Chapter 31: Chapter 32

“Persephone…” his voice is barely a whisper. In just a few rapid steps he reaches me, wrapping his strong arms tightly around me, burying his face in my neck, fiercely breathing me in.

There’s a burning pain in my stomach and his stubble grazes my skin, but I don’t care. He’s here!

I wrap my arms around his neck and melt into him. The knot in my chest that has been chocking me since he was gone

suddenly loosens and I can breathe again.

Every nerve ending in my body tingles and comes to life. Bursts of electricity, and heat surge through my body. Fire. He’s my fire.

He fills that deep ache of longing and emptiness in my chest. I feel safe and protected. I feel alive and I am right where I belong.

I’m lost in his body heat and his scent. I’m lost in him. I vaguely hear the door being closed gently behind us.

We stay like that for a long time. I can’t believe that I’m in his arms again, breathing in his wonderful scent.

Finally, he pulls back to look at me. Our eyes locked. How I miss those icy blue eyes. They’re the color of the sky on a beautiful sunny day. The pupils and the outlines of the irises are so dark, they’re almost black. The intensity of his gaze makes the butterflies in my stomach to flutter crazily. He scoops me up into his arms, carries me to the bed and gently

places me on it, not once breaking eye contact. He takes off his shoes and climbs up to lie next to me.

He pulls me close and I put both my hands on his cheeks. The light fuzz of his stubble tickles the palm of my hand.

“You’re here. You’re really here,” I say in wonder. I must be dreaming. “Why are you here?”

“Where else can I be?” he asks me. “Persephone, you were taken, I almost lost you…how did I let that happen? I can’t lose you. I can’t.” His eyes are filled with anguish. The raw pain I see in his eyes breaks my heart.

“I’m still here,” I try to soothe him.

“But I wasn’t here to keep you safe. You were gone…I nearly lost it. That was my worst nightmare, Malyshka. The worst. I can’t bear it.”

“I’m here now, and you are here now,” I tell him softly while stroking his cheek. He closes his eyes. I know my touches affect him, but the look of torture and ecstasy in his face make me feel powerful and filled me with awe. I do this to him. My powerful and deadly lycan…putty in my hands.

He pressed my hands harder to his cheeks and turns his face slightly to kiss the palm of my hand. With his nose against my palm, he takes in a deep breath as if he needs my scent to calm himself.

“Every moment since I left here was unbearable,” he whispers.

“The last nine hours since you were taken were pure torture. I

wanted to keep you away from danger, yet I left you just for a day and this happened. Persephone…tell me what do I do with you. Tell me what do I do without you. Tell me…” His voice sounds pained. He opens his eyes and his intense gaze blazes right through my soul.

My voice fails me, and he keeps going, “I don’t talk about feelings. Never did and I never wanted to, but when you’re gone…I thought of the things I didn’t get to tell you. The things that I held back from telling you.”

“What is it that you want to tell me?” I whisper back.

“I wanted to tell you that I love you so much….I love you so much that it hurts.”

He brings one of my hands down to lay it flat over his chest where his heart is beating the same fast rhythm as mine.

“When you’re not around, I long for you so much and it hurt right here. When I look at you, sometimes my feeling is so overwhelming that I can’t breathe, and it hurts right here.

“Malyshka, I want to go to sleep with you in my arms every night and wake up with you safe and secure in my arms every morning. I want to be able to look at you and touch you whenever and wherever I want to. I want to tell the world that you’re mine so that nobody else could claim you or take you away from me.”

Oh, my goddess…this is too much! Too much!!!

“Sweetheart, why are you crying? Did I say something wrong?

Are you hurt? I’m sorry, I’m such an —”

“No, I’m happy,” I cut him off. “I’m just so so happy.” His thumbs wipe away the tears that are running down my face. I never thought I would hear something like that from him. I must still be dreaming. Darn him for melting me with his words. Darn him for making me cry and turn me into a

blubbering mess. Darn him for making me fall deeper in love with him. Darn it, I’m in love with him!

“Darius, I —” A sudden wave of pain hits my stomach, I wince and involuntarily grab his arms.

“Malyshka, is the wound bothering you?”

I just nod my head. He swiftly gets up and plucks two

painkillers and the glass of water that Genesis left on top of my bedside table earlier.

