She dabbed a few drops of each oil on the inside of her wrists and brought them up to rub lightly behind her ear and down her neck. She peeked over and was satisfied to see that Darian had visibly relaxed and was smiling softly. She turned back to her task at hand.
"I like using a light powder in the evenings, something with a bit of luminosity. This one is called, Hope of Light." She used a brush to powder her face. "A lot of people think you have to go with a darker look when you go out at night, the smokey eye that Meryn was attempting for example, but that's not true. Lighter colors have their place when the sun goes down." She picked up an eye shadow palette. "This color is called Heart's Desire; it has a gorgeous champagne gold color." She used a small, fluffy brush to apply the color all over her lid. "This one is called, Shimmering Love." A pearlescent cream color, she used it to highlight her brow bone, her inner eye, and the center of her lip. One by one, she chose bright colors named for hope, love, and light. When she was done, she turned to him. His empty wine glass sat on the floor beside his chair, forgotten. He no longer smiled but desperately gripped both arms of the chair, as if he was fighting an unseen enemy to stay seated.
"You don't like it?" She turned and looked in the mirror. She looked fresh-faced and golden. She had worn the look many times in the past when she wanted to feel closer to him.
She reached up and slowly removed the bobby pins, letting her curls fall where they would, and his hands on the chair arms cracked the wood. She put the bobby pins aside and folded her hands in her lap. "You do like it."
He took a ragged breath. "You look like an innocent angel. Everything you did was pure magic." He released the chair arms and stood.
"You keep using terms like young, innocent, and angel to describe me, but that's not right. I have seen so much darkness, I feel like my soul is stained with it. If there is anyone on this earth that can help you fight back your demons, it's me, yet you won't even let me try to help you." She stood to face him.
His features became a hard mask; gone was his easy smile. "Who has shown you darkness? Why didn't your brothers protect you?"
"Don't blame them. It was my choice; every single time, it was my choice." She hugged herself tightly. If he knew, would she still be his innocent angel? Would he give up completely? She turned her back to him.
"Tell me," he demanded.
She shook her head. "You haven't earned the right to ask that of me. You deny me at every turn and expect the privilege of my trust. It doesn't work like that, Darian."
"If someone has hurt you..." His voice was sharp and ice cold.
She turned and slowly made her way over to him. When she stood directly in front of him, she reached up and laid her hand over his heart. "What would you do, my prince? What if I told you that, without your love, I would spend the rest of my life trapped in a hell of my own making? That not even losing my soul could compare to the nightmare I would endure every day without you, lost in an inescapable cycle of torment and abuse? If you're not willing to live for me, are you willing to fight for me?"
He swallowed hard, repeatedly. "You ask too much."
"I only ask for what I was promised so long ago."
He reached up and removed her hand from his chest. "There is nothing left in me that could save you." He walked past her and out of the room.
She stood there, unable to move. She kept her breathing even. She wouldn't cry. How many times had the thought of ruining her makeup acted as a suit of armor? Her mate thought he had nothing left to give her, but she knew that wasn't true. If he couldn't see the light of his own soul, then she would become a mirror and reflect his own light back to him. If his light was too dim, then she would ignite the flames of his heart. She would never give up, not until he was safe.
Goddess, help me.
CHAPTER SIX
Alone, Amelia walked downstairs to the dining room. She had changed into a simple white dress and slipped her phone into her pocket. She decided to leave her hair down; Darian had liked it better this way. When she stepped into the dining room, she noticed she was the last one to come down. The men stood and sat again when she did.
"Sorry I took so long," she said quietly.
"It's no problem, Aiden and I just came down ourselves," Meryn said as she pulled a steaming roll apart.
"We just got here, too. We had to tuck Penny in," Rheia admitted, smiling at her.
Meryn took a huge bite of her roll. "You two are like a matched set of black and white. You look great. I'll never be able to get my makeup to look like that," she sighed.
Amelia looked between herself and Darian and realized that Meryn was right; they complemented each other perfectly. She forced a smile. "You'll get it, it just takes practice. Did you get all the glue off?" She unfolded her napkin and laid it in her lap.