Immediately, Atlas lifted my upper body off the bed and into his arms. I couldn't see him clearly, but I knew he had been crying. He buried his face in the crook of my neck and I could feel the wetness on his face. My heart softened at how such a domineering man could break down so easily. With a weak hand, I patted his back to comfort him.

"I'm okay." I reassured him.

It felt weird to wake up to this. What I thought was reality, wasn't reality. Seeing my parents, sisters, and familiar people was like a fresh wound to my heart. The realization that everyone was gone weighed heavily in my heart.

It was one thing to think that everyone died happily, but to hear that they died tragically—it killed me more than anything. Grief hit me like a gigantic tidal wave. I wanted to cry, but I also couldn't cry. My entire life is a complete joke. I clung onto life, only to be disappointed by it.

As soon as I thought of that, I felt Atlas's breath on my skin, and it felt like a warm blanket. It broke the pain I was feeling.

Atlas said nothing. He hugged me tighter. I looked at the people behind him. Silas stood at the foot of the bed with someone I didn't recognize. However, he bore a similar power to mine. A wizard, possibly?

Silas's eyebrows furrowed in concern. The wizard stood next to him with a vial in his hand. The solution inside the vile gleamed purple, translucent with almost like the Milky Way.

I recognized the elixir-- elixir vitae.

The elixir gives the user a chance to come back from the brink of death. It would only prolong my life temporarily, but it was not a fixed to the curse that I carry. My eyes shifted from the elixir to the wizard. It seemed he understood this too, because I could see it on his face.

Either way, I was happy. I get to spend more time with Atlas. That was all that mattered. I looked around the room and recognized that we were no longer in New York, but back in the cold castle of Atlas.

Atlas pulled back and cradled my face. Tears were still streaming down his cheeks. I thought about the tears I felt when I was gone and felt the urge to wipe them away. My gaze drifted lower to his attire, and he looked exactly how he looked in my dreams. His white dress shirt unbuttoned at the top, sleeves rolled up, tie loosened and wrapped around his neck. With how unruly his midnight hair looked right now, I could tell that he spent hours or days running his hands through it.

Did he cry and call out to me while I was under? The tears I felt. Was it from him?

"We'll give you some space." I heard Silas say before I heard the click of the door being closed.

"I thought I lost you," Atlas whispered before leaning in for a desperate kiss.

I could feel his panic and pain through the kiss. I placed a gentle hand on the side of his neck and kissed him back. When he broke the kiss, he pressed his forehead up against mine and I watched his eyes flutter close as he took in a shuddering breath.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm terrified, Ophelia."

"I'm right here." I assured him again.

He swallowed hard and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down. We were silent for a while, but I knew he wasn't finished. I knew something was stuck in his mind.

"When are you going to tell me about the curse?" His question caught me off guard.

Did he mean what I think he means? Does he know now?

My heart stopped as his crimson eyes met mine. It must have been the wizard earlier. My lips quivered as my resistance began deteriorating. Even if he knew, it changed nothing. The curse doomed this love from the beginning. I just didn't think it would hurt this much. I guess the Elders knew what they were doing when they put this curse on me. How wicked was this curse? How much more do I need to suffer?

"There is nothing to tell, Atlas. The curse is unbreakable. I knew this from the beginning."

"You shouldn't have hidden this from me in the first place. This isn't just about you only, Ophelia." He shot up from his spot as a burst of anger and fear rippled through him.

"It is about me. It has nothing to do with you."

"It has everything to do with me. Everything about you has to do with me. You're my beloved mate. My heart. You are my life, Ophelia! Do you think I will be okay after you're gone? There is no me without you. I can't live in a future where there is no you."

I watched him pace in front of me. He shoved his hands through his distressed, midnight hair as he fought to control his unsteady emotions. My heart broke at the sight of him. I threw the soft comforter back and stood up barefoot. I walked over to him and grabbed him by the cheeks. His crimson eyes filled with anguish.

"Look at me, Atlas."

Agony written all over his usual stoic face. It was a look I didn't like on him. I smoothed back the frown lines that etched on his forehead with my fingers.

"I'm still here."

"There's a throbbing pain in my chest. It hurts to breathe or even feel and there is nothing I could do about it because this pain is the love I have for you." He thumped his chest hard with his chest with his fist. I grabbed his fist and pulled it towards me.

