He couldn’t help but feel that there was some ambivalence about it.

Maybe she’s trying to calm him down with her smile that he messed up somewhere, maybe she’s still in pain, and he forced her to have sex with him...

This thought seemed to hit him on the spine with a shovel, it was impossible to blindly trust himself when it came to this reckless girl. But before he could continue his chain of reasoning, he heard her next words.

- I think I love you....

That was more than enough to make him freeze like a statue now, blinking stupidly and making sense of what he had just heard.

- What do you mean it "think"? - He grinned nervously, not showing her how happy he was at that moment.

Raphael couldn’t believe his own ears that he had finally heard those words from her. Oh, how long he had been waiting for this. It was like an obsession.

- I love you, you fool. - She repeated confidently, smiling her brightest smile, her eyes shining with happiness.

- Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this? - He bent down, touching her forehead with his own.

Rafael couldn’t take his eyes off the girl he loved so much, whom he idolized and in whom he saw the meaning of his life. No amount of passion and lust could overshadow the bright feeling of love in his heart.

As if at that very moment, his stone heart suddenly shook off all the age-old dust and began to beat again, came to life again, spreading warmth through his body. He felt alive again.

- I love you, my princess. The most charming, gentle and the most courageous. - He whispered and kissed her softly, moistening her lips with his tongue, parting them and sliding inside her mouth. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Thea gasped and at that moment he began to move inside her again, making it clear that all this time he remained just as hard and thirsty.

Her hands, resting on his shoulders, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and with one movement she tore it open, causing the buttons to fly in different directions.

All this time, she only dreamed of feeling his skin, running her hands over his bare, muscular chest. Oh, God, how she missed all of him. Could anyone even have such an amazing physique? It was illegal and could cause a heart attack in untrained young girls.

Raphael helped to take off the remnants of what had been a shirt a second ago and immediately repeated this trick with her nightgown. One-on-one, there will be no winner in this duel.

- You know, I can admire you forever. - He whispered, running his tongue between her breasts.

Thea bit her sensual lips, feeling the taste of Raphael on them, as he continued to shower caresses all over her body, without stopping to enter her hard, from which her breasts jumped with every thrust.

He grabbed one of her legs, throwing it over his shoulder and grabbing her ass to move her closer for deeper contact. Her eyes closed blissfully as she arched up to meet his pressure.

- Raf... Ha... - she whispered between moans.

Hearing his name from her mouth sent a jolt of electricity through his entire body, and he began to frantically impale her on his penis in order to finally bring them both closer to the desired release.

Her tight pussy enveloped his every movement with moisture, creating a slight slip and their hearts stopped with each time, they both felt it, until with a final jerk, accompanied by Raphael’s growl and Thea’s squeak, he finally collapsed on her, pouring his seed inside, filling her until the last drop remained inside her womb.

Artemis’s words rang clearly in his ears at that moment and he was sure that now they would have a chance to create a full-fledged family, which Thea had always dreamed of.

But he would tell her about it later, they would still have time, and in the meantime he continued to move slowly inside her, while his penis was still twitching slightly from the orgasm he had experienced. It was too powerful and too bright and his cock still couldn’t get back to its original state, still remaining hard.

***

They were lying in bed after another round in which Thea took revenge by climbing on top of him like she was a seasoned horsewoman. Well, Raphael was ready to get used to this right away.

Rafael was lying on his back, and Thea was clinging to him like an octopus, throwing her legs over him and wrapping her arm around his torso. It was so nice to lie in silence and, most importantly, the calm that everyone needed so much lately.

They did not know how much time had passed while they were in seclusion with each other, but they had time to talk about a lot, about everything that happened to them, to their peoples, about those whom they could not save and about those who were miraculously saved.

And mainly about the fact that Thea would now have to live in a completely different capacity, no matter how much she resisted it, she no longer had a choice. Fortunately, both agreed that both are mortal now, which means that as soon as they get bored with this life, they can end it, because no one should live forever.

And yet, a slight residue remained on her soul after all her internal arguments with herself.

Thea was still painfully worried about the loss of people dear to her, but being in a depressed mind allowed her to sort everything out, she allowed herself to completely mourn the death of Jenin and after a few hours of talking with Rafael, she was able to force herself to swallow her pain and resentment, and forgive him.

Rather, to forgive would be the wrong word, rather she gave him a chance to prove that he really regretted what he had done, as he swore to her. Although Thea understood how difficult it must have been to be aware of her actions in a state of passion, but this loss was still irreparable for her.

Thea got a promise from Raphael that they would be able to hold a memorial service after all state affairs were resolved, because it was very important for her to do this, fully owning her own body and mind. She wanted to see her friend off on her last journey and thank her for everything she had done for her.

They also had to take care of the funeral ceremony for the rest of the dead, whose account was difficult to keep.

Thea made Raphael promise that even Madeleine would be honored with a royal burial, despite all her misdeeds. But here Rafael did not contradict, because he had already promised this to Terrence, who, by the way, after the death of his mother and sister became more withdrawn and still did not find the strength to inquire about Thea’s health. He probably already knew that her body was irrevocably turning into a vampire.

Thea closed her eyes, adjusting her breathing to the rhythm of Raphael’s heart, which was beating so loudly in her ears.