Bride To His Darkness
Chapter 151: His Confession

Chapter 151: His Confession

{Music Recommendation: Luminary by Joel Sunny}

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"Samantha..." an eerie voice whispered into her head. It didn’t sound like a voice she was consciously familiar with, but like the gentle drifting of a calm ominous wind, it carried her name only to leave an echoing whisper in her ears.

"Samantha dear.... You have to wake up." The strange voice whispered for the second time, beckoning her to listen to its command. Subconsciously, Samantha’s eyebrows slanted into a frown, she saw nothing except the familiar dark abyss she was once trapped in, and this place... the last time she visited a place as lonely as this was at the slave establishment. When she felt a hand resting on her shoulder, Samantha spun around quickly, and as if timed, her eyes sprang wide open, snapping her back into reality.

Her green eyes, which held a slight panic, focused on the ceiling above. When she felt someone’s hand on her shoulder again, she flinched to the side in fear before turning her head to see who it was. Her expressive green eyes gazed at Ivan for a minimum amount of time before she lowered her guard, and she felt better when his face came into her view. For a moment, she assumed the one with the strange voice had touched her, but... who could have woken her up from her abyss, and why was she even there??

Who was there with her??

"Ivan?" Samantha gazed into the amethyst eyes that seamlessly softened the cruelty of his dark face. Her mind was still in the process of rebooting; she could presume she was missing something considering the way he stared at her, whilst she pushed her body up with the gentle help of Ivan. She felt fatigued and drained, her mind could hardly process what was going on and then the voices....

Wait, shouldn’t she be on her way to Meadow?

"Isn’t this.... How am I back here?" As disoriented as her mind was presently, that didn’t stop her from taking note of the familiar black and white architecture, the familiar chaise lounge that was located at the darkest corner of the room and most importantly, the owner of the bed she was presently resting on. She knew the whole dimension of Ivan’s room like the very back of her palm, and she couldn’t mistake it for anywhere else. His presence too was one she hadn’t expected to see when she woke up, infact, she already assumed she might never see him again.

But how is she seeing him?

"Come to me." Ivan let out his hand for the confused woman to take, his velvety voice making its way to her ear like an alluring whisper meant to deceive. When he sensed her hesitation, he proceeded to add.

"I won’t bite."

Samantha met the eyes she assumed she would never get the chance to see again, and as if charmed by the way he stared lovingly at her, like he was a harmless creature, Samantha placed her tender palm upon his own and simply allowed him to help her get out of bed. She was still cautious of his intentions, but she immediately grew flustered when he made her sit on his lap. Like a baby, she was cradled against him, and Ivan made her rest her head on his chest while he held her close, an action that left Samantha’s heart fluttering wildly.

He smelled refreshing, and that proves it hadn’t been long since he had his bath. Inhaling the familiar scent of him that distilled into her nostrils, Samantha could feel her nerves succumbing to Ivan’s sweet scent, and she relaxed in his embrace with ease before asking.

"What are you doing?"

"I’m holding you." He answered, and Samantha could feel herself grow small whenever he held her in this manner, that was until he murmured. "The little lamb always finds its way back to its master, but you’ve made it quite ironic since I had to find you most of the time. You’ve made your Master worried too many times, don’t you think?"

Samantha pulled her head away so she could look Ivan in the eyes, and he could see the worries embedded in those green orbs he adored more than the world itself. He couldn’t believe he nearly let her slip away from his grip like that.

"Maurice..." she uttered her brother’s name, the memories of last night returning. "Where is he?"

"Your brother is fine." He assured her while lovingly caressing her head, "he has been waiting for you to wake up since last night. He fell asleep in the guest room while waiting, but that gives us enough opportunity to talk without interruption." His fingers gently moved some strands of her hair from her face, seductively tracing the outline in a tantalizing manner, whilst his fingertips meeting her skin had Samantha shivering from his cool sensual touch.

"I’m not letting you leave me again." He uttered, the tone of his voice sounding pleasingly soft to her ears, and his eyes, which were once cold and hard, revealed the constant yearns and longings he had been bottling up inside of him, as if he no longer had the strength to keep them in.

"I don’t know if I’ve said this before, I don’t care if I said it late but I’ll say it again, without you, none of this matters to me." He confessed, and although he wanted to gain access to the Throne one way or the other, he realized at the end of it that he didn’t want it if she wasn’t going to enjoy the triumph with him. Her dazed expression didn’t surprise him, but she had to know more than anyone else what his true feelings are for her.

