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Rhyland

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Ifollow Danica into the bathroom, mind swirling as her words sink in. Half human, half something else—what could it mean? She spoke of some dormant power awakening within her. Could she be the one the prophecy speaks of? The mate who will unlock their abilities and save us all? The light from her hands supports this impossible theory. It fits.

Fear and disbelief batter me. I turn on the shower and undress as she steps in ahead of me. I wrap my arms around her waist, drawing her close as water cascades over us.

She leans into me. “If you need to tell me something, just say it,” she urges. Of course, she senses my hesitation. I take a moment to contemplate what I should reveal. I’ve never shied from speaking my truth...until her.

“There’s more I must tell you,” I confess slowly.

She inhales deeply. “Oh?”

I choose my words carefully. “There’s a prophecy about a mortal savior who will gain great power once awakened to save the realms.”

Her body tenses. She turns to face me, honey eyes burning with questions. “What? Realms? What are you saying?”

I sigh. “There are mysteries in this world you can’t imagine.”

She narrows her eyes. “Explain, then. I reveal my ‘powers,’ and now you suggest what, exactly?”

Her quick mind grasps for understanding, needing answers. I adore her spirited curiosity. I run my fingers through her hair, gripping tight as desire stirs me. I'm helplessly obsessed.

I crush my lips to hers, kissing her with an emotional urgency. My hands roam her body greedily, unable to get enough. At this moment, I'm utterly at her mercy. My heart, and my very being, belongs to her now in its entirety. I have fallen harder than I ever dreamed possible. My defenses are shattered, all pretenses burned away by the firestorm she sparks in my soul. I am stripped bare, every carefully guarded vulnerability exposed.

As she returns my kiss with equal fervor, I know I will do anything for this woman who holds the fractured pieces of my heart. She can nurture me to wholeness or destroy what remains. My fate is in her hands now. All I know is that I cannot live without her. She is the air in my lungs, the blood in my veins. For the first time in centuries, I have found something worth the ultimate risk—love powerful enough to either save or ruin me.

I reluctantly pull back, “I came here to find the foretold mortal as leader of the citadel. It’s my duty to locate them for the good of all.” Her eyes widen as she traces my tattoos, each marking a battle. Our gazes lock, raw emotion flowing between us.

"Seriously? I mean, vampires and werewolves were one thing, but this is just going from ridiculous to outrageous."

I let out a breath. She can’t fully comprehend this yet. I'm terrified to reveal she's potentially the mate...that our union could set cataclysmic events in motion. The tension already overwhelms her. I need to learn more before adding to the burden. For now, I hold her close, hoping to calm her unease. But she senses my restraint.

“There’s something you’re not saying,” she accuses, eyes flashing. “You promised to be truthful, Rhyland. Whatever it is, I can handle it.”

I freeze, warring with myself. Do I shield her or lay my suspicions bare? She deserves honesty, yet this could push her away for good.

“I...” My voice fails. Her eyes cloud with doubt and hurt.

She steps back out of my arms, leaving me cold and empty. “When you're ready to be fully open, we’ll talk. But I can’t do secrets anymore.” Her words slash through me.

We finish the shower, the silence as thick as the goddamn walls around us. The tension's a fucking beast, clawing at my insides because I'm holding back when all I want to do is lay it all out on the table. But the stakes? They're sky-high...

Everything in my gut is yelling at me to spill the damn truth to Dani, but I can't dump that kind of shitstorm on her without warning. She's been through hell and back already. I've got to get some fucking answers first and make sense of this messed up prophecy and what it means for her before I turn her life into a freaking rollercoaster ride again.

I'm worried about her sanity with all this madness. Dani's tough as nails, but there's only so much the mind can take before it cracks. I've been teetering on the edge myself for way too long. The last thing I want is to be the bastard that breaks her down. I'm supposed to guard that spark in her, not snuff it out.

For now, all I can cling to is the hope that her light will cut through this crap—step by fucking step. She's the one thing keeping me balanced, shining through the darkness I've been lost in. Our destinies are tangled up now, and I'm praying to whoever's listening that it is not too late for us to find what we need.

Keeping Dani's spirit intact is my mission. Her badass fire and pure heart reached out to me from day one. There are assholes out there trying to put that light out, but I'll be damned if I let them. I'll fight like hell to protect her, to keep that flame in her alive. She's the line pulling me back from the abyss, my beacon in the pitch black. I can't—and won't—lose her. Not now, not ever. Her heart, her mind—she's my everything.

Danica

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Istep out, wrap myself in a towel and dry my long hair with another towel.

Is this some joke?