Dante Blackwood's Arc

Chapter 5 of 6

A week after Scarlet wrote her name on his drawing, Dante stood at his front gate and waited for her. He had asked her to come back. The wolf sat beside him, her white heart-mark bright in the morning sun. Dante held the drawing in his hands. Scarlet's name curled small in the corner. He had looked at that name every night. And every night the same fear crept in. She might read it as a friend's mark. Not what it truly was. Her boots crunched on the drive. She stopped at the flowering fence and smiled up at him. "You called me back to your castle," she said. The wolf trotted to her and pressed against her legs. Scarlet crouched and scratched the animal's ears. "Even she missed me." Dante's throat felt tight. He led her through the carved oak door and into the empty front room. He had planned this moment for days. But now the words stuck. He held out the drawing. "You marked this," he said. Scarlet took it. "I did. To say I'm staying." She glanced up. "Is that wrong?" "No." His hands closed and opened. He could stay silent. Let her think it meant friendship. Safe. But safe had kept his house empty for years. "I need to tell you what your name means to me." She went still. The wolf lay down between them. Dante forced the words out. "I drew you because I couldn't stop thinking of you. Not as a friend." His voice dropped low. "I want you. All of you. I want your name in my house because I love you." The room went quiet. Scarlet stared at him. Her teal eyes filled. For one long breath she said nothing, and his chest went cold. "Say something," he said. She stepped close and put her hand flat on his chest. "You finally said it out loud." A tear slid down her cheek. "I wrote my name because I love you too. I thought you knew." Dante bent and kissed her. She rose on her toes to meet him. His hands framed her small face. When they broke apart, she was laughing and crying at once. "I was scared you'd read it wrong," he said. "I almost did." She pressed her forehead to his. "Don't ever make me guess again." The wolf thumped her tail on the floor. Dante held Scarlet against him in the bare room that no longer felt empty. He had said the dangerous thing. She had not run. She had stayed. Then Scarlet pulled back. Her smile faded. "Dante. If I'm yours, the whole grove will know. People who still cross the street when they see you." She searched his face. "Are you ready for them to see us together?" He had claimed her in private. Now the town waited outside his gate.