Page 54 of Devoted
Celebrations and cheers continue, and for what might be the first time in my life, I feel like I deserve to be surrounded by this happiness.
This time, with my happiness joining the revelry as well.
“I love you,” I declareagain. I must have admitted the words at least three times by now. Vivian sits in the passenger seat of my car, her hand entwined with mine, resting on the center console.
“Yeah, I know,” she chuckles, clearly amused by the way I can’t seem to stop saying I love her. “I’ve known for a while, I was just waiting for you to admit it, but now I guess you can’t shut up about it.” She lifts my hand, moving it toward her face. “How embarrassing for you,” she teases before kissing my hand and leaving a huge smear of lipstick. God, I want to be covered in maroon by the end of tonight.
Ezekiel and Alek’s engagement happened fairly late in the night, so we didn’t have to wait long for the rest of the party to clear out. Being some of the last to leave, we weren’t questioned when we both got into my car.
Giving her a rose, even one dripping with my blood, isn’t going to cut it for my apology and my declaration of love. The rest of my life will be spent proving myself worthy of her love, and it’s the only kind of life I want to live: a knight in service of his queen.
“Where are we going?” she asks, noticing we’ve turned onto a road that won’t lead to my house. There’s something else I need to show her tonight, and where better to show her than the place that’s been our shared sanctuary since we’ve met, The Garden of Eden.
“We need to stop by the club first. If you don’t mind,” I comment, keeping my eyes on the road while I squeeze her hand reassuringly. “There’s something I’d like to show you.”
“Hmm,” she hums. “Color me intrigued.” With a shift of the leather seat beneath her, I can tell she’s trying to contain her excitement. My little gremlin loves surprises.
My hand is hidden underneath her dress, grasping a handful of her luscious thigh as I drive into the club’s vacant parking lot. All the employees are celebrating the time off with their loved ones, and I am too. My love is tucked into my side, still dressed in my jacket with the bloody rose in the pocket, as we walk into the club and away from the chilly night air.
“I’ve never been here when it’s this empty and quiet,” Vivian observes, looking around the lowly lit booths and tables.
“I can’t imagine it’s ever quiet when your brother is around,” I state, a bit of humor lining my voice. She laughs and nods in agreement, stepping closer to me, and I take her into my arms.
“I knew you’d let me in.” Vivian’s voice shakes. Her hands are graceful as she takes my face into her hold, eyes boring into me.
“It seems you know me—and see me—better than I see myself,” I sigh, lifting one of my hands to cover hers. “I’m only sorry it took so long. I’ve been a fool.” Nuzzling into her palm, I groan lightly, feeling her nails scratch through my unusually long scruff.
“We were both foolish thinking we could keep this casual, Knight,” she whispers soothingly. Without realizing it, we’ve been swaying back and forth to the tempo of a dreamy song. One I’m certain plays in her mind just as it plays in mine.
Resting her head on my chest, Vivian’s body rises and falls with a deep breath as I take the lead and move us around the empty, unlit house of the club. Ghosts of my past would occupy the seats on a normal day, but it’s only promises of a bright future that surround us tonight.
A twirl in her vision of a dress. A dip and a deep kiss. And our imaginary song comes to an end.
Vivian’s eyes shine with unshed tears as she looks up at me. I will never know what I’ve done to be deserving of her love, but I vow I will only see happy tears in those hazel eyes from now on.
With a gentle sweep of my thumb, I catch a stray tear, wiping it away from her beautiful face and leaning down to kiss the spot it fell from. With a great show of will, I manage to step away from her, knowing there’s one more thing I need to show her tonight.
“This way, my darling.” Keeping her hand in mine, I lead us downstairs to her office, making sure she doesn’t trip down—or up—the stairs again. She follows without a word, only a vice grip on my hands that’s so painful it’s pleasurable.
“What did you want to show me?” she asks, looking around her office curiously.
In her costume room, a neglected cabinet in the corner of the room has housed some of my art projects. Walking over, I pull out the portfolio tucked between the wall and the cabinet, my hands shaking as I place the black leather case on her desk.
“My latest project, a month in the making, has been inspired by you,” I explain, pulling out a large page of sketch paper with my creation on it.
I’ve seen it so many times I could redraw it from memory alone. Vivian’s face, however, is a sight I could never attempt to perfect in any medium. One that can only exist in the sight that stands before me.
Her eyes are trained on my drawing, as my eyes are trained on her.
Vivian takes in every detail. A drawing of a conservatory to match a Gothic castle. Delicate leaves and thick, thorny vines mix with dead flora that encase the glass panels of the greenhouse. Life and color only bloom in the center of the conservatory, where a woman dressed in black holds a rose like Mother Nature, herself. From the tips of her fingers, she breathes life back into the macabre room.
How Vivian has breathed life back into me.
“I don’t have words,” she comments, still mesmerized by my creation.
“I drew this because I didn’t have words, either. At least—” I pause when she takes her eyes away from the drawing to stare at me. “At least not ones that could embody what I feel for you as accurately as my art could,” I confess, feeling suddenly shy.
“This… matches your back tattoo,” she begins. “Knight, are you going to get me tattooed on you?” Her eyes are wide in anticipation.
