Chapter Eleven - Persuasion Skills
"We've done this every year and every year he's refused." I hear as I step out of my room, followed by the next sentence. "All he'll be doing tomorrow is paperwork."
"Hi guys!" I smile at Benno and Hendrix as their eyes light up at the sight of me. "What are you talking about?"
"Ivan's birthday celebrations...or lack of them to be exact." Benno rolls his eyes and I catch the fleeting smile on Hendrix's lips.
"He doesn't celebrate it anymore?" I frown as I sift through my memories and remember him and Ayla's birthday parties when we were younger.
"Adamantly refuses every time." Benno huffs before gesturing for me to walk with them. "But...maybe you can convince him!"
"M-Me? I don't know..." I bite my lip in uncertainty.
"Tell you what..." He turns to me while Hendrix narrows his eyes at Benno in confusion. "Get Ivan to agree to a birthday party and I'll train you."
"Really?!" I gasp, clutching his arm in excitement.
He nods with a grin as he pushes me towards a connecting hallway, reminding me of the task at hand. I bid them goodbye before hurrying towards Ivan's office in excitement. I have been wanting Benno to train me ever since I saw him work with a group of warriors, but he refuses to do so in the fear of Ivan punishing him if I got hurt.
Knocking on Ivan's office door, I step inside when I hear his muffled "come in." He's at his desk, reading a file and typing away on the keyboard. Looking up at the sound of my footsteps, his emerald eyes meet mine in curiosity.
"Hi." I greet breathlessly before flushing in embarrassment when his lips quirk and humor fills his eyes.
"Hi." He replies, pausing his work to lean back in his chair which makes me more nervous.
"It's your birthday tomorrow...are you doing anything for it?" I grip the edge of the table to stop my fidgeting.
"No...and I don't plan to." He states before standing to put the file back on the shelf.
"Why not? We could throw a party and celebrate? You always had birthday parties when we were younger." I try to persuade him.
"I'm busy tomorrow." He sighs as he sits back down in his seat and turns to his computer.
"I'll help you finish your work."
He rubs his jaw as he stares at me with narrowed eyes. "No."
I'm shocked at his refusal and my heart races fast as I try to come up with something else. I really want to resume training like I did with my dad every day back home, but if Ivan doesn't agree then Benno will never train me.
"You can't just do nothing! It's your birthday!" I blurt, my eyes widening when he stares at me in suspicion.
"Come here."
I gulp and clench the hem of my skirt in my hands as I make my way around his desk to stand before him. The familiar scent of his cologne washes over me and it soothes my nerves slightly.
"Why the insistence?" He leans back in his chair and folds his arms.
"Nothing, I just think we should celebrate!" I mentally groan at my high-pitched tone, biting my lip as we stare at each other.
"How much money would you get from Benno if I were to agree?" My jaw drops and shoulders slump as I realize he knew all along.
"He said he would train me actually." I take a seat on his desk and shake my head dejectedly. "Benno knew that you would catch on?"
He nods in response which makes me huff. Smirking smugly, he stands and steps in between my legs which causes my breath to hitch. I stare into his emerald eyes and try my hardest not to get lost in them. He tucks a stray strand of my hair behind my ear and the warmth from his touch makes me shiver.
"I can train you." His hands rest on my hips, gentle yet firm.
"You will?!"
"Yes." He murmurs as he stares at my lips for a moment longer before his eyes meet mine, almost as if he snapped himself out of a trance. "Although it might not be a good idea."
"Maybe Benno should –"
He grips my jaw with one hand and pulls me flush against him with the other. "If Benno values his life, he will continue to refuse training you."
My jaw drops at his sudden possessiveness. "You threatened him?! He's just my guard, Ivan!"
"And you are my mate!"
"You don't trust us?" I frown as I look down at my hands.
"I trust you both, but I can't have you hate me for losing control and allowing my beasts to rip Benno to shreds for touching what's ours." He growls before tilting my chin up so that I meet his gaze.
