Patrik was an exception to the norm, and that just made me fall even deeper in love with him. In the end, it was his honesty that truly got to me. Well, that and those baby blues.
He paused for a second, enough to look at me and smile again. “In my defense, this is simply my fear of losing you,” he said. “I feel helpless when I watch you fighting, anyway. I would never let anything happen to you, of course, but given your speed and strength, I often feel like all I can do is just stand back and watch. When you come out of a fight still alive, it’s like I’m born again. And when you fall, it’s like the sky comes crashing down.”
“I think this has to do with the way in which you and I actually got together,” I replied, feeling my cheeks catch fire as I remembered the first time I’d kissed him. It seemed like ages ago, although it had only been a handful of days. “We found each other in the middle of an atrocity. There’s danger at every corner, and almost everybody on this planet wants a piece of us, Patrik. But Neraka will not be the end of us. I’ve got plans for this relationship.”
Patrik grinned, a playful twinkle settling in his eyes. He brought a hand up and pressed his thumb against my lower lip. I instinctively kissed it, and he tightened his other arm around my waist and pulled me closer. I felt soft, like molten wax, against his muscular frame.
“Oh, you have plans, now?” he quipped, raising an eyebrow. “Might I ask what it is you intend to do with me, Miss Novak?”
“I was thinking the usual,” I replied, rolling my eyes. “Dinner, long walks on the beach, exploring a new planet, fighting off a bunch of rebel incubi on Tenebris… You know, the basic stuff.”
Patrik then pulled the hair tie out of my ponytail and let my hair loose. He ran his fingers through it, following its flow as it cascaded down my back. There was this look of adoration almost lighting him up from the inside as he admired me with my hair down. He inched forward and covered the side of my neck with wet, hot kisses, and he continued to comb my hair with his fingers.
It knocked the air out of my lungs. I pressed my body against his, feeling the hard muscles beneath his shirt against my curves. I moaned gently when he nipped my skin, his teeth grazing me softly and sending billions of electrical currents through my body.
“Anything else you had in mind?” he muttered, then caught my earlobe between his lips and suckled. My breath hitched, and I instinctively wrapped my arms around his torso, hanging on for dear life as he ripped me from the clutches of reality.
“I can’t formulate a coherent thought at this point in time, I’m sorry,” I breathed.
He stilled, then raised his head to look at me.
“We’re getting out of here, one way or another, Scarlett,” he said. “I was caged and enslaved once. It’s not happening again. Most importantly, I will not allow you to go through anything like that. Ever.”
I nodded, then put my arms around his neck and pulled myself up to kiss him. He instantly lowered his head and met me halfway, his mouth crashing against mine in a hungry and passionate kiss. The taste of him alone could cause a lifelong addiction—and, as I was a vampire, that pretty much encompassed an eternity of loving him.
A heartbreaking growl emerged from outside. We both froze, then opened our eyes and stared at each other as we listened. A series of whimpers followed. Something was happening out in the inn’s backyard.
We rushed to the window and looked outside. I gasped.
“Oh, wow,” Patrik muttered.
Hundurr and Rover were out there. Rover lay on his belly, watching Hundurr as he writhed in sheer agony. His muscles throbbed, and his bones cracked as he stretched and fought against his pit wolf form.
“Is he—”
“Yes, yes, he is,” Patrik replied before I could ask the full question. “He’s trying to break out of his pit wolf curse!”
“How do you… Have you seen him do it before?” I asked, briefly looking at Patrik before shifting my focus back to Hundurr.
The pit wolf struggled in a lot of pain, but he was halfway through, recovering some of his humanoid form. There was even a patch of reddish hair growing on his back as part of the process. Rover stayed close, watching with interest and sympathy, occasionally letting out a supportive whimper, as if telling Hundurr that he could do it, that he could beat this.
“I take full responsibility,” Patrik said, the corner of his mouth twitching as he watched Hundurr.
“How? I mean, did you know he could do it?”
