Chapter 142: The Fire And The Heartbeat
[Music Recommendation: Bliss - Wish You Were Here]
With tears streaking down his face, his eyes wide with shock as he looked at the shadowy figure who still held the sword that pierced his dear mother, the five-year-old Ivan screamed, "I will kill you all!"
With that, there was an enormous blast in the Queen’s chamber, engulfing everything in fire. Before he could stop himself, Ivan saw the last image of his mother, her bloodied lips forming a faint smile. Her mouth moved inaudibly just before everything was swallowed in violent flames.
Then the scene dissolved in darkness. Before he knew it, he was deep underwater, sinking further and further into the abyss...a depth of despair, of loneliness. He thought this was it...that this would be the end, so he closed his eyes, letting himself drown as the nightmare replayed over and over again behind his eyelids.
’I deserve this...’ he thought.
But then, through the darkness, a faint ethereal voice echoed, "Ivan.."
He opened his eyes slightly, still underwater, as the voice grew louder and louder.
"Ivan!"
"Wake up, Ivan!"
"Wake up, now!"
A golden light shone above the surface. Through it, he saw a woman reaching out for him.
Her long brown locks waved beautifully underwater as she extended her hand to reach out to him.
’Who...Who is that?’ he asked himself silently.
She came closer, and the moment her hand touched him, Ivan’s eyes snapped open. He gasped, his molten eyes glowed like hot lava. His body was drenched in cold sweat, his breathing harsh and uneven.
He felt disoriented, surroundings by darkness, the faint moonlight spilling through the windows were eerily similar to that hellish night. His blazing eyes darted around frantically, convinced the dreadful chain of events was about to repeat itself, when he suddenly felt warm hands on his face.
On reflex, Ivan moved; he seized the wrists of the hands that touched him and, in a blink, had the audacious person pinned beneath him, caging them between his arms.
A soft gasp filled the room.
"Ivan...you’re okay. I’m here with you."
Her voice...her sweet, ethereal voice broke through the haze in his mind. His molten orange eyes finally focused on the figure below him, her face illuminated by the silvery light. Her heart was racing fast, her pulse wild, yet her eyes held no fear; only deep, aching worry.
"Ivan...you’re safe," she whispered gently. "It was just a nightmare."
Though her wrists were still bound in his iron grip above her head, though she lay beneath a man who could crush her in an instant, her lips did not tremble with fear. Instead, her words were filled with concern....for him. For the man who believed he didn’t deserve it.
Realising it was Evelyn....his Eve, who had been calling him Ivan’s grip finally loosened, though he didn’t let go completely.
Eve continued to stare at him, her heart twisting painfully at the sight of him looking so lost, so utterly terrified. There was so much agony in his eyes that her own eyes started to well up as she watched the man she was falling for, distressed to this level.
Eve had been peacefully asleep beside him when she heard him tossing in his sleep, calling out for his mother in pain. When she heard him scream in a hoarse voice, she tried to wake him, but he wouldn’t respond. Her worry deepened as she continued to shake him gently, desperate to pull him out of his nightmare.
That’s when the brooch she had placed on him shimmered faintly with golden light, and his eyes finally snapped open. She didn’t know what he saw, but she had never seen him like this before...it terrified her. She could tell it was something related to his mother. Feeling helpless, she only wanted to make him feel better.
Even as she found herself pinned beneath him, trapped under his iron grip, she noticed the wild blaze in his orange eyes, as if he couldn’t truly see her right now.
So she kept calling out to him, wishing to reach him somehow. She whispered again, careful not to startle him any further, "Ivan...you’re safe. It was just a nightmare."
That’s when she felt him finally loosen his grip on her, and his eyes began to focus on what was in front of him. A wave of relief flooded her mind.
He didn’t say anything, just continued to stare at her, his breathing still harsh but more controlled than before. They remained silent, gazing at each other for a long moment before Ivan finally moved his hands from her wrist and slid them up to her palms, intertwining their fingers and pressing them gently, a gesture that made her heart shudder.
"Eve.." he whispered in a worn-out voice, before leaning forward until he sank onto her bosom.
Eve’s heart fluttered and squeezed all at once to see him in such a fragile state. She wanted to reach out and wrap her hands around him, to soothe away whatever haunted him, but all she could do for now was lie beneath him and wait until he was ready to let go.
She remembered her conversation with Cece, that Ivan had a painful past that had shaped him into who he was. Seeing him like this now, she knew it must have been something truly terrible. As much as she longed to know more about him, she didn’t have the heart to ask him any of it ever again. Not if it meant seeing him suffer like this. She just wanted him to be okay.
Ivan, on the other hand, inhaled her calming scent deeply, keeping his face buried into her soft bosom, listening to the rhythm of her beating heart, a sound helping him overwrite unpleasant screams and whispers that were assaulting his mind.
After staying like that for some time, when he was feeling much more clear-headed, he whispered her name like a prayer, "Eve.."
"Yes...I’m here," she replied softly.
And slowly untangled his fingers from hers, bringing his hands down to wrap around her waist as he rubbed his face against her chest. Eve finally wrapped her arms around his head, caressing him gently as she whispered, "You’re okay..."
He buried himself further in her embrace, and she felt his tension in his shoulders gradually ease. She continued to stroke his hair, feeling him press a soft kiss against her chest; neither of them spoke or asked questions.
Eventually, Ivan rolled to the side, taking her along with him, still keeping his head tucked against her chest as if afraid to let go.
Soon she felt his breathing even out, and he finally fell asleep. She continued her gentle caressing, hoping to keep his nightmare at bay, to remind him that he wasn’t alone, that she was here with him.
She didn’t know what time had passed until her own eyes grew heavy, and she slowly drifted off to sleep.
When the morning arrived, Eve felt the warmth of the sunlight brushing against her face. Her thick eyelashes fluttered open as she adjusted to the familiar sight of her room in the academy. When her gaze drifted downwards, she saw Ivan still fast asleep, his face buried against her bosom, his hands firmly around her waist as if afraid she might vanish.
A soft sigh escaped her lips as the memories of the previous night came flooding back. She couldn’t see Ivan’s face, nor could she move without disturbing him, so she remained still. Gently, she ran her fingers through his hair before leaning down to press a tender kiss on the top of his head.
That’s when she heard a faint murmur against her chest, so soft she almost thought she imagined it.
"So..l.."
Her eyebrows furrowed again, and she wondered if she was imagining it until she heard it clearly this time.
"Sol.." he murmured softly.
’Again, it’s that name! Just who is this Sol?!’ she thought furiously. Then she felt him rub his face against her chest and tightened his grip around her.
’What the hell! He better not be thinking about another woman while holding me!’ Eve gritted her teeth as the unpleasant thought assaulted her mind.
"Sol.." When he mumbled again, Eve couldn’t take it anymore. She grabbed Ivan’s cheeks and pulled him away, making his eyes snap open at the sudden separation from his fluffy cushion.
Frowning, he opened his molten red eyes only to be met with her piercing blue orbs, staring down at him with an unmistakably hostile gaze.
He blinked in confusion, wondering if he had done something in his sleep to offend her. Raising a brow, he spoke in his deep, sleepy voice, "Good Morning, baby."
He leaned forward to kiss her lips when he was effectively blocked by her palm pressing firmly against his lips.
Surprised, he studied her for a moment before gently prying her hand away and asking carefully, "What’s wrong?"
"Why don’t you answer that, Ivan?" she said, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
The crease between his brows deepened as he pursed his lips. "Did I... do something to upset you?" he asked, clearly confused.
Eve stared at him in silence for a moment before finally asking, "Who’s Sol?"
