Page 52 of Mending Mayhem
After we cleaned up our dinner mess, Ash and Chaos retired to their room, leaving me alone in the kitchen with Mayhem.
“How is your headache?” he asked like he was genuinely concerned.
“It’s better, thanks to you.” I drew my lower lip between my teeth, and his gaze slid down to my mouth. “I guess we should head to bed.”
“Indeed.” His eyes met mine, and we stood there, staring, his gaze penetrating all the way to my soul. “Shall I sleep in Cinder’s room again?”
I opened my mouth to say yes, but the word didn’t make it past my throat. Instead, I stepped toward him, resting my palms against his chest and rising to my toes to kiss him. His lips were soft against mine, the facial hair around them more like silk than the coarseness I would have expected had I not already kissed him today.
What happened this morning felt like weeks ago. Logically, I should not have been falling this hard, this fast, for anyone, much less a demon prince. Yet, there I was, sliding my arms around his shoulders and leaning into him.
He rested his hands on my hips, opening to me, brushing his tongue to mine before pulling back, his eyes searching mine. “You said you needed time.”
“I know. I do.” But time for what? To come to terms with the fact that I was fated to him? Really, there weren’t any terms I could come to. Fate was fate, and fighting it would only lead to trouble. I should listen to my heart. The heart always knew what was right, but my brain wouldn’t shut the eff up.
If I allowed myself to go all in, I would get my heart broken. This budding relationship had a hard and fast expiration date, and I wasn’t sure I’d survive the ending.
“Fate is a fickle bitch.” Emotion tightened my chest, one fist around my heart, the other squeezing my throat.
“Perhaps. It’s possible fate brought us together simply to teach us a lesson before pulling us apart.” He cupped my face in his hands. “That isn’t what this feels like, though.”
“But we will be torn apart. It’s the only way to set the world right.”
He stroked my cheek with his thumb. “I would gladly destroy this world and mine if it meant I could spend eternity with you.”
See? That right there should have been a massive red flag to a light witch, but it wasn’t. Not to this light witch, anyway. Never had I ever been desired—loved?—this fiercely. Hecate have mercy on my soul.
“I don’t want you to destroy anything but my family’s curse.”
“I know.” He tucked my hair behind my ear.
“Can I have your promise that you won’t?”
“No.” He held my gaze, studying my reaction. “I will not make a promise to you that I can’t keep.”
Was that another red flag? Or was it a green one? My stomach was doing this weird combination of fluttering, turning, and clenching, and I had no idea how to interpret it.
“You could keep it if you wanted to.”
He slid his hands to my shoulders. “If anyone causes you pain, they will pay. I will not be able to stop myself. You are mine to protect.”
“I can take care of myself.” Good goddess, these emotions needed to chill the eff out.
A smile curved his lips. “I know. It’s one of the many things I love about you.”
Add flip-flops to my stomach’s gymnastics show. “How can you call this love when you’ve only known me a week?”
“My soul has known yours since the beginning of time. Our energies were created as one, then separated, half into my realm, half into yours. My darkness has been searching for your light since the moment we split, and now that I’ve found you, we are whole once again.”
His words sank deep into my soul, resonating in my being and making themselves at home.
“I call this love because there is no other single word that can convey this connection to you. Even love does not do our bond justice, but there is no other way to describe it.”
“You’ve done a pretty good job.” I clutched the back of his neck, pulling him down until his mouth met mine.
An mmm vibrated across his lips as he slid his arms around me, pulling me close. Whether or not this was love, I couldn’t say, but I was tired of thinking. My mind was exhausted from trying to decipher my emotions, so I gave up.
I wanted Mayhem. He wanted me. Why shouldn’t we act on it?