The Summoners' Heir

Chapter 35: The First of Many Eclipses

ALINA

Alina was a well of emotion.

She did not love him. She was not there yet.

And she knew she could not lie. But there was something that tied her to him. She could not deny that. She felt a sense of belonging here that she knew she would get nowhere else. But there was something else on her mind. Not about her feelings, but his.

How could he love her? How could a man of so many years and experience? It didn't make sense. Had it been too long? No. There was just one nagging thought that wouldn't give her peace.

Did he love her or did he just love the idea of her?

He had been waiting for his sun summoner for centuries, perhaps his whole life. He wanted a companion to save him from his fate of loneliness. I mean, fair enough. But what did that mean for her? If someone else were the sun summoner, would Aleksander have loved them? Probably. Would she be that easily replaced? Again, that would not be the Darkling's fault, but it still did not quite sit right with her. Was any of this real? Could she trust him? Trust his love?

She did not like this confusion. She did not like this fear. It plagued her. It burned within her.And she could feel herself losing control. Her face was warm, and her vision was losing focus, growing brighter. All she knew was that she needed him. She needed him to bring her back.

"Wait," she reached for him.

She needed him to balance her. Stop her from burning.

I will never leave.

I might not love you yet

But I will never leave you.

Man, this was too complicated.

"I am not leaving you, Aleksander. Look at me."

If he loved her like he said, he would look at her as she truly was.

And he did.

She felt a wave of emotion for him in that moment. She couldn't place it, but she knew she was grateful to him at that moment. He was there when he needed her. She knew she could count on him.

She felt him move towards her, wrapping his arms around her. It was suddenly darker, quieter. Her mind was no longer racing. She could hear her thoughts again and whispers of comfort keeping her sane.

Sshshsh Alina. You are safe now. You are safe.

Aleksander was not speaking. How could this be?

Shshsh, you are safe, moi sol. Do not burn.

She closed her eyes and allowed the whispers to soothe her. She was protected. She was loved.

I will not let you burn, moi sol. You are precious to me.

Alina felt something awaken in her. Something beyond her control. A voice from within her that she did not know she had.

Thank you, my shadows. I will brighten your days for all eternity. I will never leave you.

Alina had never felt more secure than she did now. And she could not explain what she had just heard. Nor could Aleksander explain what he just saw. But they both knew that this was something beyond them - something far greater.

Their souls called to each other. They always would. Their fates were entwined and always would be.

One day, Alina would love Aleksander.

One day, the sun would stop burning and rest in its shadows.

But for now,

Aleksander loves Alina.

And the shadows love their sun. 

Hey guys, 

How was your weekend?  Sorry for the late update, things were a bit busy this weekend. I  do apologise for this chapter, I literally  wrote this just now on the spot so I hope it wasn't too bad. I'll probs come back and edit this. And I know it's cheesy but bare with me ok. A little sappiness never hurt anybody. As always lmk your thoughts and would love to hear your chapter names!! Have an awesome week lovelies! ❤️