The Devil's obsession with the Heiress

[Music recommendation: London Grammar - Wild Eyed]

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’Your blood.’

Aliana’s pulse thundered against her skin the instant the whisper echoed in her mind.

She didn’t fully understand what it meant or how her blood could help, but she didn’t hesitate for a single second. In her eyes, Gavriel’s suffering form was all that mattered. Even with chaos raging around her, she pressed her palms against the barrier, channelling her magic just as she had done upstairs. Though this shield was far stronger and impossible to dissolve completely, there was no turning back.

A blood-red aura burst from her frame. The barrier twisted and warped under her volatile magic, creating just enough of an opening for her to slip through.

The moment she crossed the threshold, the violent pressure of his powers slammed against her, flinging her hard against the iron bars. She bit her lip to swallow a scream as the crushing weight of his powers threatened to tear her apart.

’It feels like it’s going to tear me apart.’

’Can I even do this when I can’t even get close to him?’

Tears pricked her eyes as she struggled even to lift her hand from the bars.

The moment she managed to raise it, another violent force slammed it back down, and her palm struck one of the thorny rose bushes surrounding the cell.

Sharp thorns bit deep into her skin, spilling her blood across the stems, and in that instant, something extraordinary occurred.

As the stems absorbed her blood, the roses glowed with a brilliant red light. Their vines rustled and shed a shower of glowing red petals that drifted into the air, swirling like a crimson storm around them both.

The instant those petals brushed against Gavriel, they dissolved, but the roaring beast inside him let out a deep growl, almost as if something was soothing.

Gavriel’s eyes closed briefly as the binds holding him crumbled under the earlier outburst of his powers. The violent aura surrounding him calmed just a little, giving Aliana the precious breathing room she desperately needed.

For a breathless second, Aliana stood frozen as flashes of unfamiliar memories flooded her mind, leaving her stunned by the strange visions.

When another glowing petal brushed her cheek, she snapped back to the present, finding Gavriel kneeling on the stone floor, panting heavily. His powers had softened, swirling gently alongside the rose petals that continued to dissolve on contact, working to quieten his wild storm.

The sight was haunting and surreal all at once, but she refused to waste this small window of peace.

Her bare feet carried her forward until she finally stood before him. She bit down hard on her lip, letting the sharp sting bring fresh blood into her mouth before lifting her shaky hands to his scorching skin.

If he could endure the pain of his own powers for her, then so could she.

Her eyes softened as his beastly eyes snapped open and met hers.

His lips parted, clearly about to protest, but this time Aliana didn’t give him the chance.

She leaned down and pressed her lips to his, letting her sweet blood slip directly into his mouth.

In that single instant, the entire world stilled.

The tremors, the wild powers, the deafening roar inside the chamber... everything fell into absolute silence.

As her blood touched his tongue, Bellarios purred, thoroughly delighted to finally taste the sweet crimson he had craved, and slowly began to give some control back to Gavriel. With just a few drops of her blood, the suffocating bloodlust, along with other heavy emotions that had tormented Gavriel, began to recede.

Her blood was just so enticing, addictive, and intoxicating that it had awakened a deep, primal desire within him to initiate the ritual that he had never practised on a full moon night.

On the other side of the kiss, a profound sense of belonging and completeness settled into Aliana’s soul, smoothing away the panic that had gripped her seconds ago.

As their eyes closed to surrender to the touch they had been deprived of for the past two days, the glowing rose petals that had remained suspended around them began to move once more. They slowly circled the two of them before falling down in a luminous crimson shower as their powers mingled together, no longer fighting against one another but falling into a strange, harmonious balance.

Aliana, who was ready to sink completely into him, suddenly felt her mind flood with a series of visions once again.

This time, they were filled with the image of a man who looked like Gavriel, yet somehow felt different. The strange visions poured into her through their connection, jolting her with their intensity.

Blood. Carnage. Fire.

And a lone man with tears of blood streaking down his face.

A gasp escaped her lips, and she abruptly pulled herself back.

But before she could even begin to process the agonising visions, Gavriel, completely unaware that his memories had somehow bled into her mind, finally lifted his hands.

One hand tangled into her hair while the other cupped her lower back, pulling her towards him until she fell to her knees before him.

His lips crashed against hers once again, this time with an intensity that left no room for hesitation as he greedily took in every remaining drop of the blood she had offered him, leaving Aliana’s thoughts to completely melt away.

She could feel the hidden anxiety within him, the fear and deep passion he had poured into the kiss, and she couldn’t help but respond with the same intensity. Her own yearning for him overwhelmed her now that he was finally close to her again.

At that moment, she forgot everything... every truth, every reservation, even the strange visions that had briefly shaken her, and focused only on pouring her heart into him until her lungs burned for air.

Just then, his powers swirled around them once more. This time they wrapped around them in a protective cocoon until Aliana felt a bright light penetrate her closed eyelids.

When he finally parted from her lips to give her much-needed air, he buried his face in the crook of her neck and stayed there.

Aliana, panting as she caught her breath, slowly opened her eyes, only to squeeze them shut against the sudden brightness. When she opened them again, she realised they were no longer in that dark cell.

They were back in their master bathroom.

Her heart fluttered as Gavriel grazed his nose softly against the curve of her neck. Closing her eyes at the tender sensation, she wrapped her arms around his neck as if welcoming and shielding him after everything he had endured.

They remained wrapped in each other’s embrace, kneeling together on the floor.

Neither of them made any move to pull away.

Aliana gently caressed his dark hair before leaning in to press a warm kiss against his nape.

A low hiss escaped his lips, and his arms tightened around her waist as his entire body went rigid against hers.

Unsure of what she had done wrong, she opened her eyes, which were still glowing crimson, and whispered, "What’s wrong? Are you still in pain?"