A Flame Divine ♕

XXXVII. S C O R N

m e r r i k

Merrik was fuming. It just didn't make sense; why would he choose to turn his brother over now? After all that they had shared over the past few weeks, he thought he finally had an ally. Someone to have his back.

He was wrong.

"Mer, come sit here with me," Carmen soothed, leading him over to the sofa. He sat at her command, lost in thought. It was only when Carmen placed a hand over his clenched first that he realized he was shaking.

"Merrik, talk to me," she murmured, putting her delicate hand on his fist and unfurling it, intertwining her fingers with his. She ran her thumb along his, her soft skin sending a warm feeling through his entire body.

Merrik took in a breath. In the past, he was a closed shell, not sharing his feelings with anyone. But now he had Carmen to lean on. Slowly, he felt his stoic resolve as if it were a thin string unraveling.

"Before this year, Stellan and I did not have a good relationship—if you could even call it that," he began. Then he realized he never really explained their history to her, so he decided to give her a little more background.

"Our father—he was not a nice man. Neither was he a faithful man. He had an affair with Stellan's mother shortly after I was born. Stellan and I are barely a year apart." He pulled Carmen's legs into his lap as he spoke, caressing the tender skin of her knee.

"When he cut ties with Stellan's mother and came back to us, my mom and I pretended the incident never happened. But when father died..." he cleared his throat. "Stellan was disparaged. Father waved his money in his face and denied him everything while he supplied me with more than enough."

Carmen shook her head. "That's terrible. But that's not your fault, Merrik. And I feel like you've made up for that. Stellan is just worried about Everly. I mean, I know you'd be a basket case if that had happened to me. Just give him time; I'm sure he'll come around," she said, leaning forward and caressing his cheekbone with her hand. "I love you, Mer."

Merrik sighed into her hand. "You have no idea how amazing you are to me. I don't deserve you," he said, closing his eyes.

Carmen's freckled face flushed, and she lifted one corner of her mouth in a contented smile. "Yes, you do. You deserve everything you want in this world, Merrik Hailström, and you've lived far too long thinking differently. And I know that because I have too. But now, we have each other, and I could not be more grateful for that. You are everything to me... You've shown me what it's like to truly be loved, and how to love in return," she murmured, brushing the pad of her thumb over his bottom lip.

Merrik felt his heart beat erratically at her words. He was a man truly graced with the most perfect woman. She was his dream before he even knew he had one.

He kissed the width of her thumb before moving to pull her fully into his lap, her knees on either side of his hips.

"Thank you," he whispered before leaning up to brush his lips across hers.

She slid her hands to his neck and parted her lips to him. When he pulled back a couple centimeters, breathless, she asked, "For what? You're the one who has given me everything," she whispered, her lips still touching his.

Merrik's breath faltered. "Oh, dear one. You are the one who has given me everything."

There was no more room for words when he pressed his lips to hers, claiming her mouth, her body, her soul. His heart had been ignited the day they met, and now their love burned full and high. He kissed her with all the passion he contained, and his pain was incinerated. All he knew right then was Carmen.