Arabella’s words haven’t left my mind since she spoke them. They resound in my mind, taunting me with all I wish I could have, day in and day out.I lean back and watch her from the shadows at the tent’s entrance as she sits and writes yet another letter to her sister. I’m unable to resist my need for her. No matter how many times I consult Pythia, our future never changes. I end up hurting her and she leaves me, reuniting with the boy I tore her away from. I fear what I’ll do to her if I go near her, but I can’t stay away, either.She smiles at the parchment in front of her, and I try my hardest to recall the last time she smiled at me. When was the last time I heard her laugh? It’s an unsettling experience to miss her when she’s right in front of me.Every day, the distance between us increases. I can feel her slipping away, and it’s hurting me more than this curse ever will. I didn’t think happiness existed before her. I thought it was a myth, or something elusive at best, a thing people convince themselves they must achieve in an effort to make life more bearable. It wasn’t until Arabella walked into my life that I understood why humans go to such great lengths to find what Arabella and I did. Despite my long life, I don’t think I was truly alive before her.Arabella sighs as she folds her letter, her touch gentle as she slides it into an envelope, sealing it with wax. Her control of fire has become so strong that she manages to do it without needing to concentrate, and once more, I’m in awe of her.How many times have I stood here, watching her as she writes? I’ve lost count. It’s the only moment she takes for herself, my only chance to watch her without the mask she wears for my people.She rises from her seat, her envelope in hand and a dreamy expression on her face. I wonder who it is that put that smile on her face. It certainly wasn’t me. The boy, perhaps? Lately it’s taking her longer to write her letters, and instead of asking me to send them for her, she’s requested Elaine’s help. Elaine has been sending an enchanted carrier pigeon on her behalf, and many times, I’ve been tempted to intercept it to find out who she’s writing to, but how could I stand in the way of her happiness after all I’ve already done to impede it? I’ve taken so much from her, and if Pythia is right, I’ll bring her more sorrow before she finds happiness of her own.“Felix!” She freezes in place when she finds me leaning back against the wall. Her eyes find mine, but the intimacy I’ve grown accustomed to is missing. She forces a smile for me, and all it does is anger me.I push away from the wall and walk up to her, my eyes dropping to the letter in her hands. “Who is the letter for?”Her eyes flash as she tightens her grip on it, a stubborn tilt to her chin. “Does it matter?”It shouldn’t, but it does. “Our agreement still stands,” I say against better judgment. “I have yet to let you go, Arabella. Until the day I do, you’re mine.”noveldramaShe grits her teeth as she looks up at me, anger lighting up her eyes. “Am I, Felix? Am I yours? You can’t control who I think of, who I dream of.”I take a step closer to her, expecting her to take a step back, but she doesn’t. My body brushes against hers, and she looks up at me, her eyes filled with defiance and fury. “I once told you I have no problem reminding you who you belong to, and that still stands.”“You do remind me every single day,” she tells me. “Every time you brush me off or ignore me, you remind me that I never meant anything to you. You remind me that all I ever was to you was someone to use and discard. Nathaniel never once made me feel that way. Not once.”I grit my teeth and thread one hand through her hair, my touch rough as I cup her cheek with my other hand. “I don’t want his name on your lips, Arabella.” My thumb brushes over her lip, as though that might wipe away the words she just uttered.“Too bad, Felix… because Nathaniel is all I’ve been able to think about. Every time you dismiss me, you remind me of the gentleness he showed me. When you make it clear you don’t want me, I find myself wondering if he’d ever—”I lean in and cut her off, taking her lips the way I’ve been dreaming of. She moans against my mouth and kisses me back, her hand roaming over my body with the same impatience I’m feeling. I pull away from her and lift her into the air, until her back hits the wall behind us. Arabella’s eyes are dark with desire, and the way she looks at me undoes me.I walk up to her and smile as I reach her, my hands wrapping around the top of her chemise before I rip it apart, the sound of the fabric tearing loud in our quiet tent. I inhale sharply when her chemise falls away, revealing her breasts. “I doubt that boy of yours has the strength to do this,” I murmur as I yank her corset off her, letting it drop to the floor. I lean in and suck down on her nipple the way I know puts her at my mercy, and she moans loudly in protest when I pull away. I smirk and snap my fingers, her eyes falling closed when the feeling is mimicked by my powers while I move my touch lower. “He certainly can’t do that, can he? Even if you’re ever with him, it won’t feel as good as it does with me.”I tear her skirt off her and let it fall to the floor, smirking when I slip my fingers between her legs. “Let me guess… you’re already wet for me. Do you think he’ll ever make you feel this way? Even if you ever let him touch you, it’ll be me you think of.”I slip a finger into her, enjoying the sounds she makes for me. “Do you really think so, Felix? Do you think I’ll remember you when he’s making me forget my own name?”A low growl escapes my throat, the sound inhuman, an omen of the evil we’ll unleash if I don’t walk away. I let go of her and take a step away, needing space and distance to collect myself. I move to walk away from her, but she’s got me trapped and unable to move.Arabella’s eyes are ablaze with anger when my gaze lands on her, and she shakes her head. “No,” she says. “You don’t get to touch me like that and walk away.”She lifts her hand and before I realize what’s going on, she’s got me pressed against the same wall I just held her up against, her control over the air around us formidable. “Arabella,” I warn her.“No,” she repeats. She snaps her fingers, and my clothes burst into flames, the flames eating at the fabric yet leaving me completely unharmed. I try to resist smiling, but I fail. I’m in awe of her. As she stands before me, her clothes ripped and her lips swollen, her eyes blazing with anger and desire… I don’t think my beloved wife has ever looked more beautiful.“Be glad it was just your clothes this time, Felix.”I chuckle and rest my head against the wall as the fire takes away my last remaining clothing, revealing just how badly I desire her. I watch her through my lashes, unable to resist her. One hour… if I can fight the darkness for a single hour, I’ll get to see her look at me the way she used to. I’d give the world for one more memory of her.Arabella rises to her tiptoes, her lips finding mine. Her touch is gentler now, more hesitant. I kiss her back, and her body relaxes against mine. She releases her hold over me, and I push away from the wall. “Arabella,” I whisper, and she shakes her head as she presses her finger against my lips.“Don’t say a word, Felix. Not now.”I pull on her hand and turn us over so I’ve got her pressed against the wall. She moves her arms around my neck, and I lift her, my hands on her waist. Arabella wraps her legs around me, and I breathe a sigh of relief when my erection brushes against her wet heat.“I need you, beloved.” She nods and reaches between us, guiding me into her. “Oh Fates,” I murmur as I slip deep inside my wife. “I missed you more than you’ll ever know.”I pull back almost all the way, my eyes on her as I thrust back into her. I watch the way her eyes widen, the way her lips fall open when she moans, the fire in her irises. I try my hardest to commit this image of her to memory.“More,” she whispers, her hands threading through my hair. She pulls me closer, her lips finding mine, and I lose myself in her. I’ve never wanted a woman more than I do her. I’ll never get enough of her. I take her harder, giving her what she’s asking for, and the way she moans has me losing it.I feel the darkness claw at me, and I close my eyes for a single moment, exhausted from fighting and wanting just a single moment with my wife.When I open my eyes again, Arabella is on her knees on the floor, blood staining her skin red. She looks up at me in fear and horror, and I take a step away from her. This. This is what I saw in the mirror of Pythia. There are cuts all over her skin, blood flowing freely from her wounds.I did this. I knew I’d hurt her, and I let myself go near her regardless. “Elaine…” I whisper. “I need to get Elaine.”