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"Why?" she whispers, her voice barely audible. "Why would you do that for me?"
"Because," I pause, searching for the right words. "You've shown me a side of myself I didn't know existed. You make me want to be a better man. And I'm not going to let anyone hurt you again. Not if I can help it."
"Promise?" she asks, her gaze locked on mine, searching for any hint of deception.
"I promise," I reply, sealing the vow with a soft kiss. The contact sends jolts of electricity through my veins, setting my senses ablaze. Our lips part, but we remain close, our breaths mingling in the small space between us.
As we stand there, locked in that moment of intimate connection, I can feel the weight of our pasts fading away. It's as if time stands still, and for this brief moment, all that exists is the energy crackling between us. Aisling's eyes glisten with a mixture of vulnerability and newfound hope.
"I've never had anyone promise to protect me before," she murmurs, her voice barely audible. "It's always been the other way around. Ever since I got to Dreamland, I've been protecting the other girls--making surethey'resafe, sometimes at my own expense. The whole reason I'm here is because the boss had it in for me, and he gave Caius Rossi permission to..."
She pauses, choking up.
"You don't have to say it," I murmur.
"He wants me dead," she whispers. "So many people want me dead, Gunnar. I'm really fucking scared."
"Well, you don't have to carry that burden alone anymore," I reply, my voice filled with conviction. "I'm here for you, Aisling. Always."
A faint smile tugs at the corners of her lips as a glimmer of trust emerges in her eyes. It's a fragile thing, like a delicateflower emerging from beneath the snow after a long winter. But it's there, and it gives me hope. That hope transforms into something else, though, as Aisling steps closer.
"I want to make it real," she says. "I promised you that if you got me out of Dreamland, I would be yours."
"I remember," I say--because of course I do. It's etched on my memory like a fucking brand, and I haven't been able to shake it off since the first night I saw her.
She tilts her head to the side and sweeps back her hair, showing me the little cloud tattooed over her pulse.
"It's a synthetic claiming mark courtesy of the Eclipse," she mutters. "I've heard it doesn't taste good...but I want to be yours. I don't want to belong to them."
"That's fast," I whisper, even though all I want is to sink my teeth into her. "You just met me."
"But I know what I want," she presses. She places her hand on my chest, right over my heart. "Don't you feel it, Gunnar? Even with this mark on my skin, you and I were meant to be pack. It's so obvious. I've known since the first time I laid eyes on you."
I take a step back, my heart pounding in my chest. Aisling's words echo through the room, filling the silence with their weight. She's right; there's something undeniable pulling us together. I've felt it since the moment our eyes met, but I never expected her to feel the same.
I still don't know if she's using me, but I've never been able to care.
"I do feel it," I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. "But are you sure? This is a big decision, Ais."
Her gaze intensifies, her eyes searching mine for any sign of hesitation. But all she finds is a raw honesty that matches her own.
"I'm sure," she says firmly, her voice filled with determination. "My past doesn't define me. I want to create a future with you, Gunnar."
The heaviness of her words settles over us as we stand there, suspended in this moment of truth. The room feels charged with anticipation, as if the walls themselves are holding their breath.
Without breaking eye contact, I take a step forward, closing the gap between us. Aisling's hand remains on my chest, feeling the rapid thumping of my heart beneath it. In this moment, everything outside of the room fades into obscurity, and all that matters is the connection growing between us.
"I want that too," I say, my voice steady and filled with a newfound sense of purpose. "I want to build a future with you, Aisling. But you should know...I'm an Angel through and through. You'll have to be one too."
Her brow furrows. "And you should know I intend on getting my friends out of Dreamland," she murmurs. "I'm not leaving this city behind. Not when there's so much at stake."
"Good," I nod. "Me either."
"Then do it," she whispers, her voice trembling with vulnerability. "Claim me."
The weight of her words hangs in the air, echoing through the room, and I know they're not something to be taken lightly. To claim her means to mark her as mine, to bind our lives together. Once we've exchanged bites, we'll always know where our mate is...we'llalwaysbe together, through thick and thin.
And maybe I'm a fool.
