Page 30 of Twisted Fangs

VALEN

The dark elf blood courses through my veins, healing my wounds. My strength returns with each passing second, but I can't take my eyes off Rhea. She stands among the carnage and inspects her handiwork. Her newfound power radiates from her like heat from a flame.

My chest tightens suddenly. The guilt hits me hard. I've taken her humanity. The very thing that made her different from monsters like me. But watching her now, seeing the fierce determination in her eyes burning even brighter, I can't deny the surge of pride that mingles with my remorse.

She turns to me. Her eyes glow with that familiar Vrakken fire, but they're still hers. The transformation hasn't stripped away who she is.

"I'm okay," she says, extending her hand to help me up. "Better than okay." Her grip is strong now, matching my own. "I can feel everything. The power... it's incredible."

I pull myself up, steadying myself against the wall. "You shouldn't have had to make that choice," I mutter.

"I made the only choice I could," she replies. Her voice carries a new edge of steel. "I wasn't going to watch you die."

The words hit me like a physical blow. After centuries of solitude, of letting no one close to me, this woman chose to give up her humanity rather than lose me. The realization both humbles and terrifies me.

"You're mine now," I say, the possessive words escaping before I can stop them. "And I'm yours. There's no going back from this."

She steps closer, her movements fluid with her new grace. "Good. I don't want to go back," she admits.

Her presence stirs something deep within me. My existence up to this point has been fueled by vengeance, a solitary figure consumed by the need to punish those who took everything from me. But now, as I look at her, I realize that my heart has shifted. The emptiness that once defined me is now filled with something entirely different—something I thought was lost forever. Love.

I can't help but feel a surge of possessiveness. She's mine, marked by my venom, bound to me by an unbreakable tie. The thought of anyone trying to harm her again ignites a fierce protectiveness that I've never felt before.

I lean in, my lips grazing her ear as I speak, "You've given me something to fight for beyond revenge, Rhea. You've given me a reason to live."

She pulls back slightly, her eyes locking onto mine. "And you've shown me what it means to fight, to stand up for myself and for what's right. You've given me a future," she says, her voice filled with gratitude.

Rhea's hands extend toward me, a silent offering. I take them in mine and pull her down on top of me, her body colliding with mine with a satisfying thud. She gasps, her breath hot against my neck. "Valen!" she cries out, her voice filled with worry due to my healing injuries.

I silence her protest with a kiss, fierce and claiming. Her lips part beneath mine, her initial resistance melting away as she succumbs to the undeniable heat between us.

When we finally break apart, my gaze sweeps over her, taking in the fierce glow of her transformed eyes, the way her body hums with a power that's as much mine as it is hers.

"Rhea, there's something I need to do now that I turned you into a Vrakken," he says with a low growl.

Her eyebrows arch in silent question, but there's a knowing glint in her eyes. She can feel the electric current that runs between us.

"I want to mate with you,"I declare. "Here, now, in this place that couldn't contain our spirits. I want to claim you as mine, fully and irrevocably in your transformed state."

A shiver runs through her, but her gaze doesn't waver. "Valen," she breathes out, her voice a mixture of apprehension and desire. "Are you sure? After everything that's happened..."

My hands cup her face, my thumbs caressing her cheeks. "I've never been more certain of anything in my life," I say firmly. "You are my heart's choice, Rhea. My equal in every way."

Her lips part, and I can see the rapid beat of her pulse in her neck—a rhythm that matches the drumming of my own Vrakken heart. "Yes," she whispers, the single word hanging in the air like a sacred vow.

My control snaps at her acquiescence. My lips crash onto hers with a hunger that's been building since I bit into her neck. She responds with equal fervor, her hands fisting in my tunic, pulling me closer.

We soon break apart, gasping for air. I stand her up and walk her backward until her back hits the cold stone wall. She lets out a soft gasp, her eyes widening with surprise. My hands soonroam over her body, exploring the new strength that lies beneath her supple curves.

"Valen," she whispers, my name a plea upon her lips.

Her voice sends a jolt of desire through me. I can't resist the magnetic pull between us, the bond that has been forged in battle and solidified in blood. I lean in, my breath mingling with hers, our hearts pounding in unison.

She gasps again as I lift her off the ground, her legs wrapping around my waist. I can feel the heat of her through the fabric of our clothes, a tantalizing promise of the inferno that awaits.

"I need to feel you," I murmur against her mouth, my fingers working to free her from the constraints of her clothing. Her own hands fumble with my tunic, tugging it over my head and casting it aside.

Her skin issoft beneath my fingertips, yet there's an undeniable power that courses just beneath the surface. "You're incredible," I say, my voice filled with awe and desire.

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