Page 86 of One Last Wish

“Love is a strong word,” I snorted nervously. Were we that easy to read? Was Darce in love with me? When I met his love-filled eyes, I knew the answer.

“What better place than a ball to admit your feelings for one another?” The flashback hit me out of the blue, forcing itself to the front of my mind.

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“MAYBE WE NEED TO KEEPour distance for a little while.” Darce had me pinned against a stone wall. My stunning, black and gold dress was so full that it was difficult to get the closeness we desired.

“No!” I sobbed, clinging to him.

“We need to be realistic, Alora.”

“We need to staytogether. I will not accept anything else! You are all I need.”

“I will not sacrifice your immortal soul. Iloveyou! Do you understand?I LOVE YOU!”

“I love you, too.”

“No! Youcan’tsay those words out loud. They make it impossible for me to stay away.You are pure, Alora. You areDylin! Loving a Noxlin like me goes against everything you are. I have been so foolish, thinking I could keep you safe. Whatever Holy Ether has planned for us, it’s not going to end the way we want it to.”

“I don’t give afuckwhat Holy Ether has deemed for us! Ichooseyou! I’m pure because of my love foryou. You’ve taught me so much, Darce. More than I could ever comprehend. Noxlin arenothinglike my race describes. I began falling for you the night you saved me, but couldn’t admit it back then. You have taken over my entire heart.Allof it is yours. I’mnothingwithout you. I’d rather bedeadthan live without you! Do you understand what you mean to me? Why are you allowed to declare your love for me, but I can’t!? Well,fuckthat, andfuckyou!I love you, so deal with it!” At my words, his lips crashed against mine.

“We are doomed, my love,” Darce breathed against my lips, his voice cracking with sadness and fear.

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“HEY!” DAISY SHOOK ME. “Are you okay? You zoned out for a minute.” Taking a step back, I tried to focus on something other than the flashback I’d just had.Doomed?What had Darce and I done for our love to bedoomed?

“My dress is a little tight,” I lied, pretending like I was finding it hard to breathe.

“I can try to loosen it for you a little if you want?”

“I’ll be fine. I’m sure it will loosen as I move around.” Giving her a small smile, I made my way across the room to where Darce was watching me intently from near the grand staircase. People were already on the dance floor, spinning around while the string quartet played. A strange sense of Deja Vu came over me. Why did this feel familiar?

Darce was darting through the crowd trying to reach me. Finally, he stood in front of me. He caressed my face, searching my eyes before gently kissing my lips. “Dance with me.”

“We’re still working.”

“Malcolm said we’ve done enough and should enjoy ourselves.” Gazing around, I noticed Daisy and Ned already on the dance floor. Moving closer, he whispered into my ear. “All I want to do right now is hold you in my arms.” His soft plea was all I needed to agree.

Dancing with Darce...I had no words to describe it. He was confident and led so well that I actually looked as if I knew what I was doing.

“Is there anything you can’t do?” I mused as he swirled me around the dance floor to the sound of the most beautiful string arrangement of a current love song. The band Darce hired was incredible.

“Oh, I have many faults, Alora. You simply haven’t remembered them yet.”

“I seriously doubt that.” Darce pulled me closer against his body, the rough fabric of his tunic grazing against my bare arms. “Why does this feel familiar to me?”

“You’ve always loved music and dancing. I’ve asked the string quartet to play a favourite of yours later. I’m curious to see if you remember it.”

“Is the song old?”

“Veryold. They loved learning to play it. I had to enchant them so they didn’t ask questions about where the song originally came from, though.”

“All that foronesong?”

“It will be worth it.” Darce winked, spinning me away from him. How I didn’t fall over, I’ll never know, but he kept me upright before spinning me back into his chest. It made me wonder if he was using his shadows a little to help with my balance. I had never been this graceful. “You look breathtaking tonight,” he breathed against the shell of my ear. “Every male here has had his eyes on you atleastonce. Most are finding it hard to keep their eyesoffyou. It’s quite unsettling because I want them all to know that you aremine.”

“You may be a littlebiassed,” I blushed, darting my eyes around the room. A few people were gazing in our direction. I’m sure it was more to do with Darce and how well he was leading me than them looking atme. Even Evelyn had her mouth wide open as she watched me do a kind of waltz, except my arms were a little looser at my side.

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