Ivan's Queen

“Ayla wants to see you.” Benno states as soon as I step out of my room that morning.

Nodding, I ask both my guards to guide me to where she is. We make our way upstairs and into one of the towers where I find her sitting by a window and looking out at the vast land below. Her bright green eyes find mine as I close the door and a warm smile graces her lips as she pats the cushioned seat next to her.

“I’m leaving in a short while. The situation with the villages has been handled so I won’t be visiting as much anymore.” She starts, making me frown sadly.

“Really? You can’t stay a little longer?”

She chuckles before resting her back against the window pane. “I rule the Vampire Kingdom with Asher, remember? I’m needed there.”

“I understand.” I smile, wanting to hear their story. “Are you happy with him?”

“More than happy.” She smiles tenderly as a rosy blush graces her cheeks.

“Can you tell me the story of how you two met?” I ask, curiously.

She nods and her eyes take on a faraway look. “I was eighteen and had recently discovered my gift of teleporting. However, I was practicing without supervision one day and ended up teleporting to the vampire realm. I was far from home in an unknown place, my family wasn’t with me, I didn’t know how to go back and I was terrified. Two days later, Asher found me while travelling back to the castle. As soon as our eyes met, there was this indescribable pull and we knew that we were mates.”

Her soft smile fades and she looks down at her hands. “He took me back to his castle and when I told him how I got there, he refused to let me go back home. I just wanted to let my family know that I was alright and that I had found my mate. But he told me that it was dangerous to travel – that vampires have been warned not to use any of their gifts, especially ones that involve transporting themselves. His cousin had betrayed a powerful witch and she was wreaking havoc in their world at the time. Gifts that were once our strength were now our weaknesses because she had found ways to attack us, even kill us, while we were using them.”

“That’s awful!” I clench her hand as I feel dread swirl inside me.

“Days turned into weeks which turned into months and I ended up adjusting to living there with the hope of seeing my family one day. But one day, I visited the courthouse and was attacked. The same witch killing people took control over me and forced me to master the gift of teleporting. One night, she made me teleport but stopped it midway.” She bites her lip and sadness shines in her eyes. “I was attacked during it. Thankfully, Asher had slipped into my room and teleported with me but the damage had already been done. My beasts involuntarily shifted to help me and my wolf got out first instead of the two of them together. Asher killed her…but the witch had struck my wolf just moments before. Because of that, I can’t shift into my wolf anymore.”

“Oh, Ayla.” I whisper, draping an arm across her shoulders and hugging her when she smiles sadly.

“It’s not so bad. I can still feel her and talk to her. I just can’t shift as she was damaged because of it.” She sniffles as I wipe away a lone tear. “It’s taken a long time for me to stop feeling guilty.”

“She chose to protect you, it was her first instinct. You shouldn’t blame yourself for that, Ayla.” I rub her back soothingly as I try and calm her down.

“It’s hard sometimes when my vampire can come out and she can’t.” She whispers before resting her head on my shoulder with a sigh. “Anyways, after that I slipped into a coma because my wolf was in shock and pain. When I woke up, I was told about my wolf’s condition. Asher was very sweet and supportive though. He took good care of me after I was released from the hospital.”

“Did you go back home to your parents?”

“No.” She shakes her head as she pulls away to look at me. “I was so scared of teleporting again. I didn’t even want to be in a car or a plane no matter how many times Asher told me it would be fine. He had reached out to my parents and told them about my situation and what happened though so they traveled to see me a few times until I got over my fear.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah…pretty dramatic.” She chuckles as she rolls her eyes. “Thankfully, we got our happy ever after.”

I giggle at her sarcastic tone. She then shows me pictures of her children, Lucien and Leila who are a year apart. Both are the cutest babies I have ever seen with mixed features from their parents. She tells me that Ivan is the godparent of Lucien and adores him, adding that she’s given up on trying to stop him from spoiling her son. Leila’s godparent is Asher’s sister Sage Antonov.

However, we’re soon interrupted by the sound of rushed footsteps which causes us to frown at each other. But we don’t have to wait long for Ivan to slam open the doors. His emerald eyes are shining with worry and fear before they land on the pair of us. When he sees that we’re okay, a dark scowl graces his lips as he directs his glare at Ayla.

“Please don’t tell me you’re having girl talk or being emotional.” He groans, his nose scrunching adorably.

