Chapter 23
Damian’s POV
I hadn’t meant to kiss her, that was the god honest truth and I shouldn’t have kissed her. But when she had whispered.
"Then let go" her face so close to mine that I could see the flecks of silver in her eyes as well as the arousal she was struggling to hide them, I knew I wouldn’t let go.
So I didn’t.
The second my lips met hers, it was like everything else ceased to exist all the anger, arguments, the weight of my responsibilities—it all faded like it was nothing.
There was no past, no future—only this moment with both of us standing in it, only the feel of her pressed against me, the fire that had been simmering between us for far too long finally bursting out of control for both of us.
All that remained was Arielle, warm and soft against me, her body molding to mine as though she belonged there and maybe she did. I pulled her closer to me and Arielle gasped against my lips, her fingers curling into my shirt, and that tiny sound nearly undid me.
I deepened the kiss a little more my grip on her waist tightening as I pulled her flush against me. She didn’t resist me if anything, she pressed even closer, her hands sliding up my chest, tangling into my hair,nails scraping against my scalp, sending a shudder down my spine as she kept tugging me down to her as if we weren't already pressed so close together already.
I groaned at the heat and pleasure of it, losing myself in the taste of her, the feel of her, I could feel the mating bond between us crackling like an electric line.
I had rejected her and then marked her anyway and now, I was doing the same thing claiming her all over again. I backed her up against the desk, lifting her onto the surface in one swift movement. She gasped against my mouth, her legs parting instinctively to let me step between them. The scent of her arousal hit me like a drug, and my wolf growled in approval.
“This is a mistake,” I muttered against her lips.
Arielle pulled back slightly, met my gaze, her lips swollen, her eyes dark with something I didn’t dare name.
“Then stop.” She knew I wouldn’t and I knew she didn’t want me to. I crushed my mouth against hers again, claiming her like I had no right to. I was never strong enough to resist her.
“Don’t stop,” she whispered breathily as if she was drowning
And just like that, I was lost. The night passed in a blur of heat and tangled limbs, of whispered gasps and desperate touches,from weeks of pain and longing all of it just melting from a single touch. I dragged the shirt she was wearing off and pressed my lips against her skin, dragging them across to her nipples and her breast.
I didn’t just take her like the last time—I worshipped her body like it was mine and she let me. I was going to take this slow this time. She gasped loudly when I thrust into her, I stilled not wanting her to feel pain and for the first time since this entire mess began, it felt like nothing else mattered definitely not the past, or the weight of the secret I was keeping from her.
Only this, only us mattered to me right now, I bite against the spot of her mark deeply not enough to draw blood but enough to have her shivering as she came.
Afterwards, we lay on the desk for a while with Arielle curled against my chest, her breathing soft and even.
I kissed her softly and then lifted her off the desk, carrying her to the bed without breaking the kiss. She clung to me like she didn't want to let go and I didn't want her to let go either, so I held her too. I stayed awake for far too long tracing lazy circles against her bare shoulder, listening to the steady rhythm of her heartbeat, fighting the part of me that wanted to pretend this was real.
That she was mine even in just this moment, even though I didn’t deserve this.
As I finally drifted to sleep, I couldn’t bring myself to regret it.
Not even for a second.
——
Morning came too soon even though I had been awake long before dawn
A soft stream of golden light of dawn streaming through the curtains, casting a soft glow over Arielle’s sleeping form. For a long moment, I just watched her as she slept, because dragging myself away was too much work she looked peaceful.
More peaceful than I had ever seen her, dark lashes fluttering against her cheeks, she took in a deep breath her lips slightly parted, as she moved, tangling herself over me.
She belonged here. With me.
The thought came unbidden, and I clenched my jaw, forcing it away because thoughts like that didn't help me at all ,carefully, I shifted myself from under her untangling myself from her warmth.
She stirred slightly, but didn’t wake. I stood, running a hand through my hair, my mind already racing, last night had changed everything and yet, it changed nothing.
It had only succeeded in making the pain we both would feel at the end of this all worse by like a lot .
The room smelled like her—like us and what we had done last night, for the second time, I had made the same mistake.
Only this time, I couldn’t bring myself to regret it everything about this was wrong.
Everything about what I had done—what I would have to do—made this the worst possible decision I could have made.
Because what I had to do…what had to happen next… Gabriel had been right and I should have listened to him but ignoring him had seemed like a far better idea to me.
Gabriel. He had been my grandfather’s most trusted advisor and after the man had died and my father had fucked off for good he had been the only person I could go to for advice on anything. He was also the only person who knew the full truth about what was going on here.
That my powers were gone. I had told Isaac my beta some of it and even he would think I was mad doing this with Arielle.
I wasn't still sure how I had lost them but I was certain it was when I marked Arielle and I wasn't sure how to get them back either, since sleeping with her had obviously not worked. I should regret this. I should be filled with shame but all I felt was a pit of dread, I turned away from the bed, muscles tensing as my mind drifted back to the conversation I’d had the night before.
My conversation with Gabriel played a loop in my head
You don’t have time.
You need to do what must be done before it’s too late.
Gabriel had been right about one thing—my problem wasn’t going away. My powers had faded completely.
I clenched my fists in annoyance, he had warned me that getting to close to her would make things difficult and immediately after that I had taken Arielle to bed and now here I was, standing over her sleeping form, knowing that what I had to do next would destroy her.
She didn’t know why I had taken her or why I had kept her here, locked away. And if she ever found out what I planned to do to fix my problem—what I had to do—she would never forgive me.
For the first time since this whole fiasco started I wasn’t sure if I had the strength to do it.