Confession

Confession
"Listen." I said, slowly sucking in a breath. "I know maybe this sounds ridiculous, and honestly, it could be highly offensive towards you."

"Offensive?" Elias repeated, lifting a brow. "What exactly is going through that head of yours?"

"I can't help but wonder if it is me that you care for or my blood." I said quietly, feeling the blood begin to rush to my face.

There, I expressed my biggest worry. It was now out in the universe, and I couldn't take it back. I could only hope that I wasn't ruining the moment entirely, but before we proceeded, I had to know.

Lifting my eyes, I met Elias' unreadable gaze and found myself wishing that I could read his thoughts. I wanted to know what he thought. I wanted to know how he felt about what I had just confessed to him.

"You think..." He said slowly, clearly trying to get his thoughts together. "That I would possibly mistake my feelings for you for an addiction to your blood?"

Flinching, I realized just how bad what I had said sounded. Of course, I didn't use the word addiction, but that did sum up what my anxious heart was feeling.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, feeling tears prick at the corners of my eyes. "I know that it is crazy, but I just can't relax."

I couldn't stop the emotions that I felt. I was embarrassed about doubting Elias. I was still hurting from everything I had learned. Hell, I was even terrified of the fact that I was slowly dying. It was all crashing down, and it was taking all I had to stand.

"Do you want me to tell you my honest feelings?" Elias murmured, leaning forward and wiping a tear away from my eye. "Will that settle your doubts?"

Settle my doubts... Would words alone truly settle my doubts?

Back then, I would have believed him easily, back when I still didn't have my memories. However, now that I had my memories and remembered both my heartbreaks and betrayals, I couldn't quite accept letting someone else in that deeply again.

"Words are simply words." I said quietly, shocking both Elias and myself. "Actions speak so much louder."

Looking away, I tried to hide my expression from Elias. I was so embarrassed about what was coming out of my mouth. I was most certainly not this brazen, yet here I was spilling my guts and all but begging to be shown how much he cared. After all the time we spent together and all the rejection I had endured, I just couldn't easily accept that he cared as much as he said he did.

"I know that I've hurt you. I know that I've told you not to fall for me." He began drawing my attention to him. "I know that there is much that I must atone for, but when I told you that I loved you, I meant it. I would never say such a thing lightly."

I don't know what startled me more about his words and actions—the fact that he was even saying something like that or that his face remained completely unbothered as he said it.

Gone was the cold and arrogant prince that I knew, and in his place was an earnest man with a sweet tongue.

"If those words aren't enough, I can continue." Elias murmured, grabbing my face so that I couldn't look away. "Or would you prefer me to show you?"

As I opened my mouth to respond, he pressed his mouth softly against mine, causing a shock of pleasure and intense lust to roll through me. He placed a few more butterfly kisses on my lips before looking deeply into my eyes.

"Which do you want?" He husked seductively, his eyes flashing with desire.

"Both..." I murmured, getting lost in the sea of deep blue that was so different from the usual red and yet somehow the same. "I want both and all."

Snaking my arms around Elias' neck, I pulled him towards me, catching both of us by surprise as I slammed my mouth against his, easily busting my lip and drawing blood. A groan of ecstasy escaped him while his arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer. His mouth opened and his tongue darted out, urging me to let it in to invade and assault my own. Obliging, I did as he wanted, letting a small moan drift from my throat.

"Do you know what you're doing?" He panted, pulling away and resting his forehead against mine. "I'm trying to control myself and properly woo you, but you're making it extremely difficult when you do these things."

"Who said that I wanted you to do that?" I asked, tilting my head just enough to place a kiss against his lips.

"This isn't the way to properly show that I'm serious." He continued to argue.

"Enough." I sighed, placing my hand against his mouth to stop any further words from escaping. "I think that by this point, we have already skipped all the proper steps towards a proper relationship. I want you, and it seems that you want me too."

To prove my point, I reached down and placed my hand against the bulge that was straining against his pants.

"So stop talking and unleash the beast."

Elias didn't need anymore of an invitation after that. Surging forward, he shoved me down against the bed while yanking my clothes off and then his own until we were both bare.

"You have injuries." He murmured, taking in the light marks against my skin from my run-in with the wendigos. "I'll kill those bastards."

"It's fine." I assured him, smiling and lifting my arms. "Right now, I don't even want to think about those incidents. I want to focus on us."

Smirking, Elias shook his head, clearly amused by my impatience since this usually wasn't like me at all.

"If you want it, then don't expect me to hold back."

Positioning himself between my thighs, he pushed into me, sending a sting of pain that was quickly replaced by pleasure.

"Elias!" I moaned, arching my back while he began to move in me. "That's it... That's it!"

Closing my eyes, I let myself get lost in the feeling of his skin against mine, his scent that wrapped tightly around me, the sounds he was making while he made love to me, and most of all, his presence that was quickly becoming my entire world.

In this time of extreme worry and with no promise of tomorrow, we became one again and again until neither of us could go on anymore.

Afterward, I lay against Elias with my head on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. No matter how many times I heard it, it still amazed me given that he was an undead creature in the Kingdom of Allsbrook, but he still always had a beating heart.

Lifting my hand, I placed it against his chest, feeling the steady thump, thump, thump beneath my hand.

"Perfect." I sighed while yawning. "Absolutely perfect."