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The distant sound of ical harmony soon rose to a crescendo and encompassed us like a warm blanket The prison cell and filthy straw dropped away from our awareness Whiteness draped in snowy silk surrounded us On this plane ere equals, partners Our souls bonded His pleasure was my ecstasy My blood pumped in his heart

Utter bliss cah, Valek and I were happy to try again We had ed, ouron the feel of his body in ainst mine He filled the hollow eh we lay in the grubby straw and faced an uncertain future, a deep huhout my body

Chapter Thirty-One

Reality and the rank odor of a decoo," Valek said, pullingmy uniform

"The Commander’s room, so we can take him back to the castle with us" Valek brushed the straw from his hair and clothes

"Won’t work"

"Why not?" Valek demanded

"As soon as you touch hikan’s link with the Co Criollo

"Hoe break the bond?" Valek asked

It was tiht-headed, as if I stood on the edge of the world Taking a deep breath, I related the encounters and conversations I’d had with Irys, and how she ht be able to help us

Valek stood still for a full minute, while my heart thumped madly in my chest

"Do you trust her?" he asked

"Yes"

"Is there anything else you haven’t told me?"

My head spun So ician Death was a real possibility I wanted Valek to kno I felt

"I love you"

Valek wrapped me in his arms "My love has been yours since the fire festival If those goons had killed you, I knew then that I would never be the same I didn’t want or expect this But I couldn’t resist you"

Ito share his skin

He took uardroo Brazell’s colors of black and green, we hoped to avoid discovery as we stole through theof tricks, so we headed toward the barracks While I retrievedThe soldiers had gone to search for us

I paced in the shadows of the building, chanting Irys’s name in ht