The Veil of Darkness
Chapter 48: I’m All Yours

Chapter 48: I’m All Yours

"You...!" Damien seemed ready to throw his hands up.

"Stop arguing, you are going with her. That’s it." Valerius finally spoke and the look that he gave his brother made Damien close his mouth even before any word of resistance could have left his lips. He just let out a huff in annoyance and disappeared inside the castle.

"We will be leaving within half an hour," Annalise shouted to let him know, and though there came no reply from the lord, she knew that he had heard her pretty clearly.

A smile played on her lips as she thought about torturing the man during her shopping trip to the capital market. She knew pretty well that out of all three lords, Damien hated to be in the public most.

Her attention was pulled towards Valerius when the man came to stand next to her, a place where Kenric was standing a couple of seconds ago but the man was no longer to be seen anywhere.

The way Valerius looked at her told Annalise that he was pretty aware of her naughty thoughts. What she couldn’t comprehend was whether he was angry or not? His expression didn’t give away his inner thoughts at all.

"I... I’m sorry..." She finally let the apology slip through her lips as she bowed her head in shame that suddenly started settling over her. The realization of how indecent she behaved in front of her husbands finally started hitting home.

She felt her husband closing the remaining space between them before he raised her chin to make her look up at his face. "Why say sorry? I’m actually happy and I can tell the others are too." His voice carried the same warmth that he held in his beautiful eyes.

"Really?" She asked in surprise, not quite believing his words as she couldn’t imagine Damien agreeing with his statement.

"Have I ever lied to you?" Valerius asked as he arched his eyebrows in question, an almost unnoticeable smile visible on his lips.

She shook her head in response to his question.

"You are finally being yourself. Why should we be angry at you for being yourself when that was what we have been asking from you all this time?" He threaded the fingers of his other hand through her loose strands as he was mesmerized by her hair once again. "Just stay like this from now on. No hiding yourself behind the veil of rules and restrictions of your world."

Annalise nodded her head as a smile broke out on her lips too, her heart filling with warmth, something that always happened whenever it came to him and his encouraging words always gave her more confidence in herself.

"Good. Now go and get prepared for your market trip. And make sure to not annoy him too much because he’s not that great when it comes to keeping his cool. But I’m sure he will be more lenient to you." His words carried both warning and advice as he patted her head before stepping away.

"Wait!" Annalise hurriedly took hold of his arm as she stopped him from leaving, a sudden move that left her shocked just as much as him.

They both stared at her hands circling his arm and while a little voice was screaming inside her brain, telling her to let go of him, her hands refused to comply.

Valerius finally moved his gaze to her face from the arm that she held, his eyes looking at her with patience as he waited for her to speak.

Annalise nibbled on her lower lip, her eyes looking anywhere but at his face as she felt too embarrassed. She wasnt even sure why she stopped him, probably because a part of her wanted to enjoy his company for a little bit more.

She finally loosened her grip on his arm and took a step back, still not daring to look up at him. She couldn’t believe that after portraying such a confident attitude in front of Damien, she was back to her flustered self in front of Lord Valerius. There was something about this man that held her from doing anything crazy around him.

A gasp left her mouth as the said man suddenly pulled her into his arms with a sharp pull on her arm. Her hand flew to rest on his shoulders as she looked up at him with wide eyes, her heart beating like it was ready to pop out of her chest at any moment.

While one of his hands was wrapped around her waist, the other moved to cup her jaw as he angled her face up to look at him as he spoke, "I’m all yours, Annalise. You don’t have to think twice before touching me."

Stars! Was the man even aware of what his words did to her? Just like that, he labeled himself as hers. And yes, he was hers. And this time, she claimed what belonged to her.

Closing the remaining space between their faces, Annalise pressed her lips against his cold ones and felt him welcoming her as his arm around her waist tightened and he pulled her closer into his embrace.

She wasn’t really professional when it came to kissing as it was still something so new to her but what mattered at the moment was the thought and besides, she didn’t get to keep the charge of their kiss for too long as it was soon Lord Valerius who was kissing her passionately as his lips moved against hers in pure desire.

Ice skimmed over them, or it was the essence of ice working its way up their bodies as they united through the kiss, their bodies pressed together and their hearts beating in unison.

A feeling like no other took over Annalise as she felt something settling between the two of them, some kind of power that felt too right to be true. A feeling of getting connected to him through a bond that she could sense through every fiber in her body.

A soft groan escaped Valerius’ lips as he ended the kiss and pressed his forehead against hers, his breathing heavy as he kept his eyes closed and basked in the beautiful moment along with her.