"The light went to grave lengths to keep her safe in case Dragona's daughter wasn't truly dead. Only two of the light community members knew her identity, and they cast a powerful spell that shadowed her from the world until she was an adult."
I sit there soaking it all in, trying to understand, but I can't. "If she was pure light, then why would the dark be so willing to kill her unless they want a dark way of life?"
He rises up on his elbow, his eyes falling on my slinky gown for a second too long, and then he flops back down on his back.
"Because the daughter of Estella was foreseen as strong, but she's not the one they fear. It's the daughter she was prophesied to create - a daughter far more powerful than we've seen in a while. It was said that if her light was ever tainted in any way, she would bear a daughter who wields all magic just as Freya did. But unlike Freya, this girl's light and dark halves will be equal. No one knows which magic will overcome the other."
Sheesh. What a bedtime story.
"Well that's not scary at all," I grumble, crossing my arms while lying back.
He laughs a little while shrugging, keeping his hands behind his head. "It's just a prophecy. They get distorted, changed, and edited all the time. We don't know what's really going to happen or if anything at all is going to happen. Don't worry about it."
I sigh out, rolling over on my side, but Gage clears his throat to speak before I try to shut my eyes.
"It wasn't the same."
Question marks pop up inside my head as I turn back over.
"What wasn't?"
He comes to face me, careful not to touch me, as we lie there eye to eye.
"You said I looked at her the way I do you. But I didn't. I know that because I've never looked at anyone the way I look at you."
Tears brim my lids, and I look down when the eye contact becomes too much.
"I know you don't understand, but it hurt to see you with her. I couldn't breathe for a second. I thought we had something special, and now... now it feels broken."
He lets out a heavy breath, and then his hand comes to almost touch my cheek before he closes his fingers to make a fist and withdraws.
"I'm sorry. I suppose I never thought about it hurting you because it's nothing special to me to kiss someone. It's kissing someone special that changes everything. I never thought it a betrayal because you're the only girl who has ever made me feel that draw, that need, and that sort of desire that fuels something deeper."
It's probably because of the intense night that I lose myself to weakness, but I need to feel his touch right now. I throw my arms around his neck, but he remains still. I start kissing him only to feel his body rigid.
"Alyssa, I promised I wouldn't touch you," he says with a small smile.
"Break your promise," I murmur against his lips, and his hands become as needy as mine when he jerks me on top of his body.
His lips taste so perfect on mine. His tongue quickly finds the part between my lips, and his arms grip me to him like he'll never let me go again. My legs slide higher around his waist as the gown rises, and he pulls me to him that much more passionately.
"This doesn't change anything," I mutter through the kiss. "We're not back together."
He smiles behind the kiss and flips me to be on my back in one swift motion. He slides his body between my legs as his lips start trailing down my neck to my chest.
"This changes everything. You just don't want to fall for me."
I already did fall for him, and it hurt when I was crushed for being so foolish. Right now I don't care about that though. There's an aching in my core that needs to be sated, and Gage is here. There are only two men I trust with my body, and Kane hurt me worse than Gage.
"Are you sure about this?" Gage asks as he halts his kissing descent.
"Are you sure you want to ask me that?"
He laughs lightly, drawing my gown up higher as my fingers run through his hair. I stare into his blue eyes, uncertain about my true intentions here.
"That was quite a flip. You went from telling me to leave you alone to-"
"Then stop. We don't have to do this."