“Only me.” Ayla laughs before standing as she makes her way over to him. “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

“I hate having our bond sometimes.” He rolls his eyes while gesturing for me to come to him.

“You love me! I’m your favorite twin after all!” She winks as she walks out of the greenhouse.

“You’re my only twin, idiot!” He grumbles before taking my hand and following her out.

We make our way downstairs and into the foyer where people wait to see her off. After she’s hugged Benno and Hendrix, she comes over to Ivan and I to say her goodbyes before stepping through the portal and vanishing with one last wave. I feel a little sad that she’s gone and hope she’ll come back soon.

“I’m going for a run. I’ll be back soon.” Ivan murmurs in my ear before he turns to leave.

I catch his wrist, feeling slightly hesitant. “Can I see Maksim and Konstantin?”

He bites his lip before nodding slowly, intertwining our hands and guiding me outside to one of the more private gardens. I look over my shoulder to see Benno and Hendrix following us but at a longer distance. Turning, Ivan pulls me through the open door and out onto the green grass. I’m bursting with excitement but I’m also nervous.

“Okay, so I can combine them both and that makes me appear as a different creature but for today I’ll introduce you to them individually.” He explains, making me nod eagerly.

He smiles softly at my excited behavior before taking a step back. His entire body tenses and then his eyes turn a bright red before a set of fangs elongate and his skin pales drastically. There’s no switching of bodies, instead it feels like Ivan’s body went through major changes but I know it’s not him anymore.

“Maksim.” I breathe in slight awe as I watch him take a step towards me.

“My beloved.” He smiles softly before reaching out to play with a strand of my hair. “You’re even more beautiful in person.”

I blush at his statement, averting my eyes as he caresses my cheek. He wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me flush against him. His body is leaner and less toned, skin as cold as ice which makes me shiver slightly in response. And then he’s standing a few feet away from me with a distraught expression.

“Maksim…what’s wrong?” I ask gently with my hand outstretched.

“Beloved is cold…because of me.” He frowns sadly as he takes a seat on one of the stone steps.

I laugh lightly before sitting down beside him. “It was surprising at first but it doesn’t bother me, see?”

I place a hand on his shoulder and his bright eyes follow the action, turning his head as he waits for me to pull away or shiver. When I don’t do either, he smiles widely before picking me up and pulling me onto his lap. Yelping in surprise, I break out into a fit of giggles when he peppers kisses all over my face.

“Does beloved hate me?” He whispers as he caresses my cheek.

“No, why would I hate you?”

“Human – Ivan says we hurt beloved that day.” He mumbles lowly before he turns panicked. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, I misunderstood too. I forgive you three.” I watch as he perks up in excitement before pecking my cheek repeatedly and hugging me tightly.

He pulls away and chooses to just stare at me for a long moment. We sit in silence on the steps with only the sound of birds chirping echoing in the open space. His index finger reaches out and trails across my collarbone, up the curve of my neck and eventually wraps a strand of hair around it. His bright red eyes meet mine again and awe swirls in them as he smiles at me.

“Pretty beloved.” He breathes which makes me chuckle.

“Thank you. You’re very handsome too.” I grin and nod when he shyly asks if I mean it.

Before he can reply however, his eyes darken to black. Huffing, he blinks and the color is gone in an instant. He turns to me and tells me that Konstantin wants to meet me now. We stand but he pulls me close again to press a lingering kiss to my forehead, cheek and the base of my neck.

“I’m always here to protect beloved.” He whispers before brushing his lips against my knuckles.

“Thank you, Maksim.” I press a kiss to his cheek before stepping away when he starts to shift.

I grimace at the sounds of bones snapping, struggling to watch his body bend and crack. But in just a few seconds, a large wolf stands in Maksim’s place. His coat is black like midnight and he towers above my petite frame. I look almost comical standing next to him! But his eyes catch my attention, they are a stunning bright blue.

Hesitating, I take a step closer and stretch my hand to caress his muzzle. A loud purr escapes Konstantin as he tries to nuzzle his cheek against my palm. Laughing softly, I run my fingers through his fur and scratch behind his ear. He seems to enjoy that a lot by the way numerous purrs and growls escape him repeatedly.

“Mate.” My eyes widen in shock when I hear a masculine voice in my mind. Konstantin nudges my hand and I realize that it’s him.

“Hi Konstantin.” I smile up at him as he walks around me in circles.

