Page 80 of Rising Out of the Darkness (Divine Guardians Duology #1)

“What happened to your mother was not your fault, Lena,” he said. My eyes lowered in shame. “Look at me.” His tone deepened. “The fault belongs to the person who took her life.”

Unconsciously, my head denied his words, shaking ever so slightly. His grip on my chin became a little tighter.

“Lena, have you ever thought that maybe there was a reason you had a paralyzing attack that night? Perhaps, if you didn’t, you would have perished alongside your mother.”

He spoke delicately, choosing his words.

“The gods and fate have always been a mystery to me, Lena, but maybe they had a plan for us. Maybe we were meant to endure these devastating tragedies to find each other at the right moment. Perhaps we had to unveil the strengths we didn’t have the courage to admit we had, by clawing ourselves out of the dark.

We need to learn how to forgive ourselves.

How can we expect others to do the same if we don’t even allow ourselves the same courtesy? ”

His words washed over me like cold water, and I shivered. “But I’m broken, Declan.” My voice wavered.

“So am I, love. Separate we may be broken, but perhaps together we can make each other whole.”

Overwhelmed with the need to be even closer, I let my lips melt into his. Our kiss was tender and raw, full of unspoken devotions and future promises between two souls.

“I heard you don’t like me, Elena Morrigan.” He smirked against my lips.

“Mmm, yes, that’s true,” I hummed, earning me a pinch on my thigh.

“There’s my fire.” His laugh was so infectious, I couldn’t help but join in. I sighed deeply, running my fingers over the scruff of his short beard.

“You’re right, Declan. I don’t like you…” I paused long enough for one of his brows to rise high. “I love you.”

He slammed his lips against my own. Our hungry lips devoured each other, starved for the promises deep within them.

“I love you, Elena,” he breathed, hovering inches over my lips, “I always will.”

He parted my lips with his talented tongue, deepening our kiss further, and I let myself fall away from my thoughts.

The hardness of his length rubbed against the thin lace of my underwear, electrifying the fire within my core.

Unashamed, I writhed against him, further stoking flames within my already molten center.

“Then show me,” I breathed, nervously meeting his hungry stare. Eyes darkened with desire, lids heavy with lust, his hold around me tightened.

“Are you sure, love?”

“Declan, show me how much you love me—I need you, now.”

H e wrapped his hands underneath my thighs and lifted us both out of the chair. In four long strides, we were in front of his bed, and my heart felt as though it was about to leap out of my chest. As he lowered me to the floor, his eyes roamed over all of me. “Take it off.” He ordered.

I sucked in a sharp breath as my eyes widened. No one had ever spoken to me this way, and I was enjoying every damn bit of it.

“While this dress makes you look stunning, Wildfire, for me to properly declare my love to every enchanting inch of that body beneath it, it needs to come off immediately.”

“Yes, sir,” I hummed, as his eyes blew wide open.

I slowly slid the straps off my shoulders, down my breast and over my wide hips. The elegant dress puddled around my feet, leaving me bare in front of the Shadow Lord. The only barriers left were my underwear and heels.

“ Fucking beautiful ,” his breath hitched as he took in the sight. “All night I’ve imagined what treasures were hidden beneath that slip of a dress. Nothing I imagined compares to the sight before me.”

The flush of my cheeks was painfully hot, but not as painful as the surge of energy that spread throughout my entire body from his praise.

“I’ve always known you had the power to bring any man to their knees, Wildfire.

” His words were low and husky as he began to unbutton his shirt.

“A fearsomely alluring woman in mind, body and soul. Someone as powerful as you, love, deserves to be worshiped. I’ll gladly be the first to bow before you. ”

Every inch of my body began to tremble with anticipation. My eyes were tethered to every one of his movements. Who knew that the act of unbuttoning a shirt or sliding down pants could be so seductive?

We were so close to each other, yet so far away. Unconsciously, my body leaned towards his, pleading with me to do something to relieve the pressure building within. My teeth grazed my bottom lip, and I couldn’t help but squeeze my thighs together to help stifle the fever burning between them.

Reverently, I traced my eyes over his body in the way that my fingertips begged to.

They roamed over the intricate designs of his dark tattoos, swirling and rippling around each arm and across his chest, over the ripples of his toned abs, down to the article of clothing still acting as a barrier between us.

Wandering lower, my gaze locked on his length, which looked painfully swollen with need beneath his underwear. Licking my lips, I clamped my thighs tighter.

