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"But somehow, love must be possible Just because you and Lilith couldn’t--"

"We’re not talking about me"

They stood silently and listened to the echoing of the falling water around them

"Fine," Roland said at last, "then what about Daniel and Lu--"

"What about them?" Cam roared into the waterfall His face turned red with sudden fury "If they’re your usted "We all knoill become of them anyway"

"What do you reen eyes on Roland And Roland flushed to find hi pitied

"In the end," Cam said, "he will abandon her He has no choice He is no match for this curse It will outlast his bristled "You’re wrong You have grown too close to Lucifer--"

"That couldn’t be further from the truth," Ca on the back of his neck The tattoo reached just beyond the high collar of his cloak Unmistakable

"You wear his mark now?" Roland’s voice trembled He didn’t have one Would never hope to be offered one Lucifer only branded certain demons, demons hom he wanted a special relationship

"Caht Roland’s face in his hand and held tight They stood close, locked in an intirip Roland didn’t know if they were enemies or friends

"Who ca aboutabout you and the pitiful love story that you are going to have to end"

"There must be a way to--"

"Face it: You wouldn’t have come to me if you didn’t already know the answer"

Of all the things that Ca words were the hardest ones: Yes, Roland had already known the answer he sought He’d just hoped that so to do what had to be done

When he came back to tell her, Rosaline seemed already to know He climbed to her balcony, but she did not rush to kiss him Her face stiffened in suspicion as soon as he cae in you" Her voice was cold with fear "What is it?"

Roland’s body ached when he saw her look so sad He did not want to lie to her, but he could not find the words

"Oh, Rosaline, there is so much I could tell you--"

Then, as if Rosaline remembered his loquacious poems, she demanded: "Answer me in one word What does our future hold?"

That had been ed now, thinking back on what he’d told her He wished he could smash this memory and the e the past

He had given Rosaline her one word:

"Farewell"

He’d wanted to say, "Forever"

But Cam had spoken truly: Forever wasn’t possible between a woel

He’d fled before she could beg hi valiant But life had taught him that he wasn’t He was devastated and scared

After that, Roland had only seen her once ht of her castleand watched his love weep for one full hour

After that, he vowed never to cause anyone pain in love He disappeared

It beca froh he’d wiped a million briny drops from other cheeks, he could not recall a tiht of Lucinda and Daniel, of their eternal devotion to each other They did not walk away from their mistakes--and over the centuries, they had made many of them They returned to thosehad at last clicked in this final life, when she was reincarnated as Lucinda Price It hat had driven her to flee into her past--to find the solution to the curse So that she and Daniel could be together

They would always be together Always have each other, no matter what

Roland had no one

Silently, he rose to his feet and e He would scale the wall to Rosaline again--and redeem himself the only way he kne

FOUR

LOVE’S PUPIL

Back up the outer wall, a second slink along the stone parapet, and then the final sheer ascent to the turret and its balcony and Rosaline once ain reached the balcony, the sun was low in the sky, casting long shadows over his shoulder Announcers shifted and coiled within the shadows, a way of whispering We are here, but they left Roland alone The temperature had dropped, and now the air carried hints of s the turret via the balcony, stealing through the twilight-dark halls until he found her in her rooes of her staggering backward in amazement, joy plain on her face, hands clenched to her exquisite breast …

But what if she was angry?

Still angry, five years later It was possible

He shouldn’t rule it out

They’d shared so rare and beautiful, and he’d learned that women felt deeply when it came to love They felt love in ways Roland could never understand, as if their hearts had extra chambers, vast infinites where love could stay and never leave

What was he doing here? The ove its way beneath his steel armor He shouldn’t be here This part of his life was over Ca about how tied Roland

He should cliet on his horse, and find Daniel

Only … he couldn’t

What could he do?