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"Yelena?" A hitch cracked his voice He re for my answer

Valek’s face had paled to bone white I’d never seen hi from my chair, I knelt in front of him I took his knife--still ith his blood--from his hand and sliced my tunic open Then I pressed the tip into the flesh in the center of nored it as I carved a fist-sized heart shape directly overheart and between ht expression transformed as joy sparked in his eyes He wrapped his ar me close as his lips found mine Red-hot spikes of sensation shot down to ht fire The need to run my hands over his lean, powerful body pulsated over every inch of

Far too soon he stopped Before I could protest at the interruption, he pressed his chest toof his bloodwith mine

"Till death I do swear, love" Valek whispered in my ear

"Beyond death My vow to you," I said

He drew back to aze "So we shall be Forever united"

"We shall be," I agreed

This tie solidified our connection, creating an unbreakable bond

"Clothesoff" I said between kisses

The speed of our disrobe no longersmell, feel and touch of Valek as he loweredlinked with hiether ere one

Move parts of roaned in protest

Valek pushed up to one elbow "Sorry, love But I need"

"To what?" I untangled s from his The cut on my chest throbbed For the first time in my life, I savored the pain It meant so much

"to tell you--"

"What happened with the Co When he’d arrived, I’d feared the worst He appeared so devastated I had never seen hined the order for my execution and extended the document to Valek

"Yes"

I waited forfor a good place to start

"Why did the Commander feel it necessary to re

"He cited a number of reasons, but it pretty uest and he wanted to ensure I didn’t assassinate hihts jammed into my head The first, ere all dead, summed up the fear and panic that dominated Owen must have taken control of the Coe trouble and We were all dead That one was hard to move past

"Yelena, I want you to leave this afternoon Return to Sitia where it’s safer I’ll ed vows andether We always do Reled to find a reply I used his oords, so in order for hiic