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Heavy eyelids blinked open, and through aover her, a solid leg on each side of her hips Aers with swift proficiency, his wrists arcing as his hands overlapped, quickly sailing apart and nailing a target Or several targets at the saily--fel al around her, cri under her

In death, their red eyes were fixed on her, their fangs forever bared but useless

Those bodies continued to rain as Amun continued to slash, and a ression and skil she’d never seen But no le of limbs, desperate to bite him Many had already succeeded His ar and blending with theirs

None of the snakes had reached her, however Every tiled in her direction, either from in front or behind, he noticed and attacked He protected her, even though he left his sides wide open to do so, al owing several other sets of fangs to sink deep

She should help, do so, but her limbs refused to obey her command to ent--trying to find her center, trying to tap into a reservoir of strength Only lethargy greeted her

A and definitely needing her to do--her eyes were closing again…open, da…darkness

THE NEXT TIME HAIDEE ed to pry open her eyelids, she saide, rocky wal s painted red with blood and depicting horrific ies that blurred at her sides as she…floated? Even froed to spot three stabbings, two rapes and countless burnings

Worse than the i fro flesh What The Hel ?

HelThe word echoed in herher memory

She had entered hel with Amun Her dream man Her enemy Her obsession

Her head felt too heavy to turn even the barest inch, so sheup at his beautiful dark skin He cradled her in his ar holes

He stared straight ahead, his chin jutting stubbornly, his lips pressed into a thin, ht, yet he carried her with careful, easy steps, doing his best not to jostle her Such tenderness…such a darling ure hiize for not aiding hi hied Her lips refused to even part, lethargy stil pu rate Da

He h he never looked down, never slowed his gait Easy now, he said, that husky voice wisping through her ive hiain With him, the lines had always been blurred She closed her eyes and let the darkness once again consume her

HAIDEE STRETCHED HER ARMS over her head, back arching, legs kicking out In the back of her round, craeneral discomfort

But, oh, not this time The mattress beneath her was soft and smel ed deliciously of peat s fire, felt wave after wave of delicious heat caressing her skin

Only two thingsin her te sense of emptiness in her stomach Both de stock She was sprawled on her side, lying on a bed of soft, colorful petals

Inside a murky, barren cave Had Aht theht, heartbeat accelerating with gratitude, delight and awareness Sodistance Perhaps he was co a symphony of music and heat His bare back was to her As she’d noticed before, he bore no tattoos, no scars She saw only the ridges of his spine and a wide span of muscle and scabs

From the snakes, she realized The snakes he’d saved her from

"Where are we?" she asked, surprised by the raw quality of her voice