CHAPTER LI
"The Final Ritual of the Heart"
Caelum's POV
The bed creaked softly beneath me — not from weight, but memory.
I lay there, still in the room I thought I'd locked away forever — the very bed where I used to lie between my sisters, staring at the ceiling and dreaming of worlds that didn't demand so much from me. It felt smaller now… or maybe I had just grown into someone too big for childhood comforts.
And then —
> THAK.
A sound.
Something had fallen.
My instincts kicked in — warrior instincts — sharp, alert.
I sat up quickly, my hand ready to summon magic if needed. But the moment I turned toward the source of the noise…
> My breath caught.
It was her.
Celeste.
Framed by the moonlight that spilled through the arched window behind her, she stood there like she belonged to the stars. Like the moon had carved her from its light just to haunt me in this moment.
> "So," I muttered, recovering my composure. "This is what Olivia and Ivory meant by the 'final ritual.'"
"Trapping me in a room… with you."
I made a mental note to punish them — lovingly, of course — for underestimating me. Just because I had a soft spot didn't mean I'd let them get away with everything.
Celeste stepped forward, her eyes never leaving mine — steady, unwavering, impossibly full of something I wasn't ready to name.
> "Do you know how long I've been waiting for you?" she said, her voice low… and far too close to my heart.
I took a step back on instinct. I wasn't scared — I was unprepared.
> "Why?" I asked. "Why were you waiting for me?"
The bed was the only place left to retreat to, so I sat down, trying to keep my distance… but distance had never meant anything with Celeste.
She walked to me — graceful and unhurried — then knelt on the bed beside me. Her hands reached up and rested gently on my shoulders, grounding me, steadying the storm I was trying to hide.
> "Because," she whispered, "you don't seem to know how much I love you…"
She leaned in slightly, her breath brushing against my skin — warm, soft, unbearable in its gentleness.
> "So let me show you."
She tilted her head, lips curving into that mischievous smile that always drove me mad — the one that made me want to kiss her and run from her all at once.
> "Still don't understand?"
"Fine… I'll explain," she teased, rounding her lips like she was spelling out a secret meant for my soul alone.
"You. Are. Mine."
And something in her voice, in the way her hands trailed down my arms, sparked heat beneath my skin.
> It wasn't lust. It wasn't rush. It was gravity — fierce, slow, undeniable.
I tried to turn — to say something snarky, to create space between us again — but Celeste moved faster. She climbed into my lap in one smooth motion, her eyes holding mine hostage.
> "Cael," she whispered, "you can't run from this."
> "Not tonight."
I should've protested. I should've pushed her back — at least pretended to resist — but her touch wasn't demanding. It was asking. Her fingers rested over my heart like they were listening for something only she could hear.
> And the truth was…
I wanted to be caught.
I wanted to stop fighting.
I lifted my eyes to hers — finally — and the moment our gazes locked, she leaned forward and kissed me.
Softly.
Not to conquer. Not to claim.
But to say, "I'm here."
And I kissed her back.
Because finally… I was too.
"A Moment Too Close, A Heart Still Healing"
Caelum's POV
She was finally in my arms.
Celeste — glowing with mischief and love — her lips moving against mine like a melody I hadn't realized I knew by heart. Our kiss was deep, slow, and for a moment, the world outside that room vanished entirely.
> There was only us.
Just her warmth. Her heartbeat against mine. Her breath tangling with mine.
And for a moment, I let myself forget everything — the curses, the pain, the fear of being loved and breaking under it.
But only for a moment.
Because suddenly, a sharp thought crashed into my chest like cold water.
> This is why I didn't want to marry her.
This… wild, reckless girl — she's not just crazy. She'll make me crazy too.
I gently pulled my face away from hers, breaking the kiss, still breathing heavily from the emotions it stirred.
> "Celeste… what are you doing?" I asked, my voice low but firm.
She tilted her head, eyes innocent and challenging at once.
> "You're asking me that?" she said. "Weren't you the one who forced this marriage?"
"Did I ever stop you? Did I object?"
I blinked.
> "No, but—"
She cut me off with a fiery glare and said,
> "Then don't stop me now. Let me do what I want."
She leaned in again, but I gently placed my hand on her shoulder, guiding her to sit beside me instead.
> "Cel… listen to me."
"Love isn't just about physical closeness. Just because our hearts are bound doesn't mean our bodies have to be right now. That's not the only way to love someone."
Her gaze softened — not in surrender, but in deep thought. Then she reached up and placed her hand gently on my cheek.
> "Cael," she whispered, "our souls are already one, aren't they?"
"So why can't our bodies be one too? What are you afraid of?"
I paused, searching for the right words — not to push her away, but to hold her the right way.
> "Because everything's still new for me. For us. I need time… not because I don't want you, but because I do. So much that it terrifies me."
She stared at me in silence for a moment — then suddenly, without warning, she leaned forward and bit me.
> Yes. Bit me.
Right on the side of my neck.
> "Ow— Celeste!" I yelped, staring at her in disbelief.
"What was that for?!"
She smirked with the most unapologetic look on her face.
> "I felt like it."
I ran to the mirror, pulling back my collar — and there it was.
A clear bite mark.
> And because she was a fairy… it shimmered faintly under the moonlight, like a magical tattoo I didn't ask for.
> "Great," I muttered. "Now I'll have your teeth marks on my neck for days."
> "Good," she said with a grin, crossing her arms proudly. "Let everyone know you're mine."
I turned to her, wide-eyed.
> "Celeste. That is not okay."
She just blew a kiss in response and laid back on the bed like she hadn't just branded me.
And yet…
> Even as I touched the bite gently and rolled my eyes at her childish mischief…
> My heart was full.
Because this — this chaos, this heat, this mess of emotion — was her. And I loved every stubborn, impulsive part of her.
Even if she bit first and asked questions later.
To be continue....