Page 55 of The Curse of Eternity (Descendants of Helsing #1)
It was hard to imagine the lifetimes that Drake had survived, and the perspective that must’ve given him.
If anything happened to my family… Even if they had become monsters, I wasn’t sure how long I’d need to recover from losing them.
The realization hit me like a brick wall at ninety-miles-an-hour.
Selfish —that’s what I was for hiding things from them.
Because deep down, I knew they would have gone to the ends of the Earth to get me back.
Disbelief must have been obvious on my face, but Drake’s gentle touch as he brushed a strand of curling hair behind my ear melted the tension from my jaw. My gaze returned to the little girl in the painting, and my curiosity resurged.
“Did you ever meet your aunt again? After you were turned.”
Drake shrugged, but his lips pursed when he directed his attention to tracing the back of my hand.
“No, never in truth. For years, I watched her from afar. Once, I attended an evening party that she hosted with her husband. Of course, I did not introduce myself. It was enough to know that she was happy, fulfilled.”
“How come you never came clean to her about who you were?”
“There were many reasons.” His raven-dark eyes bore into mine.
“As you are aware, there is a creed of secrecy handed down from the Domnitori. It would have been impossible to enter her life without explaining my absence, or else fabricating a story that would have led to my being reinstated as the family heir.”
“What if you just pretended to be someone else? Charmed her, or something? So she wouldn’t tell anyone.”
The sadness swirling in my heart was met by Drake’s genuine interest, but not a hint of judgment showed through his answer.
“If it were your family, would you want them only to know you by a lie?”
Scrunching my nose at my stupidity, I fidgeted on my feet and shook my head.
Despite what Drake told me in the hovel outside the fortress, it had been hard to imagine how lonely a vampire’s existence would be.
For the first time in my life, I sympathized with the undead I’ve hunted and destroyed.
If I’d been cut off from the outside world, brainwashed since childhood and raised into a secret occult society, would I have had the strength to break away?
The alternative was to stay with the only people who’d understand, that I could be myself with. Even if it meant committing atrocities to avoid being lonely.
“Were you really alone? For all those years…” A ridiculous pang of jealousy struck my chest when Drake shook his head.
“Not always. You have met Winston. Aiden has also been a long-time friend of mine.”
“The faery solicitor.” I scoffed, and Drake openly laughed, the easy sound warming my ears.
“He is far more trustworthy than he seems, although his methods can be a tad…roundabout.”
“That’s one way to put it,” I muttered, but couldn’t hold back my smile. “At least his meddling put us together, even if you have had to save my ass every two seconds.”
“Excuse me? If not for you, then I would have been drained of blood and left to suffer within the fortress—permanently.”
“That was just luck.” I shook my head, blushing under his intense stare of disagreement. “If I wasn’t a descendant, then neither of us would have survived.”
“Is it worthwhile to consider what could have been? I have spent many years yearning for the chance at a human life. Yet, with you, I have felt more like a person than I have since I was one.”
“You are a person.” I took his hand, and leaned in until our lips met. The kiss was meant to be brief, but when I went to pull away, his free hand rose to cup the nape of my neck and held me in place. A quick inhale parted my lips, and he took advantage of the opening.
Unhurried, I wrapped one arm over his shoulder and around his neck.
Space still existed between us, but barely an inch.
There was comfort in the way he kissed me, like he meant to savor it.
The trail his fingers made down my spine brought on a delicious shiver.
His touch glided along my aches and pains, easing every one.
The light pressure of his lips moving over mine slowed, and I sighed into the air between us when his mouth freed mine.
“It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?” I laughed, and the corners of his mouth curved into a smile. “You’re free— we’re free. Finally.”
“Finally,” Drake echoed softly, and I relaxed into his embrace.
I inhaled deeply, breathing him in, but it was easy to ignore the underlying hint of death coursing through his veins. The ring on my finger caught the glow from the electric sconces along the wall. As I fiddled with the metal, I recalled the inscription against my skin.
So I was human and the man I loved wasn’t—not entirely, anyway— so what?
We’d already escaped the deadliest place on Earth, and won .
Whatever came next, I wanted to believe we could handle it—together.
Nothing was certain in this life, not with the legacy I carried, but the feeling nestling into my heart felt pretty damn close.
Because there wasn’t anyone else I’d rather fight for my life alongside.
Even if it meant embracing this cursed existence for all eternity, or whatever time we had left of it.