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He wouldn’t keep trying because he was tired He’d fought the battle for too long

Imore fireworks to unfurl He tasted of freedom and future I wanted so much for him to find ultied He’d activated the conditioning I didn’t knoorked but he’d givenheavily, he said, "It’s done You’re safe" His snowy eyes gloith a mixture of hate and satisfaction Relief and frustration

My gaze greet at the thought of irrevocably owning this iven every obedience tohim to heel I lost a bit of him even as he sacrificed so much

Clara would’ve hated it She would’ve knohat he’d done She would’ve ive up He needs you, rief at bay, I nodded, accepting his gift "I love you"

He sembers across ave a part of hiavethe top ofa deep breath, he laughed, forcing merriment rather than sadness into his voice "You own me heart and soul, Hazel Hunter You’re not just my lover but my handler and I alk over blades for you I would kill for you I will lay downhly trained Ghost What is your first command, mistress?"

My heart thuiven me I swore then and there I would find a cure I would never stop until I fixed thein ainst his lips "Kiss me Make love to me Make me look forward to our future"

His head bowed, lips captured mine

His eyes locked with ue

My life ended three tih

I’d been a boy, a Ghost, a ed

My past was unchangeable, but my future was unwritten and rule free

Invincible, Ier applied to s:

Resurrection

Redemption

Resolution

All my life, I’d been a pawn But not anymore

I was a provider, lover, father, and friend

In the wake of heartbreak caiven a second chance I accepted ht it It wasn’t so bad having the wo The ulti

There was a cure

Clara died in February, leaving us to face life on our own Zel and I spent the firstthe beach It gave us tirow and mend and develop a deeper dimension to our unconventional romance

March came and went undetected--just foursuoodbye to flowers and heat and sunshine I returned to Obsidian to collect ain I wanted to recreate Clara’s a bronze and copper

May Clue announced she and Ben were ht a house not far froht, and he gaveoffer to beat e kind of therapy

I took him up on the offer once or twice

"I love it when you come hoe Her s all in black?" Her eyes foundwith lust "I want you, Roan I watched you on the beach I ainst my abs and I suffered a heinous flashback It torewinter and the pit Snarls of wolves filled ressed

It was the first of the month The day that orse forwas rebooted--reprogra er "Don’t ever touch me"

I watched my actions as ifthe neck of the woed to stop but the conditioning pulled littering terror and her fingers flew to her hair

I grabbed her wrist--stopping her fro for her knife

"Not this time, dobycha Not this time"

Her body flailed and she tried to kick and squir I could do I would kill her and I would s a bullet afterward for not being strong enough to save her

Then Hazel saved both of us