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"Yes"

She was holding a knife, he saw, and her knuckles bleached of color "I Will Kill Hiether, then After we get out of here" Her attention flicked behind her, urgent, before returning to hio before someone realizes what I’ve done"

"Just let ize for what I said to you You said you wanted an apology, yes? I didn’t mean it, not a word I said that last day, but I--"

She closed the distance between theainst the cot and caused stars to wink over his vision

Once more, he blinked at her "You hit et your ass in gear"

"You’re real"

"Yes"

"But you’re real" He sat up, saying the words but not truly absorbing the

She dropped to her knees so that they were eye to eye "Again, yes" Just as he’d once done to her, she placed her fingers over his collar and blew into the center As the metal softened, he finally understood what his brain had been trying to tell hi his life

With a scowl, he juo to earth, damn it"

"Okay, not the reaction I expected" She stood and pressed a swift kiss to his lips "Good thing I never listen to you Now let’s go I’ve already taken out the guards below And no, I didn’t kill your friends Just made them wish they were dead" As she spoke, she latched on to his hand and dragged hi down at anyas we’re here, we’re easy pickings"

True Nike was a fugitive now; he wanted her out of this prison, out of this realm, as soon as possible "You risked your life to save me, you fool"

"Well, you risked your life to save h, all three of the guards were flat on their faces,an arm--and he knew exactly where to find it Not that he’d take the tirow back "But you were free You had what you wanted"

"Not everything," she threw over her shoulder

Okay,She’d just admitted she wanted hiave a tug, propelling her backward, into his arms "I love you," he finally proclaiue thrust deep, tasting, de Anyone"

She only allowed the kiss for a few seconds, her hands fisting his hair and taking everything he had to give, before she pulled away, panting "I love you, too But let’s get the hell out of here I need your pretty head connected to your aed forward Still, he al It was soto spend the rest of eternityup for what I did to you"

"Good I think I’ll like seeing you grovel But just for the record, I love s Sure, I would have found a better way to get you to safety, but then, I’m shed Gods, he loved this woman "Vixen"

"Your vixen"

"Mine Always You’ll ain just as soon as my skin heals"

"Already planned on it"

Good He wouldn’t feel co to live?" he asked "We can’t stay in the heavens"

"You ordered h I hate that you have to give up your a house"

"You’ve been there?" He found he really liked the thought of her there, surrounded by his things, breathing in his essence "You knohere I chose to live?"

"Yes Why did you? Choose there, I mean"

"To feel closer to you"

"Well, you’re about to be a lot closer to h boomed from hi I’ll miss from that house is the portrait of you But now I have the real thing" He placed a swift kiss on her lips "Back to our new living arrangeods out there, Greeks like you, who are in hiding Cronus has never been able to find them That means there are places he can’t see"

"Maybe we’ll find theth, after all And Victory"

"Yes Victory"

"We can succeed where he has failed"

"In the ht even try to find the Lords of the Underworld Cronusdistracted by theood friends for us to have"

Her eyes widened "I knohoo, but now they house the demons once locked inside Pandora’s box Cronus will have his hands tied for a long, long tiood friends to have"

They reached the door and burst outside, all without incident Clouds instantly enveloped thehtly Nike whirled and threw herself in his ar nips and kisses all over his face