Chapter 161. Splendid Idea

From that moment on, he had stood watch over her.

Emperor Demarion Dracul had committed to this war the instant Aakifahlynn revealed her plans. He never wavered in his determination to protect her, frustratingly so, at times-but unwavering all the same.

And then, something within her changed.

With the weight of battle finally gone and vengeance no longer burning in her veins, Aakifahlynn felt her awareness shift. 

Memories from the 1400s brushed against her heart-echoes of moments shared, of what might have been in another century, another lifetime, when candlelight and whispered promises had bound them just as surely as blood and magic.

Aakifahlynn looked at Demarion then-not as her protector, not as the Emperor, but as the man who had chosen her in every life.

The realization struck with such force it nearly stole her breath and swept her from her feet.

As he continued to reassure her, dismissing her gratitude, promising he would do it all a