She entered the meadow, which smelled of apricots, dandelions, roses, and lilies. The hues were more vivid than her dreams could imagine. The shade seems much more sparkling in the moonlight; the night is as lovely as the day here.
“I thought it was a dream,” she gazed around; this…it was gorgeous.
“In a way, it was, but it wasn’t. You come here to the underworld every time you sleep. I should have realized why this site changes every time you visit. Because you were mortal and linked to the land of the living, I reasoned. “It turns out it’s because you are life,” he kissed her. In his embrace, she melts.
“I couldn’t think of a finer location to do this,” he added as he drew back, materializing the golden thread Sahir had handed her in exchange for going into the shadows.
“Does this work?” she wondered, her heart pounding in her chest.
“Before we start a new life, I want you to know what it meant to me, and there are things you need to know before you truly decide to bind yourself to me forever,” Azrael paused, and Natasha realized he was talking about Sahir. It’s been eating at him for the past week as he’s been training and dealing with the changes in the underworld. He was telling her everything about himself. From his favorite hue to his best hiding location on Mount Meru, where he completes his schooling to where he was chosen Lord of the Underworld, he has the highest reverence.
“I know and understand what you’ve told me.”
“I want you to know that I want to make up for the error,” she added as confidently as she could in just two words, “and whatever comes next, we will face it together.”
Azrael’s breathing shuddered. She strokes his cheekbones, caressing his high cheekbones.
“I thought there was no turning back,” “Not at all.” His eyes open, and she has never felt more confident.
“Every time you sleep, you lie in my arms, and after every refusal, you choose me here.” You will only grow more robust, and I felt a little spark of life return to me each time. Driving me towards you, I want you to know, Natasha, that I surrendered today.”
Natasha felt lost, found, light, and settled; there was no other way to describe her current state. She couldn’t take her gaze away from his shining eyes, his emotion penetrating her soul and touching her core.
He placed the root in her hand. Thousands of fireworks exploded inside of her.
“You know, they typically do this on Earth….” She clears her throat, attempting to appear unconcerned. “With a ring,” she says.
“Please accept my apologies,” The light in his eyes was clear, and the golden root in his hand separated and coiled itself into a ring.
“If You would have me?”
He was holding a ring to her, and she couldn’t move, even though all she wanted to do was move. Every nerve in her body shouted, “Here it is!” Here’s what you’ve been waiting for; nothing would separate us after this. Why are you refusing to move? But how could She possibly? The need to stare at him, to imprint these words in her mind. Right now.
“Say something,”
“I love you,” The words fell from Natasha’s lips without her recognizing them. She gasps in surprise. This was the first time she had said it without being a near-death experience. A tense current runs through her body. She glances at him, puzzled. The sun had occupied his eyes, and they could now illuminate the entire planet. He laughed. He clasped her hand in his, he didn’t say anything back, but he already had.
He held the ring in his hand silently, and she nodded.
Natasha’s breath caught; it was golden braided roots and strangely warm against her skin.
She put the other ring from his palm onto his ring finger. He snatched her hand before she could slip it from his. Their rings sparkled together in the moonlight and had a primal feeling about them.
He is entirely and unconditionally hers. Nothing can change this.
“Words have power, repeat after me,” he says as he takes her hand in his. She smiled. Their gazes met as if a hook had been inserted into their souls, joining them.
“I bind my soul to you,” He looked her in the eyes, promising to her soul, “and promise you my eternity.”
“I bind my soul to you,” everything fades away from her vision except his eyes, promising her an unbreakable bond of love as she takes her vow, repeating his words, “And promise you my eternity,”
The current in her hands shocks her, and she looks away from him to their hands, the golden light entering under their skin and going through their veins. She could feel the warm current coursing through her veins, gripping her heart, and she felt his heartbeat inside her as if it were her own. Their fingers entwined, and she moved her hands from his arms to his shoulder. She was looking him in the eyes. Her delight in them took her breath away.
“There’s no turning back now,” He kissed her, and every nerve in her body melted under it.
At the same time, Azrael’s hands sought her back. Our garments faded as she aimed for his coat. He gently placed her on the grass. His mouth touches hers, and their tongues become entangled. She could taste the same fire in his kiss waiting for her. She is now prepared to consume it. She flips him over and pins him. He stretched for her, and she drew him closer, her hand weaving through his dark hair. Their lips touched once more, and even the need to breathe made no difference. The flame raging inside her begged more, and his touch took everything, including her capacity to think with a vengeance. He kissed every inch of her skin until she squirmed, wanting to bring him closer, and kissed him fiercely. She had no idea she had. He moaned, she gasped, and he slammed his hard one against her center. She arched her back, wanting more. He pinned her back to the ground, his eyes intense and filled with desire, drew her towards him, and he went deep inside her; there was nothing left to feel except him moving and her passion growing like an insatiable thirst until the ache could be felt everywhere, his soft heated lips demanding to ravish her sensitive skin on her neck, her breast. She reaches out for him.
“Shh…” He said as he moved his light kiss from her temple to her cheeks to her chin, swallowing her protesting moan. Her legs were wrapped around his, her fingers clawing at his back, and he took his time, his slow, steady moments when she could feel his kiss’s aggressiveness that he couldn’t hold back.
“Please, Azrael,” He kissed her back, his tongue tangling with hers, as he separated his lips for a minute. There was no place for argument, breath, or contemplation as she accepted the burning anguish and sensation overloading her system. The pressure demands that the current be released. She felt it increasing with every thrust, gathering low and squeezing with every stroke; the ecstasy was just a second away. He growled, and she thought him gasp as his lips moved down her neck. He drew her in more profound and closer, filling every inch of her with him. As the ecstasy tore from both of them, her nails dug into his back, his hand tightening around her hips and the other behind her neck.
He kissed her, swallowing every sound of pleasure that she made.
She collapsed in his arms, exhaling a huge sigh of relief.
“Natasha,” he said, rubbing her back and lulling her to a half-sleep condition.
“Hmm?”
“I love you,” He said quietly, “I love you, too.”
The sun rose again in the underworld, showering their naked, tangled beings in its warm light.