a second, waiting for the order for a kill shot, but it never came.

"No. Let him live. Let him spread the word to the royals about what happened to their best fighter." The Leader instructed, holding a gloved hand out for the gun Emerald held. They had been in the wings the whole time as Ivy had gotten beaten to a pulp, waiting for Zayn to arrive so they could finish this battle once and for all. Emerald obliged, handing over the lethal weapon. The Leader smiled as they watched the frightened king drive off into the distance.

"We'll strike when he least expects it."

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Hey guys, happy Sunday! Anyways, I POSTED A NEW NIALL AU! PLEASE GO CHECK IT OUT AND GIVE ME FEEDBACK?? IT IS TITLED 'TECHIE' AND IT IS A SUPER HERO TYPE STORY. :-)