CELINE

"Where are we going?" I asked my trouble-seeking mate after scolding him for the uncomfortable situation from earlier.

"I don’t like that Aldric kept you on the sidelines for so many years," he hissed, not letting go of my hand as we walked down the hallway.

"He had his reasons to hate the Dark Realm. I hated it too," I sighed, wanting to leave the past behind.

"I understand, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it." He stopped in front of me, his cold hand caressing my cheek.

The intensity of his emotions always wrapped around my soul.

"You wanted to know where I was taking you? Come, I have a surprise I had brought here for you," he said before opening a door to a massive library.

I stared in awe at the towering bookshelves, stretching from floor to ceiling, forming what looked like a labyrinth.

Hanging lamps cast soft, shifting shadows, and though the heavy curtains were drawn, pale sunlight filtered in through an enormous terrace.

Standing there, his back to us, was a man.