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She was strong, undeniably so, but in all the wrong ways. Strength could be fueled by love just as easily as hate. I
“But rest assured, my Queen, when I do kiss you, there will be no confusion. You will know that I have claimed you—and I won’t have any desire to deny it.”
I laughed nervously and looked away. “Or maybe you prefer me in muddy pants and a borrowed tunic.” “Only when it’s mine.”
“A Descended mate is forever. We do not give our heart away unless we are certain, beyond all doubt, that the person we choose will stand by our side no matter what fate the Kindred have in store for us, in this life and all that comes after.” Shards of his magic clashed in his gaze. “I will not presume to tell you who to choose, I can only hope that you have friends, as I did, who care about you enough to tell you when you’re being a blind fool.”
“I doubt your lover would approve of that.” His chin lowered. “Neither would yours.” Game over.
“It doesn’t matter. My place is with you. Wherever that leads.” His fingers curled around mine. “Whatever it costs.”
“Patience, my Queen.” His thumb stroked a slow trail up my spine. “The most precious rewards come from the battles most fiercely fought.”
war was coming. Two sides were preparing. But maybe instead of joining an army... I could lead one. Maybe I could become one.
“You are the fate my heart was spared for. As long as it beats, you will never fight alone.”
“And I have failed. Completely, irreversibly failed. I don’t just want a piece of you—I want them all.” His thumb raked across my lower lip. “I want every breath, every laugh, every tear. Every taste of your mouth, every inch of your skin. I want to kneel at your feet, soaked in the blood of your enemies, then worship your body until you scream my name.” His hands slid to my hips and tugged me closer. “Yes, Diem, I want to serve you—in every way a man can.”
“I want to burn alive in that fire in your eyes. I want it to melt me down and forge me into the weapon you need me to be. I want to stand by your side for the rest of my life, and I don’t need you to marry me and make me a fucking king to do it.”
It’s a reminder that no challenge can destroy the parts of us that truly matter. We’re not reborn in the flames. We’re revealed.”
would have walked into the flaming heart of the sun itself,” he shot back. “If you are suffering, nothing will keep me from coming to your aid. Least of all something as trivial as death.”
A quiet, pestering thought in the back of my mind noted that this looked and felt nothing like when I’d survived the Descended man’s attack in the alley, though it was quickly drowned out by my excitement.
“Perhaps, for the right person, we endure the pain, because the torture of never having them at all is the more unbearable fate.”
“Burn, my Queen. Glow so bright, the darkness trembles.”
did not need to surrender to my power in helpless submission, nor did I need to beg it to come save me. All this time, I had been waiting for the godhood to embrace me, when what I really needed to do was embrace myself.
