A darklina story~How would the story end if the battle at the climax of Seige & Storm between Alina and the Darkling happened at a different place and time-After the Darkling became the reigning king. What would have happened if the Sun Summoner sur...
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TᕼE ᗪᗩᖇKᒪIᑎG ᒪOOKS ᗪOᗯᑎ at me as he carries me to the Lantsov garden. The pure, unfiltered sunshine soaks through my skin, making me feel whole once again.
He sets me carefully on the stone bench next to the water fountain, supporting my body against his, seeing that I am still weary. He places an arm on my back and strokes my shoulder gently with his thumb.
With a hoarse voice, I ask, "Why did you put me in there?"
He looks at the fountain as the water flows and splashes on the white marble. "We all need some time in the shadows. The darkness forces us to contemplate things we usually do not think about. It took you a long time to acknowledge what you needed to. Whether you like it or not, I had made a good choice placing you in there."
"Your version of making a 'good choice' is locking me in a secluded chamber?"
"It was good for you because you finally admitted that loneliness was your worst fear."
My eyebrows furrow in confusion. "I haven't told you my worst fear or what I was thinking in that room. How did you know..." I trail off in realization. When I look up at him, he avoids my gaze. "Tell me the truth. Did you use the tether to enter and control my dream?"
"I did," he says in a casual voice as if we were discussing the weather.
I can't help the look of deception cross my face. I try to get up and escape his never-ending manipulation, but my legs shake and I fall back on the bench.
He puts his hands on my waist to steady me. "Careful, you are still weak."
"Why did you do it? Why did you interfere with my dream to make me feel so alone?" I ask him desperately. I don't understand why he would do this.
"I needed you to know how I felt for four hundred years. I was completely alone after Luda was killed. I thought I was going to live a life without anyone that truly understood me. Then you appeared," his voice gets softer. "You were my one glimpse of hope after a long time of solitude. I need you to understand why I do the things I do when it involves you. I finally found you, and I will do anything to keep you within my grasp. That deep connection we feel, the one we can't explain when we are with each other, it is loneliness that connects us, Alina.
When I look into his eyes, I can see the vulnerable Aleksander shining through his mask of shadows. Aleksander has hidden his emotions for so long to conceal the fact that he hated having to be alone for centuries.
I do not realize what I am doing until there is no turning back. I lean into him and kiss his lips gently. He puts a hand on the back of my neck and returns the kiss. He looks as surprised as I am. After a moment, our foreheads touch and his arms tighten around my core.
