He held her body closer to his as she shivered in her sleep. They were in the middle of one of the coldest winters in decades, so cold that even Daemons felt the frosty chill. And tonight was the longest night of the year: Winter Solstice. Exactly two years since the first time he had kissed her.
Xander chuckled to himself at the irony. He had waited for so long to find her, the one true love of his long life, and now he was being made to wait out the longest and darkest night before they could finally be together. Of course, they had already consummated their marriage early, multiple times, and they spent nearly every minute of every day together. But tomorrow would be the start of their future, tomorrow would be a whole new life for both of them.
He couldn’t help but smile as he watched her sleep, her nose scrunching up every so often as she dreamed. He loved reading her mind and watching her dreams with her, especially the dreams she had of him. Though he did not possess Edward’s Somnum ability to truly immerse himself within her dream, he enjoyed watching as a bystander nonetheless.
His finger traced along her jawline, marvelling at her beauty. He could not believe that he had found her. He had been so utterly lost before he met her, merely drifting through existence, living life after life, not really knowing where he truly belonged. But Adriana had changed all that. Although he knew his purpose was to protect others, she was the only one who gave him true happiness, she made him a better man. Adriana was his home.
When he was with her, he felt he could be himself. He didn’t have to be the brave leader or the Lord of Duran Manor—he could just be her Xander. He was completely hers andhe loved her, this infuriating woman, with her temper and constant need to challenge him. He loved her intelligence, her kindness, her innate ability to feel so deeply. He adored her with an incomprehensible love that no one would ever understand except the two of them.
Adriana stirred as he rolled her off his chest and tucked the blankets around her.
“Where are you going?” she murmured.
“Well, I cannot spend my last night as a free man with my bride, can I?”
She gave him a playful kick along with her typical grumpy stare. He laughed as he rose from the bed, picking up his clothes that had been discarded across her chambers in their previous hours of heated passion.
“I need to get back,” he explained as he pulled his clothes on. “The rest of my brothers will have arrived already. We need to discuss the recent sightings of Caligo’s Umbranimae in the northern towns, and I have a feeling Norman isn’t being too truthful about his involvement in the Lupus fights Deion heard about.”
Adriana’s eyes widened at his remark. “All of your brothers? They are all going to be in attendance?”
“Of course, they would never miss the chance to mock me for being in love. Although, I shall not be surprised if Norman refuses to attend after I speak with him.”
Xander frowned in thought as he finished dressing, worried about the rumours of his brother continuing the Lupus fights that William had started. It would make sense, given Norman lived up north and that was where the most recent and continuous Umbranimae sightings had been. But still, he hoped he was wrong. He hoped that Norman, with his fiery temper and Igni ability to match, would take a different path than the one they all feared he would choose.
Adriana knelt on the bed in front of where he stood. “Must you deal with it all tonight? Can it not wait?”
Xander brushed the hair behind her ear as he cupped the side of her face. Her mind felt foggy from her exhaustion, but even through the haze of sleep, he could sense nothing but absolute contentment. All because of him.
“It is best to sort everything now. Besides, I would rather get all that business dealt with before I keep you in my bed for the next few weeks.”
“A few weeks?” Adriana raised an eyebrow at him, her eyes alight with excitement. “You would be so lucky, Alexander Duran.”
“Careful. If you think I would not tie you to the bed again then you might have a few surprises coming your way, Mrs Duran.”
Xander bent down to give her a long kiss, his hand coming to rest around her neck, keeping her still as his mouth devoured hers. He smirked at her frustrated moan when he pulled away.
“Sleep well. I will see you in the morning,” he whispered, before heading to the window to sneak out.
“And I will be waiting for you.”
He glanced over at her one last time, taking a moment to himself to appreciate her beauty as she rose from her bed and wandered to her wardrobe where he knew she had been hiding her wedding dress. As she shooed him away, telling him he was not to see her gown until morning, he climbed out of her window and down the wall of the house.
Landing softly on the ground, he realised he could not seem to wipe away the smile on his face. As he began to walk down to the path that stretched around the lake towards his home, he noticed a familiar small figure approaching.
“You just could not stay apart for one last night, could you?” Striga asked, her amusement clear in her voice.
Xander shrugged his shoulders with a sheepish grin, his hands tucked deep into his coat pockets to shield them from the frosty air.
“What are you doing outside so late? You may well catch your death out here, Striga.”
Her face fell, her teasing grin replaced by a serious frown. “No. No, I do not think I will.”
Xander gave her a puzzled look at her sudden change in tone, but she fixed a smile back on her face as she walked towards him. His Manipuli power stretched out to connect with her mind, but the walls surrounding her consciousness were sealed shut as usual, not a single crack in sight that he could peer through. But he could tell, despite the fortress she had created, the fortress that he himself had taught her how to structure, Striga was weak.
He held his hand out for her to take as he watched a shiver wrack through her frail body. Not wanting to add to her coldness, he retracted his power, making sure the icy tendrils of his Manipuli magic were no longer affecting her.
“I want to tell you something,” she said, her voice strained as if it pained her to even speak. “I want you to know that I could think of no better man for my great-granddaughter. I see the adoration in your eyes when you look at her, I can feel the love you hold and the life you have breathed into her. And if Thomas were here today, he would tell you the exact same thing.” She clasped both of her hands around his, squeezing firmly as she levelled him with a stare. “You are a good man, Alexander Duran, do not forget that. Please, do not forget who you truly are. Even if you must disappear for a while.”