"Please, don't do this to yourself. I'm still here and that's all that mattered."

"For how long, Ophelia? How long before you leave me like an empty shell?" Atlas was in pain and because of that, he was lashing out.

He grabbed my shoulders and shook me before moving his hands to grip my neck. He pulled me closer to him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he accused.

It wasn't anger that drove him here. It was his fear of losing me and if the roles were reversed, I would be angry too. No words could explain the pain I feel. It was like a knife scraping against my raw skin. It felt like I was being stabbed in the chest repeatedly. I should have accepted my fate long ago, but I never expected I'll be here. I never expected that I would fall in love with him.

"I'm sorry."

It was the only thing I could say. Tears streamed down my cheeks. The immense pain was eating me inside out.

Atlas captured my lips and without words, told me what he was feeling. I could feel his desperation, despair, anguish, and at the same time, I felt his heart and love for me. I kissed him back just as passionately.

I love him.

I love him with every fiber of my being.

I fisted his disheveled shirt and stood on my tiptoes. I kissed him to memorize his lips and taste. I ripped his shirt off and touched his chest with my hands. Atlas pushed me back towards the bed and, as I fell on top of it, he fell on top of me. He wrapped his hands on the hem of my t-shirt and pulled it off me in one sweep.

Atlas grabbed my breasts and sucked on them one by one. I arched my back and dug my fingernails into his skin.

Our pain pushed and hidden in the back of my mind as we allowed ourselves to be soothed by our warmth and presence.

"Atlas, please," I pleaded in desperation.

We both knew what we wanted and there was no wasting time. He pulled back enough to pull off my sleeping pants and panties. I moved to unbuckle his belt and unzip his pants. With one hand, I pulled his large erection out of his pants.

Atlas positioned himself at my entrance a second later before shoving his length inside of me. I cried out and begged for more. Atlas gripped my hips and began a hard, steady rhythm. He stretched and filled me perfectly.

But...

It wasn't enough. I wanted more of him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down to me. I kissed him as he rocked in and out of me. Our body touched skin to skin.

Our emotions were high, and it didn't take long before I started crying out my release. Atlas's lips moved to the crook of my neck and I felt his sharp canines extended before piercing my skin hard. His bite was painful. I took it though, because I felt the pain he was feeling. It pierced through me like a sharp knife.

I dug my fingers through his hair. My arms wrapped tightly around him as he pummeled inside me harder and faster. My eyes rolled back, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. One of his hands moved to hold my thigh as he hit me deeper than ever.

"Bite me harder," I demanded.

Atlas growled, and I felt him clench harder. His pummeling became erratic, and I knew he was near.

"Harder."

At first, he hesitated.

"Do it."

I don't know why, but I wanted his mark permanently...as if it would pierce through my soul and forever be imprinted in every cell of my body.

Atlas bit down harder, and I felt him jerk. He released deep inside my body as his body shook. He removed his canine from my skin and slowly licked the blood. My skin burned and his gaze saw the damage he had done. I must be a bloody mess. His entire mouth, jaw, and neck dripped with my blood.

"It's okay. I'm fine."

"Ophelia-"

I stopped him with a deep kiss. He kissed me back, and I could taste my blood in his mouth. Somehow, it didn't disgust me.

"Ophelia-" he started again when I broke the kiss. I placed a hand over his mouth.

"Please, don't. I just want to be with you."

The look on his face told me he wasn't ready to put this matter to rest, but he gave in. He pulled away to walk to the bathroom. When he came back, he was carrying a wet towel. He wiped me clean as much as he could. The soft comforter was now stained with my blood. He threw it off as I crawled into bed and beckoned him to sleep next to me.

When he settled next to me, I moved my body into the crook of his arm and rested my head on his shoulder. Feeling him breathe next to me was soothing. He ran his fingers through my hair in a soft caress.

"I love you, Atlas," I said as I fought back tears.

"I love you too, Ophelia."

He turned his head and kissed the top of my head. It took a while for us to sleep. We listened to each other breathe for the longest time.

Eventually, though, exhaustion won over. I don't know how I could still be so tired even though I felt like I had slept for many days. I fell asleep way before he did.