The Devil's Cursed Witch

There was neither guilt nor shame in Ember's eyes, only shyness.

Shyness?

"I...I made the mistake of confessing my feelings to you in my dream, instead of saying it to you in person."

Draven froze in his place as he watched her face flush a beautiful shade of pink.

Confession? She confessed to him in a dream? A memory suddenly resurfaced in his mind.  Was this what Morphues was referring to when he said he heard something from her which was meant for her mate?

Because of the Glass Mist Flowers, Ember mistook Morpheus for Draven?

"In that dream, you accepted my feelings and..." She stopped and exhaled through her mouth. "Well, but, I know now that it was all a dream."

Draven found the unsettling weight inside his chest fading, replaced by a stranger, more complicated feeling he could not name. He understood that she ended up confessing to Morpheus and he responded to her in kind as he had romantic feelings for her as well.

What an ill turn of events. His mate ended up confessing to another male. Another male received what was supposed to be his.

For a second, anger dominated his emotions, but he quickly suppressed it, not wanting to scare Ember.

Seeing no change in Draven's outward appearance, Ember felt more nervous. She had no idea of the turmoil of emotions within her mate. Her emerald green eyes stared at him with expectations. "Won't you say anything?"

Draven could not upset her and said, "It was a good dream you had."

His reply further encouraged her.

"But, see, I don't want it to be just a dream," she said, her gaze full of conviction, akin to a warrior stepping into the frontlines of a battlefield for the first time. "I want to say it to you for real. I want you to hear it for real, and I want to listen to your response for real. You deserve to know how important you are to me."

Draven didn't expect to hear this from his mate and found his heart almost stopped beating at what she had said.

Ember dared to take a step closer towards him, her gaze unwavering as her eyes held his.

"I love you, Draven."

It was as if a flame burst within those ruby-like eyes of his. His eyes widened and his lips parted, a stunned appearance so fascinating to look at, it caused a sweet smile to spread on her face. Finally, a reaction!

Ember felt warmth spread across her body, and before embarrassment could hit her, her hands reached for his shoulders and she tiptoed to peck on his lips.

Seeing him remain like a stone statue, Ember could not help but giggle.

"I love you," she repeated, her eyes sparkling. "I wanted to say this for a while now. I love you. I love you so so much. Just thinking of you makes me smile, and whenever you are not by my side I keep missing you. It's as if I can no longer imagine what life is like before I met you. I never felt this way ever, and you are the only one who can make me feel this way. If what I feel for you is not love, then I don't know what love is."

Love.

It was a word he didn't know he would get to hear from Ember.

A love between a Dragon and a human...

If loving means constantly missing her, wanting to see her smile, being unable to imagine what life was like before meeting her, does that mean he too has fallen in love with his clumsy little mate?

Draven felt as if he had turned silly and foolish, overwhelmed by this realization. Was it truly love? Both of them have fallen in love with each other?

They were initially bound by the compulsion of their mate bond, but now it was not only compulsion anymore. It was not just lust but feelings.

She loves him? He loves her?

Then, that means they are in love with each other.

Love...

The almighty Black Dragon, once again, lost composure. He who feared nothing and barely reacted to anything, found himself acting unlike his normal self.

A mere confession from his mate turned him silly.

However, his mate didn't know the inner chaos in his mind.

Seeing his lack of response, a hint of disappointment appeared in her eyes, not realizing her words were like a bolt out of the blue for her mate.

"Uhm, won't you say anything?"

Her voice pulled Draven back to his senses, and he...gave her forehead a kiss.

This chaste action caused Ember to be bewildered. What did that mean? A kiss to the forehead? Was that a proper response? Was that a rejection, saying he doesn't feel the same way? Was he putting her down gently?

However, the moment she saw his eyes, she knew she misunderstood.

With his gaze stuck on his mate's beautiful face, Draven's hand moved to the back of her waist to support her tiptoeing body and his other hand moved to cup her face, his fingers gently caressing her cheeks, as if making sure she was not a dream.

"If what I feel for you is not love, then I don't know what love is as well, Ember," he said in a voice filled with tender affection, it was like a caress to her heart. "I love you. I have been feeling this way for a long time as well, I simply did not understand it. Forgive me for saying it too late."

"What is there to forgive?"

The most brilliant smile appeared on her face. Indeed, reality was better than her dream.

Her eyes turning moist with happiness, she leaned her face towards him for a kiss. She wished to show him exactly what she felt for him. This time, there was no need to wait for him--she would be taking the initiative.

...and Draven kissed her back with equal fervor, a kiss that started out gentle but insistent, before gradually turning hot and passionate.