LOGINSERAPHINA
"Going somewhere, Princess?" Allister’s voice was silk over steel, smooth yet laced with something far more dangerous. A dark promise.It seemed the air around me stilled, even the crickets and night creatures stopped their humming.I stared at him wide eyed, unable to breathe through my shock, as he stepped out of the shadows from the corner of the porch. He said, “I knew you’d do this eventually. Break one of the rules,” He lifted hSERAPHINA "If you want it, I will get it."Dante did win it.The shopkeeper handed me a blush pink rabbit with big floppy ears. "Oh my god, it's so big.""As big as you."I looked up and a flash caught my eyes as he took another of many pictures.I stepped toward him."Why don't I take a picture of you? You have been clicking mine this whole time.""Because you look beautiful, smiling like this," He said, his fingers caressing my cheek as he tucked the loose strands behind my ear.I swallowed, closing my eyes and leaning toward his warmth. When I opened them, I saw an unfamiliar look in his dark gaze that quickly vanished as he blinked and looked away.I said, "Then let's take a selfie at least."I grabbed his phone and sidled closer to him. A moment later his arm came around my waist.I took the
SERAPHINA I fidgeted with my hands as Dante stared at me. After the breakfast and him making sure to wrap my foot in a plaster like someone has chopped my limb, he had told me to get ready, that he's taking me somewhere.I had no idea where, just that I should dress comfortably.So, I wore one of the pink sundresses I already owned. Not one from the dozens they had filled the closet with.Now, as I stood in front of him, waiting for his verdict, I couldn’t read his expression and tell whether he liked what I was wearing or not.My hair was gathered into a loose braid, and I was wearing comfortable pair of bunny flip-flops."Is this not right for where we are going?" I asked when he remained silent.He cleared his throat and didn't say anything as he left the room. I frowned.What did I do now?I looked down at myself,
DANTEFor the first time in years I woke up without feeling like I was being suffocated.No nightmare jolted me awake, no screams and cries echoed in my mind.Instead I woke up surrounded with warmth and a soft weight settled against my side.I turned my head to find her sleeping peacefully, with her head resting on my chest and her slender arm draped around me. I strared at the ceiling, feeling confused and a foreign emotion I couldn't name.I slept the whole night.There was no blood.No pain.Not my younger version crying and begging for my mother to wake up.No dark cells.No fights.No hands pinning me down while others laughed.No thoughts of staying awake throughout the night just to stay safe.Nothing.Just peaceful sleep and warmth.Rubbing a hand down my face, I sat up and felt a tug on my side. When I looked down, I saw her small hand tightly gripping my shirt like she was afraid I'd disappear.I straed at her sleeping face and acknowledged the truth of my words that I had
SERAPHINA"Dante..." I whispered brokenly. "I am sorry."For the first time since I had met him, I saw his expression falter.Something painful flickered across his face before he looked away, turning his back on me once again as he stared out the window.I pushed myself up from where I was still on the floor and ignored the sting on my injured foot as I walked toward him.For a few seconds, I simply stood there.I didn't know what to say or do.I didn't even know if there were any words that would fix what I unknowingly did. To fix the last two years he spent behind bars paying for a crime he never committed.And it was all because of me.In a moment of false bravery, I leaned forward and slowly slipped my arms around him from behind.His entire body went still as I hugged him.Pressing my cheek against his back, listening to his heart, I said it again, "I am sorry, Dante." My tears soaked into his shirt. "I am so sorry for what I did."Silence stretched for a few seconds, then I hea
SERAPHINA “And even after knowing the truth, if you can’t bring yourself to trust me, then I swear I will never touch you ever again.”I swallowed.My breath stalling.I peered up at him and one look at his expression told me he meant every word.The room suddenly felt too small. And I felt smaller in his arms.In the silence that stretched between us, I could hear his heartbeat beneath my ear.And my own. Unlike his, mine was fast, afraid and uneven.I squeezed my eyes and said, "Tell me. Prove it what I saw was all a lie, Dante.""The three of us knew Ivy since we were kids. She was one of us. And she was in love with Allister."I sat up in surprise."What?"His dark gaze slid to me and he nodded. "Yes. And what you saw that day was her using her last trick to make him come to her and accept that he had feelings for her too.""I don't understand," I said, because I didn't. Because how could what they did ever connect to Ivy having feelings for Allister and being their friend. It onl
SERAPHINA The entire walk back to the house passed in silence. Dante held me in his arms while silent tears kept rolling down my cheeks. I didn’t know what was worse. The fact that I had believed he would hurt me. Or the fact that he hadn’t. Because earlier I had thought if what I believed, what I suspected him to be was the truth then it would be easier to hate him. But now… now I was more confused and broken than before. My face remained buried against his shoulder as he carried me through the front door and up the stairs. I couldn’t even bring myself to look at him. Because every time I remembered the way I had begged him not to ràpe me, something inside me twisted and fractured. He hadn’t said a single word. And he didn’t say anything either when he sat me down on his bed and then knelt in front of me as he inspected my b







