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"Why?"

"Because!"

"Let e me You think that I will become the pure, virtuous woman you want me to be Well, who are you to say what’s virtuous and what isn’t?"

He merely arched a brow The ansas obvious and didn’t need to be stated

"I told you that froht? Well, surprise! That’s what I’ve done since the beginning The pie you watched me eat? The owner of that restaurant cheats at cards, takesto hi on his wife"

He blinked down at her, unsure he’d heard correctly "Why would you have kept that froe how you feel about lorious in her nakedness Her skin was still aglow,off it--he’d touched that skin Dark hair cascaded around her--he’d fisted that hair

"I want to be with you," he said "I do But it has to be in secret"

"I thought the same Until e just did," she said as she hastily dressed Her clothes were not like his, did not repair on their own, and so that ripped shirt revealed ain Tried to ainst, Bianka I train warriors to hunt and kill demons What would it say to them were I to take you as my companion?"

"Here’s a better question What does it say to them that you hide your sin? Because that’s how you view me, isn’t it? Your sin You are such a hypocrite" She stormed past him, careful not to touch him "And I will not be with a hypocrite That’s worse than being an angel"

He thought she ly enough, she didn’t And because he hadn’t commanded her to stay, when she said, "I want to leave," the cloud opened up at her feet

She disappeared, falling through the sky

"Bianka," he shouted Lysander spread his wings and jumped after her He passed Raphael, but at that point, he didn’t care He only wanted Bianka safe--and that hurt and fury wiped away from her expression

She’d turned facedown to increase her s into his back to increase his own Finally, he caught her halfway and wrapped his arms around her, her back pressed into his stomach She didn’t flail, didn’t order him to release her, which he’d been prepared for

When they reached her cabin, he straightened theround and crunched when they landed She didn’t pull away Didn’t run So else he’d been prepared for

Clearly he knew very little about her

"It’s probably best this way, you know," she said flatly, keeping her back to hiainst his cheeks "That wasearlier, anyway I never should have invited you to the wedding We’re too different to h gritted teeth Don’t do this, he projected Don’t end us

She laughed without huh and the one she’d given inside his cloud Marveled andto hidework I want to be with you, Bianka Otherwise I would not have followed you I would have left you alone froht"

"You are such a poht? Please! You want me to be perfect Blameless But what happens when I fail? And I will, you know? Perfection just isn’t in me One day I will curse Like now Fuck you One day I will take so just because it’s pretty and I want it Would that ruin me in your eyes?"

"It hasn’t so far," he spat back

She laughed again, this one bleaker, grim "The scarves I took weretoo terrible yet But I will And you knohat? If you were to do sohteous, I wouldn’t have cared I would still have wanted to take you to the wedding That’s the difference between us Evil or not, good or not, I wanted you"

"I want you, too But that was not always the case, and you know it You would care" He tightened his grip on her "Bianka We can work this out"

"No, we can’t" Finally, she twisted to face hi you a second chance, and I don’t do second chances"

"I don’t need a second chance I just need you to think about this To realize our relationshipto be your secret sha to force his hand, and he didn’t like it "You steal in secret You sleep in secret Why not this?"