Chapter 125
Chapter 125
Valencia’s POV
I watched as Dante leaned against the doorframe, his gaze simmering with warmth as I finished fastening the last strap of my heels.
“Done?” he asked, amusement dancing in his voice.
I twirled once in front of the mirror, my emerald green dress swaying around my legs as I turned to him with a playful smirk. “You’ve been staring for five minutes. Do I pass your inspection?”
His lips curved into a smirk as he pushed off the door and strode toward me, his hands effortlessly finding my waist as he pulled me against him.
“Barely,” he murmured, his fingers skimming along the fabric of my dress. “You’re missing something.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
Dante reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin, gold necklace with a small sapphire pendant. “Hold still,” he whispered, stepping behind me and fastening it around my neck. The cool metal brushed against my skin as his fingers lingered for a second longer than necessary.
I reached up and touched the pendant, warmth blooming in my chest. “It’s beautiful.”
perfect.”
His lips brushed against my bare shoulder, and then the mark on my
sending shivers down my spine. “Now you’re
hard for me to focus on actually going
I turned in his arms, pressing a light kiss to his jaw. “You know, you’re making it very hard for out.”
He chuckled; releasing me as he grabbed his jacket. “I did say we’d make this date memorable, didn’t I?”
The limousine glided through the city streets, the lights of Silverclaw Ridge casting a golden glow through the tinted windows.
I cradled Castor’s egg in my lap, watching as the once small shell had now grown twice as large.
“Haven’t you gotten even bigger?” I murmured, running my fingers along the golden ridges of the shell.
Dante leaned over, his warm breath tickling my ear as he took the egg from my hands and weighed it in his palms. “Heavier too.”
I smiled, resting my chin on my hand. “Really? How long do you think it’ll take for him to hatch?”
Dante exhaled, studying the egg with a thoughtful expression. “It’s only been a little over a month. If we go by normal dragon gestation periods according to the books, we’ve got at least five more months to go.”
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Chapter 125
I nodded slowly, absorbing his words. “It still feels surreal to me mean, I knew pregnancy would be strange, but this?”
Dante’s eyes darkened slightly as he set the egg
down carefully, down carefully. wasn’t normal,” he admitted, his tone serious.
of the night I laid Castor’s egg. “Yeah, I don’t think normal deliveries are
1 hummed, remembering the sheer agony of supposed to be that painful.”
A heavy silence settled between us.
Dante’s jaw clenched slightly. “No…. they shouldn’t be,” he said, his voice tight. “Even for dragons, there are always preparations–ways to make the process smoother. Your case was… unique.”
I tilted my head, my fingers tracing absent–minded patterns against my thigh. “So, if we prepare next time… it won’t be as painful?”
Dante’s hand stilled on his knee.
I blinked.
Oh.
Did I just imply a next time?
The air inside the limousine shifted.
Heat crawled up my neck as I realized what I had just said.
Before I could backtrack, Dante’s hands were suddenly on my waist, pulling me onto his lap, his mouth grazing the shell of my ear.
“Next time?” he murmured, his voice laced with something dangerous.
I swallowed hard, too flustered to speak.
His lips trailed along my jaw, his fingers pressing possessively against my hips. As I gasped, heat pooling in my belly.
“How about two more?”
My heart thundered inside
my
chest.
Maybe in another timeline, I would have shied away.
But not now.
I was happy.
For the first time in my life, I trusted the man beside me–trusted that he wouldn’t control me, trusted that his love wasn’t conditional like Jaxon’s had been.
Dante had proven himself.
And this–this warmth inside me, this feeling of belonging–was something I never wanted to lose.
So I nodded.
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Chapter 125
Dante’s grip tightened. His pupils dilated, his breathing turning Heavier as he flipped me onto my back, pinning me against
the seat.
My breath hitched, “Dante-
He cut me off, ravishing my mouth like a starving man.
His body pressed into mine, his scent–smoke, cedar, and something purely him–enveloping me entirely.
When he finally pulled away, his voice was rough, almost broken
“Valencia,” he whispered. “I keep falling for you more and more. His forehead rested against mine, his hand cupping my cheek as his thumb brushed my lower lip. “I love you so much. Ilon’t think I have the words to describe how much I love you.”
My chest tightened.
This was it.
This was my moment.
I gazed into his beautiful, stormy blue eyes, my fingers threading through his dark hair as I whispered-
“I love you too.”
Dante froze.
His eyes widened, his body completely still.
“You… do?” he whispered, as if afraid he had misheard.
A soft smile tugged at my lips. “Was it not obvious?”
He let out a shaky breath, shaking his head. “I–I didn’t want to assume. I knew you liked me, but-” He swallowed hard. “So you won’t be leaving, right?”
I frowned. “Leaving where?”
His grip on me tightened slightly. “When the contract ends.”
My lips parted. “Oh, shit. I forgot we even had a contract.”
Was he still worried about that?
For a second, Dante just stared at me.
Then-
He burst into laughter.
It was deep, rich, unrestrained–the kind that made my chest fee lighter just by hearing it.
“Forget
about it, then,” he said, still chuckling. “When we get home, I’ll burn it.”
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Chapter 125
I grinned. “Deal”
Leaning up, I pressed my lips against his once more, feeling the pure adoration in his kiss.
For the first time in my life, I wasn’t looking back.
I was looking forward.
A future with Dante.
A future with our child.
A future where I was finally free.
As the limousine pulled up in front of the mall, I exhaled, trying to calm the nervous energy buzzing inside me.
I had one more thing to say.
Something just as important as my confession.
“Dante?”
He turned to me, his eyes still glowing with lingering affection and desire.
I swallowed, feeling my heartbeat pound against my
ribs.
I knew he had already sort of asked me to do it. But I just wanted to make sure.
“Can I… mark you?”