I don't realize I'm pouting until he bites my bottom lip and tugs on it, making me gasp loudly. "Stop pouting, Солнышко . You know I can't help my possessive nature." (Little sun)
I roll my eyes but a grin forms on my lips as I hop off the desk. "Fine, I'm still going to plan a party though."
"A ball." He corrects which makes me turn to him wide eyed. "You wouldn't want an angry kingdom on your hands, would you my queen?"
His emphasis on the title makes me remember my position in this world. Apparently if any event is planned at the castle, the kingdom's people must be invited to celebrate with us. I think about the amount of people that would be attending and it makes a bout of anxiety course through me. What would everyone think of a human queen? Would they protest or would they accept me? I wonder to myself.
"Oh..." I bite my lip worriedly. "How about we just do something together?"
"No." He grins boyishly with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Because of your excellent persuasion skills, I've realized that I would like to celebrate my birthday after all. Happy planning."
"I hate you."
He tilts his head to the side and stares at me intensely, knowing that my words don't match my feelings for him. But there's also something else, something that's burning intensely beyond the surface.
"Are you sure about that?" He murmurs in a dangerously low voice with a warning in his eyes.
"You know I'm kidding." I shake my head with an amused smile.
"I'll see you at dinner, Малышка." I flush when he calls me little one. I know some of his nicknames for me because he told me all the translations over the summers we used to visit each other.
"Bye." I wave before leaving his office.
The smile drops as soon as I close the door and I march down the hallways to find Benno. Hendrix catches up to me with a smirk, making me whirl around and point an accusing finger at him. He laughs gleefully before biting his lip when he catches my murderous glare.
"You knew!"
He pulls out a muffin with a puppy dog look on his face which makes me hesitate before eventually taking it from his hands. The castle's cook makes the best double chocolate muffins and I can never resist. He chuckles when I tell him that he's forgiven but it's muffled due to the bite I have just taken of the sweet treat. But as we're walking, I hear Benno's voice from the private dining room. I immediately rush towards it and catch him about to leave out of the room.
"Hi, Benno." I smile sweetly and block his path. "Are you busy?"
"I was just...about to meet with Ivan...to talk about...stuff." He clearly lies with a sheepish smile on his lips.
"How funny! He didn't mention anything of the sort!" I laugh before glaring at him murderously. "You're going to help me plan this ball if it's the last thing you do!"
"Ugh, no!" He whines dramatically as I pull him along.
***
"How many tables have we put in here for previous events?" I ask as I walk around the massive ballroom reserved for celebrations. We were in the connecting dining room that is equally as large.
"Around eighty large ones with ten chairs each." Nova replies and my eyes widen at her words.
"E-Eight hundred guests!" I squeak as I face her with wide eyes.
"That's just most of the center city. The kingdom has way more people." Hendrix grins cheekily but cries out dramatically when Nova swats his arm.
"We've done this before, we can do it again! Don't worry Amelia, everything will be fine." She pats my hand as her translucent pearly wings flutter excitedly.
Nova's clothing is different from ours but I love the flow-y dresses she wears. A lot of them are backless to allow her beautiful wings to be free. She's told me that she doesn't like being restricted or confined, especially by her clothing. But whenever Nova is in public or outside the castle, she hides her wings to protect herself from harm and discovery.
I'm brought out of my thoughts by her tinkling laughter before her brown eyes narrow on Benno as she swats his hand. He huffs when she tells him not to touch her wings and that it tickles. As she walks off to the people helping us with the decorations, I see Benno smirk mischievously and I know he's going to do it again at some point.
Because Ivan told everyone that there will be no celebration this year, nobody was prepared to have a ball until I came in a few minutes ago. Everyone is rushing around like headless chickens to prepare the ballroom and dining room in time for tomorrow evening's party.
