Becoming the Dark Prince (Stalking Jack the Ripper, #3.5)

by Kerri Maniscalco

I really hated how hard he tried to charm the girl I adored. Right in front of me.

It took all of my willpower to keep myself a decent distance away. One word or plea from her was all it’d take. It was more than lust. More than a physical need. I adored every part of her. If she asked me to, I’d unleash every one of my desires, pleasuring her in a way that would let her know precisely how much I cherished her.

I longed to touch her. First her mind, then her heart, and, finally, her body. I wished to own every inch of space between us and fill it with each emotion I’d ever suppressed or pretended away. I wanted to strip my soul bare for only her to see and then do the same with my clothing, giving her everything I had of me. Scars and all.

In four short days, she’d be in my arms, bleeding out. And I’d finally become the dark prince my father knew me to be, as I unleashed myself upon them all.

“I will follow you beyond death and drag you back if I must.”

“I fight against my innate selfishness because I love her. I want to be better not just for her, but also for me. I want to be the sort of man who earns her trust and love and then works to keep it by growing into an even better person.”

“And she hardly requires a knight to save her. She’s more likely to ride in and save you and then smack you for being an idiot,” I said, finally looking up. But the ringmaster had disappeared once again.

You almost killed yourself for me. You took a knife to the femur. You nearly ripped my heart from my chest as you lay dying.

“The price of love doesn’t come cheaply,” she said. “But the cost is worth it.”

I wound the body of the dragon around the top portion of the cane. Then I added two rubies where the eyes were located. My ode to my favorite dragon in our Romanian home—Henri. I sketched a stiletto blade at the opposite end, then turned the notepad back around. “Can you craft it so pushing the ruby eye will release a hidden blade?” He frowned a bit, considering. “Will she be getting into another knife fight?”

“Our work will always be important to each of us. But you have my heart wholly, Wadsworth. No matter what. The only way that will be taken is in death. And even then, I will fight with every piece of me to hold your love near. Now and forevermore.”

“What do you want, Thomas?” she asked, her chin jutting upward. “No teasing or quips. Tell me what you truly want.” Her question surprised me into answering without holding back. “I want you. I want to give you pleasure, both mentally and physically all day and every night for the rest of our lives. I want to be the reason you smile.” I watched as a slight flush crept up her neck, pleased. She longed for that too, it seemed. “I want to spend hours and years of my life figuring out ways of making you happy. I want you to feel the same way about me. Not because I’ve demanded it of you, but because every piece of you longs for me. I want our passion to ignite the world around us, making even the stars jealous.”

But I have never known jealousy until I was introduced to it aboard the Etruria. I want to deny it, to pretend I’m some perfect, unfeeling machine who didn’t care, but that’s a vicious lie. I cared. I cared so much I wanted to punch a wall, as senseless and idiotic as that would be. I considered shoving that pompous ass of a ringmaster right off the deck, knowing I’d rejoice in his drowning. It gave me unparalleled pleasure just imagining his demise. You have no idea the strength it takes, shoving that beast inside, remembering that’s not the kind of person I want to be. Not now, or ever. I will not become a monster for you. The kind of love I crave isn’t cruel or possessive. Do not expect me to act either way. I will never beg or use subversive tactics to win your heart. I will earn it because you choose to give it to me of your own free will, or I won’t have it at all. I will never manipulate you. No one should. And if they do? They aren’t worth your time.”

“I had no idea you could sing so… loudly. Tell me,” she teased, “which alley cat gave you lessons as a kitten?” I snorted. “I’ll have you know alley cats across the globe take offense to that.”

Her answer was a kiss. The kind that shattered dark walls and replaced them with light.

Our future belonged only to us. Our pasts might have shaped us, but we were the masters of how they’d continue to do so in our present. I would only be a monster if I allowed myself to be one. I was also free to choose another path. One that was filled with love and laughter and light.

Dreams. I would always choose dreams over nightmares. Light over darkness, and love over hate. And I would continue to make that choice forever. Each of us held the power to decide our own destiny.

I was no longer in danger of becoming the dark prince—the threat my father enjoyed taunting me with. I was Thomas Cresswell, and I was more than good enough to ask for Audrey Rose’s hand. She and I would travel the world together, as equals, and while there might be another one day...