I closed my eyes, still smiling. He settled down beside me, pulling me into his arms, holding me to him.
My heart felt full.
Lyov saved me.
Just like I had dreamed of before. He came for me, swept me off in his arms, and carried me out of hell…toward our castle.
Maybe this was my happily ever after.
Because Lyov…he was my Prince Charming.
Just like I dreamed of. Just like I wanted.
I found my Prince Charming.
Chapter 8
Lyov
I watched her sleep, her breathing even in her deep slumber. Her chest rose with each intake of breath, and I was almost mesmerized by the sight.
My eyes were only on her—she was all I could see.
Instinctively, my arm tightened around her waist, pulling her closer. I needed her as close as she could be. In her sleep, she made a little soft sound in the back of the throat. Almost like she enjoyed being closer to me.
Wanting to feel her skin against mine, I slowly hitched her nightdress up. My hand found its way underneath the dress, and I pressed my palm against her bare stomach, holding her firmly to me.
Her skin felt warm and soft as I caressed her stomach, loving the feel of her under my hand. Maria turned around in her sleep, her body now facing me.
She looked so peaceful with her eyes closed and her face soft with sleep. My heart felt a little lighter knowing that she was safe now, safe with me and away from those who had hurt her.
Whatever happened tonight—it fucked my head up.
Her actions, her words, everything was based on what they imprinted in her mind. They forced her to believe that she was less and only for our pleasure.
It was going to be fucking hard to change her. To make her human again. But I was going to make sure she had all the broken pieces again. I would glue her broken soul together so she was whole again.
Nobody was going to hurt her. Never again. No fucker was going to lay his dirty hands on her again.
I will be a good slave to you, Master.
I was almost so fucking tempted to march back into The Royalist and rip his head off. Solonik broke her before I could even have her. And now all I had left were the pieces. Some gone, some scattered, some broken.
I had focused on my instincts when I took her out of there. In the car, it took everything in me not to take her, claim her exactly like I wanted.
Fuck her deep, so she could feel me days after. So she knew that I was the only one she should ever concern herself about.
It is hard for a man not to take what is his, when it’s only an arm away.
When Maria moved in my arms, getting restless in her sleep, she brought me back into the present.
My gaze whispered over her face. She looked like a porcelain doll, her black hair so shiny and beautiful, her skin white, so soft that it almost felt like velvet. Her lips were pink and ripped, like she had bitten on them for too long.
I placed a kiss on her forehead when a whimper escaped past her lips. Her eyebrows furrowed like she was in pain, and I soothed it out with my lips.
She burrowed deeper into my embrace and let out a sleepy sigh. Her distress was gone, replaced with an almost content look. She was…safe. And she knew that.
In my arms, she would always be safe. Even in her sleep, I would keep the demons away.
Whatever I was feeling in my heart, none of it made sense. All I knew was that Maria was mine now. My little Angel.
And I needed her close to me. By my side.
I didn’t care what it meant and what I had to fight with—she was mine. The minute I saw her, she lost her soul to the Devil.
Solonik might have let her go, but she had fallen into my trap. If she thought she was free—she wasn’t.
I was going to steal her away from the rest of the world.
She escaped a monster only to end up in the hands of the Devil—who controlled hell. The king of the underworld. And she was going to be my Queen, whether she liked it or not.
I was going to give Maria back her wings and then trap her again. Make her human so she could give me what I needed—what I craved. Her heart and her soul.
I began to lose track of time as I imagined what it would be like to have her by my side. Having her in my arms, holding her close to my body, it only amplified my feelings—or whatever the fuck you call it—for her.
The darker part inside of me, the one that wanted to lose control so bad, seemed to be satiated with just watching her. For now. Until I would lose control and claim her.