Chapter Ninety Eight

*Ivan*


I collapsed on top of her, unable to catch my breath after the 3rd round. Ariya had been a lot hungrier than I had realized and had drained 3 full bodies worth of blood. We had made love to each other the entire time and I was drained physically. I was out of stamina but I also felt like I was floating on a cloud. I was exhausted and I could tell she was too. I moved off of her so she wasn’t pinned under me. We both lay there trying to catch our breath. I felt my eyes flutter close as the exhaustion was taking over.
A surge of panic hit me and it was only enough to wake me up a bit. I knew why she was panicking. She was worried she had hurt me.
“Shhhh, it’s ok, Ari. I’m ok. I’m just tired. That was a lot, but it was so worth it.” I mumbled softly, my eyes refusing to open.
“I feel like you’re slipping away from me.” She said, the panic not going away.
I wanted to comfort her but she was right, the darkness was enveloping me. I was losing consciousness but I knew it was just from exhaustion.
I felt her prick her tongue with something sharp and felt her grab my face. She pulled me to her kissing me. Her tongue entered my mouth and I jolted. My eyes flew open and I sat up quickly breathing heavily.
I looked at her stunned, “What was that?”
Ariya giggled, “I shared some of my blood with you. Apparently that’s what happens.”
“How did you know that would happen?” I asked her, confused.
“I didn’t. I was just scared you were going to leave me. I didn’t want to lose you.” She said, looking like she was in trouble.
“You are never going to lose me and I’m never going to actually leave you. I might have to go for a bit but I promise I’ll always come back to you. You have nothing to worry about, Ari. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.” I consoled her.
Ariya pulled me back down to the mat so I was laying there with her. I gathered her into my arms as she nestled her head in my chest. I smiled in response. I loved it when she curled up against me and buried her head into my chest. It sent warmth through me. I held her tightly as we lay there.
“Are you ok?” She asked me.
“I am now. I mean I was before but I was just exhausted. It took a lot out of me is all. I think I was just passing out from exhaustion. I could feel your panic though. I wanted to tell you everything was ok. I tried to.”
“You did but it came out mumbled. I felt like you were slipping away. I just got so scared.”
“It’s ok. Sharing your blood with me apparently sends me into overdrive. I feel like I got an electric charge. The exhaustion is still there but not so much that I couldn’t pretend I was totally normal.” I told her.
“How long before you have to leave?” She asked, sadly.
“We were going at it for a while, I probably have to leave soon. I don’t want to though. I just want to stay here, with you.”
“I wish you could stay.”
*I’d never leave your side if I could avoid it, princess.* I said in my head to her.
She looked at me surprised, “Did you say that out loud or in your head?”
I grinned at her, “In my head. Remember, we can talk to each other now. Just because I have to go home doesn’t mean I can’t still be with you. I just have to get out of the building first. Then I’m all yours.”
*Unless your memories disappear.* She grumbled in her head.
I laughed, “Only for a bit. I promise, I’ll come back to you as fast as I can.”
“This is going to take some getting used to.” She laughed.
“We’ll practice. I don’t mean to intrude on your thoughts though.”
I felt a surge of panic again and I blinked in surprise. Ariya took my face in her hands and kissed me hard.
“You’re not intruding. I want you to hear what I’m thinking. Things just sometimes hit my head before I say it. That’s all.” Ariya told me.
“Just promise me you’ll tell me if you don’t want it to happen. I can’t promise I know how to stop it but we can work on that part if you want.” I told her.
“You’re the only one I want to know my every thought. The only time I worry about it is if it’s you as Justin. I don’t know what’s going to happen when you aren’t you.”
I thought about what she said. She wasn’t wrong. What would happen if I was Justin? I wasn’t sure if we would still feel each other or not. I wasn’t sure how this all worked honestly. I knew that things would be different and that we would be able to do different things but I was pretty sure we would have to work on our new abilities and that it wasn’t just an instant thing that we could do.
Ariya took my face in her hands, “I didn’t mean to worry you, Ivan.”
I snapped back to reality, “It’s ok, princess. I don’t know what’s going to happen either. We need to figure things out though. There’s a lot that we have to do now that we’re bonded. I just want to make sure you’re safe.”
I leaned down and kissed her. I would do anything to protect her.
“And I, you, Ivan.” She whispered against my lips.
I smiled, “I kinda like this, you being able to read my mind, know my thoughts, and feelings. It is going to take some getting used to though. I’m not sure I’m ready for the others to be able to communicate with me like this yet.”
“When you’re ready. You’ve already figured out how to communicate with them without it so they can wait until you’re ready.” Ariya told me confidently.
“Another reason that I love you.” I laughed, “I need to get going though. They’re going to get suspicious if I wait too long and I can’t tell Boss you had a memory because he’ll expect to learn more.”
“Reach out to me when you can?” Ariya asked me.
“Absolutely.” I said, giving her one last kiss before I left.