Top Note

Chapter 40

Eriantha

The moment the guns lowered, I felt the world shift back into focus, as if I’d been holding my breath this entire time. Diana’s grasp on me loosened, her sneer fading, and for the first time, I felt like I could breathe again. My gaze locked onto Darcel. In his eyes, I saw a storm of rage and relief, a blend of emotions so powerful it made my chest tighten.

Before I could move, he was already rushing toward me, a blur of dark intensity, a lifeline pulling me out of the darkness. The next thing I knew, I was in his arms, lifted off the ground, held so tightly I could barely breathe. But at that moment, I didn’t need to. His arms were enough. His touch, the way he drew me close, made me feel like I was coming back to life.

A sob broke from me, the flood of everything I’d kept locked inside escaping as I buried my face in his chest. His scent, his warmth, his presence—it washed over me, grounding me in a way I hadn’t felt in so long. I’d been so afraid, so trapped, and now… now I was here, with him, finally safe.

Two men hoisted Andres up, dragging his bloodied, battered body across the floor. His blood left a trail, dark stains streaking the cold ground—a morbid reminder of just how close we had come to losing everything tonight. I flinched, unable to look away, feeling an unspoken ache in my chest. He was my brother, yet here he was, broken, bleeding. Part of me wanted to run to him, to help him, but I knew it was too late for that. I knew, deep down, we were both paying for the sins of our father. But Andres… his addiction, his involvement with the Circle—that was something he had chosen. A path he had walked alone, against every plea, every warning.

As I watched them carry him away, my mind spun with all the horrors of this night, each one flashing before me in a cruel replay that wouldn’t stop. We had been so close to death, to something even worse. A shudder raked through me, and I closed my eyes, wanting to escape the memories that were now etched deep in my mind. The terror, the pain—it would linger there, I knew. I could feel it burrowing into me, becoming a part of who I was.

“Nectar,” he whispered in his deep calm voice, which was now thick with possessive urgency, his lips brushing against my hair, sinking in them, I had no idea what kind of scent he finds in me, I tried to look at my husband before his lips captured mine. The kiss was deep, raw, filled with a desperation that matched my own, as I kissed him back with unequivocal urgency tasting his fear, and something primal, something possessive.
His lips moved over mine like he was reclaiming me, reminding me I was his, body and soul. He kissed me with a hunger that ignited something fierce inside me, as if he was drawing the fear and pain out of me and replacing it with the intensity of his protection, his ownership, "Mine" he rasped between savage kisses. Yours, I wanted to say but my words had eluded me. I didn't even realise when we were settled at the back of a car, and when the engine had roared to life, because all this time I was in Darcel's arms,it him thatI could feel, nothing else, I was still in his arms, he was unwilling to let go, and neither did I wish for it.

You belong here Eri... My inner voice whispered, I knew and yet...

All thoughts evede me as his mouth moved from my lips down to my neck, I felt shivers race over my skin. His kisses left a trail of warmth, a sense of being marked, claimed, held in a way that I knew no one else ever would. When he pulled back just slightly, his forehead resting against mine. “You’re mine, Nectar. You’re safe. Nothing will ever touch you again.” He growled.

The words sank deep, like a balm over every bruise, every scar I’d felt. He wasn’t just holding me; he was breathing life back into me, restoring something that had been broken years back. My hands clung to him, my fingers curling around his neck, desperate to keep this feeling, this security that only he could give me.