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Her hand clutched my cheek harder, dropped to cup my chin "Are you sure?" Her eyes danced with hope and hesitation

I wanted to scream I wanted to dance I couldn’t stand still with the joy frothing ininside Every fucked-up need to obey Every one It’s disappeared"

She went fro Fresh tears filled her eyes, but this tihed, stepping backward

Every hter

"I’m free"

"I’m normal"

I’m a father

My eyes wrenched wide and I spun around I was a father and I was free I’d never thought I could have soto the cot, I scooped up Vera in her pretty pink cap Her round eyes opened, locking onto mine

Blue to white I fell irl I’d lost A little girl I’d gained And a son and woed to

"Hello, Vera," I whispered

The little girl yawned, her tiny lips stretching wide She squirs would be okay

I brought her to my lips and pressed a kiss on her forehead

She was ht and safe

Vasily had broken h to return home and the tere safely absconded in their nursery, I planned a special evening just for the two of us

While Zel was upstairs kissing the twins and telling the sister they’d never azillion candles I ordered a banquet of finger foods and delicious entrees and laid large sheepskins on the floor beside the roaring fire

Tonight, I was going to make love to ht about how different my life had become, I would stop and lose myself in memories It felt as if I’d livedto conversations under water, and experiencing joy down a long tunnel with no light Every since

I barely put the twins down

Zel couldn’t walk past ertips through my hair We hadn’t had sex since the birth, but we’d never been so intiht I planned on seducing a woht candles or sourced romantic music I’d never ordered food based on their aphrodisiac qualities

Vasily and Vera had given e, and I didn’t want toZel Of worshipping her with everything I could I wanted to knohat it would be like to hug her and hold her tight with none of the shit I’d lived with

There would be no past or Ghosts or terror

There would only be love and lust and hunger

"Wow, you’ve been busy," Zel’s voice sounded behindused to the way ut "Shit, I wanted to have all of this ready before you came down"

I still hadn’t presented the food hoanted And the statue I’d made her hadn’t been covered Daasp

"Oh, my God Did you make that?" She drifted forward, absorbed by the half hts The conditioning led to sleep in the dark

After a lifetied overnight

"Do you like it?" Nervousness scattered down aze landed on mine, full of awe "Do I like it? How can you ask me that? I love it I more than love it Roan…it’s perfect"

My heart hurt as she stroked the bronze artith a shaky fingertip

I let soly I had the choice I embraced the hunter side of me as I stalked toward the woman I would spend the rest of my life with

I’dand our future I wanted her to see how ed to her and however

It wasn’t a clear-cut design, more tribal than certain shapes Masculine and feminine lines showed a sea-froth full of horses Five in total with Russian naraved in their manes

Clara Roan Hazel Vasily and Vera

Five points of paradise As were stars--astars inlaid with silver

Stars for Clara

Zel sniffed, twisting to face me "You couldn’t have made a more perfect piece" Her hands landed on my chest

I jolted with pleasure, still ah my every cell

Her eyes lit orry "Are you okay?" She sed, her gaze darting all over ht doused allhappened I couldn’t stoain

I’d have a brain transplant first I could never go back

Shaking my head, I dropped my htly afraid

Pulling away, I et used to you touchingat her lower lip "Touch ain"

Zel obeyed Her hands came up and landed on the buttons of my white shirt Slowly, she unbuttoned it The roo between us I couldn’t tear roaned as she pushed aside the material and placed her hands on ht lights