We walked into the chamber. The sloshing of the water under us echoed throughout the room. Damien locked the door. In the twilight room Damien stands close enough to me for me to breathe in his scent.
"So, you are now my wife." He chuckled to himself. He stepped closer and I backed up against the wall. He found my hand and took it to his lips as he closed his eyes kissing my knuckles, Resting my hand over his lips.
"Yes I'm your wife. You are my husband. Our fates are forged blah blah." He rests his other hand on the wall trapping me with his body. He is so warm, so confident. His smile surfaces and his eyes glisten. I see his chest rising and he tightens his jaw. Ever so slightly he bites his bottom lip. One strand of his perfect hair slips over his forehead. Just hanging there moving with his heavy breath. I know what he wants. I want it too.
"Are you sure?" He whispers. So close and husky that I felt my insides melt.
"I'm sure."
His arm wraps around my waist and with one gentle pull our bodies touch. I feel his hand in my hair, rough and gentle. Watching it tumble as he releases it. His hands then move down to my cheeks and his thumbs trace my lips. His lips meets mine and we start to move like partners. His hands come up to my neck and hair. I pull away. He starts to work on my neck down to my collarbone. I whisper his name in silent moans as something comes over me. He starts to pull at my dress, slamming me into the wall. He is hungry. Beastly. With a laugh he lifts me right off my feet, carrying me toward the bed, letting me fall with a soft bounce on the mattress. We lock eyes for just a moment, just enough for us to feel safe with one another. Then he's all business, undoing my dress, pulling it off, kissing from my legs upward, slowly, his hands on my legs, always just a little higher than the kisses. I feel my back arch in anticipation, knowing where his fingers will soon reach. My head rocks back against the pillow as he does, the first moan escaping my lips. I breathe deep with his name upon my every release. Within a spilt second, he is there again. Like he never left. He was pressed against me, he was in control. And I didn't mind. He stopped. To savour this moment. Just looked into my eyes.
"What wrong?" I asked.
"Nothing. It's just scary. How beautiful you are." He was dead serious. His gold eyes flicker between mine and then down to my naked body. "How?" He kept whispering between kisses. I ran my hand across his scars. He placed his hand on top of mine. Restricting them from moving. "They don't hurt Karina." He could see I was upset by them. More angered. "It is a part of me. Just like you are." He touched his heart. I leaned in to kiss them and he stopped me. "No, don't feel sorry for me." He caressed my thighs and trickled his fingers down my hips. Everything broke lose inside. Nothing contained.
"Are you ready?" He said as I straddled him. And pleasure filled the room.
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There was a Knock at the door. Damien was fast asleep. He hadn't slept in days. I didn't want to wake him up. I got up and wrapped my cloak around my body. I opened the door slightly enough to reveal Lavria.
"Heyyy" she whispered. With a grand smile in her face and a skip in her step.
"Is everything alright?" I asked in a low voice.
"Yes I just wanted to give you these" She held her hands out. "I finally finished them." I looked down to the contents, a black homemade locket and a complicated Steel ring. "What's those for?" I asked. She picked up the locket and opened it revealing one piece of the crystal from the Tree Iqra. And the jewel on the ring also had a piece of a crystal.
"I know it's not the best. But I made your binders. The locket is for Damien and the ring is for you. Ryan helped me." I could hear the excitement in her voice. I looked down at them and smiled.
"Thank you." I said as she placed them in my hand.
"I'll leave you to it" she winked and scurried away. I shut the door and turned around to see Damien awake and standing behind me. I let out a squeal.
"You scared me !" I said trying to slow my heart rate. He laughed.
"Sorry. What's that?" He asked pointing down to my hand.
"It's the binders. You know when you get married in Valtor, you incorporate the crystal into your binders. Lavria kindly did ours." He took the ring out of my hand.
"It's beautiful" he said examining the purple crystal. He took my hand and put the ring on my finger. Smiling. I took the locket and put it around his neck. "I guess it's official now" he laughed placing a small kiss on my lips. "You alright?" He asked.
"What happens when we get to Valtor?" It's been playing on my mind. If what Damien told me is true. About the tree. My people will never recover from it. Hundreds will die, the forces is the only thing keeping them alive. And if that's gone. So will my people. "How are we going to stop them?" I ask. He shushes me and brings me in for a hug.
"We will. I promise." There is one more thing that has been playing on my mind. He has told me everything. I know he knew that his father meant to chop down the tree. But I feel like there is something else.
"Damien.. is there anything else you need to tell me. Whatever it is..we can work through it." He looks down at me. He sits me on the bed. With a big sigh he sits next to me.
"When I was in those dungeons. My father came. He told me about the tree, I didn't know how he knew, but he did. I confirmed it's existence. And it's location." I didn't stop him I just wanted to know everything now. "He told me he would get me out of there if I told him. He is my father. I trusted him. I was ashamed of what I did so I never told you. For that I apologize." I smiled at him. I could tell he was truly ashamed. "I am doing everything I can to help take back that mistake."
