Chapter 64: The Red Eyed Storm
Eve finally stepped away from his hold and turned around to undo her buttons one by one. Ivan, too, unfastened and shrugged off his white jacket in a swift motion. She slid hers off her shoulder, but before she could turn, Ivan stepped closer from behind and draped his large jacket over her.
Eve remained silent and slipped her arms into the oversized sleeves. Just as she was about to button herself, Ivan turned her to face him and began fastening the buttons one by one. That was when Eve noticed him standing only in his white shirt, the damp fabric stuck to his skin, revealing his taut muscles to her wandering eyes. From his hard six-pack abs to the broad and defined muscles of his chest. His body looked like a sculpture to marvel at. His top two buttons were undone, offering her an unintentional glimpse of what lay beneath.
Then she suddenly heard him whisper, "Like what you see?"
She looked at his face and bit her lip before quickly averting her gaze, feeling embarrassed at how blatantly she had been gawking at him. His lips twitched as he found himself more pleased than he should. As he fastened the last button, he intentionally brushed his finger lightly over her neck, making her breathing hitch.
She quickly swatted his hand away and narrowed her eyes at him, "Y-you, you’re enjoying this way too much, aren’t you?"
"I am," he replied brazenly.
Eve quickly folded the sleeves, while muttering under her breath, "I didn’t know the crown princes of Versailles was so shameless." Her words earned her a low, sexy chuckle from him. Ivan was about to respond when another piercing growl from outside rattled the boulder, making both of them turn to the entrance.
Eve stiffened as the guttural growl echoed again, louder this time, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of claws scraping against the stone, making her stomach twist.
Ivan’s smirk vanished instantly, replaced by that cold, lethal focus she had seen before. He reached for her hand and squeezed it firmly, "No matter what happens, don’t leave my side, Eve."
She swallowed hard, and her eyes became serious as they shifted their gaze to the shaking boulder that separated them from the chaos outside. Squeezing his hand back, she asked again, "How many?"
"Too many," he answered grimly.
He then let go of her hand and extended his palm towards her, "Give me your jacket."
She didn’t know why he suddenly asked for her discarded jacket, but she quickly picked it up and handed it to him without question. Another rumbling shook the ground outside as Ivan folded her jacket into the shape of a ball. Eve, who was watching him closely, suddenly realised what he had in mind. Dust fell from the ceiling of the cave with each tremor, as if something massive was trying to move the boulder.
Ivan snapped his fingers, and the fire that lit up the cave was snuffed out, shrouding them back into darkness.
There was a loud sound as the boulder shifted halfway from its place, letting the light seep in. "Ivan!" Eve anxiously blurted out his name in panic that was bubbling in her chest.
She felt a hand slide around her waist, pulling her against him. She gasped as she clutched at his shirt, "I’m right here...are you ready?" A louder screech echoed through the cave, and the rumbling intensified, causing more mud to fall from the ceiling.
"Yes?" Her reply came out more like a question, but they had already run out of time. The massive boulder was shoved aside, revealing five dirty green giant orcs crowding the entrance.
[Music Recommendation: The Broken View - All I Feel Is You]
"Hold on to me," he commanded, and she speedily wrapped her arms around his neck. Her breathing quickened as dread coiled tighter inside her. Before any of the orcs could enter the cave, Ivan raised his other hand that held her jacket crumbled in the form of a ball and hurled it out with incredible force.
The orcs, briefly distracted by the flying object with the potion scent attached to it, rushed after it. Seizing the moment, Ivan wrapped his arms around Evelyn and sprinted forward with his vampiric speed, landing them on the branch of a towering tree.
Eve opened her eyes, when she felt him stop somewhere, she unwrapped her arms from his neck to look around her. She registered that they were on top of a thick tree branch. Steading her boots against the bark, she still clutched his arms as her gaze dropped down, only to freeze in shock.
Countless creatures swarmed below: goblins, wolves, orcs, giant snakes, and some other black beasts. Some raced after where the jacket was thrown, which seemed pretty far, while others had already turned their attention upwards, fixing on the two of them on top of the tree. She felt the air getting knocked out of her lungs, and she whispered under her breath, "Oh heavens above!"
Ivan still held her by the waist with one arm, while the other drew her sword from the waistband at her hip, "You don’t have to fight them, just hold on to your sword for defence, okay?"
Eve turned her anxious eyes to him, "A-are you planning to take them on alone?"
A faint smile tugged at his lips, "It seems you’ve forgotten who I am. I must say, I’m offended, Eve."
"B-But there are so many!" Her voice wavered as she felt too overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies below.
"Hm.." He tilted his head slightly, "Well then, let me show you what this shameless crown prince is capable of."
With that, he placed the sword into her hands and leaned in, his lips close to hers. "Don’t get injured again...or you’ll be punished." He brushed his thumb lightly across her lips, and Eve flushed crimson as she couldn’t believe this new side of Ivan. More than that, she couldn’t believe how such a simple touch could steal her focus away from the dire situation surrounding them, drawing it all to him alone.
Then, without another word, he scooped her into his arms and jumped from the tree. The moment he did, the tree shook violently and toppled with a loud groan. When Eve looked over his shoulder, she saw that one of the giants had struck it down.
Out of nine hours, four hours had already passed in their exam. The sky remained gloomy, as if preparing for another storm. Beasts screeched so loudly, possibly alerting every other living being around in the forest.
Not too far away, the same screech reached all the way up to Cece and Edward.
"God’s above, what was that?" Cece muttered, her eyes darting towards the sound.
Edward wiped blood from his sword, spoke with a grim expression, "I’m not sure, but whatever it is, my instincts are telling me not to be anywhere near it.
"Let’s head in the opposite direction," Cece suggested.
Edwards gave her a nod before they headed in a different direction.
Meanwhile, on the far side of the forest, a lone man with messy blond hair and dark red eyes had also heard the sound. His twin swords moved with deadly precision, slicing one of the orc’s heads, with three other bodies lying around him. He landed gracefully in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by the carnage.
He turned his handsome face towards the direction of the multiple screeches that had sent birds fleeing in panic, making Damien’s lips curve into a wide grin.
"Hmm...so that’s where all the fun’s been hiding?" he murmured. "Good. It was getting far too lonely out here."
He placed his swords over his shoulders and started walking towards the source of the dreadful screech, unlike everyone else, who ran away as far as they could from that place.
Back in the heart of the chaos, Ivan landed gracefully with Eve in his arms, he set her down gently and waited until her feet were steady on the ground. The moment she was balanced, he drew his sword and stood in front of her like an immovable shield. Eve’s gaze lingered on his proud, broad back, and somehow, it gave her an acute sense of security and reassurance...that this man would let nothing pass through him.
A strong wind swept through the clearing, ruffling their hair, which was slightly drier than before.
Then, without warning, the beasts charged at them with a guttural roar. Ivan’s eyes glowed bright red as his vampiric powers surged to life. He was brimming with so much power that he could hardly believe it himself, and he could only attribute it to him consuming Evelyn’s blood. Ivan was already formidable, but with her blood still coursing through his system, he felt like he could destroy this entire realm in the blink of an eye.
Three giant orcs raised their hands in unison to crush Ivan, but before they could even get close to him, he zapped through the air, his blade glinting as the lightning cracked across the sky, and in next instant, he vanished and reappeared in the blink of an eye back to his place in front of Eve as if he never moved at all. Eve, who was watching with her wide blue eyes, saw the orcs standing motionless for a second before their head rolled to the ground, followed by the collapse of their massive bodies.
