He set down his gun and crossed to where I stood by the window. His hands found my waist, warm and steady. "Then we build something new. Like I said before, something better."
"Together?" I asked, my fingers absently tracing where a collar would rest against his throat.
His eyes darkened as he caught the gesture and its meaning with surprising intuition. "Yes, Goddess," he murmured, lowering his head slightly in that way that never failed to send heat coursing through me. "Always together."
The word “always” hung between us, heavy with possibility. I wondered if he realized what he was offering—not just submission in our private moments, but a lifetime commitment. The thought both thrilled and terrified me.
"Gavriel," I began carefully. "Have you ever considered something more . . . permanent between us?"
His expression shifted, curiosity replacing the tension that had lined his face all evening. "What do you mean? I have no plans to walk away from you. In fact, I was hoping that one day you would be willing to change your last name."
There was pride and happiness in his statement, and it had my stomach flipping over in somersaults. Smiling softly, I traced my finger along his collarbone, up the strong column of his throat to the sensitive spot just beneath his jaw. "I would gladly change my last name for you, but I was thinking . . . a collar," I said simply. "My collar."
He went very still under my touch, his breathing changing subtly. For a moment, I feared I'd misread him entirely, that I'd asked for too much too soon.
Then his eyes met mine, and the vulnerability there stole my breath. "You would want that? Even knowing what I am, what I've done?"
"I want it because I knowexactlywho you are," I corrected gently. "The man who kneels for me in private but stands beside me in battle. The man who would tear the world apart to protect those he loves." I waited, my heart hammering against my ribs, but when he just swallowed, cold, electric panic shot through me like a bullet, freezing every muscle in my body.
“You just basically asked me to marry you, but when I mention a collar, you freeze up? What the fuck, pretty boy?”
A slow smile spread across his face, transforming it from the hard mask of the Owl’s Talon to something softer, almost boyish. "What you are asking is something so much more than a piece of paper and a name change, Goddess.” He kissed me softly and then continued, “Let me be clear: I would wear your collar with pride."
The relief that flooded me was startling in its intensity. I hadn't realized how much I wanted this until the words were out of my mouth, until I saw the acceptance in his eyes.
"Not yet," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "When this is over, when we're safe, I'll collar you properly. With a ceremony, if you want."
He nodded, understanding the significance of what I was offering. A collar wasn't just a piece of jewelry or a symbol of our dynamic—it was a promise, a commitment as binding in our world as any marriage vow.
"I would like that," he said softly. "Something that marks me as yours, even when we're apart."
I leaned in, pressing my lips to the spot where my collar would one day rest. "You're already mine, Pretty Boy. The collar will just let everyone else know it too."
His arms tightened around me, and I felt the tremor that ran through his powerful frame—not fear, but anticipation. Desire. Love.
"Gavriel Azzaro, wearing my collar," I mused, pulling back to study his face. "The Owl’s Talon claimed by the Goddess. What would your father say?"
A dark chuckle escaped him. "Nothing worth repeating."
"And what about you?" I pressed, needing to be certain. "Are you ready for what it means? Not just the submission, but the commitment? The permanence?"
His expression grew serious again, his eyes holding mine with unwavering intensity. "Elin, I've been yours since that first night we had sex. It’s just a formality."
The sincerity in his voice made my heart swell. In another life, perhaps we would have had a normal courtship—dinner dates and movie nights, meeting each other's families, a traditional proposal. But our path had been twisted and bloody, marked by violence and secrets. Maybe that made what we'd created all the more precious.
"Then it's settled," I said, sealing the promise with a kiss.
His smile was radiant, a rare glimpse of the man he might have been in a kinder world. "Yes, Goddess."
The moment was broken by the buzzing of his phone. His expression hardened as he checked the message.
Harley: Things are heating up at the estate.
I nodded, my mind already shifting back to the dangerous realitywe faced. "What's next?"
"We prepare for morning." He walked back to his weapons on the dresser, his movements once again those of the Owl’s Talon—precise, deadly, controlled. As I watched him load his gun, I felt a fierce surge of pride. This dangerous, beautiful man had chosen to submit to me, to wear my collar, to build a future together despite the blood and betrayal of our past.
The thought warmed me even as he handed me my own gun. I checked it and let muscle memory take over. Let them come. Let them try to tear us apart.