"You have made promises to yourself, and so have I. My promise is to rectify the pain I had caused you, to keep you protected as long as I live, and I intend to keep that promise by giving you everything that I can offer." His fingers grazed her reddened cheek, drinking in her surprise and the way her eyes lit up in reaction, but before she could say anything, he cut her off. "before you say it– I know, I know you don’t need everything, I know I shouldn’t do this but you deserve it. Whoever tries to harm you in the future, they’ll get what’s coming to them, so look away if you can’t stand it, but you’ll have to let me do what needs to be done, and that is because I love you."

He confessed, unable to hold back the need that burned within him. Samantha could feel the hairs on her skin stand at what he just said to her. As unnecessary as it may sound, she wanted to check his temperature and confirm if he was saying this out of pity, but there was a look of selfishness in his eyes, a contrast to the endearment they held as if she was a jewel he would never let out of his sight.

"You...w-what?" Samantha blinked in disbelief, and time seemed to stand still as his well-defined fingers trailed down her face to her neck, his touch both icy and sensual. His cool fingertips sent shivers down her spine, electrifying her senses, and then it moved to the back of her head as he pulled her closer, his sensuous lips grazing the delicate curves of her own.

He initiated the kiss first, making her heart pause before speeding up than it ever once did. For reasons unknown to her, the way he kissed her made her eyes water with brewing emotions.

Unlike last time, his kiss was delicately gentle. It teased her senses with a soft caress, and it was as if he took it slow so he could cherish every moment, every stolen second, but when she dared to pull away, his grip on the back of her head turned firm, and his kisses shifted as their lips melded as one, deepening the intensity and passion that had Samantha’s eyes snapping wide. It tasted like nectar, a sweet sensation that made her heart flutter with delight, whilst her eyelids automatically closed shut.

The coolness of his lips and the hotness of his tongue created a bittersweet contrast against her own– an intoxicating blend that seemed to ignite a fire within her soul. He was pushing her to her limits, their love was supposed to be a forbidden desert, scrumptiously tempting, yet inherently dangerous.

When he pulled back so she could steal some breaths, his crimson eyes burned in a way that activated his primal instincts, and he said. "I know you do not love me..yet, but that gives me enough reason to woo you till I make you mine. Don’t run my delectable little lamb, or you’ll get eaten."

Samantha gulped as her cheeks turned red as rose. He was making her dizzy, so dizzy that she subconsciously clenched his palm with her own. Her heart drummed at his earlier confession, and her uncertainty returned.

"How do I explain it to–"

"We have all the time to explain it to your brother." Ivan intoned quietly, and when her gentle eyebrows pulled together, a slight smile blossomed his handsome face. "He won’t be leaving GreenHollow anytime soon, your brother has decided to stay back, in this Palace, with you."

"He... he did?" Samantha’s pupils dilated, "how?"

"We had a discussion, man to man, and I gave him enough reasons why he needed to stay if he wanted you to be safe. He was wise enough to listen, and I’m starting to like him already."

"But why are you– ow!" Samantha expressed her pain when he flicked her forehead. It had thrown her off-guard that she was gazing at him in bafflement, while he... this devil kept staring like he hadn’t done anything wrong.

"Do you forget so easily, little lamb? I told you I’m in love with you. Don’t ever ask me why I do what I do for you, cause I’ll be prone to prove it in more than one way."

To Ivan’s disbelief, she flicked his forehead in return, but he hardly felt it. It was like being nudged by a cotton ball, what had him dazed was her audacity to reciprocate his actions.

"It’s not a good feeling, is it?"

"I just realized you need to eat more, where’s your strength?" Ivan raised her slender hand. Even though her hits were harmless, she was dangerously harmful to his heart.

"Does it go directly to your stubbornness?"

"You find that funny?"

"This won’t do, I need to teach you some defensive mechanisms." He concluded

—

Outside the royal Palace, Queen Lucinda and Lady Agathe were taking a leisurely stroll through the front yard garden. The trees and bloomed leaves were being trimmed by royal gardeners, and the unique scent of rain lingered in the cool morning air, even Lucinda felt quite pleased at the phenomenal sight.

"What about Carina?" Lucinda turned to Lady Agathe and inquired. "Has she not returned from Vesunard?"

"Oh.. I don’t think she will be returning at all." Lady Agathe answered, a smile that held her satisfaction gracing her lips.

From behind the bushes, Queen Lucinda’s keen eyes noticed a strange movement coming from the shrubs. It had her halting in her steps until, to her stupefaction, a little boy emerged from it, but he stumbled and fell directly in front of Queen Lucinda and Lady Agathe. Awestruck by the unknown boy’s presence, they heard running footsteps until a couple who seemed to be out of breath came into their full view.

"Alain."