After I swallowed the two pills, he takes the glass of water away from me and places it back on the bedside table. His jaw is clenched tight.

He lays his head back down on the pillow next to mine with his eyes intent on my face. His jaw is still tight and his lips in a straight firm line.

“There’s something I have to do,” he says all of a sudden.

“What? What do you have to do?”

He lifts himself up to lie on top of me while bracing himself with his knees and elbows so that his weight isn’t crushing me.

His warm breath fans my skin. His eyes are watchful on my face. His lips are so close to mine, I can feel the heat. Just when

I’m ready to feel his lips on mine, he moves away. He crawls down my body, his eyes never leaving mine. When his face is at the level of my stomach, he looks down and I feel the heat of his breath on my stomach through the thin fabric of my pale pink sleeping gown. My slow brain suddenly understands what he intends to do when he slowly lifts the edge of my sleeping gown up. I catch his hand in mine, not wanting him to go on.

I’m not vain or care much about how I look usually, but I don’t want him to see the ugly wound.

He looks up and says, “Malyshka…let me see it.”

“No.”

“Please, let me see….I have to see it.” His eyes are pleading, his hand is still gripping the edge of my dress. Our eyes battling with each other. After a while, I let go of his hand.

He inches the fabric higher and I’m glad that at least I have white cotton panties on.

He gently peels off the dressing that covers the wound and when he fully uncovers it, he goes completely still. I can’t see the expression on his face, but his grip on my sleeping gown tightened until his knuckles turn white. I’m half expecting to hear the rip of the fabric between his fingers.

Only after he climbs back up so that his face is the same level as mine again that I can see his eyes. They are two soulless black marbles looking down at me. I didn’t see that when he was down there staring at my stomach. Feral, fierce, and deadly.

Those words come to mind when I look at him now.

“Those two will be dead before sunrise,” he vows. His voice is low, raspy…and menacing. Right now I’m looking at his lycan.

Before I can put my hands on him to calm him down, he’s already standing by the door.

“Darius,” I call out. “Please, come back.”

He turns around, looking conflicted. I don’t want him to do anything rash while his lycan is in control. Besides, he just got here. I want him near me. I want him to myself.

“Please…” I plead with him, extending my hand out to him.

He slowly moves back to the bed. It seems like it’s impossible for his lycan to say no to me.

His big warm hand envelopes mine and I pull him back down to lie next to me.

“I want to mark you,” he says. “You’ll be completely mine and you’ll heal faster after I mark you.”

His eyes are still black and his voice still sounds strange. I know his lycan is still very much in control, but there is no conflict between the lycan and the human side. The lycan side is just more primal without the trappings of human

sophistication and reservation holding them back. His lycan is just stating plainly what Darius really want.

Well, he doesn’t have to convince me on that. I’ve been wanting him to mark me even before he went back to Russia.

“Yes,” I tell him. “Mark me.” My heartbeat spikes and stomach is once again filled with wild fluttering butterflies. I’m nervous, yet my body is filled with excitement.

He rolls on top of me and presses his forehead against mine, closing his eyes. My hands come up to touch his broad

shoulders and he growls lowly deep in his throat. He grips the back of my neck, my hair twisting around his fingers. His grip is hard but not enough to hurt, just firm enough to immobilize me. His lycan wants to dominate. I’m not one who likes to be dominated, but somehow I know now is not the time to fight him.

He tilts my head to one side and his lips and the tip of his nose skim down my cheek and my jawline. Oh, goddess, the

pleasurable jolt of electricity streaks down from the root of my hair right to the tip of my toes from that little touch.

I sense some struggle within him. “I want to mate with you…so badly, but I don’t want to hurt you,” he says. “I’m just going to mark you for now, but after you’re healed, you can’t escape me, Malyshka,” he adds, making it sounds like a threat. “Oh, the things I want to do to you…”

I can’t wait! “Promises, promises,” I whisper back as my eyelids flutter shut and feel his mouth curl up into a smile against my jaw. He nips my jaw and my chin playfully before his warm, firm and soft lips cover mine. I shudder and I swear I see bright colorful stars behind my eyelids. He sucks my bottom lip, then runs his tongue lightly over it as if he’s tasting me. He sucks my lip once more and I try to deepen the kiss, but he pulls back and tilts my head back with the hand that is still gripping the back of my neck. His mouth travels down the

length of my neck, he nips my collarbone, then he kisses the skin just above the collar of my sleeping gown.

