Chapter 106

*Ivan*


“What are you hiding, Ivan?” Ariya growled at me.
I took a deep breath and sighed. She wasn’t going to do anything until she knew what was wrong. Our minds were linked so I just thought about the conversation I had with Boss. It flashed through my mind about how he wanted me to break her. I also thought about how something was bothering me when my hair changed and I was Justin. Something was wrong and I couldn’t figure it out. I hoped Ariya would understand with the quick glimpse that I gave her into what happened before I got to her.
Ariya looked at me concerned, “Oh, Ivan.”
“Ari, please. We don’t have time. We have to hurry and we need to figure things out. Please.” I told her.
Ariya walked over to me and took my face in her hands. She pressed her lips to mine, kissing me hard. I could feel her emotions come through the stress I felt and realized she was trying to calm me down. The stress bubbled up further as my mind went to the night my parents died. I didn’t want that to happen to Ariya. I couldn’t handle it if something happened to her. But I also didn’t want to be the one to cause her pain.
*Ari, please. We don’t have time.* I begged her in my head.
*Breathe, Ivan. It’s going to be ok.* Ariya told me, trying to reassure me.
Ariya broke the kiss, moved my head to the side quickly and struck. I gasped as I felt the blood leave my body, the strength draining from me quickly. I felt an electricity flow through me as my excitement rose. My eyes changed to my wolf eyes as she fed.
The world around me faded out. Ariya was no longer in front of me. I looked around confused for a moment before the realization hit.
“Ariya?” I called out.
“Sorry, it takes a little longer for me to get here than it does for you.” She giggled.
I ran over to her and scooped her up in my arms. I hugged her tightly. Clinging on.
“Please don’t be mad at me.” I whispered.
“I’m not. I understand when you showed me. But Ivan, we don’t have to talk for you to explain things to me quickly. Just think about it if something bugs you and we can talk like this if we need to. Especially if there isn’t time. There is a solution to everything. Well almost. This one has a solution but you aren’t going to like it.” Ariya said.
“I’m sorry. I’m not used to being able to show you everything. I’m not used to anyone being able to talk to me in my head. Speaking of, how is this happening right now?” I asked, confused.
“I let myself lose control. I was hungry enough it would work. It’s the only time I can pull someone while I’m feeding. That’s why I put up the barrier. Can you show me everything that has happened since we cut the link before you entered the building? That way we can go over it all. We won’t have a lot of time like you said, but knowing all the information is what’s going to help us right now.” Ariya said.
I nodded and thought about everything that happened. Trying to speed up what happened. As soon as I walked into the room with Ariya the playback stopped. Ariya looked at me, wide-eyed.
“Ivan, we can’t leave. I know no one is going to be there. But we can’t leave.” She told me.
“I know. It’s a trap. I think Boss is testing me. Which is part of my worry. If he’s testing me, Ari, it means he’s suspecting something.” I told her.
“Not necessarily. You know Boss. He’s OCD about things. He’s probably covering his bases. But he trusts you. So if it is a test it’s to make everyone else realize. I think the true test is if you’ll really try to break me. Which means you’re going to have to break some bones.” Ariya said, thoughtfully.
I growled, “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I know, but that’s the point. Boss knows that Ivan is going to do everything he can to get to me. He doesn’t know you’re already here. He probably suspects it though. Which is why everyone is going to be in attendance. He doesn’t know it’s you. He suspects that Ivan is somewhere among the staff. Boss is likely to be watching us fight but also watching everyone else to see if someone jumps in to try to help. When no one does, Boss will believe that his staff are trustworthy enough and that Ivan will go to him. He already believes that you and him are the only 2 that stand a chance to fight me. Which means I need to prove that no one else stands a chance.”
I felt my stomach drop, “If you can’t prove that the others don’t stand a chance, I’m pretty sure that they’ll be set on guard duty as well. We can’t let that happen. You’re going to have to beat all of them after me, Ari. But I’m supposed to break you. How does he plan on doing all of it?”
“I’m not sure. But the only way to prove that you are the only capable one is for us to fight first. Then fix me and then the others fight me in a partially weakened state. Ivan, you’re going to have to break a lot of bones, but if either of us hold back, Boss is going to know.” Ariya said, concerned.
I growled, “I hate this. You’re right though. It is a test, on all ends. Boss isn’t sure who he can trust. He thinks he can trust me but he still has to be sure. I’m positive there’s a trap outside if we were to try to run. Something’s still bugging me though.”
“It’s that you’re going to have to hurt me, and something feels different when you’re Justin right?” Ariya asked.
“Yeah. I don’t know why, but something feels wrong when I’m Justin. It’s different. I don’t know what it is.”
“Maybe when you’re Justin you still feel the mate bond? Is it something that just feels wrong or just different?” Ariya asked me.
I thought about the feeling before responding, “Something just feels different. It’s not that it feels wrong. Just something is different and I can’t put my finger on it. I don’t know why.”
“Then we’ll deal with it another time. We’ll ask Drake about it. We need to worry about passing this test first.” Ariya said.
“I feel like there’s more to it all. Getting you to the room, Boss said not to restrain you unless absolutely necessary.” I told her.
“I think Boss is trying to see if I’ll run or if you will help me try to escape. I don’t think I need to try anything. I wouldn’t want to lose anything I have right now anyway. If Boss asks, I’ll just say that. I doubt he will.” Ariya told me.
“So we’re not going to escape. Just go and fight?” I sighed, “And I’m going to have to hurt you, a lot.”
“Yes, but it’s going to be ok Ivan. I’ll heal. It’s only temporary for me. Besides, if you don’t do it, they’ll torture both of us instead. We know we can’t beat Boss yet and escaping will be so much harder if we’re both chained up. The only way we can manage to escape is if you are still the only one watching me. I know it sucks, but I’m gonna learn a lot from it and we’re going to have to fight a lot to get stronger and learn how to use each other’s abilities. Right? We talked about this before, Ivan. It’s ok. I’m going to be ok.”
I hated this. I was reluctant to fight her. But I knew she was right. This was a test. Boss would likely have a trap set for us if we tried to escape. If Ariya tried to escape she would be back on the table. The only option was to go to the arena and fight. I hated it though. I didn’t want to hurt her. But I knew it was the only way. She was giving me permission to do so but I still didn’t like it. I knew it was the only way to get stronger though. For both of us. If either of us held back, like she said, we’d get caught. Getting caught was absolutely not an option. It didn’t mean I liked it though.