Chapter 91 Chapter 91
“Damnit, Valerie. You really want to give me a heart attack, don’t you?” he hissed through his teeth. She heard him exhale sharply.
“I didn’t plan for this to happen,” she breathed, barely able to keep her eyes open.
“I told you that demon magic is dangerous. Why would you use it when I’m not around?” he scolded her, but the worry in his voice was not lost on her. “You stupid, stupid girl.” He clutched her body tightly as if he was scared she would vanish into thin air if he let go.
“I just wanted to practice. If I had known it would go out of hand so easily…” she mumbled.
“I’m never leaving you alone again.” he said without hiding his anger at her recklessness. It made her feel guilty because she was well aware of the fact that she hadn’t just endangered her own life but also his. She fell silent for a moment, wondering if he even managed to talk to the blood mage or if he had to return beforehand thanks to her stunt just now.
“Did you at least meet the mage?” she asked reluctantly and felt his embrace stiffen around her.
“Yes, and just like I suspected, she wouldn’t break the bond for free. She wanted your life as compensation, and that’s not something I would agree to.”
Valerie let out a breath, leaning against him. “I see.”
She was relieved as she had just left behind a hurdle, and soon came to realize why she felt this way. Breaking the bond wasn’t something she wanted. She would be devastated if it were gone because she didn’t want him to leave; she wanted him to stay with her, even if it was selfish of her.
He was important to her, and she liked him very much. The nervous beats of her heart whenever he touched her, the blush that appeared on her cheeks when they kissed… she couldn’t deny the strong effect his presence had on her.
Her feelings for him were more than an infatuation that would soon pass. She was in love with him.
She had been for a while, but until now, she had never acknowledged it, never truly realized what this meant for her. After the disaster with Uriel, she had vowed to be careful with giving her trust and heart to someone else. She had been scared of it, even her reluctance keeping her from entering another relationship until Maxwell found his way into her life and changed everything.
At first, she had been devastated and cursed their bond, but over time, when she had gotten to know him better, she had learned that he wasn’t a bad person at heart. If she overlooked his rudeness and arrogance, he was surprisingly caring. Remembering what he had done for her after she had fainted and woken up in the hospital made her blush. He had gone out of his way to make sure she was fine, his unexpectedly kind actions melting her heart. Valerie knew that she wouldn’t want to be with anyone but him.
Breaking the bond meant breaking her heart, and she would do all it took to keep that from happening.
She wouldn’t bring this topic up with him ever again, and the selfish part of her hoped that he wouldn’t either. Turning her head slightly, she glanced up at him to find him observing her quietly. The demonic red in his eyes had vanished, leaving dazzling sky-blue.
—
Hearing her phone ring at 8 am was unexpected. Thorne was the only person who dared to do that, but the caller was someone else; someone Valerie hadn’t been in contact with for weeks and months.
“Ashton? Is that you?” Valerie asked in surprise. She hadn’t spoken to Hope’s grandmother in a long time. The last time she had seen her, she had been trying to get rid of the bond, asking her for advice. She felt a little bad that she had never called her since, but she assumed that Hope had told her some things about her and Maxwell to keep her in the loop.
“Yes, how are you, Valerie?” she asked, sounding upbeat.
“I’m okay, things have been a little chaotic lately, but it’s fine,” Valerie answered, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger.
“That’s good to hear. I’m calling because I have a surprise for you, and I wanted to ask if you have time to come over for a visit,” Ashton said. She was clearly very happy about something, sparking Valerie’s curiosity. Surprises had always been a weakness of hers, so she didn’t need to think about it for long.
“A surprise? Don’t you want to tell me what it is?”
She laughed. “No, I want to show you. And bring the demon too.”
The first thing Valerie did after she ended the call was talk to Maxwell. She needed some time to convince the stubborn demon, but ultimately she succeeded in dragging him along. About an hour after the call, they were standing in front of Ashton’s house, ringing the doorbell.
“I could imagine a better way to spend my morning,” he grumbled.
“And what would that look like? I’m guessing you would lie around on the sofa and play PS4 or something,” she replied, rolling her eyes.
“Maybe it would have involved you and me and the sofa,” he smirked, a seductive grin decorating his lips. “It’s a shame you’ll never find out since you dragged me here instead.”
She pouted and glared at him, not liking his teasing. “Maxwell. Why are you like this?”
“Like what?” he drawled, raising an eyebrow. “You know, I’ve never had so much trouble seducing a woman before. Usually, nobody thinks twice about sleeping with me, but you’re difficult to crack, even after months. You don’t even want to shower with me.”
She blushed, her mind wandering in a direction she didn’t want it to go. “I’m not like everyone else,” she huffed, hating that he compared her to his flings.
“That’s true,” he agreed, his lips forming a devilish smirk. “I wouldn’t share you with anyone,” he whispered in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her close to him, flustering her with his actions.