Hellbound Heart

Chapter 382  Kyle and Lilith (Part 4)

The words seemed to weigh heavily on him, a confession of a truth both had silently acknowledged but never voiced. He swallowed, the act visibly conveying the difficulty he found in vocalizing these thoughts. "I can't deprive you of the pleasures in life because of my desire to be with you, can I?"

Lilith's tears began their silent descent, tracing paths down her cheeks. This revelation was unexpected. She hadn't anticipated that Kyle would have already delved so deeply into the heart of their predicament, even understanding and considering all its complexities. One of her primary reasons for resolving to let him go again was precisely this – the inevitable passage of time for her, a mortal witch, against his near-immortal vampire existence. The reality that she would grow old and die, while he continued on, had always been in her mind. She didn't want him to watch her grow old. She never want him to watch her die. "I don't… want you to watch me grow old…" Lilith's voice broke through her tears, each word a testament to the depth of her emotions. Kyle tenderly cupped her face in his hands, gently wiping away the tears that streamed down her cheeks.

"Don't cry. I understand, Lilith," he soothed, his voice a comforting balm. "I know that if I were in your position, it would also be hard for me to even contemplate. I will never force you to endure that… so please…"

With her eyes still shimmering with unshed tears, Lilith suddenly asked with a hint of daring in her voice, "Tell me, Kyle, if I tell you that I'll give you ten years of my life starting today... will you take it?"

At her words, Kyle's movements stilled, a mixture of surprise and deep emotion washing over his face. Then, as if compelled by a force greater than himself, he leaned in and kissed her. "Oh, Lilith, I would cherish every single moment of it," he whispered against her lips, his voice raw with sincerity.

"Even if that would mean no sex for you for ten years?" "I told you, I can live without that," he affirmed, his conviction clear.

Lilith took a deep breath before she uttered her next question. "If one day, I tell you to leave me forever, will you listen to me and go?" Kyle lowered his gaze, the internal struggle visible in his eyes. But then, lifting his head, he offered her a smile, a gesture of acceptance and promise. "Yes. If that's what you truly want, I promise I'll listen and leave without turning back."

"Then... that's settled..." Lilith declared, "ten years, Kyle... I want to be with you for ten years." The room, bathed in the soft glow of the sun, became the stage for a moment that would forever alter the course of their destinies.

Kyle rose from the bed, his figure casting a long, dramatic shadow across the room. With a swift gesture, he knelt before her, an act of devotion and humility that took Lilith's breath away. The world seemed to pause around them, the very air holding its breath. Her heart pounding in her chest as if trying to escape the confines of her ribcage.

Lilith's eyes suddenly grew wide as Kyle reached for his necklace, a jewelry that he had been wearing since the very first time she met him. With a swift, resolute gesture, he pulled the necklace off, unveiling a ring that had been carefully concealed within its embrace. This ring wasn't just any jewelry; it held a significance that Lilith was deeply aware of.

Kyle had once confided in her the priceless value of this ring. It was more than just metal and stone; it was a legacy, a treasure bestowed upon him by his late grandmother. Lilith remembered the way his eyes had held hers, imbued with a dreamlike intensity, as he shared that he would one day pass this ring to the most precious person in his life. The memory of that conversation, his dreamy, unfathomable look, which she had never quite deciphered at the time, now unfurled its meaning in this very moment.

"Lilith, Queen of witches," he began, his voice trembling with emotion, "will you be my wife? For... ten years?" His words hung in the air, a proposal that defied the norms of their worlds, a vow for a decade of togetherness in the face of eternity.

Lilith's heart pounded in her chest, her emotions a whirlwind. "Yes," she replied, her voice a testament to the love and courage that filled her. With a tenderness that seemed to slow the passage of time, Kyle delicately guided the ring onto Lilith's finger. The ring nestled there, a perfect fit, as though the ring had always been meant to find its home there, and as though it had been crafted with her in mind, waiting for this destined moment to arrive.

In a fluid motion, driven by a yearning that had long simmered beneath the surface, Kyle drew her closer. And then their lips met in a kiss that transcended mere physical contact, becoming a profound melding of souls. This kiss was not just an expression of love; it was a declaration, a commencement of a journey they were to embark on together. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

In that moment, their destinies were sealed. Kyle and Lilith would be inseparable from that day forward, two halves of a whole, bound together by a love as deep as the ocean and as enduring as the stars. Their union, born from a love so pure and strong, would also one day come to be known as the cursebreaker – the love that would become the key to breaking the age-old curse that had long divided witches and vampires. ___