Ivan's Queen
Chapter 23 - Stray

2 a.m. on 20th December.

Ivan Romanov’s P.O.V.

I stare out of the window at the scenery as we drive up the winding roads. It’s the middle of the night and we’re about halfway there. To get to the eastern region we must take a mountainous route which has many twists and turns with barely any protection from falling off the edge. I make a mental note at doing a check up on all dangerous routes of the kingdom and making them safe for travel.

It’s been peaceful so far but I gave up on trying to sleep an hour ago. Maksim and Konstantin are on edge for leaving Amelia behind and their emotions double all of mine. I reassure myself that leaving her at home is a smart decision. It’s heavily guarded and Ira is sitting underneath our bedroom’s balcony so that nobody can attempt to get in through there either. Nothing will happen to her that I’m sure of.

But Liev played his cards right and underestimating that nothing will happen to me was my biggest mistake.

As we’re on a bend and dangerously close to the edge I hear the sudden roar of an engine and frown before perking up in my seat. My eyes widen in alarm when I see a large truck barreling towards us. Another set of headlights reflect in the rear-view mirror which makes me turn. I see a larger truck and SUV behind it driving towards us at full speed which makes me growl in anger. Liev! I think to myself. All this time I thought he was going to hurt Amelia!

I snarl loudly when both the vehicles force the cars containing my warriors and guards off the edge before slamming into mine. The driver loses control instantly as we spin and skid to a screeching halt. The snow ends up covering our windows and we can barely make out the headlights around us.

Panting, I freeze when I realize that the front of the car is facing towards the mountain’s edge. Cursing, I’m about to open the door when the SUV rams into the boot and pushes the car over. I’m thrown out of the windshield as the front of the car slams straight into the rock and the sound of glass shattering rings in my ears.

I try to grip onto a ledge but fail as my body keeps tumbling downwards. Jagged edges pierce my skin and I cry out in pain. Maksim and Konstantin immediately take over and help me to grasp onto another ledge but my hands slip because of the snow and I fall further down. My shirt rides up and the rough edges of stone and hardened dirt scratch my skin mercilessly.

My beasts howl in distress and anger as they try and grip onto something but it’s no use. Until my torso smacks hard against a long ledge. Crying out in relief I dig my claws into the hard earth and pull myself up slightly so I don’t slip off due to the ice. A pained growl escapes my lips as I hold on and my breath is visible before me as I pant harshly.

However, something moves above which captures my attention. I look up to where the car had tipped from and recognize Liev immediately. He smirks darkly as he watches me struggle to hold on before pulling something out of his coat pocket. Dread fills me and instinctively, I scramble to pull myself up and out of the way. Unfortunately, it’s too late.

I hear the gunshot, loud and echoing in the quiet mountainous area before I feel the bullet lodge into my side. Snarling in pain, I hear Maksim and Konstantin roar furiously in my mind as we try and hide from the bullets. The people who were in the trucks and SUV are also firing at me. A loud grunt escapes me when another bullet hits my right arm which makes my hand slip from the ledge.

The instant pain that takes over my entire body tells me that the bullets are laced with Wolfsbane. That bastard truly wanted no chance of me surviving. I hear Konstantin howl in pain first but then, Maksim cries out. It’s then that I realize that there’s silver in them too. Whatever hope I had of at least one beast being able to help me is now gone. I’m on my own and by the looks of it I don’t have much time.

I hear two guns fire and the bullets graze my neck and ear. The closeness of it makes me jolt and my grasp on the ledge slips. A deafening yell escapes me as I fall off and towards the ground below. I feel sharp, excruciating pain in my head as it slams against the ground and my vision blackens until I see stars. Winded, I cough before rolling over until I’m out of Liev’s sight. I open my eyes to see that everything is blurry.

As I lay on the cold ground with every inhale of air feeling like knives to my chest I think of her.

Amelia.

I think of her mesmerizing eyes that can weaken me to my knees and her melodious laughter that can brighten my day in an instant. I wish she was here with me right now, reassuring me that I’ll be okay. All I want is to feel her warm embrace. Maybe if she was here I would be distracted from the pain by her enchanting touch. Maybe she could take my pain away just by her sweet kisses.

A soft yet shaky breath escapes me as snow begins to fall once more. I close my eyes and feel the coldness of the flakes kiss my skin before melting. The momentary peace is a great contrast to the chaos ensuing inside of me. Maksim and Konstantin are roaring in agony inside me, the Wolfsbane and silver rapidly taking effect. I can feel my heartbeat slowing and I’m losing too much blood from the bullet wounds.

A pained cry escapes me as I struggle to take off my shirt and the tank top I have underneath, wrapping them tightly around my abdomen and bicep. I don’t think I’ll make it. But I pray to the Moon Goddess anyway and hope that she’s listening. I pray for her protection, for her to grant me another chance at life. However, I pray the hardest for her to not take me away from Amelia. But if she does, I pray that she gives Amelia strength and courage.

With the image of my mate in my mind I succumb to the darkness.

Amelia Romanov’s P.O.V.