“Not really. Neither did he. But, then again, I once thought I’d be a Destroyer forever, but Vita came along and forced me back to my Druid roots,” Patrik explained. “All I did was take Hundurr aside. I told him about it. There’s no harm in trying, right?”
I shook my head, unable to take my eyes off Hundurr. “Absolutely not. I’m amazed he’s even tried it. Do you think he’ll make it?”
He shrugged, then chuckled softly. “I did my best to incentivize him. Scarlett, you and I both know that he’s crazy about you, even in that pit wolf body.”
“Well… I guess, yeah,” I replied, blushing. “But I—”
“It’s okay. I know.” He gave me a brief and understanding glance. “Your heart’s mine, Scarlett. I’m not giving it back unless you ask me. But I told Hundurr that he would at least stand a better chance of trying to win your affection if he regained his Adlet form.”
“Oh…” I murmured.
I was both stunned and impressed. Hundurr was incredibly close to shifting back. But he caved. He exhaled sharply and collapsed, his pit wolf body rippling back to full size. Rover nuzzled and licked his face, as if comforting him. Hundurr was too exhausted to even move, poor soul.
“He’ll get there soon enough,” Patrik said, then put his arm around my shoulders and held me close. “He’s a strong creature.”
I looked up at Patrik, in genuine awe of him. He never ceased to amaze me. There was always another layer, a part of him that further proved what an incredible spirit he had. Of course he’d spurred Hundurr into fighting to get his original form back. Patrik was the living example of the struggle and the victory against an evil curse.
There was no one better to teach and support Hundurr in breaking free.
I rested my head on Patrik’s shoulder, feeling my heart swell with everything I felt for him. “You know, I’m the luckiest vampire across all known dimensions,” I whispered.
“I’m guessing that has to do with me?”
“Duh,” I replied, then laughed when he took me in his arms and sat us both in an armchair in front of the fireplace, where flames crackled playfully.
I settled in his lap, curled up with his arms around me. We had our greatest challenge yet ahead of us tomorrow, but, for one more night, I could relax in Patrik’s embrace and marvel at how wonderful we were… at what amazing things could happen between us once we got Lumi and our freedom back.
Harper
After my talk with Pheng-Pheng and Neha, I went back to the inn. Ramin was given a space in the lobby area downstairs, nestled beneath a potted tree with seeds and fresh water. I stopped by to check up on the Ekar, then made my way back to the room.
It was nice and warm, the fire burning and casting its amber glow over the plastered walls. I rummaged through the dresser and found a large bath towel, then went into the bathroom to wash up.
My mind wandered back to Caspian. I was going to take one hell of a chance tomorrow with our infiltration mission, but getting Lumi back was worth it. I had no intention of spending another week in fear, trapped on this planet. Most importantly, I wanted to save Caspian, to free him of his blood oath and his horrible people. He deserved a better life.
In a way, I needed him more than he needed me. I had GASP behind me, and I was determined to restore the freedom and the dignity of all Nerakians, but I felt empty without Caspian. Somewhere along this perilous journey, he’d become an essential part of my existence. He needed me and my people to defeat the daemons and the Exiled Maras, but I needed h
im to breathe again.
Is this what true love feels like?
I thought about my mom and dad, and their bonded souls. They were a part of each other. Together they were one. Caspian had already become an integral part of me. The thought was scary, given the speed with which we’d fallen for each other. However, it also filled my heart with excitement, the anticipation of an endless future with him by my side.
Caspian was the last thing on my mind whenever I closed my eyes. As soon as I woke up, I thought of him. I breathed a sigh of relief when I felt his arms around me. His strength fortified me; it gave the extra kick in the pants I needed to shatter any obstacle in our path. And the way he looked at me… I felt like the most important creature in the universe. And I was all his.
I couldn’t help but chuckle as I came out of the bathroom, wrapped up in my towel and remembering my previous stance on relationships. I’d thought it would take a long time for me to actually consider one. I wanted it, of course, but the timing had felt off. Then, I’d laid eyes on Caspian, and something had instantly shifted inside me.
