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Hawk lay breathing harshly atop her for a long time while she contentedly petted her husband His silky hair had co She traced the soft skin of his solid, ht no longer carried any taint of fear She stroked his hair in silence,at her life and how rich it ith him in it

It was in silence that at last he raised hi out into the night of Uster

"Och, lass, what have I done?" he whispered to the glass pane

Silence froly over every inch of her ed thee, sweet falcon, to be the worst of faithless vipers My dark i And I could not have been "

Still silence He didn’t know that behind hi her lips

"Lass from future’s distant short, you were duht unseen and have lived through hells of your own before ever coiven you one more hell to add to it Full of my--och, wife, what have I done? Oh God, what have I done to you?"

"You loved me"

It wasn’t a question, but he answered it readily "I do More than life My heart I didn’t just pick a sweet turn of phrase to name you, but spoke from my soul when I named you thus Without my heart I couldn’t live And I couldn’t breathe without you"

"Are you a man who has more than one heart?"

"Nay Only this one But it’s bitter and dark now froht you"

He stared out theinto the bottoin tears on his hands Virgin ho’d never lain with Adaift she’d had to give and he’d forced it from her with his own dark passion

"Sidheach" The as a steaht he would suffer his life long the torture of waiting in vain for a word he kneould never hear tumble forth from her lips "I have so abused you, my heart I will atone, I swear to you, I will find a way--"