XL. Chasing the wind

Ivan

The wind hit my face with impeccable force but I did not falter. My form wound between the trees at a high velocity as I relied on only my powerful God-given vision to see.

My target's white shawl blew through the air as she ran faster and faster attempting to get away. The tired moans of my warriors decreased in volume behind me until they were silent. That was how I knew they were death. More victims claimed by the merciless sorceress. But they were only a decimal of the throngs of people that had fallen at her hands.

"Ivy..." came her taunting voice again. And the white shawl disappeared. " Catch me...if you can."

She continued to mock and taunt me, ridiculing my every move. She was there, until you tried to grasp her, then she evaporated in your hold. It was like chasing the wind. You knew it was there but you'd never catch it.

Her shriek-y laugh boomed through the woods and I felt the snow begin to melt under my feet. The white substance resumed to fall from the sky, coating the earth.

"I'll catch you!" I warned. I did not believe my own words. Tonight, in our attempt to ambush her, the tables had turned on us. She'd seen us coming. By the time I had realized, it was too late. Now I was alone. I had to do this, for the men I'd lost, for my kingdom and most of all for my woman.

"Will you? You better hope your beloved runs faster than I do."

A growl tore through my lips. Her threat made my form quake with fury. In a flash, I was changed, in my true form. Now I stood taller, stronger but it would be harder to maneuver through the trees.

"Can't control you temper. Just like your kind. Pfft! Primitive. I cannot believe an animal like you rules. Its only a matter of time before you tear apart the little human girl."

She'd hit where it hurt most. Her words cut deep, because they held the truth. It was known, 'the blunt truth wounds worse than a sharpened lie.'

"Just admit it, you'd prefer it if I killed that girl, rather than her becoming one of your thousands of victims."

Unable to hold myself anymore, I twisted around. She was right there. I pounced. Her sickening smile was the last thing I saw.

My eyes closed as I tumbled to the ground, her clothes caught in my claws. But in my palms I held only her shawl, the rest of her nowhere to be seen.

Her words flew by, " adieu, Ivy. Till next we meet. " And they were gone with the wind.

***

I needed to see her. Now. I needed to know that the only good thing in my life was safe.

Disheveled as I was, I rushed to be with her. Her scent called to me, washing away the fresh memories of the Russian mountains. The witch had drawn me back to my roots, forcing me to remember a painful past that I had worked to forget.

The clock in the citadel struck two o'clock. I heard the heavy iron second hand tick on and on, the seconds pushing further.

It had been a short walk from my chambers, where I had stopped for a clean change of clothes, to hers. My fingers curled into a tight fist, my eyes presently fixed on the mahogany that made up the chamber doors.

My heart settled at the sound of the soft purrs Cara made in her sleep.

I became conflicted on whether or not I should continue. I was here, her heartbeats had ascertained her safety...There was no reason to go on. I had no excuse.

Three times I pressed my knuckles against the wood. I was not at all in control of my actions.

The tingle that rushed up my spine did nit go unnoticed by myself. I was eager to see her. It seemed that if I didn't in the next few moments, the air in my lungs would combust spontaneously.

Adorning pajama shorts and a white satin camisole, Cara stood before me, a goddess. My goddess and I planned to worship her, day and night. Men would chant songs of her beauty but none as loud as I.

Using her fingers, she combed through her messy brown locks. Her voice was soft when she asked, " Ivan?"

Her call marked the end of my thin line of restraint and I seized her, gripping her body in my hands. I clutched onto her powerfully, making sure that she was there and not just a manifestation of my greatest desires.

Lifting her up, I took her into the room and shut the door.

I hoisted her up, allowing her to straddle me. My arms held her tightly, securing the thing my brain recognized to be the most precious thing in the world.

" You're not okay. What's the matter?... tell me."

It constantly amazed me. This human, so unlike my kind or any of my people, knew me better than anyone else in the planet.

"Nothing is wrong. Just let me hold you," and everything will be alright.

***

Cara

Rays of sunlight broke into the room from the spaces between the curtains. I stirred in the bed and Ivan's grasp on me tightened. Even unconscious, he was the most damn protective man on the face of the earth.

He snored softly. It didn't bother me. I honestly found it amusing that he was actually snoring. He must have been exhausted. When he came to my chambers the previous night, he looked beat. His worry was clear. And for a man with extraordinary abilities, he had appeared sick. I knew he had been experiencing an inner conflict, I just wasn't sure what it pertained.

Subconsciously, my fingers played with his dark locks. They were so soft. Perhaps he double conditioned them, perhaps it was natural. I traced down his face, feeling his sideburns, then the stubble on his cheeks. Presence or absence of facial hair did not affect his looks, at all. He had the kind of face that was tailored to suit any look.

My touch descended. I touched his neck, tracing around his Adam's apple and he etched closer. I would have suspected he was awake if his snoring had stopped.

The clock hanging on the opposite wall indicated that it was a few minutes to six o'clock. As per my usual schedule, I had risen early. Today I wanted to remain in bed a little while longer.

