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“Oh, Eden.” He trailed kisses up my jawline to my ear. I shuddered at the feel of his heated breath against my skin as he whispered, “I love you.”
Warmth filled my heart at his beautiful words, ones I’d longed to hear for so long. I sighed happily as I wound my arms back around him to hold him as close as possible and rested my cheek against his heartbeat.
“I love you, too. So much. I can’t believe I ever let you go.”
“You did what you needed to, but I was never gone. It’s impossible to separate us.”
I pulled away and gazed steadily into his eyes. “Because we’re paired.” I watched the corners of his mouth begin to pull up before adding, “Aren’t we, Darius?”
He fully smiled and lifted both my hands to gently kiss the backs of each. “We are. I’ve always known it and have always loved you, even before I recognized it. I love you more than anything, including myself, which is the highest compliment considering I’m pretty awesome, which just shows how incredible you are.”
I giggled, feeling warm, fluttery, and far lighter than I ever had before. “High praise indeed, my Darius.” I kissed him again and wished I could kiss him forever, but our situation pierced the magical moment, compelling me to pull away. “Mother insists I stay away from you. She can’t know of us.”
“We’ll meet in secret.” He lowered his lips to caress my neck and I arched against his exploring mouth, my heart fluttering as my fingers burrowed in his hair.
“Secret?” I managed breathlessly.
“We’ll replenish our powers and hide the magic I’m sharing with you so she believes she still has you under her control. Eventually, when the time is right, we’ll secretly do the Pair Ceremony.”
“What exactly is the Pair Ceremony?”
“It’s similar to a Mortal marriage. It binds us together forever so we’ll not just feel connected, but our powers will actually become one so that we share all our magic.”
As beautiful as that sounded, I frowned. “But I have nothing to give you.”
He cradled my cheek. “I only need your heart. With it I have everything.”
I rested a hand over his own, pattering steadily beneath my fingertips. “Can I have yours, too?”
“You already do.” He kissed me again, lightly but earnestly. As beautiful as his words were, I knew it would be a long time before our hopes became our reality. My arms hooked back around his neck.
“I don’t want to wait. I want to stay with you now.”
But even as I made my earnest plea, I understood why we couldn’t just run off together, do the Pair Ceremony, and escape to Earth to live out the rest of our days in secret. The joy that came from being with him had momentarily distracted me from my purpose. This was about more than just me,us; this was about the balance of the Universe and the protection of Mortals from Mother’s plot. I couldn’t let my selfishness keep me from doing my part to help the world I loved.
I sighed. “This is about more than our happiness. I need to stay with Mother if I’m to have any hopes of stopping her.”
He hesitated, pain filling his eyes at the thought of me remaining with her, even by choice. But he eventually nodded. “You’re so brave.”
I didn’tfeelbrave. But I did feel desperate. Being with Darius helped me remember the Eden I used to be, the one I wanted to become. He’d be my strength to walk that path, no matter how long and arduous. “But we’ll still be together?” I asked in a small voice.
He nodded earnestly. “We will, no matter how long we’re forced to only be together secretly.”
“And we’ll find me again?”
“Definitely.” He gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. “I feel my darling Eden here, so I know you’re not lost. We’ll find you, we’ll untangle you from Ebony, we’ll find a way to stop her, and then we’ll be together forever. I promise.”
He embraced me once more and I snuggled close. Despite the sentence with my Mother that still loomed before me, despite her horrible plan she’d force me to comply with, and despite still being trapped in the Nightmare Realm, Darius’s promise once more filled me with hope such as I’d never felt before now, his love the balm that healed my once more beating heart. His love and hope were my light.
I wasn’t alone. My Pair would always remain by my side. Together we’d put all of my heart’s shattered pieces back together and I’d emerge from this experience as someone new.
I smiled up at him as I caressed his cheek. “Whatever comes, we’ll walk the path together.”
“Always.” And eyes blazing with determination and love, Darius leaned down to kiss me, sealing the promise.
