Chapter 240: Bound By The Same Purpose
He always had a way of utterly mesmerising her, and Eve knew it well. Even if they did not share a lifetime together, without a single doubt in her mind, she would still be drawn towards him, like the waves of the ocean that would always meet the shore, no matter what.
Ivan saw the raw desire in her eyes, and it drove him insane, to say the least, yet he knew he had to control himself for both of them right now. This was the time for her to recover, and only he knew what a beast he became when it came to his desire for her. Releasing a soft breath, he kissed her nose and said, "Don’t do that, baby," before tucking her beneath his chin to stop himself from losing control under the sultry gaze she fixed on him.
He then went on to explain, "I made the decision because I thought it was the best way to show everyone that I was taking you with me, especially in front of King Solan, should he decide to get close to us, which he did. It was also meant to mislead any spies keeping an eye on our whereabouts. They needed to believe that I was taking you to Dracoria Palace, so that if anyone tried to act, we could deal with the threat swiftly without putting you in any danger."
Eve lifted her head in confusion and asked, "But I am here with you, so-"
"Cece took your place. We wrapped her in the same blanket you were in, hiding her face and hair so no one would know it was not you. Any spies who saw me carrying a woman wrapped in a white blanket would still believe it was you."
"Oh..." Eve’s eyes flashed with intrigue before she asked, "Then....where is Cece now?"
"She is currently staying in my room at Dracoria Palace to make it more believable. Damien and Edward are there to handle any problems that might arise in my absence."
She stared at him for a few seconds before asking, "So did they encounter any problems?"
"Yes, we caught at least five intruders in the last two days since entering the palace. Arthur and Alex are aware of the plan, and they act fast. Not to mention my father and Uncle Regulus are aware of it as well, so they have their men keeping a strict watch on every activity within the palace."
"Then....how long are we supposed to stay here?" Eve asked after taking in all the information.
Ivan rolled to the side, taking Eve with him until she was lying face to face with him. He dipped his head to her neck and inhaled her scent before asking in a husky voice, "How long do you want to stay here?"
"Ha..." she let out a breathy moan as she felt his nose graze her sensitive neck, moving slowly up and down. She slid her hands from his chest to the nape of his neck and breathed, "Forever."
Ivan paused at her words before letting out a throaty chuckle at her response. He pressed another kiss just beneath her ear and felt her tremble slightly before lifting his face to look at her.
Eve looked down at him, caught the amused glint in his eyes, and blushed. "I mean....how long can we stay here?"
Smiling, Ivan replied, "We can stay here for a couple of days, since no one knows that you are awake."
"Really?" she beamed.
"Really," Ivan answered with a nod, before sealing her lips with another kiss. It was meant to be brief, but with both their desires spiralling out of control, it quickly deepened. Evelyn moaned softly into his mouth as he kissed her hungrily, his misbehaving hands roaming over her back before slipping beneath her sleeping gown. His fingers traced the smooth, soft skin of her thigh before settling on her curves, giving her a light squeeze. He hissed, broke the kiss abruptly, and gently bit her lip before tugging it between his teeth.
"You little temptress," he murmured, "stop it."
Evelyn smiled innocently as she played with the ends of his soft hair. "It was you....not me."
"Ah... yes."
With that, he pulled back slightly before drawing her into his embrace again, tucking her beneath his chin. "You better sleep, baby, because I assure you, the things I want to do with you..." He leaned closer to her ear and bit it softly, "...you will need every bit of your strength for them."
Eve shivered at his touch, her heart racing at his suggestive words. Oh, she wanted him desperately, but she knew she needed to recover fully, realising that any activity with Ivan always left her spent afterwards. With a low sigh, she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face against his chest.
But she still had questions swirling in her mind, so she asked softly, "Ivan?"
"Hm?"
"What about the academy? With all of us away.....won’t there be questions about our absence?"
"Don’t worry. Father already spoke to the headmaster about you being unconscious and unable to attend classes until you recover. He also informed him that all of us were sent on a special mission due to the rising level of threat from the dark ones. Professor Dante and Seira were told the same before we departed from Dartmouth. With words travelling fast across the continent, I am sure everyone is aware by now of everything that happened there."
"I see..." she replied quietly.
They fell into silence for a while after that before Ivan asked, "Eve?"
"Yes?"
He tightened his hold around her and remained silent for some time, as though debating whether he should ask or not. Eve sensed his hesitation and shifted slightly, lifting her head to look up at him. "What is it?"
Ivan gazed deeply into her eyes before letting out a sigh. "Nothing. We can talk later."
She frowned at him. "No, you cannot do that to me."
"Do what?"
"Raise my curiosity and then leave me hanging like that." Ivan’s eyebrows lifted at her words, and she continued, "You clearly have something to ask, so ask without hesitation. I do it all the time. Shamelessly, in fact, and you can be shameless with me."
Ivan burst into quiet laughter at her adorable words.
He then held her chin and pressed it lightly. "You’d better remember your words before calling me shameless the next time."
Eve smiled and retorted, "I will still call you shameless that you are, but it does not change the fact that only you are allowed to be shameless with me."
Smiling, he gave her an innocent peck on the lips, and she asked again, "So tell me, what is it that you wanted to ask?"
And the smile faded from Ivan’s lips, his expression shifting suddenly into one of restrained fury, and Eve wondered what had brought it on.
Still, she waited patiently before he finally spoke, "Eve....what did that bastard do to you, for you to be in that state?"
At his question, she understood why his mood had suddenly done a complete one-eighty.
Meeting his gaze head-on, she replied calmly, "What do you think he could do to me?"
Ivan continued staring at her, and she went on, her expression unwavering. "Nothing. He could not do a thing, because I would never let him. I gave him exactly what he deserved, and where it hurt the most."
Ivan did not need to think hard to understand what she meant, yet it did nothing to quell the rage surging within him, the urge to resurrect that monster’s body and tear it apart again and again until he was satisfied.
Eve read his mood and lifted her hand to touch his cheek tenderly. "Ivan," she said softly, drawing his attention back to her and away from his destructive thoughts. "I took care of it. What you saw were my battle scars, earned on the path to my victory. My purpose was to obtain the vault key from him, which I did. Yes, there were a few hurdles along the way, but I was not alone. Damien and Edward protected me. And do you know why we all went to such lengths?"
When he remained silent, she answered herself. "Because we were all bound by the same purpose... to save you. To have you back with us. It was that single force that drove us beyond our limits to fight through evil, and we did."
Ivan opened his mouth to protest, but she stopped him at once, pressing a finger firmly to his lips. "Before you even begin to guilt-trip yourself into believing that everyone suffered because of you, ask yourself what you would have done if the roles were reversed." She paused, letting every word strike home.
"You should know better by now. We would do it again, without hesitation. I would do it again, because I would never allow any vile hand to so much as to brush against you." Her eyes flared gold, burning brighter than ever, and her voice dropped into something dark and dangerous as she continued, "I would cut anyone into a million pieces before they ever get close enough to harm you again."
