Page 99 of Dark Awakening

Yet...if my blood offers access to mythic boons like daylight long denied his kind...has ambition rather than preordained fate indeed bound him to me?

Poisonous doubt threatens fragile trust. Yet some shard of destiny's rightness must have entwined our paths—for never has another matched the dangerous yet liberating harbor I found in Rhyland's encompassing intensity.

But Seraphina's stern air gives me pause. "Rhyland isn't the only threat should this revelation spread unchecked." Sadness weighs her graceful features. "If shadowed legions discovered a back door to our powers by exploiting your mortal frame for sustenance...apocalyptic war would surely follow."

Taking a deep breath, I return to Seraphina with fresh resolve, burning doubts away. "Lay it on me, Sparkles. What's destined task number one?"

Seraphina inclines her head approvingly. "You must locate the powerful Crown of Blessings relic—for uniting all realms against primordial darkness." She smiles. "Trust I know you capable of this, daughter of Atheria."

Excited apprehension wars within me—It seems my entire existence builds to this awakened purpose. "Okay…? Except, uh...I don't suppose this crown listing appears on magical Google Maps or something?"

Peaceful confidence never wavers in Seraphina's ancient eyes. "You bear an innate connection to the realms themselves. Focus intention and portals shall manifest through concentration alone. Follow intuition's guidance, my dear. Signs shall illuminate the way."

My nervous exhale shifts to anticipatory breath. Unmapped magical territory stretching before me? “ Wait…are you suggesting I can open a… portal?”

There’s no way this is real. I pinch my hand to make sure I’m not dreaming. Ouch! Nope. Wide awake.

Seraphina squeezes my shoulder, her celestial touch bolstering my resolve. “You were made for this, Danica. Never forget the power within.” Her voice rings with conviction. “Own this quest, and you’ll be unstoppable.”

As Seraphina’s glowing form fades, her smile stays emblazoned in my mind—a hopeful beacon cutting through the dark. I’m still reeling from the unbelievable truths revealed tonight. But destiny has called, and I’m determined now to embrace my supposed heroic role.

Still, anxiety threatens to crush me under its weight. I'm just one overwhelmed human woman. How can I possibly achieve mythic greatness against this ultimate evil?

Yet something deeper stirs in my core—an unwavering inner fire whispering I have strength enough for the trials ahead. I was born to awaken this dormant potential and blaze triumphant through danger unimagined.

Creeping back to bed, purpose courses through me as I gaze at Rhyland's sleeping form, my mind swirling. Seraphina implied his motives were impure, but he's done nothing but defend me fiercely. Does selfish ambition explain such selfless devotion? No, what lives between us feels too sacred...or have I become too blinded by feelings to perceive the truth?

I slide in cautiously beside this beautiful fallen angel, studying his graceful lashes, tousled hair, and relaxed stubbled jaw. Perilous temptation...yet perhaps destiny bonded our paths, whatever wrathful doubts the divine harbor. Dark intensity housed within a noble heart—the man, not myth, has earned my trust.

Inhaling deeply, I try calming my stampeding thoughts. But stark reality cannot stay ignored—some prophesied holy relic now relies on my questionable mortal hands alone for retrieval, a task so ludicrous tears nearly unleash. How can I even hope to locate this arcane needle in a multiverse haystack before everything immortal comes crashing down?

I close my eyes, desperately blocking out frenzied doubts and dreads, trying to summon sleep's blissful temporary loss of crushing responsibility...

Rhyland

51

Iwake up wrapped in a cocoon of shadows, feeling Danica's heat pressed close against me, even in sleep. Her hands are folded under her cheek—god, she's even angelic when she's asleep. There's this serene beauty about her, all soft and quiet—her honey-brown hair cascaded over my arm where it lies claiming her, her curves bare beneath my hold. I can't fucking resist; I slide back the sheets, unveiling the perfection of her skin, and my gaze—a starving, wild thing—just feasts on her.

My questing fingers graze the dip of her hip, feeling gooseflesh rise in my wake. At once, that achingly familiar craving stirs anew—a smoldering hunger only this exquisite mortal can ease...

My cock springs to attention when I see her nakedness, my body quivering excitedly. As she lies there oblivious and asleep, I glide my lips onto her stomach, exploring every crevice. She stirs in response, so I grant her a flicker of pleasure by grazing my tongue along her navel, lapping up her sumptuous taste. A moan escapes her as I reach her neck, nibbling and licking, savoring her sun-kissed skin and its breathtaking flavor.

This is the closest I’ll ever get to the sun’s warmth again. This beautiful woman before me has imparted a gift far more significant than any creature of the night could ever desire.

My tongue slides down her body, exploring every inch of her. Her soft, full breasts beg to be touched and tasted. I latch onto one perfect nipple, running my tongue around it in circles as it hardens under the heat of my mouth. I grab and squeeze her curves hungrily, savoring every sweet sensation. She begins to writhe beneath me, moaning out in pleasure and delight. I nip at her other nipple with my teeth before leaving it with gentle licks.

Dani gasps loudly, calling out my name like a plea, “Rhyland.”

"Angel," I whisper, letting the word brush her soft-as-silk skin before I claim her lips with a hunger that sends my heart into a symphony of beats. Her arms wrap around me, fierce as if she's staking her claim that she won't ever let go. And I just soak in every damn second of being this close, basking in the feeling that's as necessary as breathing.

“Am I dreaming?” she whispers between kisses, her voice soft and full of want. I smile into the kiss.

I’m filled with lust as I pull off my clothes like a savage, heaving with need. Without hesitation, I put myself between her delicate thighs, ready to spread her wide open. My lips are ravenous as I suck and bite at her neck, sending shivers down her body. I seize her wrists and yank them above her head, cruelly binding them together in my unforgiving grip. Her ample breasts heave as she arches her body into mine.

My fingers dig deep into her soft, fleshy hip as I ravish her tight nipples with my mouth. I slowly and achingly glide my rock-hard cock into her wetness as a moan escapes her lips.

“Hush now, Angel. Don’t want to wake everyone.” I coo menacingly, feeling the fire within me grow hotter and hotter. But her cries won’t be silenced as I continue to drive into her with relentless ferocity. Her tight cunt wraps around me like a vise, milking every inch of my cock.

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