Cedric stirred awake for the second time that day to a sight he still couldn’t bring himself to believe. As soon as his gaze fell on Marisol, he couldn’t, for the life of him, tear his gaze away from her sleeping form. She looked so serene in her slumber, so beautiful, ethereal even.
Unconsciously, a content smile brightened his features. He’d worn her out to exhaustion. That warmed his heart. A chuckle threatened to escape his lips at his own silly thoughts, but he’d be damned if he selfishly disturbed her sleep.
He tentatively lifted a finger to lightly trace the slope of her nose, then the outline of her kiss-swollen lips. How on earth had he bagged Marisol?
He didn’t deserve her. And with that thought, the euphoria of their mating ceremony wore off. He immediately retracted his hand and rolled out of bed abruptly, the cold fingers of realization gripping him harshly.
‘What the hell was I thinking!’ Cedric thought to himself as he began to pace back and forth, a nervous habit he’d developed since Marisol came into the picture.
How could he have been so careless? How could he have allowed himself to give in to his desires, knowing full well the consequences? He’d promised himself to stay away from her, yet what had he done? He’d gone and sealed their mating bond, and now they were connected forever. His fingers ran through the strands of his hair, tugging at it in frustration.
There was no way he was worthy of someone as otherworldly as Marisol. This was going to be hell for her even if she hadn’t realized it yet. She was beautiful, perfect in every way, and Cedric…… he was a beast. He was chained to the darkness and cursed to spend the rest of his days wallowing in it.
A wave of self-loathing washed over him as he berated himself for his weakness. How could he have been so selfish, so reckless? Marisol deserved so much better than this…. Than him. She deserved someone who could give her the world, someone who wasn’t going to force her into spending the rest of her days navigating a curse.