Declan approached me, lowering to his knees. My dynamis hummed as he brushed his fingertips over my ankles all the way to my thighs. His hands slid against my skin at an excruciatingly slow pace. Those strong hands gripped the tops of my thighs, so dangerously close to where I needed them most.

“Spread your legs.” He tapped the sheath of my dagger that was still strapped around it.

“As seductive as this looks, I think it may be slightly dangerous to leave on.” Tenderly, he kissed the spot where the dagger once was.

I jumped at the sound of it clanging against the hard wooden floor.

Declan gripped harder around the backs of my thighs, holding me in place.

“The only thing that will be piercing your body tonight will be me, love,” he purred, pushing me back towards the bed.

Oh…

Declan’s push startled me, causing me to trip over the dress puddled at my feet. Thick arms leapt to right me back on my feet and slammed my center right against his plump lips. The heat of his hot breath against it caused my lacy underwear to dampen further.

“Well, that’s one way to get me where you want me, Wildfire.” His laugh rumbled as his lips caressed me through the lace barrier. A whimper escaped me as I tentatively pushed up against him, searching for anything to soothe the burn within me.

“No one’s ever touched you here, Lena?” His fingers tangled around the lace.

“Just y-you,” I whispered.

“That’s right, Wildfire. It will always be just me, Elena, because you are mine… forever.”

He slid the lace down my legs and tossed it to the side. Picking up each foot, he kissed each ankle as he undid each heel and tossed those aside as well. I now stood completely bare in front of my Shadow Prince.

All of me—my heart, my soul, my body—was now wide open for this man. I was willing to allow my soul to be open to him, but the lingering hint of fear inside of me needed to hear a promise out loud. A promise that from now on, I could trust him and he could trust me.

His fingers brushed over the scar on my arm, and I tried to pull the painful reminder away.

“Who did this?”

“The man who killed my mother and almost killed me.” I lowered my head in shame. “He thought me too pathetic to waste his blade on, so he left me with this instead.”

“He will die for what he has done, that is a promise, my love.”

His lips glided along the scar and up my body until he met my lips. As he pressed a tender kiss to my lips, he wrapped my arms around his back, right over the scars left behind by Alastor’s iron-laced whip.

“You never have to hide your scars from me. Though they may have been made in darkness, they are a permanent reminder of how you’ve healed and continued with your life in spite of it. They’re a reminder of your resilience, my love.”

I kissed him thoroughly, then pulled back slightly, cupping his chin. An eyebrow quirked as he met my gaze.

“Promise me you’ll let me in as well, Declan,” I whispered.

“If we do this, we do this together. No more secrets, no more doubts. I’m ready to open my heart to you fully, to let you see every inch of darkness and light.

If we do this, there will be no more hiding behind the walls we’ve built for ourselves. ”

His throat bobbed up and down, and he sucked his lips in between his teeth. Nerves trickled throughout my body and my muscles tightened with the fear that he might turn me down.

He rose to his full height, towering over me.

Declan lowered a hand and enveloped mine, placing it right over his rapidly beating heart.

“You feel that love?” A sweet smile tugged against his cheeks.

“This heart beats for you and you alone. It will continue to beat for you even after life fades from the realm and my body becomes ash in the wind. My love for you is eternal. You are my soulmate, love.” He closed the distance between our lips, sealing the promise that I so desperately needed.

He pulled back slightly, just enough for me to speak.

“I think I’ve always known,” I whispered. “I was afraid that it would mean I wouldn’t have a real choice. That I would be blinded by the bond, and the feelings wouldn’t be authentic.”

“And what do you think now?” A flicker of worry lit his eyes.

Tracing a path over the hard lines of his abs and up the plane of his chest, my palm covered his rapidly beating heart. Darkened eyes met mine, and my heart pinched at the slight tremble of his lips.

“There is nothing more genuine than this.” My fingers smoothed over his heart. “Our souls were meant to find each other. There’s no denying my heart only beats this way for you, Declan.”

“If we do this”—his voice was low and graveled— “we’ll be completing the bond. There will be no going back. Are you sure you wish to be tied to me in such a way, love?”

Grabbing his chin, I brushed my nose against his. “Declan Stallard, you can tie me down in any way you please.” A deep groan rumbled in his chest. “I want this bond. I want to know you’ll be mine for eternity.”