Page 49 of Her Fallen Angel

Her words echo in my mind - "I choose to stay" - and something shifts inside me, fundamental and devastating. The realization crashes through me like a tidal wave, drowning everything else. My magic explodes outward, violet light filling every corner of the room as the truth I've been fighting shatters through my defenses.

I love her.

The force of it nearly brings me to my knees, and I'm stunned as I realize how right it fits. Every touch, every prayer, every act of defiance - they've all been leading to this moment. This crushing, terrifying knowledge that she's become essential to my existence.

She's become…everything.

My chest constricts painfully. The magic responds to my inner turmoil, swirling around us in violent patterns that reflectthe chaos in my soul. The very air crackles with power as ancient tomes fly off shelves and furniture scrapes across the floor.

I'd sooner carve out my own heart than let her go. The thought of her absence feels like death itself - cold and empty and meaningless. My fingers tremble against her skin as I pull her closer, breathing in her scent like a drowning man gasping for air.

The violence of my love for her terrifies me. It's all-consuming, destructive, absolute. Nothing in my centuries of existence has prepared me for this - this overwhelming need to possess, to protect, to worship. My magic pulses with each revelation, turning the room into a storm of violet lightning and shadow.

I bring my hands to her jaw, cupping her face as she stares up into my eyes. And I feel it so acutely now, this aching need, this desire I've never felt before. Nothing exists except this moment, this truth, this woman who's somehow become more vital to me than breath itself.

The realization shifts my world. I want her. Not just possession, but devotion. Not just control, but surrender. The magic responds, wrapping around her like a caress, marking her as irrevocably mine as I am now irrevocably hers.

26

ARENWEN

Kai's gone silent, and I take that as my chance. I hate that he overheard this, that he thinks the worst of me. And more than anything, I want to take that away.

I lean closer toward Kai, my heart thundering against my ribs. The air crackles with his magic, violet sparks dancing around his tall frame like deadly fireflies. His eyes glow with that same dangerous light, fixed on me with predatory intensity.

"Please," I whisper. "I chose you. I chose to stay." My voice breaks but I force the words out. "Gabriel doesn't understand - he thinks he's saving me, but I don't need saving. Not from you."

Another step closer. There's too much space between us with me being held at his arm's length, and I don't want it. The magic intensifies, raising goosebumps along my skin.

Kai remains motionless, his jaw clenched, wings half-spread in a display that would terrify anyone else. But I've learned to read the subtle signs - the slight tremor in those powerful wings, the way his fingers curl against my skin.

"I won't leave." I move a little closer, never dropping his gaze. "I won't run." The magic burns now, like standing too close to an open flame, but I refuse to back down.

I lift my hand, giving him time to pull away. When he doesn't move, I press my palm against his chest. His heart pounds beneath my touch, matching my own frantic rhythm. The leather of his armor is cool against my skin, a stark contrast to the heat of his magic.

"I swear it." I look up into those violet eyes, refusing to flinch from their intensity. "I'm not going anywhere. This is where I belong now."

His magic swirls around us both, no longer burning but enveloping like a cocoon. Still, he remains silent, watching me with that unblinking stare that makes me feel stripped bare, exposed down to my very soul.

"You're mine," I dare to echo his frequent claim, pressing my hand more firmly against his chest. "And I'm yours."

His magic continues to surge, the violent energy making the air thick and heavy. I slide my hand from his chest to his face, cupping his sharp jaw. The touch forces his glowing eyes to meet mine.

"Look at me." My fingers trace the edge of his cheekbone. "Your darkness calls to me. Your fire burns in my blood now." My voice drops to barely a whisper. "I want it. I want you - everything you are."

His wings shift, the ash-gray feathers rustling with suppressed tension. Behind me, Gabriel's presence weighs heavy, but I keep my focus on Kai. On the way his magic pulses with each breath, on how his skin feels like heated steel beneath my palm.

"Nothing will keep me from you." I press closer, my body flush against the cold leather of his armor. "Not the past, not duty, not fear." My other hand finds his face, holding him steady. "But please - please don't hurt Gabriel. He's acting out of brotherly love, misguided as it is."

Kai's jaw flexes under my touch. The violet light in his eyes flares brighter, turning them into burning amethysts. His wings snap fully open, and I know that will be the greatest problem for us. He wants to protect me, for no one else to have me, and I have to see that he already has that.

"He's my family," I whisper, letting my thumbs brush over his cheekbones. "The only family I have left. Your darkness is what I choose, what I need. But don't make me watch you destroy him. Please."

The magic swirling around us intensifies, but I refuse to back down. I hold his gaze, silently willing him to understand. To see that my choice is made - I've given myself to his fire, his possession. But mercy isn't weakness, even for a warrior of New Solas.

"He broke into my home." Kai's voice rumbles like distant thunder, his magic crackling around us. "Tried to take what's mine."

My hands tremble against his face, but I don't let go. "Gabriel's leaving New Solas. We won't see him again." The words taste like ash on my tongue. My oldest friend, my protector - soon he'll vanish from my life forever. But the alternative... I've seen what Kai does to those who challenge him.

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