"I know."
"Forgive me Karina." He says.
"There is NOTHING to forgive." I say. He finally meets my eye. He swallows.
"Actually there is." The words are stuck in his mouth. But my stomach had flipped. His eyes bleed with guilt.
"Why? What else is there?" I ask.
"Isla...I know..who killed her." My breath stops. I don't how-What to do-to say.
"Yeah it was your father-"
"No..." he says. "It wasn't entirely him. Drake was under some sort of spell. It wasn't his fault-"
"Stop! Oh my god. Are you serious! You are not going to blame this on him-"
"I'm telling the truth. Finally I'm telling you the truth!"
"Why!? Why now!?"
"Because now, I know who my real family is. Just let me explain. Then have your judgement." Reluctantly I agreed. I needed to hear this.
"Drake was under a spell. Before the tournament he was put on a spell right around the time Isla was killed. I'm sure my father put it on him. He won't remember anything. my Father, He wanted to frame a Nightslayer for her murder. He picked Drake to do the deed after our sparring session. He saw how close he was with Ryan. And Unfortunately I was arrested instead. But Drake didn't do it willingly. Like I said he was under a spell. But he did it. I've been wanting to tell him. When he came to visit me in the dungeons, I was going to tell him. But I couldn't. Father told me that he did it, and that if I wanted to get out I was to frame him. He is my friend I wouldn't do that. But he killed her. I don't know why my father killed her but I do know that he did it."
"Your Father is a liar. How can you trust what he says?"
"You told me that drake was under a spell and he took advantage of you remember? If only we knew that, How would My father know that? Trust me I thought he was lying. But it made sense. He made him kill her." I contemplated what he was saying.
"When I was at the lake. I saw Drake, except it was more like a warning. And the next day, Drake tried to kill me. I know that if drake tried to kill Me, it means he could've killed Isla. What if that warning wasn't about me. What if that warning was for Isla?" I bite my nail. Still trying to weigh out the truth and reality.
"I just needed to tell you. I don't want to keep anymore secrets from you." I start to pace and Damien puts his hands together over his knees. Watching me waiting for my reaction.
"We're not going to tell him. Do you understand. It will break him. And I'm not sure if we will be able to put him back together." Damien looks hesitant. But he nods. And I'm more pissed than ever.
————————————-
I step out into the deck. The sun was out and something in the air was different. I spot Ryan at the front of the ship.
"Good morning." I say to him. He turns around and smiles.
"Morning Mrs Lucent. Get much sleep?" He asks sarcastically and I punch him lightly on the shoulder.
"Funny" I say. He laughed at his own stupidity. I hadn't heard him laugh in weeks.
"I wanted to talk to you about something." I face him listening. "When Isla died. I never thought I'd find happiness again. And I didn't. For a long time. But I did. Lavria..she uh.. makes me happy. I want to marry her when this is all over."
"Don't you think you should be asking her?" I joke. He laughs and licks his lips.
"I wanted to know what you thought."
"I think it's a great idea. What's the problem?" His face hardens.
"It's Isla. I feel like. I'm betraying her. I feel like I'm forgetting her. Am I?"
"Are you fucking dumb? Of course you're not! Isla would want you to be happy. We all want you to be happy." He sighs deeply. Smiling.
"What are you happy about?" I hear drake coming up from behind me.
"I'm going to ask Isla to marry me." Ryan says.
"Yay." He says. Standing next to me. I couldn't make eye contact with him.
"You could be a little happier." Ryan says. Drake puts on a forced smile and rolls his eyes. Ryan laughs loudly and crosses his arms. "What's wrong?"
"All my friends are getting married whereas I'm more single than ever. And the girl I like" He looks over to Ashley. "Is a lightning, and not only is that bad enough, she is the fucking princess of Lightning's." He shakes his head. His gaze goes over to her and stays for a moment. "How could someone like THAT marry a street boy like me?" He was serious. Me and Ryan looked at eachother not knowing what to say.
"Hey when you get married. I get to be best man right ?" He covered up his emotions with a joke.
"Yes, you will be my best man. You are the best man I know. I'm sure Ashley sees that too." He smiles. His gaze then lands on me.
"Soooooo you're now Mrs Lucent! I would say congratulations but to me it's still ew." He laughs. I pinch him and he squeals standing there with wide eyes and a cheeky grin. Silence falls upon us.
"Are we ready?" Ryan's asks.
"Ready." We say. Damien comes from behind me and wraps his arm around my waist. We all watch, the mountains and trees emerge from the mist and the rocks seeps out from under the water. The leaves were dark and the air was heavy. Wolves howled in the distance and the birds squaked of our arrival. We were home. As the land becomes in view I see another ship. A lightning ship. They are already here.