VICIOUS DEVOTION

CHAPTER NINE : The Surrender

Three Days Later

The council was in shambles.

Five of the nine members had resigned. Two had been arrested. One had fled the country. Only Lord Ashworth remained—and he was desperate.

Serafina had won.

She stood in her study, looking out the window at the city below. Her city. Her kingdom.

And for the first time in years, she felt hope.

The door opened behind her.

She didn't turn. She knew who it was.

"You did it," Dante said softly. "You won."

"We won." She turned, meeting his eyes. "I couldn't have done it without you."

He crossed the room, stopping just inches away. "You could have. You're stronger than you know, Serafina."

"Maybe." She reached up, touching his face. "But I'm tired of being strong alone."

His breath caught. "What are you saying?"

She looked into his eyes—dark, burning, utterly devoted—and let herself fall.

"I'm saying I don't want to be alone anymore. I'm saying I want you. Not just as an ally. Not just as a partner." She swallowed. "I want you as mine."

His hands came up, cupping her face. "Serafina—"

"I love you." The words tumbled out, raw and unguarded. "I've been fighting it for weeks. I've been telling myself you're a monster. That you're dangerous. That I should run."

"You should," he whispered. "I'm not good for you."

"I don't want good." She pulled him closer. "I want you."

He kissed her.

It was not gentle. It was desperate and hungry and everything. His hands tangled in her hair. Her fingers gripped his shirt. They stumbled backward, crashing into the desk, knocking papers to the floor.

When they finally broke apart, both breathless, he pressed his forehead to hers.

"If we do this," he said, his voice rough, "there's no going back. I will never let you go. I will never stop loving you. I will be yours until the day I die."

She smiled. "Promise?"

"Promise."

She pulled him back in.