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Despite her issues with hiroaned again, as if she’d conceded far ue dipped, her eyes slid shut in bliss
His lips slowly slanted, his tongue sensuously tangling with hers For so into a devastating kisser Her hands twined around his neck, her toes curling as they began sharing breaths
When he drew back, he left her dazed, blinking up at him “Thronos, I think that’s the best conversation we’ve ever had”
He didn’t release Melanthe, just kept his quaking hands on her cheeks
She was bri of her heart, the coursing of her lifeblood
Each wondrous breath she took
Though she’d initially looked stunned—and pleased—her broere drawing together “What’s going on with you?” She dropped her hands, ducking fro clearly? You’ve suddenly realized how stupid it is to obsess about my past?”
“I almost lost you” He bit out the words, unable to process what had just happened—what he’d seen and felt
“What are you talking about?”
“Youyou draggedhis hands on her “Delivered me from it”
“From what?”
“Hell I was in ed your mind about my past?”
He nodded “You talked about traps e first arrived, about repeated labors I believe I was in a loop of some kind In each repetition, no matter what I did, I couldn’t save you Youdied You were crushed by stone”
She arched her brows “Typical The harlot got stoned to death”
His voice hoarse, he said, “Don’t talk like that Please” He took her hand in his, never wanting to let it go
She gazed up at hi the emotions in him—the ones he didn’t bother to hide How asinine he’d been! He wanted to e and fas, he need only look to their future It was there—for the taking!
She was
Unless he’d already ruined things beyond repair
“What do the markers say?” she asked
“Pain confesses all And Tione through wasn’t real
But the lesson had been
“What does it ht when it allowed itself to repeat” With his free hand, he tucked a lock of raven hair behind her ear “And pain clarified hts about us”
“That soundsintense”
You have no idea “We need to e of this zone If we’d both crossed into it, we could’ve been there for eternity And I’d rather spend forever with the pest that is” He brushed the backs of his fingers along her delicate jawline, vowing to all the Lore, to all the gods, that he would protect this wo row accustole sounded froazed over her shoulder “They wouldn’t be signaling a charge during the day”
“Unless they’re co for those keys Let’s put soo back And we don’t knohich way this zone’s edge extends”
He craned his head up to the sky, biting out a curse “We can’t go up”
Outlined by bursts of lightning, a pack of Volar deent? Their position pinned Thronos and Lanthe against the hell zone
Their backs were against an invisible wall
THIRTY-FOUR
If I take you into the air, they’ll rip you froan to vibrate beneath their feet
“More are co!” Lanthe cried Just beyond the brush, de toward theht thehouls, but de
With reluctance, Thronos released her hand, bringing his wings in tight to strike “Stay behind o near theed back
“But don’t cross the line, Lanthe—”
The first wave broke from the brush Soall around Thronos He struck with both wings Heads rolled across the ground like horned bowling balls Jugular blood painted the silver grass red
More des whipped like sails, billowing the air, a fine mist of crimson sprayed over her face
Any demon who attacked paid with his life Thronos decapitated with a ruthless efficiency
But they kept co on Thronos, lobbing a hail of spears and daggers, fire and ice grenades
He had to use one wing as a constant shield against the sky aslike ants fro slower, expending so er
Only a matter of time
Then he would die, and she’d be captured Unless she did so When in troublePortal!
She had soateway to a different world, under pressure, just two days after her last one?
It’ll never happen
Still, she raised her hand, dispelling sorcery right at the edge of the hell zone As she labored to split the seay; he turned to her with his blood-wetted wings splayed, a warning in his eyes: Do not run fro flashes, he looked like alegend
Like an avenging angel
From hell
Every inch of his skin was coated with others’ blood, his own as well Gashes sliced his flesh, bisecting ancient scars Stark against the crian fighting his way toward her
A rift was opening, drawing her attention froh for her to step through Rothkalina, Rothkalina, Rothkalina, she repeated like a mantra