Take Me Away

Chapter 5

"When's the wedding?" she asked, and I immediately choked on my own air. She was unlike any of the others girls from her realm that I'd ever met. She seemed to be compliant, willing to marry me even though I'd technically just taken her life away. 

Trying to calm myself after my embarrassing coughing fit, I answered, "In the next few weeks, love. I don't want to rush you."

Looking her over, I thanked the Fates for creating her for me. She was petite, small, and had an intimidated personality, but a few months in the Underworld would soon change that. Her pale blonde hair stood out against her tanned skin, which looked like sin even though it was paired up with an innocent, simple white shift. The contrast of her skin and the white fabric made my heart rate spike. Her eyes... even though she would probably never believe me, were the most beautiful thing about her. 

The people of the village had called her the demon's spawn, and, I suppose in a horribly ironic way, she was. But her eyes did not mean that she was a demon. She was as human as any other person on the Surface, and her eyes were just the Fate's way of marking that she was mine. Green and blue were the color of her eyes, looking at me with confusion and hope. 

Her cheeks flushed as she watched my eyes rake her over, and I so desperately ached to touch her, but I knew it could scare her off. "I'm sorry," she whispered, looking down. 

"For what, my darling?" I asked, unable to stop myself before reaching out and grabbing her wrist. 

"I'm... sorry the Fates made me for you. I'm not good for you, Cyril," she whispered. 

"A few months down here will change that, my dear."

"I don't believe you, Cyril," she answered, and against my will, my heart fluttered as she said my name. I wanted to hear her say it again and again and again, but now was not the time. 

I sighed, cupping her chin with my other hand, forcing her to look at me. "Honey," I said, recalling the meaning behind her name, "I could show you right now how beautiful and how perfect you are for me, but I think that would scare you off. You need to believe in me and trust me if this is ever going to work."

"How would you show me?" she whispered, her eyes widening and her lips parting. I felt a low growl in my throat rise up, but I quickly pushed it down. She was so sweet.... so submissive. I wanted to have her chained up in my bed, but I couldn't. She may be the strongest woman I've ever met, but she wouldn't be ready to handle that. "Would you... would you kiss me?" she asked, and I closed my eyes, smiling at her innocence. She said the word kiss as though it were a bad, banned word.

"I'd do a lot more than kiss you, darling," I growled, leaning in toward her lips. Her breath hitched as I got closer, and I could smell her scent, the clean, sweet vanilla scent that was always on her body. "Do you want me to kiss you?" I asked, knowing that her answer would be no.

She closed her eyes and breathed in my scent, and I could feel her heart rate pick up to match mine. "Please," she breathed, and I leaned in closer to her, so that our lips were almost touching. Her red lips were parted expectantly, as she waited for my lips to press against hers. 

And that was the moment I had to back off. The hunger to have her, to take her on my bed was going to overwhelm me, and I knew that the moment I pressed my lips to hers and felt the velvety softness of her skin I would never be able to stop.

"Dinner is at 6," I told her in a raspy, hoarse voice. Desire to have her coursed through my veins, and I forced myself to tear myself away from her. I saw the hurt flash in her eyes as I made my way to the door of the bedroom, leaving her on the bed. "You should probably take this time to rest up. Dying and then being resurrected takes a surprisingly large amount of energy," I said, closing the door behind me, the overwhelming need to collapse encouraging me to go into my study and sleep on the couch.