Page 23

Della

I rolled my hips slowly, making Haden moan loudly under me. Without warning, he twisted us so I was under him, and he was sinking into me. Haden rested on his hands as he pushed into me roughly. My hands ran down his back as I gripped him tighter to me.

“I want to hear you. Do not hold back how good I’m making you feel.”

His lips brushed against my jaw, kissing his way down to my neck before biting my shoulder.

“Fuck,” I muttered. My legs wrapped around him tighter. Haden was losing control more with every noise that fell from me. His hand ran up to my jaw and brushed my lips with his thumb.

“This mouth is my heaven. It has the power to bring me to my knees and the power to destroy me.” He leaned forward like he might kiss me but stopped a few inches away. “I will mark you in every way I can think of so no one can ever mistake you as not being owned by me.”

His thumb pressed into my lips roughly. His eyes were fucking red.

“Haden…” I moaned as his hips slammed into me.

“If I make you cum hard enough, will you see the heavens?” He moaned as his hips moved forward.

“If I make you scream loud enough, do you think the heavens will finally understand that you are mine? It is me that you will fall to your knees for. I am the only thing you will beg for. Will they know that you do not need to worship them when you already worship me? I will be your heaven, Della. Yell my name and introduce them to the only man who owns you. Let them know they could not keep you from me.”

“Haden, please,” I begged, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted from him. “More.” I was desperate to hear him.

“I love you, Della. I love you more than the stars and heavens.” He hesitated. “Now cum for me, Storm, and let every star in the sky know who makes you feel like this. Tell them the name of the man that you own. Tell them that you tamed a God of Hell—claim me, Ardella.”

I called out his name to the stars as my orgasm slammed into me. Haden’s hips moved faster.

“Fuck, that’s it, louder, Della.” His pace was so hard and fast that our entire table was fucking moving and slamming into the wall. My whole body was glowing as my eyes squeezed shut. Fuck, I was seeing stars as my fingers dug into his back.

“Haden!” I called out so loudly that our home shook violently.

“That’s my girl.” He moaned as he pushed into me. “Let me see those pretty fucking eyes, Storm.”

I opened my eyes and met his red eyes. My mouth fell open at the sight of him smiling down at me. His hand snaked up to my throat, and he squeezed. He looked possessed. He looked like a God of Hell, and I could not control how much I liked seeing him so out of control for me.

“You listen like such a good girl, Storm.”

“Fuck, Haden.” I could feel pleasure surging again.

“You can cum for me again,” he said.

“Yes.”

He nodded. “Cum for me again, love, and this time claim me, mark me, and I’m going to mark you too.”

I nodded.

His eyes seemed to glow a brighter red as he leaned up again and moved his hand down to my chest, and I felt the burning sensation all over my skin.

Haden called my name to the heavens as if it were a prayer, and he slammed into me, finding his own release.

My magic swarmed from me and circled around Haden.

I did not know what it was doing. My magic was in a frenzy as it swam around us.

He moaned loudly before our magic stopped immediately and he collapsed on top of me.

I pulled his head back by his hair and kissed him.

“I fucking love you,” I muttered. “I am going to die from pleasure.”

Haden’s body shook with a silent laugh.

He sat up and looked down at my arm and smiled.

I looked down and saw he marked me with a new red tattoo.

It was two large stars, falling next to each other through a sea of small stars.

I smiled at it. Haden looked down at his chest and frowned when he saw nothing.

I smirked as I pointed to his arm. He traced the silver lightning strike that was now running down the entire length of his arm, splitting in all directions. He looked at me.

“Perfect.” He traced my mark. “I am completely in love with you.” He stared at me with tears in his eyes. Gods, he was never going to be okay when I died. I leaned up and grabbed his face in my hands.

“You are everything, Haden. I would not have traded this life with you for anything. You know that, right?”

“Yes, Storm, I know,” he whispered.

I stared into his stormy eyes and realized they had not been void this entire time, but he was his void personality.

“Your eyes aren’t void.”

Haden grinned. “I found a way to merge both sides together so that we are both always conscious. Both sides of me are present at all times now.”

“How did you do that?” I smiled.

“The nice side of me had to agree. He had been blocking me, but after what he said to you, he knew he fucked up, and he agreed.”

“You know I understand why he said that. I do not blame you if a part of you hates me for what I did. I would have saved her if I could.”

“I’ve always known that.” He frowned. “And now he knows it too.”

I felt tears stinging the backs of my eyes as I stared at him. There was nothing I wanted more than for both sides of Haden to love me. But I also knew I could not ask for forgiveness for what I had done.

“Does he love me too?” I looked at Haden. “He’s never said it to me, and I always wondered if he ever would love me back.” I could feel my throat tighten as tears sprang to my eyes.

Haden paused for a moment. Nothing noticeably changed about him, but I could sense the difference when he smiled; it was the friendly, dimpled version of the void. Nice Haden was present.

“I do love you, Della.”

I cried as he pulled me into his arms. “I love you too.”

Haden kissed the top of my head as he climbed off the table and pulled me with him.

He carried me up the stairs to our room before tucking me into bed.

He pulled me to him and rubbed my back softly as he held me.

I pretended to fall asleep. Slowly, his hand stopped moving as he fell asleep too.

Haden’s chest rose and fell in even breaths.

I slowly crawled out of bed. With one last look at his face, went to my home in the stars.

