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“No,” I said quickly, reaching up to smooth the worry from his face. “No, it's perfect. I'm just not used to being the center of attention like this.”

“Well, get used to it, sweetheart,” he said with a smirk. “Because as long as I'm around, you're never going to be forgotten or overlooked again.”

My heart swelled with a sudden rush of emotion, and I had to blink back tears. “Thank you, Levi. For all of this. For everything.”

He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. “Happy birthday, Ariella.”

The night unfolded in a blur of laughter, dancing, and conversation.

I moved from group to group, catching up with friends I hadn't seen in weeks or months, sharing stories of our adventures and plans for the future.

Despite the lingering threat of Sarki and the ongoing work of rebuilding Elysium, there was a sense of genuine joy in the air—a reminder that even in the darkest times, there were moments worth celebrating.

I danced with everyone who asked—Wyatt, who moved with surprising grace for such a big man; Shane, who stepped on my toes twice and apologized profusely; Rage, who proved to be an unexpectedly skilled dancer; and even Adona herself, who moved with the ethereal elegance that only the oldest angels possessed.

But my favorite dance was with my mother, who held me close and whispered, “I'm so proud of you, Ariella. Your father would be too.”

The mention of my father brought a pang of sadness, but it was tempered by the knowledge that his legacy lived on in me—in my commitment to truth, to justice, to making Elysium what it was always meant to be.

As the night wore on, I found myself back in Levi's arms, swaying gently to a slow song. The party continued around us, but we had created our own private world on the dance floor, just the two of us moving together as if we'd been doing it forever.

“Having fun?” he asked, his hands warm at the small of my back.

“The best,” I admitted. “I can't remember the last time I celebrated my birthday like this.”

“Good.” He pressed his forehead against mine. “You know, I've been thinking…”

“That’s not good,” I teased.

“For you, maybe.” He grinned. “But seriously, I've been thinking about us, about everything that's happened since we met.”

“That's a lot to think about.”

“It is,” he agreed. “But it all comes down to one thing, really.” His expression turned serious, his eyes holding mine with an intensity that made my breath catch.

“I never thought I'd find someone like you, Ariella. Someone who would see past the demon, past all the darkness, to whatever small glimmer of light might be hidden underneath.”

I started to protest, to tell him that there was far more than a glimmer, but he shook his head, silently asking me to let him finish.

“You changed everything for me. You made me want to be better, to be worthy of you. And somehow, against all odds, here we are—an angel and a demon, defying every rule and expectation.” His voice dropped lower, meant only for me.

“I love you, Ariella. Not because of some magical bond, not because of fate or circumstance, but because of who you are. Because of your strength, your courage, your stubborn refusal to give up on what you believe is right. Because of the way you fight for the people you care about, the way you never take the easy path if it means compromising your principles.”

My eyes burned with unshed tears as he spoke, his words washing over me like a warm tide, filling every corner of my heart.

“I love you,” he said again, “and I will spend every day of our very long lives showing you just how much.”

In that moment, surrounded by friends, held in the arms of the demon who had claimed my heart, I felt a sense of completion I had never experienced before.

The path that had led me here had been fraught with danger and loss, with betrayal and sacrifice.

But standing in this warehouse—once a prison, now transformed into a place of celebration—I couldn't regret a single step of the journey.

“I love you too,” I whispered, rising on my toes to press my lips to his.

After a few more dances, Levi caught my eye, a mischievous glint in his gaze. “What do you say we slip out for a while?” he murmured. “I have one more surprise for you.”

“Another one?” I laughed. “Isn't all this enough?”

“Not even close, sweetheart.”

With practiced ease, he guided me through the crowd toward the small office at the back of the warehouse—the one that contained the magical door to his apartment. No one seemed to notice our departure, too caught up in the celebration to pay attention to the guest of honor slipping away.

Once through the door, Levi swept me into his arms, his mouth claiming mine with a hunger that made my knees weak. I responded in kind, my hands tangling in his hair, my body arching into his as if we had been apart for weeks instead of hours.

“I've been wanting to do that all night,” he growled against my lips. “Do you have any idea how hard it's been to keep my hands off you, watching you dance with everyone else?”

“Poor Levi,” I teased, nipping at his bottom lip. “Having to share.”

“I don't like sharing what's mine,” he said, his voice dropping to a register that sent shivers down my spine. “And make no mistake, Ariella—you are mine, just as I am yours.”

His possessiveness should have bothered me, but instead, it thrilled me—a reminder of the primal connection between us, the bond that had started as an accident but had grown into something deep and unbreakable.

We stumbled toward the bedroom, shedding clothes as we went, hands and mouths exploring familiar territory with renewed hunger. By the time we reached the bed, we were both breathless with need, our bodies seeking the perfect rhythm we had discovered together.

“Happy birthday, sweetheart,” Levi whispered against my skin, his voice filled with promise as he lowered me onto the sheets.

And as night deepened around us, as the sounds of celebration continued faintly in the distance, I surrendered to the joy of being exactly where I belonged—in the arms of a demon who had proven that sometimes, the most unexpected love was the most powerful of all.

* * *

Thank you for reading Ariella’s story! I hope you had a great time in the Rite World.