We start planning with the events team and going through the setup. Nova provides her help and opinion when it comes to decoration and flower arrangements, agreeing on the colors I've chosen. Benno and Hendrix work with the rest of the team to bring in the tables and set them up with the centerpieces and chairs. They also help to drape curtains and get the balloons ready. While they're busy with that, Nova and I go through the menu and check with the kitchen staff if we can get all the ingredients on time.
By the time we finish setting up, it's ten at night and I'm exhausted. I'm sweating slightly and as I pass one of the mirrors in the dining room my reflection makes me scrunch my nose in distaste. I had put my hair up into a messy bun hours ago but my cheeks are colored with a pink flush and I look ready to drop dead.
Setting one of the centerpieces down on the table I hear sudden shouting coming from the ballroom which makes me rush towards everyone. I see Hendrix leaning heavily against the door and he laughs before telling me that Ivan almost tried to come in. Smiling, I shake my head before slipping outside.
I find Ivan leaning against the wall in front of me and the dimly lit lamps on the walls accentuate his sharp features. The lack of light casts a dark shadow over half of his body which makes him look dangerous and lethal. His bright emeralds darken slightly as they roam over my face and body before he pushes himself off the wall.
"No peeking, mister! It's a surprise." I jokingly scold and watch his lips quirk for a fleeting moment.
"Fine." He rolls his eyes before pulling me to him by my elbow. "You weren't at dinner."
"I lost track of time." I smile sheepishly as I scratch my head. "We ate an hour ago, though."
"Come. You look exhausted." He starts pulling me down the hallway, making me stop in panic.
"Ivan, no. We still have some work to do, you go to bed." I wave him off before turning towards the ballroom.
"Amelia." He starts in a warning tone as he yanks me back to him. "Hendrix said there's not much left to do now. You need rest, now come to bed."
I bite my lip as I run through my mental checklist of what needs to be done before shaking my head. "Just give me one hour and I – Ivan!"
I cry out when he throws me over his shoulder, catching everyone staring from the doorway. Protesting, I struggle to free myself from his hold but it's no use. He uses his ability to speed to his bedroom before throwing me on the bed. I huff in frustration before sitting up and glaring at him.
He glares right back as he points to the wardrobe. "I want to sleep. Go get changed and come to bed."
"I told you to go to bed, I still had work to do!" I snap as I watch him disappear into the wardrobe and come out with a bundle of clothes.
"I can't sleep without you. Now go get changed and stop being so stubborn!" He hands me his t-shirt and boxers that clearly won't fit me.
My eyes widen at his words. I would never have thought that he had trouble sleeping without me by his side. He crouches slightly to my eye level before he threateningly states that if I'm not in bed in five minutes he's going to change my clothes himself. Yelping, I jump off the bed and rush into the bathroom. I hear his light snickering just before I close the door and it makes me so mad! Changing into his clothes and taking my hair out of the bun, I turn to the mirror and frown when it looks like I'm drowning in material.
"Ivan...these don't fit." I call as I leave the bathroom. "Everything's so loose."
"They look fine." He mumbles...with closed eyes.
"Can I go get my pajamas instead?" I ask as I pull the shirt's collar back on my shoulder.
"No."
I start making my way towards the door quietly anyways and I've just put my hand on the doorknob when his thunderous growl echoes in the room. He orders me to get into the bed and I huff angrily as I march back to him and slip under the covers. I put as much distance as possible between us on the king-sized bed, frustrated with how he's behaving.
But that doesn't last long.
As soon as I've settled on the far-left side, his arm wraps around my waist and pulls me back into his chest. He nips at my ear with a warning snarl which makes me squeak in surprise. But what he does next has me stilling against him. His fingers find the waistband of the boxers I'm wearing and he slides them off me agonizingly slow. I bite my lip hard enough to draw blood when his hands roam over my bare legs before brushing against my panties. He pushes the shirt up, as if on purpose, just so he can caress my skin.
"Problem solved." He murmurs huskily as he presses a kiss to the back of my ear.
And my ovaries just exploded. Thanks for that Ivan.
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