I wake up in the middle of the night feeling extremely distressed. Something’s not right, I think to myself. Glancing at the silver moon drifting through the dark clouds I take a few sips of water to calm myself down before grabbing my phone. My body aches in pain and I’m feeling an intense amount of fear.

I call Ivan, needing to check up on him. But he doesn’t pick up no matter how many times I try. My heartbeat starts to race as I wonder if he’s okay. Maybe he’s asleep, I think to myself. But then again, he receives so many calls throughout the day that he never puts his phone on silent. Surely the ringtone would have woken him up because of his heightened hearing?

I get out of bed and replace myself pacing the length of the room in worry. I try and reach out to him through our mind link but frustratingly, it’s like I hit a wall each time. I remember him explaining to me that on earth if you are out of your territory the mind link doesn’t work but in realms I can contact him even if he’s anywhere in the kingdom. But why isn’t it working? I think to myself in panic. Why does it feel like he’s not even there?

Before I can ponder on it further three loud knocks sound on my bedroom’s door before it opens to reveal Hendrix, Benno, Lazarus and Nova. Their expressions are a mixture of both worried and panic.

“What’s going on?” I ask as I struggle to keep myself calm.

“Amelia.” Nova calls my name gently which makes me turn to her.

I frown when I see her distraught and saddened eyes. “What’s the matter, Nova?”

“I-Ivan…he…” She shakes her head and moves to hold me. “Did you feel anything?”

Gut wrenching panic fills me and I instantly feel sick to my stomach wondering what has happened to him. I shake my head in response, unable to replace words as my heart hammers away in my chest.

“Whenever Ivan leaves the castle there’s always the regular number of warriors and guards accompanying him. But he also has an extra car follow thirty minutes behind for safety measures.” Benno explains with a heavy sigh. “Those men are now reporting back to us about what happened.”

“Everyone was attacked on the mountain path. The warriors and guards were pushed off the edge before they could even get out.” Hendrix states with a serious expression but his eyes hold worry. “The car that Ivan was in was found upside down on a ledge –”

“Where is Ivan? Did they replace him? They found him, right?!” I ramble hysterically.

“Amelia, the driver was dead and Ivan is nowhere to be found.” Nova replies shakily as she cautiously wraps her arm around my shoulders. “They think he’s dead –”

“No!” I struggle in her arms as tears brim my eyes. “No! I didn’t feel him die!”

Everyone is visibly relieved once they hear me say that I didn’t feel our mate bond break. I read once that if a mate dies the other feels excruciating pain and like a part of them is being ripped away. In addition, they should also feel hollow on the inside and empty. But I felt his fear and can still feel his pain even if it’s like a dull ache now.

“The trackers searched as far as they could. Someone dragged his body to the river and his scent is gone. His blood is everywhere.” Benno’s eyes lose the glazed look as he relays what was just reported.

“Thanks be to the Moon Goddess he’s still alive.” Lazarus pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration. “We would all have felt the loss of our bond with him if he died.”

“Amelia.” I whip my head towards the door and notice Ayla standing there. She must have sensed that something was wrong with Ivan and teleported.

I run to her and wrap my arms around her. “Ivan…he – he was attacked and now they can’t replace him!”

“I know.” She embraces me tightly before we turn to the rest of the group. “He’s out there but he’s not okay. I brought some trackers and Asher’s gathering our warriors as we speak. They’ll be here within the next hour.”

“Lazarus get our trackers together and brief them. Benno and Hendrix get groups of warriors ready to accompany them. I want everyone to head out as soon as possible.” I order before turning to Ayla. “We need to call our families.”

Her green eyes meet mine and they remind me so much of Ivan’s. She nods stoically before releasing a long exhale. “Mom and Dad are going to go apeshit.”

We all head out of the bedroom and get to work. I struggle to keep myself composed in the wake of this shock but it’s hard. Especially since I felt so much pain from him. How badly is he hurt? Where is he? are questions I ask myself repeatedly in panic.

“Amelia.” I’m brought out of my thoughts as Ayla holds the phone out to me. “It’s dad.”

I take it from her and bring it up to my ear. “Hello?”

“Amelia.” Uncle Vulcan greets in his usual gruff tone but this time it’s a little gentler. “Whatever you do, don’t leave the castle. His next target is you.”

“O-Okay.” I reply but am taken aback by his bluntness.

“I’ll get your father and we’ll be there in a few hours. Until then, don’t use any of the communication lines because they could be listening.” He explains and I feel slight relief fill me that we’ll have their help. “And one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“I know you’re worried for him but you are a Queen, remember? The news is going to break out by tomorrow morning and you need to be a strong face for your people. The second you crumble is when the kingdom falls. Don’t let that happen.” He advises and I feel a traitorous tear escape the corner of my eye.

“I won’t.” I reply with determination. “Uncle Vulcan…what if he’s hurt even worse than last time?”

There’s a momentary pause on the other end before he speaks again. “He told you?”

“I found out.”

“If that’s the case then Liev is going to wish he killed himself after leaving my son for dead.” He replies with an undertone of hatred and anger.