He makes sure to rub his fur against my body as he sniffs me slightly. I watch in amusement and interest as he does this before he eventually seeks out my palm and licks it. He lowers himself onto the grass and I take a seat in front of him, crossing my legs just in time for him to rest his large head on them. Chuckling, I start caressing his fur and feeling the heat of the sun’s rays warming it up.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” I smile in understanding before pressing a kiss to his cheek.

He doesn’t talk much, instead he chooses to spend his time cuddling up to me as much as possible. But occasionally, he’ll purr in content or whisper an endearment to me mentally. He’s really calm and quite different from Maksim.

“You’ve got beautiful eyes.” I whisper, watching them settle on me.

“I like yours more.” He replies as he sits up on his hind legs.

I’m about to say something else when the sound of the door bursting open makes me jump. Before I can turn to see what caused the noise, Konstantin is in front of me and snarling quite viciously. I peek from the side to see that a few guards had entered, now apologizing and slowly backing out of the garden. Benno and Hendrix peek in from the doors on the right, shaking their heads at the cause of the interruption. Konstantin has yet to calm down and stands alert, growling dangerously as he watches everyone leave and close the doors. I run my fingers through his fur until he turns to me, seeking out my palm and licking it a few times.

“Protect mate.” He grumbles before plopping back down onto the grass, but this time his arm curls around me as his head rests in my lap. “Always.”

“Thank you.” I bite my lip to stifle my laughter over how adorable he’s being. “That was very sweet.”

“Strong.” He shakes his head as he huffs slightly.

“Sweet.”

“Strong.”

“Sweet.” I elongate the word, chuckling when he stares at me intensely. It almost looks like he’s frowning in anger.

“Strong!” He growls before shoving me playfully with his head.

Squealing, I roll away and try to get up but he’s faster. He pins me down and starts licking my neck and cheek, making me yell at him to stop. His cold nose nestling into the crook of my neck makes me shriek and squirm underneath him. On top of that, my loud laughter echoes in the garden as his fur tickles me.

“Okay, okay! You’re strong!” I gasp for air when he stops his assault.

With an expression that looks like he’s satisfied with my answer, he nods smugly and sits back down. I snicker under my breath as I sit up, knowing that what I’m about to say will rile him up again. Crouching slightly, I watch his ears perk and his eyes gaze at me with interest.

“I lied! You’re still sweet!” I shout before turning and running across the garden.

His loud growl shakes the ground and makes me laugh. I look over my shoulder to see him standing up with a mischievous glint in his eyes. He starts towards me, making me shriek and run faster. I’m just about to exit the garden when I feel an arm wrap around my waist.

I’m pulled back into a chest and I realize that Ivan shifted back. I can feel that he has a t-shirt and jeans on so I assume he shifted and used his speed to catch up to me. He chuckles huskily before swiping my hair to the side and trailing his nose along the curve of my neck. I shiver when he places an open-mouthed kiss to my skin before nipping at my earlobe.

“Don’t play games with us, sunshine. You’ll never win.” He murmurs lowly, making me laugh breathlessly.

I turn around in his arms and grin up at him in excitement. “They’re so nice! I like them!”

“They’re very happy to hear that.” He smiles as his eyes flash from black to red before settling on emerald green. My favorite.

But then he turns sober as he takes hold of my hands. My brows furrow at the sudden change of mood as I wonder what’s wrong. His eyes roam over my features, like he’s committing everything to memory. His gaze is so intense that I find myself flushing.

“You mean it?” He murmurs as he bites his lip nervously. “You truly forgive us?”

“Of course!” I laugh as I wrap my arms around his neck. “I don’t know what it’s like to have someone to control, never mind two creatures. But I understand that it can be hard sometimes and I would never blame you for it. I should have talked to you about it too instead of misunderstanding.”

“I don’t really talk much so I don’t know how well that would have went.” He jokes humorlessly before shaking his head.

“Well, you’ve improved and I like that you’re trying.” I pull him down by the collar of his shirt and kiss him sweetly.

I pull away, only to blush fiercely when he doesn’t stop staring at me. And then a playful look enters his eyes making me wonder what he’s thinking. He tugs me to him by my arms so that I’m now pressed up against his chest. I’m just about to protest when he speaks.

“If I’m rewarded like this every time maybe I should improve on some other things.” He mumbles before cupping my face in both hands and pressing his lips to mine.

Fun fact: It was this chapter where I decided to write Ayla's book. Only because I had come up with how Ayla and Asher met and what happened - I thought it would make an interesting story.