Chapter 9: Contract or No Contract
Violet’s tears glistened like diamonds as Fernando tenderly wiped them away with his thumb, his touch impossibly gentle for hands that had known such violence. “Would you do that?” she whispered, her voice trembling with uncertainty. His response came not in words, but in motion – fluid and graceful as he lowered himself to one knee.
The air seemed to crystallize around them. Her breath caught in her throat, a small gasp escaping her lips as he gazed up at her with eyes that held centuries of loneliness. “You know my vulnerabilities,” he began, his voice rich and deep like aged whiskey. “You’ve seen what lies beneath the mask. In all my years, I’ve never been so certain of anything – you are my fated mate, and I love you with every fiber of my being.” His fingers trembled slightly as he produced a ring box, opening it to reveal a pink diamond that caught the light like a captured sunset. “Will you please marry me?”
Time seemed to suspend itself as Violet stared at the ring, her heart waging a war between two loves. The ghost’s presence lingered in her memories like a sweet perfume, but Fernando’s warmth before her was undeniable. “Yes,” she finally breathed, the word barely audible but heavy with consequence.
Fernando slipped the ring onto her finger, the cool metal a stark contrast to his warm hands. His kiss was passionate, desperate almost, as if he feared she might disappear. “Johan,” he called out, his voice echoing through the space, “bring me the contract.” His loyal servant materialized with the document, and Fernando’s actions spoke louder than words as he tore the paper in half, the sound sharp and final in the quiet room.
“Now you no longer have to stay with me, baby,” he murmured, his fingers intertwining with hers, “but I hope you choose to.” The weight of his trust pressed against her chest like a physical thing, even as doubt crept through her veins like ice water.
“As long as you treat me well, I promise I’ll stay,” she offered, the words tasting bittersweet on her tongue. His smile was radiant, transformative. “That’s easy, my future queen. Of course I will treat you right.” The kiss that followed was softer, a promise sealed in silence.
At Fernando’s command, Johan unlocked the door, revealing Terri and Ribero hovering anxiously outside. Their forced smiles couldn’t quite mask the pain in their eyes – two more hearts silently breaking in the shadows of this moment. Each congratulatory hug carried its own story of unrequited love, especially Ribero’s, whose embrace lingered a heartbeat too long, anger simmering beneath his careful composure.
Later, after Fernando and Violet departed, the remaining three gathered in the empty club, their voices barely above whispers. “I’m not real happy about this,” Terri confessed, worry etching lines around her eyes. Ribero’s response was grim: “Now he’s going to be really jealous if someone even looks at her wrong. If she doesn’t marry him, it’s all over.”
The drive home was quiet, the night pressing against the car windows like black velvet. But inside the house, the ghost’s fury manifested in trembling walls and rattling windows, his rage at hearing the word “wife” shaking the very foundation of the building.
Fernando’s confession about the charm pill’s permanence hung in the air like a guillotine blade. His deep kiss, tongue invasive and possessive, spoke of ownership more than love. When Violet pulled back, her discomfort visible, his response sent chills down her spine: “Don’t worry, you will get used to all the things I’m going to do to you.”
That night, after Fernando left her locked in her home, the ghost appeared at her bedside, temporarily reanimated through necromantic magic. His kiss was different – warm, soft, natural. As she confessed her fears about Fernando, about seeing his true face and becoming his unwilling “fated mate,” the ghost’s hands trembled with barely contained emotion. He removed her engagement ring, casting it aside like the empty promise it was, before vanishing with a final, desperate kiss and a promise to return.
Alone again, Violet retrieved the ring from the floor, placing it on her nightstand where it sparkled in the moonlight. Sleep eventually came, but her dreams were filled with masks and promises, and the impossible choice between a Fae King anda dead man’s love.