As my gaze wandered over to her, I had assumed Gwendolyn would be back in her costume, but she wasn’t. Instead of her mismatched blouse, she was suddenly wearing a flowy white dress.
Her eyes widened, surprised, trailing along the white, off-shoulders and the embellished bodice. I mustered her gown with the same astonishment as her, but not because of the change of clothes, more for the type of dress. It was almost a wedding dress.
Was this part of her dream? Did she want to be married to us?
In the Vampire Kingdom, the bond connection was mainly sealed through blood sharing and indulging in days of desired physical hunger—often ending in a bloodlust show. But seeing her like this in front of me, it made me want to marry her in all the ceremonies the mortal world followed.
I gripped her chin, tilting her head slowly to meet my gaze. “You are the most breathtaking creature our entire land was ever blessed with, and I can’t believe you are mine.”
My hand captured hers as we entered fully. Gwendolyn touched my knuckles and caressed her tender fingers over my skin, as she said in a playful voice, “Now that we are here alone…” She made a pout, and I knew she was playing with me now to get what she wanted. But I didn’t even care.
Hell, I would even buy her a playground and worship herwhile she conjured up love spells. Because there is no other explanation for me to act like this. I dated a lot of people, fucked them, used them, but they were never like her. They were never mine in the way she was. I was under her spell now, with no way to escape, and no wish for that either.
Her nose brushed mine, her intoxicating smell of vanilla, jasmine and pears enveloped me, and I wanted to drown in it. I took her on my lap as I sat myself on one of the chairs, my fingers grazing the lacy patterns over her back.
“He was taken by Leanan, my mother. She hid him there where you and Damien found him. It was the reason he was naked and covered in streaks… he was…” The words stuck in my throat. How was I supposed to say it without destroying her?
I pressed a soft kiss on her forehead, brushing my thumb across her cheek. “Malakai was very likely hurt… for a long time, my love.”
She stayed silent, almost like she had that feeling of something happening like that before.
“What did she do to him exactly? How long was he taken captive?” Gwendolyn’s voice trembled. I sensed the panic rising in her chest.
“Fourteen years, six months and thirteen days… and he was tortured in ways Gwendolyn, your pretty ears aren’t allowed to hear…”
Gwendolyn’s eyes widened. She didn’t respond, but I sensed guilt and disgust in her. That wasn’t even what shattered me the most—the feelings she should be directing at his abuser were directed at herself. Tears rolled down her precious face. Seeing her like this tore me apart. I never really thought I would need to witness the horror, the sadness on her beautiful face.
“Look at me.” I gripped both sides of her face to make her gaze into my eyes. But she wasn’t there. Her eyes were glassy, like she just looked through me.
I was never a fearful person. In this moment, however, fear dominated my entire soul. My heart couldn’t take seeing her in shock. I took her in my arms, her tears still flowing down her precious face.
“It’s going to be all okay at the end. We are stronger than all of them. We belong together.” Every kiss aimed to end her tears, replacing them with my love and affection. She didn’t deserve any less.
I felt so helpless right now, seeing her like this.
“What’s wrong?” Damien asked, stepping through the portal as well.
My lungs filled with more oxygen than normal. I’d never had a panic attack or overreaction, but at this moment, seeing her like this shattered something inside me. I couldn’t even explain it to Damien, who took her out of my arms. The loss of her touch made me feel uneasy about myself, but I knew that, due to his powers, he was the only one who could help her.
“My little rose, everything is fine,” he tried to talk her down gently, pressing a kiss on her nose.
Malakai slipped in as well, dressed in nothing but a towel, his hair still wet. He must have been showering when he felt Gwendolyn’s emotions, knowing that they were mostly about him. His eyes wandered over to her resting state before he took her out of his brother’s embrace.
“Malakai… she’s…” Damien couldn’t finish the sentence before he placed her on his lap. I knew his inner dragon was the most possessive of us all, but he was aware that Gwendolyn’s chaos could only be calmed through Malakai right now.
Explaining this bond wasn’t easy. It wasn’t that she was choosing one over the other. It was way deeper and more complicated. Her soul simply ached for him the most right now—it craved him, because he’d been the one putting a distance between them, which caused the feelings and emotions insideher to stir.
“It’s okay,my little robin,” Malakai whispered against her skin, his wings shielding her like a cocoon. It was the way of angels to soothe without words.
My eyes wandered over to Gwendolyn laying in his arms, filled with sadness I couldn’t take away from her. All I wanted was to travel back in time so I could ravish those breathtaking lips and dance with her at the ball, just like she’d wanted me to. I’d failed my love so badly. I should have found out sooner that Leanan would plan something—she had always been driven by greed and power. How could I forget that such evilness ran in my DNA?
Damien was gazing around the room, lost in thought. “I can’t believe it still looks the same. It hasn’t even changed a bit…” he stated. “Do you come here often?” I knew the question was directed at Gwendolyn, but her pretty mind seemed too far away right now.
“Sometimes, she’ll hide in here…” I replied. “Although I must admit, once in a while… I also peek in here.”
Damien chuckled, amused.
And then out of nowhere, at the edge of the room, the surface of the wall began to shimmer. At first, it was only a little bit, but after a while, the surface transformed into an opaque glass wall.
