"If I'm alive, I'm yours, and if I'm dead, I'm yours too. Either way, you win," I add jokingly, but her expression turns serious.
"How could I ever kill you if that would mean killing my own heart? I couldn't kill you when I thought you'd betrayed me, much less now, when I know the truth."
She drops the knife, moving on her knees until we're mere breaths apart.
Her hands reach out to caress my jaw, her eyes down-turned and melancholic.
"I've loved you for so long, Enzo," she starts, and those wordssqueeze at my heart like nothing else. Fuck if I haven't dreamed of hearing her say that to me so many times over the years.
"Even when I didn't understand what love was," she continues, the corner of her lips tugging upward, "you were so very special to me. You treated me like a queen and for the first time I thought that, maybe, I was worth something more."
To know that she doesn't recognize her own worth pains me more than anything, because it means I haven't done my job right.
"You are, my little tigress. To me you're worth everything."
And I vow that from this moment on, I'll make you see just how much of a treasure you are.
"But you also hurt me," she takes a deep breath, lowering her eyes, "so much and so many times… I was ready to offer you my already battered heart and you threw it in my face. I was ready to open my soul to you, and your first rejection hurt so much I don't think I ever let my guard down again—afraid you'd end me."
"I'm so sorry! Fuck! Words can never express just how sorry I am for my abysmal behavior. I just ask that you give me another chance. Let me love you and prove to you that your heart is safe with me, just as mine is safe with you," I say, bringing my hand up, taking some blood from my chest and smearing it right over her heart.
She smiles, the first genuine smile I've seen in forever, and I feel like crying at the sight.
"Okay," she whispers, and I waste no time in tugging her to me, wrapping my hands around her rib cage and bringing her mouth to mine. I tease her lips open, slipping my tongue inside and devouring her like the starved man I am.
"Little tigress," I breathe her in, inhaling her essence, "remember when you accused me of bewitching you?" I ask, amused when she blushes at the memory. "It should be me accusing you of witchcraft because I don't think there'sanything more potent than what I feel for you. It's simply… eros."
The love that surpasses everything.
Her eyes widen in understanding, her mouth opening in a small whimper.
"Me too. Even when I wanted to hate you, I loved you so, so much I thought my heart would burst," she shakes her head, her face full of emotion. "You're the only one for me, Enzo. You've always been," she gives me a sly smile, her fingers caressing my jaw, "you do realize I'veneverlooked at another man."
"And that," I say, giving her a quick peck, "makes me the happiest man. Because trust me, if you had, they wouldn't be alive, anyway."
"Savage," she giggles, raising an eyebrow at me.
"But true," I state, unable to take my eyes off her.
A dream come true.
"One last question," she says, bashfully looking away. "Do you..."—her breath catches in her throat and she releases a small cough—"feel disgusted by me now that I've killed my own family?" She doesn't meet my gaze, so I use my fingers to turn her face toward me, coaxing her to look me in the eye.
"Don't be ashamed of anything, little tigress. Not with me." I trace the contour of her cheeks, losing myself in the clarity of her eyes. "How could I ever feel disgusted by you when I did the same to mine? We're more alike than you know." I give her an encouraging smile. "Two pieces broken from a whole that have finally merged again. If there's such a thing as soul mates, you're mine. Never doubt that."
"You're such a silver-tongued devil," she mutters under her breath, but the corners of her mouth are pulling up—she's trying to fight a smile.
"And you are my bloody little tigress, and I have to admit, it was hot to watch you hacking your father to death."
"You were watching?" Her eyes grow wide, and she catches my hand with hers.
"Of course. I would never take any chances with your safety. That being said, I wanted you to take control of your own fate," I wink at her.
"Thank you," she sighs deeply. "I needed to do it. Needed to reclaim my independence and everything they stole from me. I know it's fucked up, but…"
"No buts, little tigress. Don't second-guess yourself." She purses her lips but nods slowly, her eyes on mine.
I continue touching her, the feel of her in my arms worth all the years of longing. My hands are everywhere on her body as I bring her flush against me, inhaling her scent and reveling in this one dream turned reality.
