Hello everyone, welcome back!
Once again a big thank you to LiterKnight for editing my work <3
Enjoy...
***Dante***
A deep, pent up sigh of relief broke free from my chest. She accepted my proposal to claim her. Aurora cooed in my arms, rubbing her face against my shirt. Her scent drifted up my nose - free from fear - and I breathed it in deeply, savoring it. I could feel my demon rumble delightedly as I exhaled. Both he and I were beyond happy that we could help her, beyond happy that she agreed to be bound to us.
The ferocity and intensity with which I'd grown to care about Aurora was surprisingly strong. "Destiny's doing," Cyrea had tried to explain it to me, that we were meant to meet, that I was meant to save her.
Despite all that has happened in my life, with all the unfathomable turns my life has taken, it still felt weird to attribute our lives intertwining to destiny instead of sheer coincidence. However, I had to admit - holding Aurora in my arms, her fear free scent surrounding me - it felt pretty good.
I just dearly hoped that Alexis's plan would work, that when Aurora would open her soul and allow it to blend with mine, it would rid her soul of its cumbersome purity and she could live a normal life. If not, I figured - gazing into her hopeful azure eyes - I would find another way for her to live in peace. We would figure something out.
Movement from the corner of my eye disrupted my thoughts. I looked over Aurora's shoulder and smiled warmly when I saw a somewhat colorless version of Cyrea peek out from behind a dumpster. Her skin was very pale and her fiery crimson curls were but a shade of their original hue. Aurora saw my smile and turned around curiously, only to gasp when she gazed upon Cyrea in her bland state.
"Your mate is a Dream Walker!" she called out in surprise.
"She sure is," I replied and walked over to a happily smiling Cyrea. I reached out my hand to stroke her curls and was surprised I could actually feel her silky hair slide across my skin. Cyrea merely purred, leaning into my touch and gazing at me with a proud look in her eyes.
I turned back to Aurora, "Cyrea helped me locate you when you were in distress. I experienced an ill omen about you and without her, I wouldn't have been able to find you and come to your rescue."
My words made Aurora's breath hitch and she looked at my mate with shimmering eyes.
"Thank you..." she whispered softly.
I placed a loving thank-you-kiss on Cyrea's lips.
"Aurora has accepted my offer to claim her. I'll go and take her somewhere private and far away so there's no chance of being disturbed by demons or humans," I explained to Cyrea, unsure how much she had already heard.
She just giggled knowingly and happily bounced over to Aurora, drawing her in a big hug that the surprised angel had no way of evading.
"I'm so happy you're going to join our little family," my loving soulmate whispered softly in Aurora's ear, though I could hear every word perfectly.
The blonde angel tensed, not expecting this and clearly unused to succubi touching her without ulterior motives.
"I know you're insecure about a lot of this, I can feel it in you, but there's no need for that. We will accept you and we will protect you. Even Layla - she knows you were not at fault for what happened," Cyrea spoke softly, still holding Aurora close.
Aurora silently sobbed in Cyrea's arms, looking so delicate and...broken. It made my demon growl in frustration.
A muffled groan sounded behind us - one of the incubi was slowly regaining consciousness. Not waiting around for another confrontation I quickly scooped up Aurora in my arms and unfurled my wings.
"I don't know how long we'll need. Will you ladies be fine without me?" I asked Cyrea urgently.
My wonderful mate just smiled.
"But of course, my love. We can take perfect care of ourselves. And besides..." she dawdled, her smile turning lecherous. "The sound technicians are coming over today to install everything, remember? There'll be enough people around to keep us safe...and occupied," she added with a sexy wink.
Cyrea walked up to me, giving me a brief, yet passionate kiss.
"Though none can satisfy us like you can, my love. We'll eagerly await your return..."
I returned her brief, passionate kiss with equal fervor.
"I'll see you soon, my love. Go back to sleep," I whispered to her.
Another groan came from behind us, followed by rustling noises as the incubus slowly got up. Without waiting for him to regain his footing I strongly beat my wings and took off into the waning cover of darkness. Dawn was rapidly approaching, so I needed to hurry before daylight would obliterate our nighttime cover.
Scanning the city from above, I had to think quickly - we needed to find somewhere where there'd be no chance of any demon finding us. With a sigh I realized that this more or less excluded the entire city, and the desert wasn't really a comfortable option either.
My gaze settled on the mountains beyond the city, behind which the sun was slowly creeping up into the sky, its light peeking from behind those peaks like a radiant, golden halo. Several wispy clouds high up in the sky caught the first rays of the peeking sun, lighting them up in brilliant orange and pink hues - like a colorful arrow pointing towards the mountains. I chuckled silently and managed to not roll my eyes - if this was destiny's doing, it sure had a sense of drama.
Soon, we soared over the mountainscape, looking for a good place to land. The terrain below us was dotted with a variety of trees and rocky areas, along with a large lake that was comfortably nestled in a narrow valley. The lake's still waters sparkled like a black sea flecked with colorful diamonds as the first rays of sun shone upon it.
I landed near the edge of the water and gently set Aurora down. She looked immensely tired in these waning moments of darkness, drained even, though that lessened when she took a few steps towards the sparkling lake, letting her feet sink in the shore's sand and polished pebbles. Her gaze traveled along our serene environment, her deep sigh lost in the soothing sounds of nature as the rising sun woke the animals from their slumber. I let my wings recede and stood next to her, taking in the vast, glorious beauty of unspoilt nature.
The sky behind the mountains grew brighter and more colorful with each passing second, bathing our surroundings in colorful light. Aurora and I stood there silently, our feet sinking further into the sand, feeling the cold lake water nip at our toes, and simply adored the view. Then, slowly, the sun peeked over the mountain, casting its first rays on the water, and on us. Aurora sighed blissfully as the sun's gentle rays caressed her skin. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, letting her breath escape slowly through her mouth.
She stood like that for a few minutes, her eyes closed and facing the sun with a serene smile on her beautiful face, the sunlight bouncing off her blonde hair turning it into wispy gold. Standing there in the warm sunlight, Aurora looked like grace impersonated - peaceful too, despite the dirt on her scarred skin and the tattered bloodstained rags that clung to her body. They were the brutal reminders of what her life had been like, making my demon growl in anger.
