Page 115 of Wings of Shadow
He closes his eyes, leaning into my touch, his breath warm against my palm. “I can’t imagine a world without you,” he whispers. “The thought of losing you... terrifies me.”
My vision blurs with forthcoming tears. “You won’t lose me,” I vow. “I’m yours, Kai. Always.”
He looks at me with a flash of determination, then shifts abruptly, like he’s wrestling with an intention. Concern tightens my brow.
“There’s something I need to do,” he says, his voice steady but intense. He meets my gaze with a quiet resolve. “Can you stand?” His tone is unsure, but before I can respond, he mutters, “Hell—you don’t have to.”
Then he rises.
In one smooth motion, Kaisner drops to one knee next to the bed.
The sight of him—this powerful, scarred man, who tore the sky open to bring me home—kneeling beside me steals my breath away.
He slips off one of his rings—a heavy band of blackened gold etched with dragon wings and flames. He doesn’t speak grand words; his eyes tell me everything. Raw. Wild. Deep.
And then he speaks, not as a question, but as a vow.
“I should’ve waited. For moonlight. For peace. For a moment not soaked in blood and smoke,” his voice breaks as he continues, “But I can’t wait another second, Clarissa. Not after what we’ve been through. Not after almost losing you.”
My heart stutters. My fingers tremble.
He lifts the ring slightly, like it’s not just metal—but a sacred promise. “This isn’t the one you’ll keep. You’ll choose yours. But I need you to know what I want. What I’ve always wanted.”
His voice softens, trembling with fire and urgency. “You.” He leans forward, gaze searing. “Marry me.”
My breath catches in my throat.
“I want to wake up with you every morning. Fight for you. Burn for you. Live and die for you. Be yours in name, in blood, in bond.”
His hand remains steady, though the significance of the moment seems almost too much to bear.
“I cannot offer you peace,” he says softly. “I’m offering you a kingdom made of fire and devotion. I’m offering you… me.”
Tears prick my eyes. My chest tightens with emotion I can barely contain. Slowly, painfully, I sit up and reach for him, my fingers weaving into his hair as I draw him near, until our brows touch.
Kneeling before me is not just the man I love—it’s the echo of every cautionary tale, every whispered warning. The dangerous Willem rises in my memory, Juliette’s voice haunting: “A Dragon King... a man whose touch brought only ash and ruin.”
I know what he might become. I’ve seen his salvation and damnation written in starfire and shadow.
And I choose him anyway.
“Kaisner Drachenstein,” I sigh, my voice shaking. “There’s no other future I want. Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
His eyes close, jaw tightening as my words cut through him. He slips the ring onto my finger—his ring—and pulls me gently into his arms.
He kisses me then. And gods, it hurts—in the best way. It’s not soft. It’s not gentle. It’s teeth and tongue and grief and gratitude all twisted together. I clutch at his shoulders, fingers trembling as I pull him closer.
Bound by fire, united in love, we have chosen our destiny.
48
CLARISSA
Deveraux Manor’s grand hall stretches before me, opulent and timeless, embodying centuries of influence and unspoken power. Gilded mirrors glint in the golden spill of chandelier light. The marble underfoot is immaculate, too pristine for the kind of conversations that might unfold tonight. The air smells of old books, polished cedarwood, and faint perfume—expensive, elusive, and hauntingly familiar.
My hand rests on the cool brass of the door handle, reluctant to push forward. My heartbeat thrums like a war drum in my chest, betraying nerves I’d hoped to conceal. Though weeks have passed since the Mahindra compound, the shadows of that place still cling to the edges of my thoughts, smoke that refuses to lift.
Kaisner stands at my side, his presence a silent comfort, his warmth radiating through the thin fabric of my dress where his hand rests against my lower back. He leans in, his voice brushing the curve of my ear like velvet.
