Within their dreams (Reverse Harem)

Chapter 24

Ivy's POV

"Okay, so this is Lord Thomas and he's super chill. He's only been on the council 150 years so he tends to be the most open-minded of the five. He still won't like that you were brought up in the human realm, but being a witch will definitely earn you some brownie points with him. Plus, his mate died forty years ago so you can use that as a way to persuade him to let you complete the mate bond because he has a soft spot for true mates. Lord Marcus has been on the council for 500 years and is suuuper judgy, but he's also a yes man and will pretty much go with whatever viewpoint is the most popular with the rest of them. As long as you can persuade him that the others agree with you, he'll go along with whatever you say. Lord Weston is a big snob and very old school. He's not going to like you, even if you do tell him of your heritage. In his mind, the throne needs to be ruled only by people of high standing, regardless of whether you are their mate or not. Now Lord Johnathan on the other hand..."

I stare into space, nodding my head as Scarlette continues giving me an overview on everyone on the council. Isabella sits to my right, staring at Scarlette standing in front of us with a small smile on her lips. Her eyes track Scarlette's every move with adoration.

I can hardly keep my eyes open. Leo came back to my room last night just to tell me that the ball had been moved to today before continuing his work so I barely slept. Then the minute the sun was up, Scarlette and Isabella burst into my room and forced me to start preparing for later tonight which apparently included a history lesson on the entire realm.

I'm already nervous enough that the council are trying to convince Leo and Owen to ditch me for some perfect princess, but trying to stuff as much information into my brain so I don't seem completely clueless is too much.

"Helloooo, earth to Ivy!" I feel a sharp poke in my cheek. I'm thrust out of my daze as Scarlette stands over me, her hands on her hips.

"Have you been listening to a word I've said?"

"Ummm" I smile sheepishly.

Scarlette rolls her eyes, making her way over to the board she set up in the living room, filled with the five faces that want to see me gone.

"Ivy, you need to pay attention. They're going to use anything they can to trip you up so the more you know about them the easier it will be to manipulate them into picking you."

"I'm not really a manipulating kind of person," I say, fiddling with my hands.

"Well, we're going to teach you." Scarlette grins plopping down on Isabella's lap. Isabella wraps her arms around Scarlette's waist, drawing her closer and giving her a small kiss on her neck.

"John and Simon are the ones you need to worry about the most," Isabella says, nodding towards their grim faces on the board. "John is a vampire, so he's a master manipulator and can read people very easily. You can't react to anything he says because the minute he finds your weak spot, he'll exploit it for all he's worth." Scarlette nods, biting her lip as she looks at me with worry.

"He and Simon have sat on the council for the longest, which makes them the most influential and the most dangerous. They're used to getting their way and won't make it easy for you to pass whatever tests they put on you."

"Which one is Simon again?"

"Simon is a witch. He's an elder of the Hallowed coven."

My mouth dries, staring at his picture.

"Uh, dumb question but how exactly am I supposed to introduce myself to the man who wanted me dead?"

"With a killer outfit?" Scarlette jokes, but Isabella jabs her in the ribs to shush her.