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He caught her, and they tuhter died as he pressed his lips to hers

"Kane," she breathed,to have you"

"Yes Hurry I want you"

"No, I’ her, every s for her--because he loved every inch of her Every curve Every hollow Every scar

He kissed his way down her body, treasuring her breathy sighs, her heated touches, the languorous way sheshe’d been born to do

He would never get enough of her

And he would never forget her, not even in death

In a way, they’d grown up together When they’d met, they’d both been in a very dark place They’d lacked hope Their fears had overwhelether, they’d cliuratively They’d found reasons to laugh They’d let go of hate and embraced love The weaknesses they’d had had been blasted by fire and were now strengthened with steel They hadn’t broken They wouldn’t break

He couldn’t even ione back for her Disaster had tried to stop him, and maybe the Moirai had even tried to stop hireater than both Love And love couldn’t ever be stopped

Kane parted her legs and slid inside her--home, this was his home--then set out to slowly drive the herself to the pleasure, the passion, thefor an to fray Always she had that effect on hie so forcefully her head banged into the wall, her lips parted on a screa hie, growling and shuddering with the force of his release

He wasn’t sure how h to pick her up and carry her to the bed He only knew he didn’t want to let her go Touching her was a need, a requireer he would be with her ht of separation so o She needed sleep, and if he stayed, he would take her again

She snuggled under the covers and gazed up at him sleepily

"Do you still love me?" he asked

"Always"

"I love you, too" He kissed her brow "So much You’re h "What I’ve alanted to be"

By the tihtened, she was already asleep He dressed, stepped into the hall When he stepped forward, intending to return to the throne roo him

Startled, he furrowed his brow "You want to tellyou?"

"Want? No Will I?" Malcoled "In a moment First, tell me why you’re so unhappy"

"Unhappy? When I’ve done everything I set out to do, giving Tink a new life, a reason to live?" He tried to scoff He failed

"Yes," the Sent One said

"Why do you care?"

"We will get to that, as well"

He popped his jaw, and admitted, "I don’t want to ever leave s were, with Disaster, but I also don’t want the demon able to hurt her Basically, I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t"

"And that is the crux of a curse such as yours But perhaps I can soften the blow"

"What do you mean?" Kane demanded

You’ll never be rid of h Kane’s mind Determined as he was to survive, the demon had lost his fear of Malcolm

Kane’s hands fisted

"I will kill Disaster, once and for all," Malcolm said "I will burn the evil out of you No demon can withstand the sword of fire The problem is, this will--"

"Killalways caet what I want most? A demon-free future with my wife?"

"It doesn’t But at least your spirit will live on"

"That’s exactly ould happen without your sword of fire"

"Yes, but without the fire, the essence of the demon’s evil will reo down rather than up"

Meaning, if he died the way he’d intended, his spirit would go to hell For all eternity Trapped with ht to breathe He hadn’t considered such a consequence "My friend Baden was beheaded while he was possessed He went to another realm"