The Dark Prince (The Dark Light Series)(157)

“Yes,” he breathes, a smile curling his succulent lips. “You are absolutely breathtaking. Even more so than before because you finally know it. You finally see what I’ve seen in you all along.”

I beam at him, relief flooding my chest. I lift his hands and brush them with my lips. This time, he barely flinches. “I have never been more certain of what I was created for, Dorian. I’m not supposed to be solely Light or Dark. I was made to be the Dark Light. Once I accepted that, everything just clicked into place. I didn’t question it anymore.”

I brush his cheek with my hand, trying to be as gentle as possible. He instinctively lets his eyes close and nuzzles into the touch. “And I didn’t question you anymore. You have sacrificed so much for me. You gave up everything you knew- your family, your life… for me. For love.”

“Yes,” he rasps, his voice thick with emotion.

“I know that now, and I thank you.” I inch forward, closing the small distance between our bodies. “Let me do that for you. Let me protect you and sacrifice for you. Let me show you what it is like for someone to care for you and want to keep you safe against all odds. Let me love you like you love me.”

Doubt puckers the space between his brows. “You would do that for me?”

I stifle the giggle in my throat and shake my head before resting it against his forehead. “When are you going to realize that I am stupid, crazy in love with you? That I never stopped loving you? That I simply cannot live another day without you? Didn’t you know? The Dark die for love. I think I inherited that trait from my dad’s side.”

“I think I did hear that somewhere,” he chuckles. “So this is it? This is what you really want?”

I lift my face to study his features. I didn’t realize it before but Dorian has been scared this entire time that we’ve been together. Since the day we met, he has had to fight against his nature, to try to go against what has been engrained in him from birth. Stepping out on faith- on love- has been as terrifying for him as it has been for me. Yet he did it anyway. He loved me in spite of it all.

“Dorian, I’ve tried to be as human as I could possibly be. I’ve tried to embrace the ways of the Light like my mother wanted me to. I even tried to accept that I may very well be Dark. I have done everything that people wanted me to. I’ve rejected what I have wanted because I thought that was what I was supposed to do.” I take a deep breath and beam at the exotic Warlock in front of me, letting conviction shine through every pore. “Hell yes, this is what I want. You are what I want. I know what it meant for you to come to my rescue. I know what that fate entails for you. And now it’s my turn. Now I want to show you what it means to be loved unconditionally.”

I turn over his hand displaying the tiny blue anchor that matches my own. “We’re anchored, Dorian. Not by an impulse. Not by a curse. But by love. And I’m ready to fight for that love. I’m ready to fight for you.”

I only have a split second to take in his awe-filled expression, his eyes glazed and full of ardor before I am on my back, his weight crushing me into the couch cushion. Our mouths waste no time reuniting, our tongues and breaths conjoining simultaneously. His kiss is nothing like I had remembered. It’s better. So much so that I moan against his lips. I can actually taste the depth of his affection for me. I feel how much I mean to him with just the slide of his fingertips against my skin. I can see how much I affect him even with tightly closed eyes.

Dorian pulls away, yet stays situated on top of me. His fingers rake through my wild curls as he smiles down at me adoringly. “I am going to love you for eternity. I know we have adversity stacked against us but I promise to always fight and protect you. I’ll never give up on you. On us. It’s just me and you. This is our destiny. I love you, little girl.”

I bite my bottom lip and smile, gazing up at him with sultry, hooded eyes. Then without even thinking about, I instinctively let the words fall from my lips in the language that we now both share. The ancient language of the Dark that now comes as natural to me as breathing.

“I love you too, Dorian. Forever.”





Epilogue


Dorian


I can’t tear my eyes away from the sleeping, naked woman in my bed. I don’t even want to blink, for fear that she will disappear. I’ve had to tell myself time and time again that this isn’t an illusion. This isn’t a dream. She’s real. She’s here. And she’s mine. All mine.

I still can’t believe that less than 24 hours ago, she was snatched away from me. I lost her. I lost the only thing still anchoring me to this life. I was ready to end it all. It wasn’t even a question. But I held on, I kept trying. For her. Her life was worth saving.