I stilled at the sight of Caspian sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Hey,” I murmured. “Everything okay?”
He looked up at me. There was something in the air between us. He seemed different, somehow. Dark and mysterious, like the first time we’d met, but with none of the chills. He wasn’t cold at all, in fact. Fires burned in his jade eyes as his gaze settled on my face, his brows slightly furrowed.
“I need to tell you something,” he said, his voice low and husky, “and I need you to not try and stop me.”
I nodded slowly, feeling my pulse speed up.
“I was out with Peyton and his Maras for a while, as you know,” he started. “I know him, it turns out. I wasn’t sure when we first met them, but I remembered the day he ran off. There were dozens of them, in fact. Not all of them survived, because the Lords sent out Correction Officers to hunt them down,” he added, his skin gradually reddening.
His blood oath was starting to burn through him, and I instantly moved forward. He raised a hand to stop me, then took a deep breath and continued, braving the developing burns as he told me about times which he’d been forbidden through swamp witch magic to talk about.
“I helped Peyton and his crew escape,” he said, grunting from the pain. “His group wasn’t the first for whom I’d secured passage out of Azure Heights. The Lords caught me, though. They gave me two options: imprisonment until I died from having my soul eaten or taking the blood oath and proving that I could still be loyal to the city.”
He gasped from the pain, red blotches covering his face, his neck and hands. He inhaled and exhaled several times, giving the blood oath some time to withdraw before he spoke again. My stomach churned as I watched him suffer in his effort to tell me something. I had a feeling it was something that meant a lot to him and he could no longer keep to himself, blood oath be damned.
I stood there, my hands balled into fists, fingernails digging into my palms.
“At first, I regretted my choice,” he muttered. “I watched innocent creatures getting dragged away, tossed into the underground prison and fed on by daemons and Maras alike. I watched the life drained from them. Their blood sucked out. Their souls gone. I couldn’t do anything against my people. I held on, though, hoping the day would come when I would either stop this insanity or finally die.”
He stood up, panting, as the burns worsened. “I felt lost. Then you came along, Harper… and I hated myself even more for not being able to tell you the truth.”
“Please stop,” I gasped, tears burning my eyes. I just couldn’t take it anymore. The sight of him in pain tore me apart. It broke my heart, over and over, and I hated myself for being so helpless before his blood oath. “Stop hurting yourself like this.”
Caspian gave me a soft smile, and his burns started to fade away. “It doesn’t hurt as much as the thought of not having lived through it all, up until the moment I met you. Harper, this is what I’m trying to say,” he said, grunting as he pointed at the symbol carved behind his ear. “I no longer regret my choice to take the blood oath. It allowed me to live so I could be with you.”
He sighed, then gave himself a minute, as his burns healed. I was stunned, unable to look away. My brain refused to function, but I tried to register what he’d said. All this pain he’d put himself through, just to tell me that he didn’t regret anything anymore because… because he’d met me.
Tears streamed down my cheeks, my heart aching and burning, as I finally understood what this was. This was love, in its purest form, taking over my body and my soul, etching Caspian into every fiber of my being. I was nothing without him.
“I love you, Harper,” Caspian said, his voice trembling and raw with emotion.
I could see it, too, as the red aura of pain around him blossomed into an almost ethereal gold. It felt as though I was looking at the sun, its warm rays caressing my face.
“Caspian…” I managed, barely recognizing my own voice.
“I mean it,” he replied, then took a couple of steps forward and closed the distance between us. “I love you, Harper Hellswan. This whole world can be destroyed or saved tomorrow. I don’t care. It doesn’t change this single moment in time, or anything that has led up to it. I love you. I was lost and bound to a curse, until I found you and realized that… that there’s still hope for me. That I have something more to fight for. It’s one thing to resist and conspire to save your people, and something else entirely to fight to keep the love of your life. The energy I get from you, Harper, it’s… it’s irreplaceable.”
