Chapter 61 ~ In the middle of a war

Chapter 61 ~ In the middle of a war
ADRIAN

I didn’t deserve her purity. But I was a selfish man, and I’d probably burn in hell for it but right now, I just wanted her.

I hated deceiving her because of my position.

The right thing to do was to let her go, let her have a normal life. But the thought of her being with another man, cumming the way she did for me, made me want to kill someone.

“Did she hurt you?” I rushed to her side, checking her like I’d just crawled out of the grave.

Her eyes stayed locked on me, wide and full of disbelief like she couldn’t decide if I was real or a ghost.

I checked her for injuries, opened her mouth, and looked into her eyes for any sign of poison.

“Did you kill them?” she asked, barely above a whisper.

I froze.

Tears began spilling down her face, each one like acid on my skin.

I hated seeing her cry like this.

When I punished her, her tears turned me on. They made me feel in control. But this?

This broke something in me.

I pulled her into my arms and held her tightly, like I could protect her from the world even if I was the monster in it.

“I wanted to,” I whispered against her hair. “I even shot one bullet.”

The memory of it all slammed back into me the gun, the hesitation, the realization that if I pulled the trigger, I wouldn’t just lose her… I'd lose myself.

The one thing I was trying to protect had never really been mine.

But I wouldn’t give her up. Not now. Not ever.

“What stopped you?” she asked, her voice trembling and her heart pounding against my chest.

I could’ve lied.

Said anything.

But my heart refused to play along. And before I could stop myself, I told her the truth.

“I didn’t care if you hated me as long as you were by my side, and I could make you feel pain and pleasure like no one else ever could…” I paused, breathing her in, letting her scent ground me. “But that changed.”

“What happened to ruining me?” she asked softly.

“I fell in love with you, my little spitfire,” I said, holding her face in my hands so she could see every ounce of truth in my eyes.

“But your mother…” she started.

“I’ll handle her.” I cut her off. “Right now, I need you to listen to me carefully.”

She nodded, those wide eyes still glistening.

“We’re at war,” I told her. “This blood you’re seeing? It doesn’t belong to just anyone. It’s a declaration.”

I reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, like I was telling her it might rain later not that our world was about to burn.

“What’s going on?” she asked, frowning.

I smiled.

“The details…” I trailed off. “I can’t share them. No matter how much I want to. So you’re just going to have to do as I say.”

She rolled her eyes.

I smacked her ass playfully. “Keep those eyes in check, or I’ll throw you over my knee.”

“In the middle of a war?”

“In the middle of a war,” I replied, kissing the top of her head before walking out.

Because even in the chaos of blood and betrayal, she was mine.

And I’d destroy kingdoms before I let her forget it.

…………..

After a few phone calls and a quick shower, I found her standing in the driveway.

“Your thoughts are so loud, I could hear them all the way from upstairs,” I teased as I wrapped my arms around her neck from behind.

“I’m just grateful for what you did today,” she whispered.

“You’re welcome. I came to pick you because we need to have a serious talk.”

Once the world knew she was about to be my wife, curiosity would follow. And when the whispers reached them about the ledger, she’d become a target. 

That meant I needed to prepare her and to train her to protect herself in the moments I wouldn’t be there.

“Okay,” she whispered again, and I pulled her toward the car.

We pulled up to a nondescript building, 

one that blended into the city like it didn’t exist.

I stepped out and gestured for her to follow. As the door shut behind us, the atmosphere shifted. 

“This is a safe house,” I said, breaking the silence as my eyes locked with hers.

“I can see that. But why are we here?” she asked.

I smiled, stepping forward to kiss her lips softly.

“I’m going to train you. It’s essential that you can defend yourself in the days ahead.”

She smiled soft, trusting and that was enough for me.

I wouldn’t tell her everything.

Not yet.

Because if I could help it, she’d never have to come face to face with the monsters clawing at the edge of our world.