Page 73 of A Touch of Darkness

But one thing is certain: he didn’t get to claim every inch of her, he will never be connected to her like me.

If he even exists at all.

She steps inside, hesitant, her dark doe eyes wide with something that I can’t quite name. Her lips part, and I can feel the soft breath she takes.

“You look beautiful,” I say, the words escaping in a breathless rush, a simple truth, but it feels like an offering. She is radiant, even in this quiet, intimate space. Even with the uncertainty that lingers in her gaze, she is a vision that steals the air from my lungs. I don’t think there will ever be a time when she doesn’t steal my breath.

She smiles faintly, but there’s a softness in her expression that speaks volumes—trust, hesitation, and something more. “Thank you,” she replies, her voice low and hesitant, a delicate tremor under each word.

I watch her as she steps further into the room. I want to say more, to tell her how I feel, but my chest tightens with something heavy and consuming.

I don’t believe I’ve ever been as nervous as I am in this moment. It’s so rare. So strange.

I turn to the table where the wine rests, my fingers lingering on the crystal. The dark liquid swirls with a beauty all its own, a deep red that catches the light and glows like something alive. I offer it to her, and as our fingers brush, I feel the familiar shock of warmth, the spark of connection that pulls at me, drawing me closer to her in ways that have nothing to do with mere physical proximity.

She takes the glass with a hesitant smile, her fingers lingering on mine just a moment longer than necessary. She’s nervous, too. I can feel it in the way she holds herself—like the weight of this moment is almost too much to bear. I would kill to read her thoughts right now, but alas, I’ve vowed to myself to never betray her like that.

I delay for a moment, but then the words spill out before I can stop them. “Before we go through with this, Sylvie, I just need to talk to you.” I pause, helping her to sit on the edge of the bed and noticing how it looks like she belongs here. How I wish she would stay here for eternity with me.

“This isn’t just about taking something from you. It’s about everything that comes with it. The bond it will create, the power it will unleash. You don’t know what it means—whatImean.”

Her eyes harden,and she sets the glass down on the table with a soft clink, turning to face me fully. “Then tell me,” she says, her voice steady now, something akin to wonderment flaring in her eyes. “Please don’t hide behind your cryptic words. Not tonight, Lucian. Just give me the truth, whatever it is.”

I look away, shame coiling in my gut. She’s right—I owe her the truth. I owe her everything. But how can I put into words the darkness that resides in me, the beast that yearns to claim her in ways she cannot fathom? How can I tell her that once this is done, there is no going back? I will never be content without her again—not that I ever was.

I take a deep breath, my voice low as I gather the courage to speak the unspoken. “When you bind yourself to me in this way,” I begin, forcing the words out, “it will change everything. You won’t just lose your virginity, Sylvie. You’ll tether yourself to me—to a world that will demand every piece of you. A world that will take and take until there’s nothing left. I believe this will only solidify the bond I feel toward you.”

She doesn’t flinch, doesn’t look away. “That world already demands everything of me, Lucian. And I’m still standing. I’m still here.”

Her words strike like a thunderclap, silencing every argument I’ve been holding onto. She’s made her choice, and I can see now that nothing I say will dissuade her. She has stepped into the fire willingly, and I am powerless to stop her.

I sit next to her and cup her jaw, running the pad of my thumb against her skin.

“You are still here, aren’t you?” I say, rhetorically.

I lean in and kiss her reverently, taking my time as my lips slowly conquer hers. I slip my tongue inside and devour her, taking every inch of her mouth as she moans against me, and I edge even closer to her. When I pull away, it is not without regret, but it is needed.

“I’ll only do this if you’re sure,” I say finally, my voice a whisper of the storm raging inside me. “Not for Lara, not for the curse—only if it’s whatyouwant.”

She looks up and into my eyes, her hand reaching for mine and bringing it to her heart. The thumping I feel is magnified, her heart is racing. Her touch is soft, hesitant, and yet it sets my entire being alight. “I want this,” she says, her voice barely audible, but the conviction in her eyes says everything. She then brings our palms to my own heart, covering it like she wants to protect me, though I can’t fathom the reason. “I want you.”

And then she’s pulling me closer, her lips brushing against mine in a kiss that is both fragile and ferocious. It’s a kiss that holds centuries of pain and longing, a kiss that speaks of promises broken and promises made anew. I don’t stop her. I can’t. My hands move to her waist, anchoring her to me as the world falls away, pulling her into my lap so she can feel exactly what she does to me—in this lifetime, in all those before, and in all after.

She is everything, and for this moment, she is mine.

But as her lips move against mine, as her hands curl into my shirt and her body presses closer, I feel it—the weight of what we’re about to do. This isn’t just a choice. It’s the beginning of the end. For her. For me. For everything.

Still, as I lift her into my arms and adjust her further up the bed so she’s comfortable, I know one thing with absolute certainty: I will do whatever it takes to protect her, to save her, to keep her by my side.

Even if it means damning myself all over again.

The air is electric, charged with something I can’t name but feel deep in my bones. Every candle in the room flickers, their golden glow casting shadows that dance along the walls like whispered secrets. My heart thunders in my chest, and I wonder if Lucian can hear it, feel it, the way I feel everything about him.

I stand at the edge of something vast and unknowable, like the edge of a cliff where the ocean stretches endlessly below. And yet, I am not afraid. Not of him. Not of this. I’ve realized this is my choice. I know Lucian is worried that I’m being forced into this, but I’m not. Despite this being part of the only way I see out of this mess with the Solstice Society, I want him.

My God, do I want him.

He says we’ll be bound together, tethered, in a way. And I don’t fully understand what he means by that, but I do know there could be a worse fate for me.

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