That Old Black Magic - By Michelle Rowen Page 0,107
much longer before you realized you were no longer aging.”
She’d lost her black magic that had given her so much power, given her the chance to live for a long time with Darrak. While she’d been glad to have it removed, she’d known it meant she was mortal again—helpless, fragile, and short-lived.
This . . . well, this was a wonderful gift her father had given her.
Then again, he did have nearly thirty birthdays to make up for.
Eden nodded, bracing herself for more pain. “Then go ahead and take away the cloaking. I’m ready.”
Daniel shrugged. “Sorry to disappoint, but I already did that the moment I woke up. You didn’t even feel it, did you?”
She didn’t. She felt no different at all. There was no pain, no discomfort, not even any sensation of morning sickness from before.
Eden put her hand over her stomach. “But the baby . . .”
“Don’t worry. She’s fine.”
Her heart pounded as she looked at Darrak.
He nodded and gave her a big grin as he hugged her against him. “She.”
A girl. They were going to have a daughter.
Darrak tensed against her, his gaze fixed on the angel. He watched Daniel as if waiting for her father to pull them apart.
But he didn’t. Instead Daniel reached his hand out. Darrak eyed it for a moment as though he was uncertain of what to do. Then he grasped hold of the angel’s hand and shook it.
“Be good to my daughter,” Daniel said. “Or else.”
Darrak couldn’t help but grin. “Yes sir.”
Eden felt a lump form in her throat. “Will I ever see you again?”
Daniel leaned forward to kiss her cheek. “You can count on it.”
Then, within the blink of an eye, Daniel disappeared in a flash of light.
He was gone. She’d met her father for about the same amount of time as he’d been in her presence before. And now he’d gone back to Heaven.
“So,” Darrak said after a quiet moment. “Your father didn’t destroy me.”
She nodded. “I think you’ve been destroyed enough lately.”
“Agreed. And he didn’t beat me up or get out a shotgun when he realized you were pregnant.”
“He handled it like a champ. No shotgun required.” She swallowed hard then, remembering all that had happened. “Will Lucas be okay?”
“He just swallowed enough black magic to choke a hundred hellhounds. I think even somebody like him will need a while to recover from that.”
She looked down at the spot Darrak had stood when she’d thought he was frozen, before he phased both himself and Lucas out of there. “You didn’t kill him.”
“No, and he didn’t kill me. In fact, he saved me.”
“Looks like he saved me, too.” Her eyes widened with surprise as it all sank in. Gratitude flowed through her for the prince who’d deceived her, demanded things from her, and nearly destroyed her. “I knew he wasn’t all bad.”
“He’s my hero,” Darrak said dryly. “However, I’ll still kick his ass if he ever comes anywhere near you again.”
“And that is why I love you so much.” Eden took his face between her hands and kissed him before hugging him tightly against her. “You’re my guardian angel.”
He snorted. “Come on, now, let’s not end this with an insult.”
She smiled. “You don’t have to possess me anymore.”
“We’ll look on those as the good old days. Although, I have to admit I was getting kind of used to living in Eden, my own personal garden of paradise. This is better, though. We can be together because we want to, not because we have to.”
“You’re sure about that?”
“Positive.” He frowned. “Aren’t you?”
She pulled away from him and walked to the doorway leading to the hall, her arms crossed. Then she turned to face him. “I—I have a question for you first, Darrak. An important one.”
The certainty in his eyes slipped a little. “What is it?”
Eden studied him carefully. “You promise to answer me honestly?”
He nodded solemnly. “I promise.”
“Okay, now I understand based on how things have gone down before if you need to think about it, but . . .”
His dark brows drew together. “Eden, what is it? Tell me. What’s the question?”
“I just need to know . . . will you marry me?”
He stared at her for a long moment before a grin stretched across his handsome face. “Finally a question I know I’m smart enough to answer.”
Ben watched with relief as Eden and Darrak left the house. He and the others had waited outside, pacing, not knowing what to do next.