My eyes fly open when I feel his fingers undoing the buttons of my pajama and my breath hitches. My grip on his shoulders tightens as soon as he pulls the fabric open, exposing my chest.

I’m not even wearing a bra. I watch his eyes taking me in. I could feel the shift in his mood. His hunger for me is almost tangible.

“Beautiful…and mine,” he says. His voice is husky and possessive. He leans down and licks a spot right on my left chest. I arch my back and hear him groans just before he closes his mouth over the peak of one breast. Oh, goddess….I let out a low moan. He laps his tongue around it once and sucks on it one more time before he looks up at me.

His eyes are black and shiny, burning into me. “There’s no turning back. Once you’re mine, you’re mine forever,

Persephone.”

No turning back. “Yes.” I’m already his.

I glimpse his canines extending just before he dips his head down and latches his mouth on the rise of my chest just over my heart. He bites down and pain laces through my body for a brief instant before deep intense pleasure consumes me. Fire.

I’m on fire for him. I can hear our rapid heartbeats in my ears.

His and mine. My nails are digging into his back. I feel the awareness of him inside me. We are connected, body and soul.

He pulls back after licking his mark and the need to mark him takes over me, so I push him roughly onto his back. My own

canines are already fully extended and I sink my teeth into his left chest.

He shudders and above our rapid heartbeats, I hear him moan.

I taste his blood on my tongue. As soon as I’m done, I lick the mark and collapse on top of him. We are both breathing hard and I can hardly open my eyes or move a muscle.

“Sleep, my mate..” I hear him say softly as I drift off.

When I open my eyes again, Darius is lying on his stomach next to me with his hand playing with my hair and his eyes intent on my face. The expression on his face is unreadable.

The room is brightly bathed in the sunlight from the opened balcony door even though all the other curtains are drawn.

His eyes are bright and vivid in the morning light. His fair blond hair is shiny and slicked back. His gorgeous face is now clean shaven. His dark gray henley fits him like a second skin, the long sleeve pulled up to his elbows. He smells of soap, shampoo and his own mouthwatering smell. He’s clearly taken a shower.

Did we really mark each other early this morning? It’s hard to believe that he’s mine.

Happy, content, love and longing. My feelings are heightened this morning. I guess some of those feelings are from him. It’s hard for me to differentiate those feelings from mine right now.

“Good morning,” he finally says.

“Hey…Good morning,” I reply almost shyly. What??? I don’t do shy…but my cheeks burn.

His fingers brush my cheek and a small satisfied smile tugs at his lips. “How are you feeling this morning, my little mate?”

His little mate??? The feelings of possessiveness and pride from him make my cheeks, no..my whole face feels like it’s on fire! Gah!!! I don’t do blushing thingy. I’m so not that kind of girl.

I grab a pillow next to me and cover my face with it. “Fine,” I answer. My voice is muffled by the big pillow.

“Sweetheart, I can’t hear you,” he says, removing the pillow from my face. His eyes are dancing with mischief. Someone is in a very good mood this morning. “Don’t hide your face from me. You are so beautiful.”

Beautiful??? I must be looking worse than a garden gnome right now. My hair must be all wild and crazy looking. In fact, I had to fight the urge to wipe the side of my face just in case I have a drool there.

“I’m uh…I’m going to take a shower,” I tell him as I pull back the cover and try to get up.

“I’m going to take a look at your injury first before you take a shower, Malyshka.” He pushes my shoulders back against the bed and sits at the edge of the bed. I hardly feel any pain that I

almost forgot I have a stab wound. He lifts my sleeping gown up and removes the dressing.

“It’s healing as it should be,” he announces.

I get up on my elbow to look at it. There’s an angry red line less than two inches long on the side of my stomach. The skin has bonded together. I can feel the pain when I pull myself up like this, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. It’s nowhere near as painful as last night.

Lycan self-healing ability. I’m a lycan and I’m marked. Wow!

It’s surreal. I still feel like the same old Penny and I’m still waiting for somebody to wake me up from this dream.

Darius helps me get up and get into the bathroom even though I’m quite capable of doing so myself.

“Are you sure you won’t you be needing my help in the shower as well?” he asks for the third time. His eyes alight with mischief.

