Chapter 116

*Ariya*

"Let me know when you're ready, Ari. I don't think we've practiced fully swapping places. So it will probably take a while. We'll have to figure out how to do it." Keo said.

I nodded at him, "See you soon."

Drake, Caleb and Keo severed the connection and went back. Leaving Ivan and I still in my mind.

"I'm not totally sure what I do now, princess." Ivan told me.

I grinned at him, "It's like how we sever the connection normally. Just this time you'll go back to your body and then we can re-establish the connection our normal way."

"We'll need to work on it. You'll also have to tell me how you and Keo end up swapping if it works." Ivan grinned.

"Why? Wanna try it?" I laughed.

"Don't give me any ideas, Ari." Ivan laughed, kissing me softly.

"See you on the other side?" I asked.

"You can count on it. I have to shift to find out the answer to Caleb's question." Ivan told me.

We severed the connection and my eyes refocused on the world around me as it came back. I looked at Ivan and watched as his blank expression changed and the light came back to his eyes. If I didn't know why it happened, I probably would have been worried. Ivan looked right at me and smiled. He came over and scooped me up in his arms, holding me closely.

"This is so much better." Ivan said, breathing in my scent.

I giggled, "I agree, but you need to shift. The others are waiting. We can't make them wait too long or they might try to see what happened."

I felt Ivan's mind connect back to mine and a warmth flowed through me. It felt weird not being connected to each other when we weren't. I was glad that the only time we weren't going to be connected was when we were training. We no longer had to be separated when Ivan was around Boss and the others.

*We might need to be cautious of it though, princess. I know they won't be able to tell but I'm not a master of separating my thoughts and my expressions. If I'm in front of Boss and I start laughing randomly he'll either realize or think I'm insane. Both of which aren't good outcomes.* Ivan said to me in our head.

*True. I like feeling you there though. I feel safer.* I said, softly.

Ivan hugged me tightly, *I'm here, Ari. I'm always here. I just need to work on my expressions when we talk. I don't talk much to anyone but it is better to be safe than sorry.*

*We can work on it here. You won't get the outward conversation at the same time but at least we can work on your reactions staying internally. I don't need to actively talk to you when you're trying to talk to someone.* I giggled.

*I'm not worried about you wanting to talk, princess. I want to talk with you always. I'm addicted to you, if you haven't noticed.* Ivan laughed.

*I wouldn't have it any other way. Besides, the feeling is mutual. I'm definitely addicted to you.* I thought.

My mind went back to our experiment before. Feeding on Ivan and the taste. I felt my hunger rise, thinking back on it. My tongue moved across the back of my canines. Ivan's body tensed and then shivered. I felt his eyes roll to the back of his head as his breathing picked up.

*Shoot. Sorry.* I said quickly, snapping out of it.

Ivan growled, *You don't need to be sorry. If you're hungry, you should feed. You know how it makes me feel.*

I giggled, *I can feel you better now. I can feel your emotions and how your body responds.*

Ivan kissed me passionately, *That's because I want you. But we have to wait.*

Ivan got up and pulled his shirt off and kicked his shoes off. I wondered about the mark on his back from the mate bond and what it looked like. Ivan grinned at me and then turned around. It was like a tribal swirl. Similar to how our clan's symbols to each other were.

*Wait until you see the one on my wolf. It hurt but it's there now.* Ivan grinned.

I felt his body shiver through our connection.

*Wait, do I need to put a barrier up?* I asked.

Ivan's breathing picked up as his body shivered violently. He was trying to hold back to answer my question but was already in the process of shifting.

Ivan shook his head, *No. It's ok now.*

His body shivered more and I felt his body expand. He shifted quickly into his wolf, his teeth bared at first. His eyes focused on me and he whined. I looked at him worried.

*What's wrong?* I asked.

His eyes widened, *Sorry. I forgot that we can still talk. I'm so used to no one being able to hear me or understand me. I just forgot.*

My fear disappeared and I ran over and threw my arms around his neck. I felt Ivan relax as he leaned his head into me. Ivan's heart seemed to speed up a bit.

*What do you feel when I play with your ears?* I asked him, curious.

I loved messing with his ears when he was in wolf form. They were so soft and fluffy.

*Electricity. Happiness. I love everything you do. I just want to be near you, Ari. Everything you do feels good.* Ivan laughed.

I messed with his ears and felt exactly what he had told me. I giggled at the feeling. I was never going to get over being able to feel what he felt. He was right about the mark on his wolf. On his shoulder and partly down his arm the mark was there. The mark meaning that he was mate bonded. Solely meant for 1 person.

*That person is you, Ari. I'm yours completely.* Ivan said, lovingly.

A smile spread across my face and I felt Ivan's heart pull toward me.

*I'm yours completely, Ivan.* I told him.

*We need to do what we're supposed to, Ari. They're going to start wondering.* Ivan said.

I nodded and pulled away. Ivan looked at me and nodded.

*It's there. I can see it. I figured I would see it if I was in wolf form. It would be weird if I didn't.* Ivan said.

*What's it look like?* I asked him.

Ivan thought about how it looked and I saw the image in my mind. It was still tribal like but it looked more like it could be writing instead of the swirl pattern that Ivan had. It was unique though. Ivan shifted back and wrapped his arms around me, once more. I snuggled into his chest. Completely at peace. I loved Ivan's wolf but I liked being in Ivan's arms the most.

I felt Keo's mental push and Ivan looked at me surprised.

I giggled, *It's Keo, I'm going to let him in.*

*Hey, Ari. Sorry. I don't mean to bother. Drake said that we should feed first. Just in case. I just needed to let you know.* Keo told me.

*Ok, I will. I'll send you a push when I'm ready? Or maybe I should send it to Drake just in case you're not done?* I asked.

*Yeah, Drake is probably the better route for me, I'm kinda hungry. I'll wait for you though. I won't reach out until Drake gives me the ok from you.* Keo said.

*Sounds good. I'm kinda hungry too so I'll talk to you soon.* I responded.

Keo severed the connection. Ivan looked at me mischievously. I wasn't completely sure which way his mind was going at first because my own mind was going in different directions.