A couple weeks have passed since the late afternoon at the inn, they were approaching the Cliffs Of Celeste, where the lilies grew upon the steep ledges in the cliff. They made camp upon in the clearing before the highest point drops off, nestling in a line of trees.
Once the horses were fed and watered as well as the all the others, Dante settled down in his tent. He was not first watch so he gladly drifted to sleep. It was not long before he felt a presence come into his tent then approached his seemingly vulnerable body.
Upon reflex, he grabbed the wrist of the hand he knew was reaching for him and forced the intruder to sail over him. His body trapped the intruder down and his dagger was supposed to be pressed against the intruder’s throat. The intruder had put up their wrist that had a bracer projecting a protective shield against the attack.
“Seraphina,” he growled out.
Her eyes widened. “The lilies can be harvested. I did not know if you wished to come along or have one of your warriors come. They insisted you needed to give approval.”
Of course they would be so generous to do that, Dante thought to himself dryly. He sighed, quickly sheathing his dagger. She stopped projecting the shield as he receded his own energy armor and he felt his body sink down upon hers. He would have congratulated her upon her reflex if it was not for the fact that her feminine curves were molding against him.
Self restraint and self control seemed to be his newest life lesson that Dante was burdened with as he forced himself to his feet and offered her his hand. She took it and he gently pulls her to her feet.
“Come,” he said. “Let us harvest the flowers.”
She nodded her head in agreement. When they emerged from the tent, the few Elvish warriors on watch smirked. He eyed Lysander among the few.
“You can take my watch,” he told his friend, who just shrugs.
“You might as well take my pack then,” Lysander told him as he tossed him the pack. Dante caught it with one hand. “It is long way down. You may wish to rest up your energy in one of the shallow caverns.”
Dante raised his eyebrows at that. Lysander must have scouted the cliffside during daylight. He did not have any time to scold his so called friend as Seraphina bounced up to with her own pack.
“Are we prepared?” she asked.
He only nodded, staring daggers at Lysander. Finally breaking eye contact, he led Seraphina away from the camp and up to the top of the cliff. They both looked over the edge and saw a river of glowing flowers beneath them and he noticed the path down the cliff side only meant for one person at a time. He took the lead as he carefully walked the small ledge. The path cuts off but drops down to another ledge that leads diagonally down.
Quickly dropping to the other ledge with ease, he looked up at Seraphina, who was gazing down at him in disbelief.
“Come on, little warrior,” he chuckled at the incredulous look upon her face.
She groaned then disappeared for a moment until he saw her legs dangling in front of him. He was about to grab her, but she slowly lowered herself down further until there was only a smaller distance between her feet and the ledge.
He smirked at the concern upon her face. It still was a steep drop so he circled his arms around her thighs, steadying her against him.
“Let go.”
She reluctantly released her grip on the ledge. Her body slid against him through the circle of his arms. He felt her hands grasping at his shoulders then biceps before her feet touched the ground. She looked up in his eyes and the temptation was painful like all the other times.
Leaning forward as if he was going to kiss her, he froze, just gazing into those eyes of hers. He thought she was begging him to kiss her and her lips were parted slightly.
No, he scolded himself, forcing himself away from her. He took a deep breath, because he could see her desire in her eyes and upon her face. She wanted him too, but he knew not in the same way. She was young and he was looking for something more than what the youth threw away. Even if her desires were more grounded than that, he cannot afford to find out either way, because one taste of her and he would outright refuse to let her go.
So he did what he must as he turned his back on her and continued to walk the path towards what they actually came here for. It was silent along the rest of the walk until the glow of flowers caught his eyes. Just like Lysander said, the small shallow cavern was right there with bloomed flowers sprouted from the edges.
Careful not step any of the flowers, they tiptoed into the shallow cavern and he placed down Lysander’s pack. Seraphina followed suit as she still gazed at the flowers.
“They are beautiful in person,” she gushed and he released a breath.
The tension between them was fading and he was quick to agree. “This is the first time I have seen them.”
Wide eyed, Seraphina stopped rummaging around in her pack. “Really?” When he nodded, she smiled at that. “That just surprises me. I just thought, because of your years…”
“It never really was a priority,” he told her honestly.
She clucked. “That is a shame. It is one of the wonders of Tempest Elysium.” She pulled out a small chest that was encrusted with moonstones. He watched as she unlocked it and lifted the lid to reveal the inside was layered with moonstones as well. “I think you need a lesson of seeing the beauty and wonders of this world.”
“And you are going to take it upon yourself to teach me these lessons?” he teased, but her hands dropped from the chest for a moment.
She nodded her head in determination as she looked at him. “Yes, I believe I am. I think you need a bit of saving from yourself. All this duty, loyalty, and responsibilities has you missing out on so much. I am not saying you cannot have all those that, but Dante, you have been to the Crystal Forest.” She grabbed a trinket hanging from her neck and his heart clenched when he realized it was the locket he had given her years ago. “You got me this in your travels. You have never seen the Lily Of Celeste in the cliffs?”
His eyes were riveted on the piece of jewelry — the only one she wore apparently. His eyes had never seen her adorned with any other accessories. He would not had even known about the locket, because it hid below her neckline of her tunic. He watched as the necklace floated down as she dropped it and sat at her heart.
“I actually got that for you in Amethystia,” he confessed softly. The Queen had given him the locket as a token of good will and Hyacinth told him that the locket would protect the wearer. He had given it to Seraphina when she was ten years old. “It was given to me by Queen Hyacinth of the Crystal Forest.”
Seraphina’s eyes widened at that as she grabbed the locket and looks at it. “How many gifts have you given me that are of so much worth?”
He shook his head. The expense of the bauble did not even weigh upon her worth. He had always been drawn to her. When she was just six years old, he was her rescuer. When she a child going through adolescence, he was her brother. He remembered when he walked into her cottage after being injured in the wilderness after making a long awaited trip back to The Great Willow Tree at Lady Crystobelle’s request to find Seraphina all grown up. She seemed so excited to see him and had tended his wounds. He wanted to speak about mates then, but then Aaron came in and all hopes of that were dashed as he watched them interact.
He never understood what it meant to feel like having his heart broken until he left her cottage that day, knowing his heart belonged to one woman and she did not belong to him. Here she was with that necklace he had given her when she was a child and he wondered exactly what that meant to have her carry that trinket so close to heart when she wore no other trinkets.
She gazed into his eyes, searching his for a moment. “I cannot repay you any of this. All these gifts you have given must have cost fortunes,” she whispers. When he attempted to tell her she dud not need to, she grabbed his hand. “I want to take care of you like you have taken care of me since we saved me all those years ago. I want you to see the world through fresh eyes again and with your heart upon your sleeve. Years can jade people. Wisdom garnered can cost you more than just years lost. There is so much pain in you and it hurts me, because you are so good and so wonderful.”
He swallowed the emotion back that threatened to come to the surface and he knew the truth was within those eyes shimmering with unshed tears. He wanted to speak, but he cannot speak.
She sighed then, closing her eyes and the spell was broken. He looked away, but not before her hand reached out to squeeze his.
“I know I am not worthy to be your mate,” she whispered. His heart completely constricted at that and his eyes immediately sought hers. “She is going to be something special that can heal that world of pain, but you are in my heart always, Dante. You are my heart. You-You are family to me — the only family I truly have. I am going to not be selfish. If she wants you all, I promise I will not share you. I will let you go.”