Chapter 308: Before The Ceremony
Nova’s POV
The moment I said "Yes," everything changed.
I could see it in Eldur’s eyes. The shift. Like the storm that had always brewed quietly behind those silver irises finally stilled. He looked... peaceful. As if for once, the war inside him had surrendered.
His lips quirked. "A thousand times yes?" he whispered.
I nodded, breath hitching as I laughed through fresh tears. "A thousand. A million. Infinity."
Eldur kissed me like he was making a vow with every inch of his soul.
It wasn’t rushed. It wasn’t hungry. It was gentle, reverent—like he was afraid I’d disappear if he closed his eyes too long.
His fingers slipped into my hair as mine wrapped around his neck, and we stayed like that, suspended in golden fairy lights and shared breath. His lips brushed against mine with slow precision, tasting every syllable I hadn’t said yet. When we pulled back, foreheads pressed together, I could feel his heartbeat racing just as fast as mine.
"I love you," he said, voice raw. "I don’t say it right. I don’t know how to be soft like other people. But, Nova... I would burn down the world just to keep you safe."
"You don’t have to be soft," I whispered. "You just have to be mine."
He groaned and kissed me again, harder this time, like my words had broken something in him. His hands slid to my waist and pulled me gently into his lap on the old bookstore rug. We melted into each other—kisses deepening, sighs and soft moans tangled like vines. My fingers skimmed beneath the hem of his shirt, feeling the ridges of muscle, the warmth of skin that seemed to hum beneath my touch.