I shuddered, as he gently brought his hands up, his thumbs brushing along the length of my arms. Even through the towel’s layer of plush cotton, his touch sparked thunderstorms beneath my skin. He wiped my tears with his knuckles, without saying another word. He just gazed at me, while I lost myself in those dark jade pools.
“I didn’t expect any of this to happen… yet, here we are,” I whispered, my heart galloping and my blood rushing from my head, leaving me a little bit drowsy. “I love you, Caspian. I love you so much it hurts, and it scares the hell out of me, but, at the same time, it makes me want to turn this entire planet inside out, if that’s what it’ll take for me to be with you, to feel you—”
Caspian kissed me, shutting me up in an instant.
The golden light of his aura somehow enveloped me, warming me up from the inside. It felt so strange but so, so incredible.
“You’re the only good thing in my life, Harper,” he breathed, then put his arms around me and squeezed me tight, trailing kisses down the side of my neck. His lips tickled me, my core ignited as I ran my fingers through his short black hair and tried my best to stay upright.
His aura almost blinded me. I closed my eyes, breathing him in, as my hands traveled down his chest, then unbuttoned his shirt. His muscles were hard, twitching nervously under my touch. The feel of his skin on mine was something simply out of this world.
His mouth claimed mine, deepening the kiss. We were both consumed by a whirlwind of emotions, feeding off one another, passionate and desperate to feel everything.
“I love you,” I whispered against his lips.
He stilled, then looked at me, the shadow of a smile flickering across his gorgeous face. The firelight played with his features, creating a dramatic contrast of almost black shadows and amber glimmers, his sharp jaw and the blade of his nose beautifully outlined.
His hands rested on my waist. His pupils were dilated, like black holes swallowing the jade universe in his eyes. With shaky hands, I managed to take his shirt off completely, discarding it on the floor.
“Be mine, Harper,” he said, gently cupping my face with his hand.
I leaned into it, unable to catch my breath. My heart threatened to explode, my entire body humming and my soul yearning to feel his. The sentry side of me begged for release, for the ultimate union. I needed him so much it hurt.
“Caspian, if we do this… I’m a sentry, you might—”
He kissed me again, this time with ravaging hunger. My lower lip got caught between his lips, and he suckled softly, coaxing a moan from my throat. I shivered in his grip. His fingers slowly pulled the towel up to my hips.
“I don’t care, Harper. I want to be with you, in every way possible.”
He breathed out as he pulled the towel off me completely. All of a sudden, I was naked, every cell in my body vibrating as Caspian took his time to worship me. “You are perfect,” he whispered, then scooped me up in his arms and laid me on the bed.
I sank into the layers of fur on top of the mattress, my heart pounding as I watched him slip out of his boots and pants. He climbed into bed, then covered me with his muscular frame. His weight pinned me down as he kissed me, deeply, leaning onto one elbow.
He used his other hand to trace my every curve, leaving blazing trails behind. His mouth made love to mine first, his fingers exploring everything in their path. We lost ourselves in the night and in the stars and in the three moons rising somewhere above the inn.
Caspian was made for loving me. I could tell from the way he touched me, relishing every sensation. As he claimed me, we established a rhythm, following the frantic beats in our chests, our bodies molded together as we melted and abandoned ourselves to this single, most perfect moment. Caspian made love to me, kissing me all over and whispering the sweetest words in my ear.
I held on, my heart pounding as we ascended higher into existence, beyond the night’s sky, beyond the fabric of time and space. We rode the midnight winds, we sailed the endless seas, and we felt the sand under our feet—a thousand emotions at once, crashing into us like turbulent waves. And we loved every second of it.
“Hold me tight,” Caspian murmured, then put my arms around his neck.
I did as he asked, and he took me higher and farther away from the present. His arms slipped around my waist as he moved deeper and demanded my consciousness. My sentry senses unraveled, I cried out his name, and our souls finally fused in a bright flash of white light.