Ivan's Queen

“Well…pick it up.” I frown when he stares at me with incredulity.

“And risk your dad chopping me into pieces the next time I see him? No thanks!” He grumbles, throwing the phone on the couch beside me before running his hand through his hair.

I see my dad calling again and accept it but wince when I hear the interesting choice of words he uses to curse Ivan to the depths of hell. Ivan whirls around with wide eyes when he realizes that I’ve answered the call, the colour draining from his face before he glares at me murderously.

“Hey dad…” I start, snickering when he freezes mid-curse. “I think you’d go to jail if you do that to him.”

“It’d be worth it!” He mutters back before yelling into the phone again. “Where are you?! Ivan’s missing too! Where did that boy take you?!”

“Uh…funny story.” I laugh nervously before holding the phone out to Ivan who shakes his head vehemently and pushes the device back into my hand.

“How am I supposed to explain that we were teleported?!” I whisper-shout as I glare at him.

“You were what?!” My dad roars, making us both wince.

Ivan sighs and snatches the phone off me before speaking almost reluctantly. “Ayla has the gift of teleportation and she has brought us to the Lycan kingdom. She didn’t see Amelia.”

From then on, it’s a series of low hums and a lot of yes and no-s. Ivan paces the length of the room and his features are scrunched in concentration as he listens to my dad. Meanwhile, I sit on the bed with curiosity brewing within me. In times like these, I really wish I had their heightened hearing.

Eventually, he ends the call and turns to me. I raise my brows expectantly which he ignores and chooses to take a seat on one of the armchairs instead. Sighing, I fiddle with the hem of my hoodie as I look out at the night sky through the balcony doors.

“You’ll be staying here for a while.” He finally speaks which makes me turn to him in confusion. “I have to take care of the situation here and I don’t trust Ayla to teleport you back.”

“Aren’t there portals here to travel back though?” I wonder aloud.

“You sound eager to leave.”

I still before looking up at him. His eyes don’t give anything away and I desperately want to know what he’s feeling. I shake my head in response and mumble that I’m okay with staying here. He nods before leaving, saying that he has work to do and that someone will bring up my dinner. Before I can reply, he has disappeared.

Huffing in frustration, I flop back on the bed. Are all our conversations going to be like this, short and clipped? He doesn’t even want to spend any time with me. Why do I want to stay and work this out? I wonder to myself, feeling disappointed and angry. Calming myself down I decide not to ponder on it any further and thankfully, a knock on the door is enough to distract me from my thoughts.

I grab the tray of food from one of the maids, thanking her with a smile. Eating the generous serving of pasta, I watch TV for a while longer before someone collects the tray again. Seeing that it’s eleven at night and my eyes are starting to droop, I change into a pair of pyjamas the maid had brought with the dinner.

However, sleep doesn’t come easily.

As soon as I’m about to slip into a deep slumber, I hear the first crackle of lightning. My eyes snap open and I look up to hear the thunder rolling in.

“God! Why do this to me now?!” I groan audibly, flinching when the thunder gets louder.

An audible whimper escapes my lips as lightning flashes yet again and illuminates the room for a quick second. I’ve feared lightning and thunder since I was a child. One day, while playing with the other kids, I ventured too far into the woods and got lost. My parents were at a meeting in the city all day and I couldn’t find my way out in time to avoid it getting dark. I spent a few hours stuck in there, crying helplessly as lightning and thunder wreaked havoc. Eventually, my parents and some guards found me and brought me back home before I was hurt. But, I had nightmares of getting lost and nobody finding me for months. I never truly got over my fear and I don’t think I ever will.

I lay there and try to force myself to go to sleep which is a useless idea. I put my earphones in and try listening to soothing music or watching some videos but that doesn’t help either. After two hours of trying to go to sleep or even get my mind off it, I decide to leave my room. Putting on my slippers, I open the door to find Ivan’s room right in front of mine.

Biting my lip, I feel at war with myself as I wonder if I should go to him. I remember the times he would comfort me whenever our families were together during the summer holidays. He would hold my hand and sleep next to me all night. But times have changed and Ivan isn’t the same person I grew up with anymore. Sure, we have our childhood memories and I’ve known him for years but that doesn’t mean I feel confident to talk or act around him as comfortably as I once used to.

I end up standing in the middle of the hallway for ages like an idiot. When four guards enter the hallway to complete their rounds it’s only then that I panic and enter his room. Immediately, I curse my stupidity and wish that I would’ve just turned back. One sleepless night wouldn’t have killed me!

