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"Why did you co for? ’Cause I’ll give you that I don’t understand all this ic, but I do knofor, you got it I understand that whatever you did, you did for your sister"

"I did coive me, but there’s ," he said, still clasping my hand in his

"I wanted to let you know Eone I’ve sent hihtened a little, and he tilted a bit more toward me

"I don’t know I didn’t ask I can understand if you can’t get past the sight of what you walked in on last night I want you to know, though, that if you will still have me, I want to be your wife"

"If I will still have you? If I will still have you?" He pushed out of the chair and knelt beside ht I’d lost you" Our eyes met, and then he kissed me Any connection I had felt with Emmet was a fantasy; this here, the love I had with Peter, was real His kiss changed, and the feeling of grateful reliefpassion He stood and pulledto the solid contours of his body

"Wait," I said, pushing away from him His brow pinched as hurt and disappointo of rasped his arm "I need help with my zipper" His lips curved into the ood man’s face had ever shown I turned ers found the delicate pull, his hands shaking I shivered as he undid the zipper and slid the dress down I kicked it out of my way, and he leaned in and placed a kiss on the nape of my neck I slid off my panties and let them fall to the floor besideit on the sofa I turned toward hier over the last several weeks, and the look in Peter’s eyes told e I leaned into hi rowled as he gave up and pulled hard at the collar, ripping it clean down the front Without ever taking his lips from mine, he slid his second ruined shirt to the floor

I pulled away to examine the place where my mother had stabbed him with her foul iron knife The wound had closed over and pretty ht always be a nearly crescent-shaped scar I suspected that the wound would never fade completely since it had been made with iron It would serve as a constant re him I leaned forward and kissed the scar Heinto ainst my sto me toward his bedroom He kicked at the door to open it, and carried me to his bed, the same bed where we had first made love, where we had conceived our child Heabout our baby too, because he laid ently as if I were made of porcelain

I watched as he removed his jeans and boxers He laid down next toat er I straddled hie rough hands encapsulating my own This was the first time we had touched each other this way since my powers had been returned to h a witch’s eyes, seeing evidence of his otherworldly traits His eyes changed during his passion, no longer showing thesilver instead Pulling my hand from his, I pushed back his hair and saw the point of his ear I leaned in and gently bit its tip He groaned As his passion grew, light began to shine from him, a mild luminescence No, this was no normal man I had chosen, but I had chosen hi ether as my eyes closed My head leaned backward, and his hand reached out and traced down my neck, my breasts I shuddered once, twice, as he strained up intoarms

THIRTY-FIVE

I didn’t wake until late afternoon, nearly evening Peter was already awake but had been lying there still, so as not to disturb me I opened my eyes to see his eyes, which had returned to their entle love and burning passion wrestling within theive his passion the upper hand, and once again we made love

Spent, I laid ain "Toe license We’ll go to the justice of the peace"

"The hell ill" Peter sat up in the bed and took h for you"