I caressed Ivan's arms as he slept. It was clear that he was hiding something from me. Did he think I wouldn't be able to handle whatever it was? Had we not been through enough?

I believed that after all I'd seen and all I'd undergone so far that he would actually have faith in me. But he did not. Ivan could be very cryptic and secretive but I'd always assumed that he would tell me anything that was wrong. Last night he proved me wrong, refusing to tell me what was bothering him. I saw right through his lies.

For years my father had kept me out of the loop about my mother and now here Ivan was doing the exact same thinking. He thought me naïve or too young. My tongue clicked at the thought.

Two knocks sounded from the door. It was six o'clock, the time Anna and Brienne usually arrived. Ever punctual, the two were never later than six-o-five. Only then did I realize that they would walk in on me and Ivan in bed together. It was obvious what they would assume.

Before I could say anything, the two middle aged women were in the room. Their smiles fell as soon as they saw the scene on the bed. I could imagine what was going through their minds at the moment. God, I barely even knew them...

When the king brings a lady from another country to his castle under mysterious circumstances and displays affection towards her only one thing is ever thought. She is his mistress.

They looked at me the same way some of the servants in the palace looked at me. The kings's human whore... The look had never bothered me up until this point.

"Oh, apologies my lady, we'll return when you are not too busy," Brienne said. With a curt bow, they ran out of the room.

Turning back to Ivan, I found that he was awake. By the looks of things, he had probably been awake a few moments back, when Anne and Brienne came in.

"Well that was embarrassing?" I sighed, frowning.

Ivan turned to his side, facing me properly," I don't see how. Everyone in the castle knows that you're mine."

"Yes but they will assume that...that we...you know," I argued shyly.

"No, I don't know. Tell me, what will they assume?" He queried, challenging me. He knew very well what I was speaking of, yet he wanted me to say it.

"They'll assume we... had sex," I could not stop the blush that crept up my cheeks.

The idea of Ivan and I having intercourse...

"I'm sure they did before that," he said bluntly.

"Oh my God!"

He chuckled sitting up on the bed," if this is your reaction now, what about when we do actually have coitus?"

I was sure my face was beet-red at that point. My mind toyed around with the idea for a brief moment, causing a shiver to rise up from my core.

"Glad to see the thought entertains you," Ivan joked. I hit him hard on the bicep. I doubt my hit hurt him, he was hard as stone. Either he had a hellish work out regime or it was one of the perks of being a lycanthrope. Probably both.

I got up off the bed, my feet landing on the plush carpet. This usually served as a reminder each morning, that I was not at home, as the carpet was different from the one at home. I twisted around, looking him in the eyes.

Our gaze held until I spoke, "something is bothering you and you need to tell me... please."

The last thing I wanted to do was pressure him into telling me something he did not want to, but I also did not want him looking so torn up.

"It is not important," he said, tearing the sheets away from his body. He got off the bed and approached me, taking my hand. I was well aware of what he was doing, trying to sway me away from the topic.

Ivan always insisted that he was able to handle things on his own, but he took care of me and that meant that I'd take of him even when he didn't not want me to.

"Tell me. Please, I can't stand by while something is eating you up. Does it have anything to do with Zoladie? You can't just keep me in the dark forever. What does Zoladie want from you? Why does she want to kill me."

"Stop!" He boomed, his hands forming fists." Stop talking about her!" His eyes darkened to obsidian voids.

He switched around, rushing for the door as if the room was ablaze. He left quickly, closing the door behind him before I could say anything else.

***

The water shimmered as it poured down the small waterfall in the pond. It was a pretty sight and it served as a good distraction from thinking about what had happened that same morning. These waters were from the crystal lake, they had to be.

A book lay on my lap. I was reading yet another book about Zoladie and her clan. In this text she was described as an enigma. It was stated that she only became a priority search for the throne the previous year. Before that she was a fugitive but not as 'wanted'. It was also mentioned that she had the unique ability to drain witches of their power, typically those of her own clan, that was why the Xolem Ignim clan was expeditiously dying out.

Tired of reading about the gory death of many witches at the hand of Zoladie, I placed the book on the bench and proceeded to explore the Southern areas of the garden. I soon came face to face with a familiar woman.

Her auburn locks proved unforgettable. My mind instantly came up with her name, Merideth. The doctor turned to me, her eyes studying me keenly.

"Cara," her voice was breathy. She wheezed a little, like had just come from a run.

"Merideth. What's up? You're wheezing..." I asked.

"Everything is fine. I'm just avoiding someone."

Merideth and I discussed the book I had been reading and then she told me about how she came to this place.

"I would have probably ended up a slave to some mannerless blood-sucker if it had not been for Ivan and Jasper."

Another thing we had in common: our hate of vampires. I proceeded to inform her about my experience with Mr. Hoff , the age-old vampire who'd been parading around as a high school History teacher. Now I was exceedingly thankful that Ivan had...'gotten rid of him'.

"Hey, I am going to the city the day after tomorrow. Would you like to join? It is completely safe..."

Unwilling to pass up the opportunity to see the city and leave the increasingly boring castle, I jumped at her offer. " Yes. Definitely."