The library doors were locked. Outside, the rain began to fall again, but inside, the air was thick and heavy with a heat that didn't come from the fireplace.
Alaric held me against the edge of the large oak table. His hands were large and warm, resting on my waist. I could feel the vibration of his dragon-heart through the Dragon Heart Stone on my chest. It wasn't just a steady beat anymore; it was a wild, thundering rhythm that matched my own.
"Seraphina," he whispered, his voice sounding like velvet and smoke. "I can feel everything you feel. Your heart is racing. Your skin is burning. Do you have any idea what that does to me?"
I reached up, my fingers trembling as I unbuttoned the rest of his black shirt. As the fabric fell away, I saw the shimmering obsidian scales on his chest. They were glowing with a soft, orange light. I pressed my palm against them, feeling the raw power of the beast and the gentle soul of the man underneath.
"I want you to feel it, Alaric," I breathed, my violet eyes locking onto his molten gold ones. "I want you to know that I am yours. Not because of a contract. Not because of a book. But because I chose you."
The stone between us began to pulse with a brilliant, crimson light. Suddenly, the Soul-Link opened completely. It was like a dam breaking.
I didn't just see him; I felt him. I felt the deep, obsessive hunger he had for me. I felt the way his dragon wanted to roar with joy because I wasn't running away. And Alaric felt my love—a love that had traveled across worlds just to find him.
He lifted me up, his muscles rippling with a strength that was more than human. He sat me on the soft velvet sofa near the fire. He knelt between my knees, his gaze never leaving my face.
"You are the only person who has ever touched the Dragon without fear," he rasped. He leaned in, pressing his forehead against mine. "Everyone else wants my crown or my fire. You only ever wanted me."
He leaned down and kissed the sensitive skin of my neck, right over the mark he had left before. A powerful "shiver" raced through my body. My hands tangled in his silver-white hair, pulling him closer. The room felt like it was shrinking, leaving only the two of us in a circle of golden firelight.
The love between us filled the room. It wasn't just a physical feeling; it was a spiritual one. Through the stone, our thoughts became one.
'My Queen,' I heard his voice echo in my soul.
'My King,' I answered back.
Alaric's hands moved with a desperate sweetness. He touched me as if I were the most fragile treasure in his hoard. He kissed my shoulders, my collarbone, and finally, my lips. The kiss was deep and "spicy," tasting of shared secrets and a promise that would never be broken.
As we lay together by the fire, the Dragon Heart Stone glowed with a soft, pink light—the color of true peace. The "monster" inside Alaric was finally quiet. The "villainess" inside me was finally home.
The heat of our bodies and the heat of the fire became one. We gave each other everything—our fears, our secrets, and our souls. For the first time, Alaric wasn't a cursed King, and I wasn't a girl lost in a story. We were just two people who had found a love so strong it changed the world.
"I will never let the fire go out," Alaric whispered against my skin as the rain drummed on the roof.
"I know," I replied, closing my eyes and listening to the beautiful, shared silence of our hearts.
The room was full of love, and for the first time in his life, the Dragon was not lonely.