Page 19 of Crimson Devotion (The Sacred Seven #1)

NINETEEN

Ophelia

EPILOGUE I

Sunshine falls over Faith’s face, making her features seem softer. Under the bright sunlight, her eyes shine, the spring breeze caressing her skin. Her hair falls down her back, the curled strands looking quite messy.

She’s sitting on the small blanket, and we’re quiet. There’s no need to speak; the silence does all the talking for us. Her eyes closed, a small, tender smile tugging at the corners of her lips. The sound of birds chirping creates a beautiful sound, yet all I can focus on is her.

The red dress I bought for her fits her curves perfectly, and for my own pleasure, I did pick one that would accentuate all the things I adore on — which is her body as a whole. If gods are real, then she’s my goddess. There’s no other way to describe her beauty; raw, ethereal, and blazing.

“Little hunter.’’ I inch closer to her, placing a soft kiss on her bare shoulder. She shivers under my lips, head slowly turning to look at me. There’s that damned smile of hers. The one she only gives me.

“Hm?”

“I was thinking…’’ I murmur against her skin before slowly pulling back to look at her. All I’ve been doing for the past year is looking at her. Whether she was aware of it or not, she was and will forever be my primary focus. “How about we go and visit Darius?”

She tilts her head to the side. “Your brother?”

“Yes.’’

“Doesn’t he live somewhere in Australia on the shore?”

I hum. “He does, yes.’’

“I mean, I wouldn’t be opposed to it. But we have two problems, though.’’

I quirk an eyebrow. “Which are?”

“If we set foot in the ocean, we’ll die.’’

“We won’t go into the ocean.’’ I chuckle. “But it’s a beautiful sight.’’

“And, of course, there’s Lucifer. Can you leave him?”

“Valerio and Aurelia are more than capable of ensuring no one enters the castle for a week or two. If we do go, we’ll tell no one, just to make sure no one tries anything while I’m away.’’

She pauses for a moment, and I take the opportunity to pluck a daffodil from the bush next to us, then gently put it behind her ear. Her eyes light up, the golden irises making my heart skip a beat. A wide smile from her follows, and she pecks my lips briefly.

“We should go then,’’ she mumbles against my lips before pulling back. “I’ve never been to Australia before.’’

“Are there any places you want to visit?”

She ponders that for a while. “A few. Dare I ask just how you came to be this…rich?”

A snort slips me. “If I were alive for over five hundred years and still broke, then I’d simply step into the sun myself.’’

A deep, rich laughter reverberates from us, her eyes crinkling at the corners. My upper lip twitches, and I can’t stop the smile that breaks out on my face at the sound of her laughter.

“What? It’s true.’’

“It is.’’ She laughs again, softer this time. “But wow… You’ve been alive for so long.’’

“Thanks to Yvonne,’’ I mutter.

“To be fair, in a way, she did save you all.’’

My brow creases. “Excuse me?”

“You were born in the 1500s. You wouldn’t have lived to see past thirty, and that’s me being generous. You would’ve either died from the plague or in childbirth.’’

My eyes roll, and her grin widens.

“Fine, fine, maybe that’s true. But it wasn’t all that bad back then.’’

Curiosity is written all over her face as she switches her position. She lays her head on my lap, looking up at me. Immediately, my hands thread through her hair, softly stroking the locks.

“Can you tell me more about that time? I’ve read books and seen movies, but I know it’s probably not as accurate as the real thing.’’

“What do you want to know about?”

“Everything.’’ Her response is immediate. “Your upbringing, the life back then, all of it.’’

So, for the next few hours, I tell her all the stories of the times that I thought I’d completely forgotten. Time passes slowly, the bright sun replaced by dark clouds, the sound of birds replaced by crickets, yet the warmth is there.

And that’s when I realize just how much Faith has saved me. Her presence makes me feel alive, something I haven’t felt since I turned into a vampire. The only person I’d die for, the only one who has captured my heart and what’s left of my soul.

My perfect fated mate.