Leaning in and bringing his overwhelming darkness with him, Dante kissed my forehead and cradled me against his chest once more, the one place where it felt like I truly belonged.
Minutes seemed to stretch silently while I lay in his arms, but I didn’t care about anything else, I just wanted to be there, feeling him. My hand slowly traveled from his chest to his shoulder, over and over, enjoying the way his muscles contracted and relaxed under my touch. I’d never touched a manthis way, felt a man this way, wanted a man like I wanted him, but I loved it.
Stealing a glance at the Dark Witch, I noticed the look of contentment on his face and the way his mouth twitched in amusement at my appreciation of him, but the smirk never formed. If he didn’t say stop…
Unashamedly resuming my exploration of his skin, I let my hand curl over his shoulder on its way down, the movement lowering the sheets and uncovering his arm. The second my eyes focused on his skin, I gasped, sitting up and pulling off the bed sheet fully.
A full arm tattoo extended over it, just like it did on D’s arm, but Dante’s was fully visible now that he was shirtless.
“You have drawings too!” I breathed, glancing at his face to find a careful and calculating expression.
Like he’d been waiting to see if I noticed it.
“I do… Would you like to see it?”
“Please!” Gah, I suddenly felt so giddy that I almost clapped. It was super embarrassing, but I was so damn intrigued.
That strange, sweet smile that didn’t belong to theking of sarcasmreturned, and he sat up, draping his arm over my thighs so I could see his tattoo in all its glory. Granted, I hadn’t been able to fully examine D’s drawings because of how tattered his arm had been—my chest clenched at the reminder—still, I could notice the differences from what I’d been able to see that day right away.
Instead of vines, various clusters of stars extended along his entire arm, forming different shapes as they spread over him. All seemed interconnected by the ribbons of darkness that appeared to move through them. A large star, bursting with light, hovered on top of his glimmering night. TheTwilight…
“It’s a representation of the ancient magic of our cosmos,” Dante explained while my fingers began to trace the shadowribbons and starbursts detailed on his body. “Each galaxy is filled with millions and millions of thriving stars, they symbolize the souls of our ancestors, the Gods and Goddesses watching over us, their abilities brought together to protect what’s most important.”
His words echoed when my eyes lowered to the place where all stars merged into what seemed like twinkling clouds ofTwilight, forming a mystical frame for the image at its center… My heart skipped a beat when I realized what it was.
“A wolf!” I breathed, looking up at him just in time to see his smile blossomed.
“A wolf,” he confirmed.
My eyes returned to the drawing.
The wolf was imposing and absolutely gorgeous. His coat seemed lush and thick, almost looking “fluffy” for lack of a better word. The fur along his neck and head was longer than the rest, forming almost a mane reminiscent of a lion’s. For a Wolf Shifter, the thicker and more prominent the fur on their head and neck, the more powerful they were, but although the image before me certainly exuded that, it also exuded the grace of a just Alpha. Even his tail was long and thick, asserting his supremacy among the cosmos.
The wolf, much like the stars that surrounded him, was highly symbolic, and from what I saw now, it represented power, so I could see why it was certainly significant to the Dark Witch. He loved his power.
“Did you choose it for life too?” When confusion slightly clouded his eyes, I decided to explain. “When I asked D why his drawings didn’t fade with the water, he told me they were made with ink under his skin because he chose them for life. Did you?”
Nostalgia replaced the confusion, and he glanced down at the wolf. “I would say it chose me.”
“Why a wolf?” I asked, more curious about the symbol every second that passed. My wolf pushed against my skin too, demanding to know. The feeling spreading through my chest said she didn’t like any other wolf on him but her. I almost rolled my eyes at that.
“I’ll save that for another time. Now, let’s get dressed so we can have breakfast. You are starving.”
I was about to insist he tell me right then when he got out of bed, but the full view of him standing in front of me in those silk pants stole the words from my lips. I was used to tall men, but the way he stood over me now as I still sat on the bed made the Dark Witch look both magnificent and mystical. All six feet, four inches of him.
After stretching, he finger-combed his hair, and the perfectly arranged strands of obsidian hair fell over his forehead, making him tilt his head and look past them so he could see me. Although the light of day freely spilled through the wall of windows, wisps of shadow traveled from the corners of the space, climbing up his legs and curling around his wrists and forearms like faithful servants.
Continuously churning and slithering over his skin, they reminded me of serpents, silently gathering over him while waiting for his command to strike.
It was mesmerizing to watch. The way the darkness leisurely stirred along the taught muscles of his arms, shoulders, and chest… he wasn’t as overly ripped as a Wolf Shifter—doubted any other race was, given the bodily strength needed to shift into a wolf—but Dante’s muscles were perfectly formed, toned, and outlined, works of art. Honestly, the tattoo on his arm just took him to a whole new level of sin.
Breaths began to struggle to reach my lungs with my appreciation of him. What the hell was wrong with me?
“Have you admired me enough,Cuore mio?Or do you want me to stand here a few moments longer so you can truly appreciate the sexiness that I am?” he asked, almost serious, but that twitch of his lips returned.
Narrowing my eyes, I arched a single brow at him. “Why are you still here?”
Instead of answering me, the shadows began to swirl around him, taking away the silk pajamas and instantly replacing them with thin-striped, black dress pants. A black turtleneck that fit perfectly snug over his muscles appeared next, followed by a black blazer and sleek leather shoes.