I turn to see the lights off but the lightning crackling outside illuminates the room every few seconds to let me make out where everything is. More importantly, where Ivan is. He’s laying on his stomach in the large king-sized bed and his hair a wild mess. His arms are stretched to the sides, his right one slightly elevated from the pillow underneath it.

This is a terrible idea! I need to leave, now! I think to myself, immediately turning and opening the door. The loud creak makes me wince and I hear a click before light fills the room. Ivan mumbles at me to stop and even when he’s half asleep, his voice holds authority in it. Biting my lip, I turn when he asks me to and meet his confused gaze hesitantly. He sighs before laying back down and covering his eyes with his arm.

“What’s the matter, Солнышко?″ Ivan grumbles tiredly before yawning.

I remember that nickname, it means little sun in Russian. He used to call me that because he claimed that I was always too cheerful and full of energy – like a ball of sunshine. I used to hate it so much but eventually it grew on me. However, it surprises me that he called me by that name after years of not seeing each other.

“I... I can’t sleep. The lightning and thunder scares me.” I whisper as my fingers unconsciously fiddle with the hem of my pyjama shirt.

I look up to see him gazing at me with a look that I can’t decipher. After a few moments of silence, he sighs lowly before speaking again. His voice is a deep, comforting rumble but what he says next doesn’t comfort me at all.

“Why don’t you find Ayla and sleep next to her, okay?” He suggests, hesitating before turning on his side so that his back faces me.

I bite my lip hard as hurt courses through me at his answer and actions. I knew I was wrong to come in here and now I feel like a fool. Turning, I step back out into the dimly lit hallway before closing his door quietly and entering my own room again. There is no way I’m going to disturb Ayla too, I feel embarrassed enough as it is! I should’ve just given up on sleep and stayed in my room, I think to myself. What must he think of me? First, he was disappointed in the fact that he received a human mate and now he’s probably annoyed over how I haven’t gotten over my fear!

Closing my bedroom door, I hurriedly slip under the covers just in time to hear the thunder rumble and lightning follow. It’s so much louder here than back home that it sounds like there’s explosions going off outside! Rain is now pelting against the windows and I can hear the wind increasing steadily. Squeezing my eyes shut, I cover my head with the blanket and press my hands to my ears to block out the noise. Each time the sound of the storm grows louder, my frightened cries increase.

My mind conjures up the woods with me running through it and screaming for help. Demonic creatures with foaming mouths and red eyes chase after me, nipping at my heels before they finally pin me down. A disfigured creature’s jaw opens wide and sharp teeth gleam brightly as it prepares to rip into me.

I’m so focused in trying to direct my thoughts elsewhere that I don’t hear someone come in. The blanket is pulled away from my head which makes me look up to see a masculine figure tower above me. The flash of lightning illuminates the room once more which allows me to see that it’s in fact Ivan. His hard features soften unlike his dark eyes as they take my teary ones in.

“Amelia...” He whispers ever so softly, regret in his eyes as he leans over to press a firm kiss to my forehead before gathering me up in his strong arms.

I’m momentarily surprised by his actions but the crackle of lightning makes me forget all about it. I cuddle further into his warmth and hide my face into his chest so that I won’t see the flashes of lightning. He hushes my cries and moves down on the bed with my body half on his. I bask in the feeling of his hand running through my tresses as it causes a delightful shiver to run up my spine along with faint tingles.

“Why didn’t you just go to Ayla like I told you to?” He murmurs over the noise as he rubs my back soothingly.

Sniffling, I wipe away a stray tear before answering him. ″I didn’t want to wake her up after I disturbed you too.″

His chest rumbles with a loud, angry growl that startles me for a moment. He wraps his arms around me and holds me more tightly before nestling his nose into the crook of my neck and inhaling deeply. Pulling away, he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear before leaning down to press a kiss to my cheek which makes my eyes widen in surprise.

“You didn’t disturb me...I-I just...never mind.” He trails off with a frustrated growl, angry that he can’t explain himself.

Sighing, I close my eyes after glancing at the clock to see that it’s three in the morning. Sleep eventually finds me and the sounds of the storm outside seem to fade away. I cuddle closer to Ivan as he drapes the blanket higher over us, feeling him tense slightly before relaxing when I wrap my arm around his waist.

“Go back to sleep, Солнышко. I’m right here.” He murmurs gently as he rests his chin on the top of my head. (Little sun)

“Thank you.” I mumble as a yawn escapes me.

The last thing I feel is a feather-like kiss to my temple and a whispered apology.