Chapter 69: Reflections of Fear and Desire

Chapter 69: Reflections of Fear and DesireThe door opened, and to Ariana’s surprise, the place was perfectly lit with candlelight, each flame covered and placed at the sides of the room. She looked around—the space was large, very spacious. At the center sat a big, foamy chair, and at the far end was a table with cupboards filled with wine. Did he also drink here? Her gaze roamed, but that was all she saw. Where was the shark? The door closed behind them as Zavren studied her, his eyes catching the confused look on her face—just as he expected. She turned to him, her brows raised in confusion. Had he been teasing her? Was that just the name of the building—Shark House? She saw the teasing glint in his eyes, and her glare deepened. Did he really trick her about the sharks? Then why were they here? Did he just want to drink? Then why bring her here telling her she would meet sharks? Oh, this man... But the place was cold. Was it because of the open windows on each side? Those long windows... No wonder the candlelights were covered—to keep them from being blown out. Still, it wasn’t as chilling as outside. The temperature here was soothing. Just how many beautiful places does this man have? Zavren walked over to the sofa and sat he crossed his legs nonchalantly, his lips curling upward. Ariana stood rooted where she was. At this point, she didn’t know whether to be mad at him for tricking her... or just let it go. The place was too beautiful—perfect for stargazing indoors, especially with the large windows that made it possible. "Go on," she heard Zavren’s deep voice snap her from her thoughts. "Make yourself comfortable." What was this man up to? she wondered. She watched as he sat up, leaned forward to the table, and opened a drawer. Ariana’s eyes widened. That small table had a drawer? He moved calmly, pulling out a small glass cup and a winter wine bottle. He opened it slowly—it gave a soft pop. He picked up his glass, doing everything with such elegant precision. Then, he began to pour the drink lightly into the cup. PLOP. PLOP. PLOP. The sound echoed softly through the room. Ariana hated to admit it... but it was soothing. Her heart thudded lightly as Zavren lifted the glass to his lips. His eyes locked on her as he took a slow gulp. Oh Lord...that was so sexy. The way his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, the soft gulping sound... Ariana never thought she could be attracted to something like gulping, but this annoying man had made it possible. His steel-grey eyes still on her, he gently swirled the red wine in the glass and crossed his legs again as he spoke. "You can move around," he said calmly, his deep voice slightly raspy. Her heart skipped. ’And now he’s acting like this?’ she muttered in her head. Wasn’t he supposed to show her sharks? Then her eyes stretched open. Wait. What kind of sharks was he talking about? Had she... had she been tricked again? Her hands flew to her mouth. Was he talking about his pe— Oh heavens. Her eyes widened even further. Why were such thoughts even coming into her mind? Zavren gently pushed the rolling glass table to the side and placed the glass atop it, his full attention now on her. Ariana’s heart began to thud even louder as she tried to calm herself. Anything to distract yourself, Ariana. Don’t look at him. Don’t... she told herself, her body shivering as sweet pleasure danced through her. She couldn’t believe it—just that, and she was already feeling this way. Feeling suddenly... hot. She quickly swept her gaze through the room. Anything but him. Her eyes finally landed on a painting. It was a painting of a young boy. Her mouth opened, then closed. Was that... Z...Zavren? Zavren’s gaze was fixed on her, watching intently as her hands slowly fell to her sides upon seeing the painting. She looked marveled—and he loved that. The way her lips curved upward made his body still. She was smiling. His eyebrow lifted. Ariana moved closer to the painting, reaching out to touch it. But she stopped midway. What if she broke this one? She decided to just admire it instead. Her body shifted slightly, her foot moved—and just as she looked down calmly, curiously... Her eyes stretched in horror. S...SHARKS. Her soul momentarily left her body as the shark stared back at her through the glass, its blood-red eyes glinting deadly. She let out a pull of fear and bolted, eyes wide with horror. Before Zavren could react, she leapt onto him, arms wrapping tightly around his body her softness pressing to his. He felt her trembling—shaking with pure fear. ’So that was what had been poking her leg.’ She had thought it must’ve been the wind pushing her gently. Her gaze shifted up to Zavren in horror and fear, and to his surprise, her face settled into the curve of his neck. His body went rigid as he felt her breath hit him there—light, warm, and trembling. Her chest was rising and falling. To her surprise, she heard Zavren chuckle. She pulled away, her face burning with both embarrassment and anger—embarrassment because she must have looked like a madwoman, running and jumping onto his lap, and anger because... why was he laughing? This was not funny. "You worry too much, wife. Those cannot come out. The glass is well protected and cannot break." Ariana moved to stand, but Zavren held her tightly. "Don’t," he spoke gravely, knowing she was about to pull away. His eyes flickered to her thighs, which were bare—unknown to her, her gown had ridden up. A chill ran down Ariana’s spine as she tried to wrap her head around what was going on. Too much was happening. "The sharks cannot come out. This place was built well, and the glass—let’s just say it’s indestructible. They’re everywhere. Who knows...? One might be under this chair." He spoke slowly as he felt her body still. His hands held her waist as he made her sit comfortably—even though she was practically strangling him, her hands still holding tightly onto his shoulders. "No matter how they poke, you can only feel it. They cannot break through. Besides, they’re well-behaved," he explained, watching her stare at him in horror. W...well-behaved? "You will love this. Wait for a little while." Ariana stared at him in disbelief. Was this man okay? She would love what? This? She had almost seen her life flash before her eyes, and all he did was laugh and tell her she would love it? So he really did have sharks. And she had thought it was his... ’Ahh, you’re becoming a dirty-minded person,’ she screamed internally at herself, her eyes shifting from Zavren’s curled lips to the floor. It was then she realized—the floors were really made of glass. Meaning... sharks were below her! Her eyes flew wider. Who had thought of such a thing? No wonder this place was called the Shark House. If anyone entered here, they’d barely notice sharks stayed below, and it was shocking how unbothered Zavren was. Wait. Did he know this would happen? That she would run and... Ariana turned her gaze sharply to him and moved her hands, slapping him lightly on the shoulder as if scolding him not to do that again. Zavren’s dark chuckle echoed through the room deeply as he said, "You needed to see your face, Aria... priceless." Ariana’s face burned even more. She couldn’t even look at him now. At this point, she knew she must’ve looked like a madwoman—very unladylike. Who would’ve thought this was their dear queen? And her dear scarf had flown off during her run, showing just how fast she must’ve dashed and clung to him. No wonder he told her to make herself comfortable—so she’d be caught off guard. She pressed her lips together and slowly moved her hand to his arm. To Zavren’s surprise, she pinched him—hard. His eyes dilated slightly as his lips curled. This must have really annoyed her. When he turned to her, she stuck out her tongue—the kind of gesture that said: "Good for you." At this point, she looked no less than a child who had a fight with her classmate, lost, and just as the classmate turned to leave... they tripped and fell. That kind of smile—annoyed but still victorious—was exactly how she looked. Her eyes moved back to the ground, waiting for the sharks. But none showed up. Were they deeper? she wondered curiously. But then again... how come the shark’s eyes glinted red like that? The candle-lit setup made it hard to tell the floor was glass throughout. "The walls underneath were built large and round, so there’s more than enough space for them to wander. Don’t worry, you’ll see them soon. Just be patient," Zavren said, unbothered. ’Just what if... what if this breaks?’ she wondered deeply, her intrusive thought finally kicking in. But she decided to trust Zavren. It wouldn’t. She trusted him. This was him, after all, and he had been coming here. So what was the worst that could happen now that she’d joined? She turned slightly, Her gaze lingered on the painting once more as she tried to distract herself. "Don’t mind that painting. It’s very old, sweethear..." his voice trailed off as he noticed her smile widen. His body stilled slightly. "I was forced to take that picture. Don’t blame me—blame Lady Emberg for making me wear that." What made Ariana smile wasn’t the little boy in the painting. It was the fact that he was wearing a princess gown. And knowing that little boy was Zavren made it even funnier. Maybe... she could recreate this picture. She finally had a birthday wish—a painting of Zavren in one of her gowns. Now, all she had to do was write it and give it to him. Zavren’s eyes widened slightly as he held her chin. "Tell me, what are your thoughts?" And just as Ariana moved to turn her face away— The candlelight went out. Fear cloaked her body as it grew numb. As if that wasn’t enough— CRACK.