Page 62 of Plaything of the Dark Elf

“I don’t care.”

I shift our positions so that I’m resting against the tree while she’s in between my legs. She lies against my chest while we stare at the branches above us, twisting like crooked fingers.

“I love you,” I say.

“...I love you, too.”

“And I mean that. You’ve made my life a lot better just by being in it. I feel… I don’t know. I’m a different person.”

“Do you really think so?”

“I know so. I don’t have the tendencies that I did before. I’m working on being less violent since I know you don’t like that. You help me become better. You’re the cure I needed to fix the problems I had.”

“Problems?”

“Yes! For a long time, I thirsted after blood when I got into a certain state. I wanted to hurt, kill, and maim as many people as possible. I wanted to destroy everything in my way. I would see red and no one would be able to calm me down until you came along.”

Dalia hums.

“When I saw you, I didn’t think anything profound would happen between us. I wanted you for your fire, your spirit, and your willingness to fight back against me. I loved that. I still do.” I pinch her nose with my fingers and it makes her laugh. “You’re different from every other human female I’ve known and I admire you for that. I love you. I want to be with you forever.”

“I don’t think I’d be able to say no to you even if I tried, right?” Dalia looks up at me, a hint of a smile on her lips. “I don’t want to leave you. I never have.”

“Good. You won’t get far if you try to leave my gates without my knowledge again. I’ll come after you and tie you down to your bed, if I have to.”

“That sounds fun.”

Chuckling, I take her by the waist and lift her up until her mouth is close to mine. She sighs softly against my lips.

“I love you,” I say, and I keep repeating it between the soft kisses we share.

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