Page 78 of Gates of Rapture
Grace waited but that uneasy feeling returned.
Oh, shit.His voice was suddenly loud in her head.More Third Earth death vampires just arrived.Casimir’s with me.
Because she was completely open to all his external physical sensations, she could feel him turn in a complete circle, and within a split second he had his sword in hand.She sensed a vibration all along his skin and knew he was letting his beast-man out.
Grace, you should get back to Second.Now.
Grace sat up.She was in danger.She could feel it.
She lifted her hand to fold, but couldn’t.She didn’t understand.Her heart rate kicked up a few notches.
Then, just as quickly as her fears rose, they retreated.Very odd.Yet she felt sublime waves of peace begin to pour over her.She didn’t need to worry about anything.
She folded her hands over her stomach and closed her eyes.She felt the air move near her, but she was too tired to care who it was.Probably Leto, which would be nice.She wanted to open her eyes and smile at him, but she couldn’t.How heavy her eyelids felt.
Lips touched her cheek several times.As if from a great distance, she heard a stream of words, murmured very softly in a kind of chant.The lips moved and covered her mouth.
Come with me, Grace.The words now flowed through her mind with the most beautiful resonance.We will build a new world together, one without war.Isn’t that what you want above all things?
This wasn’t Leto, but why wasn’t she afraid?Was she being enthralled?
Somehow, she didn’t care.
She felt so at peace, as though she never wanted to be anywhere else in her life than right here with this man’s voice in her head and his lips touching hers.
Tell me you want what I want.
Yes, I want a world without war.Yes.Yes.
Then come with me.Say you will join me.I will make you my empress, and you will have the power to order the world exactly how you desire it to be.
At last, she opened her eyes.Some part of her mind truly did realize that she was looking at Greaves, that he sat on the side of the chaise and petted her head in soft soothing strokes, and that he had been kissing her.
He must have enthralled her.She wondered why he didn’t just take her away with him.He had her in his power—that much her rational mind could make sense of.But she knew that by the rules of COPASS, both he and Endelle were limited in what each could do, all those rules set up a hundred years ago to regulate two powerful ascenders.No, Greaves couldn’t just take her.He would have to persuade her to leave with him.
All she had to do was say yes.
She put her hand on his face.She wanted to.Very badly.
Yet she resisted.
His eyes were lit with a strange, unearthly glow.He looked so beautiful.That was one of the most surprising things about Darian Greaves, just how beautiful he was.He had thick, perfectly shaped dark brows, full lips, and large brown eyes, just like his mother’s.He also possessed the best manners.She had always liked his manners.
He slid his arms behind her back and pulled her against him.He kissed her again.Even his mouth was beautiful and tasted of the sweetest peaches.She licked his lips and heard him groan.
I could love you, Grace.I didn’t know that, but holding you in my arms like this, love is what comes to mind.You are the earth.I can feel that in you.Your power would anchor me and change me.I would be made new.Will you do that for me, Grace?Will you make me a new creature through your goodness and purity?My mother would like that.Beatrice would be indebted to you forever.
She loved Beatrice.How wonderful if she could give her such a gift as renewing her son’s soul.
Come with me.Say you’ll come with me.
She wanted to say yes.More than anything in her life, she wanted to say yes.But there was a part of her that couldn’t do it.
She struggled to find the word, to make her mouth move.“No,” she murmured at last.
The soft chanting resumed.
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