Suddenly I remember what he said about things he wants to do to me once I’m healed. That makes me answer him very

quickly, “I’m very sure. Thank you very much.” I shut the door in his face and hear the chuckle from the other side of the door.

Last night when I was in pain I was so eager to mate with him.

Now I’m feeling shy. I wonder if the painkillers have something to do with it…or I’ve gone bonkers this morning.

I stare at myself in the bathroom mirror. The girl who stares back at me is positively glowing. My hair is all over the place,

but I don’t look half as bad as I thought I did. No offense to garden gnomes everywhere, but I think I look slightly better than them.

After cleaning up, I step into my walk-in closet. The closet is almost the same size as my room at my parents’ house. It has a vanity table and compartments for everything and I love it. It even has a pretty shiny chandelier just above the vanity table.

The lycans are very good at spoiling me.

I put on a short loose light purple mini dress with a pair of ankle boots. I let my hair air dry into its natural loose curls and put some lipgloss on. I think that’s all the effort I’m going to put on my appearance this morning.

I find Darius lying on my bed with his hands behind his head when I walk out of the closet.

I almost trip over my own feet when I see him. He is as gorgeous as usual, but I think this is the most relaxed and happy that I’ve seen him. He has a tiny smile playing on his lips as he takes me in.

I’m not feeling too relaxed, though. There are a few things that I need to discuss with him still and I’m not going to take no for an answer.

I stand right in front of him with my hands on my hips, ready for a battle. He looks at me with amusement, that tiny smile on his lips grows.

“As your mate, I have the right to know what’s going on,” I tell him. “You’re going to tell me everything.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t you dare to give me excuses, and keeping secrets. I’m tired of…wait. What?”

“I said yes, I’ll tell you everything,” he answers.

Huh? that was easy.

He pushes himself up on his elbows and continues to eye me with interest. He looks so hot lying there like that, but I refuse to be distracted by some beautifully sculptured muscles and gorgeous face, and sexy…focus, Penny!!!

Okay, yeah…focus. “You’re not leaving me either.” Just the thought of him leaving again makes my chest tighten in anxiety.

“No, I’m not, Malyshka.”

“Okay,” I say slowly, looking at him suspiciously. There must be a trick somewhere. This is way too easy. “You are going to buy me a Porsche,” I tell him.

“If that’s what you want, sure,” he answers.

“Are you making fun of me?” I narrow my eyes at him.

“I’m not making fun of you, Malyshka,” he looks genuinely puzzled at my question. “Anything that you want is yours.”

“I don’t really want a Porsche.” Well, I do, but….I’m so confused right now.

Suddenly he sits up and plants his feet on the floor. “Come here, Malyshka.” He holds out his hand.

I slowly walk over and place my hand in his. He tugs me into his lap and wraps his arms around me. I press my face against his neck, inhaling his amazing scent.

“I know you’re a bit confused right now, but we’ll tell you everything. The guys, especially Constantine agree that keeping you in the dark won’t keep you safe.”

Ha! Constantine. I’ve got the feeling that Genesis not being happy with him has something to do with it.

“Even if the information is confidential?” I ask him, looking up into his eyes.

“The information is confidential, yes…but it concerns your safety. We’ll do anything to keep our mates safe. Anything, Malyshka.”

“Thank you,” I tell him.

“Did I tell you how proud I am of you? You took on two big werewolves by yourself,” he says.

Well, Yummy Lip Ring did help. “I had some help…” I tell him.

I don’t know how much he already knows, but I’m not too eager to discuss other men with him right now. “Oh, we should go downstairs now. I should go and check on Matthew,” I add abruptly.

I feel the change in him as soon as I mentioned Matthew. His muscle stiffened. His carefree demeanor is gone. Jealousy heats up my chest and I know the feeling doesn’t belong to me.

Way to go, Penny! I wrap my arms around his neck and press my cheek to his to calm him down. He threads his fingers through my hair at the back of my neck and his lips swoop down to kiss mine.

This kiss is rough and possessive and I can’t help but kiss him back. His tongue explores my mouth hungrily. My tongue meets his and delves inside his mouth just as aggressively. By the time we both pull back for air, we are both breathing heavily and raggedly.

“You are mine, Persephone,” he says. His forehead is resting against mine.

“Yes, and you’re mine,” I return. “I still need to make sure that Matthew is alright.”