As Dark As Dusk( Dangerous Stranger Book 3)

Epilogue

After the wedding, we were back in London. Christin had busied himself in preparing for the best marriage he can give to me. In reality, he was scared that he would disappoint me. And he bought, though he is a miser, the biggest diamond that can find for me. But more than that, he had kept his promise.

He came back to me every night, with a black rose.

He never forgets that.

Life fell into place after Emilia decided to disappear with William Mackintosh. And his son, was very thankful to me and Christin for the wedding arrangement, that he asked us to use his rose garden with a beautiful gazebo for the wedding. Christin agreed, seeing how much I am in love with open spaces.

Also, he promised us that he will keep his father away from Christin and his Empire.

Christin walked into the house and he looked angry for some reason. He took off his tailcoat and hat. I became alarmed. Something was wrong with him. Or someone had taken something precious away from under his nose.

"Master, what do you need?" One of the maids asked. Normally, Christin would have fired her, or worse hurt her somehow. But since he had become a tamer version of himself. He looked at her and said, "Peace, tell your mistress that I have arrived and that I would meet her at supper." I am listening to you clearly Christin.

The maid met my eyes and a blush crept over her face. Oh, she is smitten by the master of the house. Why am I not surprised? "Go and prepare for supper." She nodded and walked away. Then she gave one last look at the door towards the basement of the house.

I knew he was angry over something, there is no other time he ever spends alone in that darkness, other than when he thinks he can harm me. I have known that this was something he never wishes to do to me ever.

So I walked towards the door after I had taken my mother's sword in my hand. It is a precaution for anything that was waiting inside for me. I know he told me that I should stay away, but the thing is I know he meant the opposite of that. He did not want me to stay away. He wants me to soothe whatever is troubling him but he is not going to say that because it would hurt his pride.

It was dark, too dark to see anything. Perhaps that is why I slipped and almost fell over the steps. But a pair of strong arms gripped me tighter. "You should have not come here." His tone had a lack of warmth and it could freeze over the entire London a thousand times over. His hand squeezed over my waist. Tightening their grip further.

"I can hurt you" He whispered. I stayed standing there not moving. "I will hurt you, like the last time. I will mark your body more than it already is." He tighten his grip to the point where it started to hurt me. But I did not yell or scream for him to let go of me.

"Hurt me, this time I am consenting..." I paused and for the first time in ages cast my eyes down. "Master, I am your slave, you can hurt me if you think it can please you." I felt a touch of leather under my chin. "Yes Katherine, my slave. The one I love to hurt, but unfortunately, you are the only one in this entire world that I love. So much, that it fails my every rationality."

There were those sweet words again.

A shuffle in the dark. The sound of clothes falling down. I am still not looking at him. His callous hand on my back working over my laces on the back. And then a rip, followed by another one, he is impatient. But I did not move. Then the air cold hit my skin. I am wrapped in nothing but darkness.

His fingers over my neck and then I felt the silk under my back. The cold metal over my wrist and my neck. My ankles were locked in a place. I was chained in those shackles.

I consent... master

I consent to your darkness. As I consent to your light. I would be anything that you wish me to be, your woman, your slave, your wife, your lover. I consent to your kind, I consent to your cruelty, I consent to your sadness, and I consent to your smiles, I consent to your anger, and I consent to your love. I consent to be yours in this world and beyond. I consent to be yours in this lifetime and others. I consent to be yours and only yours from tonight.

As those words revolved in my head, I felt it the first soft sting of leather over my skin. He was trying to control himself. Not to hurt me, not to let the monster reappear like that night.

"Master, you do not have to hold back." I heard a gasp and then pain consumed me. Then came the fire when his lips touched my skin. And then the sensation of soothing his tears. As they felt cold over my heated skin.

"Master..." he kissed me. Then the shackles fell down. "Why did not you stop me from hurting you, Katherine? Why?" more tears more kisses. "Why don't you stop this monstrous urge inside of me? Why?" Cold drops over my skin and hot sensations from his lips. "Because I am your slave master. I am here to please you, anyway, I can." "No, Katherine, I was born to serve you. I am your slave; you are my master. You always were. I always loved you. Always from the first day, I saw you, I loved you."

"Hush," I whispered. "Hush, master, you haven't finished punishing me. For defying you, you should enjoy a rare occurrence when it happens when I obey you." "Obey me" he repeated as if not believing over my words. "Yes Master, I am obeying you," I told him. His mouth met mine again for a kiss, it was angry, it was possessive and it was hungry. He pulled back and look at me with those dark cold eyes of his.

"Give me permission, to hurt you, my love. I wish to hurt you, so much." He whispered. "Yes," My voice was unrecognizable. It came out broken, croaked, and filled with anticipation. He pushed me over on my fours and I felt his skin over mine his mouth close to my ear and his mouth whispering "Hold the headboard tightly so I do not have to shackle you, my love. This is going to hurt."

By the time we are done, the time of supper came. He had turned the lights on afterwards and I looked at another ruined dress. "You have ruined my dress once again." "You did not love that either, and neither I have on you. Come here, what is the hurry? I would ring for a maid and she can get you something to wear." The maid of course. I looked at his relaxed form. He was covered in sheets and nothing. The only place he does that is this. He is relaxed inside his basement.

I had already covered myself in his shirt. That he did not approve. "Do not hide your body from me. He said unbuttoning that and he covered me with the same sheets. He placed his head over the crook of my neck. "We need to eat; I need to eat to keep up with your monstrosity." "Later," He was clinging to me. That is a rare occurrence.

"Christin, what happened?" I asked. He did not look surprised that I knew something was wrong with him. "Crawford," he said. That name sent a jolt of fear through my body. "I thought he is dead," I said stroking his hair and then unconsciously tracing his scars. "The dead do not stay dead if you are talking about Crawford. And he is here in London."

That is why he was angry. Because Christin Ace Rodriguez never fails. He never fails. This was a failure that is going to cost him a lot. That is something he had been able to prevent. "What you need then?" I asked holding his face in my hands. "I have you, and now I need to make sure that you stay mine. I want to protect you Kathy, keep you safe, and out of harm's way. And I have failed..."

"Hush, and listen to me, you have not failed, ok? You haven't failed in protecting me. Stop blaming yourself, Christin. And tell me what can I do, what can I..." "If I ask you to marry me tomorrow, will you, do it? I know all those things that you wanted to have and..." I smiled. "If you ask me that I wish to marry you now, Christin, I would do it. It is you I want. It is you I always wanted." I told him holding his hand.

"Tomorrow we are leaving for my family home. I do not wish to have more secrets in between us." He told me. "Alright, Lord Rodriguez, I am ready to follow you to the end of the earth." He relaxed. "For now, I only wish that you follow me to Ireland, only that." I nodded and we kissed again. 

Word Count: 1595 Words