When my magic disappeared, Mikel was already in the sitting room. I hesitated for a moment before I stepped toward him. His starlight eyes met mine, and I could tell he had been crying.

“I was wondering if you were ever coming back,” Mikel whispered as he slipped a black velvet box out of his hands and shoved it toward me.

“Mikel…” I was already crying as I stared at the box my star was in. The one I bargained with to save Thea and Cassius.

“One of us should be happy.” He swallowed hard, frowning as he stared into the fire. “I should apologize for how I treated you and everyone for the past nine years, but I’m not going to. Because even though I understand that you had no choice, I am still the one who ended up without a mate.”

I sat down at the small table in front of him. “You do not need to apologize to me.” I closed my eyes tightly and watched the grief on my brother’s face. I recognized it. I had lived through it.

“Is this what it felt like for you?” he asked, tears falling from his eyes. “This constant ache as if your heart and soul are missing?”

“Yes.” I nodded. “You can’t enjoy happy moments without wondering why they aren’t there to celebrate it with you.

You both love and hate the memories of them.

I would think of all the things that Haden and I talked about for our future and think I would never get to experience it.

I would not wish this grief and torture upon anyone.

And I caused it for you, and I do not know how to live with this guilt. ”

“Maybe the heavens will give her back to me, like they gave Haden back to you.” Mikel looked at me with hopeful eyes. “How long did they make you wait for him?”

“293 years,” I whispered.

Mikel nodded as he seemed to be thinking.

“That really fucking sucks, but I can wait that long if it is her coming back to me.” He ran his hand through his hair, and the guilt stabbed my heart. Mikel looked hopeful for the first time in nine years, not knowing that his mate was waiting for him.

The conversation with Malamay drifted through my mind.

The Book of the Dead was with a witch coven, and I knew I needed to go get it.

This moment of seeing a glimpse of my old brother back was enough to make me go tomorrow.

I could fix this, and the hopeful and happy Mikel, who desperately wanted to be a husband and father, would come back. I could give him his entire life back.

“What did you do to pass the time?” he asked.

I smiled. “I built a house.”

“You built a house.” Mikel stared at me.

“Haden built homes in his first life. He was building one for us when he died, so I finished it. But I also had his family that helped.”

“Remiah’s parents were abusive and are dead now.” He sighed heavily.

“I know, I killed them.” Mikel looked at me like he had no idea who I was, and I just stared back at him blankly. “I was not going to let them hurt Haden or Remiah ever again.”

Mikel smiled softly, and I felt that bond we once shared strengthen again. He was once my best friend, my only family, and I hoped he would be that for me again.

“I should make her a home.” Mikel smiled. “She told me once what she pictured, and I could make that for us. She will love it.”

“That’s a great idea, Mikel.” I smiled, knowing that Remiah would be back before he could probably even start it.

Excitement pumped through me. I wanted to bring her back, for Mikel, for Haden, for the realm.

Remiah should have always been here. The sooner I did this, the sooner I could enjoy the little time I had left with Haden. The sooner Mikel would be happy again.

I stood up and grabbed the star. “I love you, brother,” I whispered. “I’m so glad the heavens created us together.”

I didn’t wait for him to respond as my star mist took me back to mine and Haden’s home. Haden was standing shirtless at the wall of windows in our bedroom. He turned to me immediately.

“Fucking hell, Storm, I thought you left me.” He frowned as he walked to me. His eyes looked as if he had been crying. This is how he would look tomorrow when he woke to me being gone. I pushed the thought away from my mind and smiled at him.

“I went to get you a gift.”

I held up the box and saw his brows crease in confusion. He reached for it hesitantly and slowly. The orange glow of the star illuminated his handsome face. His eyes snapped up to mine.

“It is your star.” He swallowed.

“No, it is your star. I have been holding onto it until I found you.” I smiled. I used my magic to change its shape into that of a glowing ring. Haden looked at me as I stepped forward and took his hand in my hand.

“Haden Vale, if you’ll have me for eternity, please accept this star. It represents us—everlasting, bright, beautiful. I promise to love you with everything I am. I vow to be yours and only yours for my existence.”

He stayed quiet for a moment, just looking at the ring on my finger that he had given to me. He reached up and pulled it off, and I frowned in confusion for a moment.

“I accept your star, Storm.”

I slid the ring onto his finger as he smiled. He took a shaky breath and looked at me.

“Ardella, if you’ll have me for eternity, please accept this star.

I vow that nothing will sever our bond. I will love you beyond death, beyond any limits, and I will always find you.

It’s you and me, Storm, until the end of our existence, and then I will demand the fates to make me yours in every world, in every reality, and in every life.

And if they do not listen to me, you better believe that I will rip apart the fates and weave them back together so the only result is that we are together.

I did it once, and I’ll do it as many times as I need to. You will be mine and mine alone.”

“I accept your star, Haden Vale.”

He let out a breath as he slipped the ring on my finger. Our stars glowed brightly together in the room, casting a shining silvery orange light all around us before searing into our skin and marking us as one.

“Ardella Vale, my wife.” Haden smiled. “I’ve waited a very long time to call you that.”

“And I’ve waited lifetimes to call you my husband, Haden.”

His eyes flashed red, and I sucked in a breath at how terrifyingly handsome he looked when he did that.

“Tomorrow we will tell everyone we know that I am your husband and you are my wife,” he promised.

Guilt stabbed into me, but I did not let it show. I nodded and leaned forward, kissing him hard.

“I am all in,” I promised.

“I love you more.”