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“I knew better than to let down my guard.”

“Moros and Marlana didn’t invade a realm because they’re weak, Aren. You met an opponent who might actually match your prowess. You were already unmoored. That part lies on me.” When he shook his head, I cupped his glorious jaw, the rough drag of stubble like a song against my skin. Safe. He was safe. “It does. Walking away from you tore me apart. By the time the Heiress mark appeared, I already knew I’d made the worst mistake of my life, but it was too late. I didn’t know how to fix what I’d broken. Knowing I’d lost you…”

“You didn’t lose me. Not even in the After.”

“You know what I mean.” I rose onto my toes until he lowered his forehead to mine.

“I do.” His whisper tickled my skin as his nose traced my cheekbone. “We’re protected, Mags. Both of us favored by a love no mortal could comprehend.”

“Then why does it hurt so much?”

His laugh warmed my cheek. “Because our own impatience renders us agonized. Because refinement cannot occur without transformation, and that is inherently costly.”

“You developed a fondness for riddles in the After,” I observed, running my fingers over his stubble—coarse and somehow decadently soft.

“I learned plenty in the After,” he said softly, hands sliding up my ribs. I tried not to think about the week’s worth of dirt ground into my clothes as his palms found my shoulders. “I learned that the two women I love most both paid a price to bring me back. I learned not even eternal bliss could tempt me away from coming home to fight for you. Don’t mistake this distance for something I want. It’s been killing me. Every time we share air, every time I look at you and force myself to turn away instead of wrapping you in my arms—it’s agony. Having you here now is agony. And before you say it, yes—your company is a gift. Your voice. The little creases you get when you laugh—” His thumbs traced my temples. “—until I can barely see those gorgeous eyes. All of it is a gift. One I’m determined to earn.”

“You already have.”

“Not yet.” He shook his head. “I was weak, Mags. I knew better—I’ve taught better—and the one time it mattered, I let us all down.” His palms flattened against my cheeks before sliding down my neck and shoulders. “But underneath all of it, I’m still just a man.”

“Superman, maybe.”

His lips twitched, amusement glimmering in his eyes. “Then you’re my kryptonite. I can’t fight this need for you. And with Grayshell’s leadership depleted and Moros killing anyone who won’t comply, I just…” He shook his head. “I can’t. But not touching you—not worshipping you the moment your eyes opened—it’s its own kind of torture, baby.”

“You know,” I said breathlessly, “there’s a whole world between abstinence and sex.”

“Oh, really?” His smirk deepened.

I nodded, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. “Really. I mean… you do like me on my knees.”

“Mags,” he groaned. “This is a dangerous game you’re playing.”

“Play it with me. Please. I’m begging you⁠—”

Aren’s mouth crashed onto mine, the kiss more full-body possession than contact. “Don’t. Don’t beg. You’re my everything, Magnolia Green. You have been from the beginning.” He kissed me again, brutal and claiming, his tongue sliding into my mouth and sending heat spiraling through my core. “You wanna know why I stayed away? Because I can’t deny you. Anything. You don’t need to beg. Say the word and I’ll lay the world at your feet. I could know it was sick and selfish and still be unable to stop myself, because there is nothing in this realm or the next I wouldn’t conquer to keep you safe and sated. And that scares the shit out of me.”

“Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Be scared of something else,” I breathed. “I lost you twice—once on that sidewalk and once in the siege. I’m not going anywhere. Never again.”

My eyes widened as his hands slid down my arms, thumbs and forefingers catching the hems of my sleeves. “This is a bad idea.” His gaze searched mine. “Tell me to stop.” When I shook my head, his mouth twitched and he tugged gently, guiding my arms over my head. “Always knew you’d be trouble.”

“Look who’s talking. You upended every plan I’d ever made in a matter of months.” I sucked in a breath when he tossed my shirt into the spring, the cool breeze tightening my nipples beneath the sports bra.

“You surpassed the best-laid plans,” he countered. “A millennium of restraint—sense, duty, honor—and all of it shatters the second you touch me.”

“The feeling’s mutual.” I caught the hem of his shirt where it disappeared into his pants.

“Any life. Any realm. Until the hills forget our names and these vessels are ash, I will always come home to you. No matter the cost.”

“No matter the cost?” I whispered as his hands slipped beneath my loose linen pants, rough palms grazing my thighs, my ass, and dragging a moan from my chest.

“Apparently.” Reverently, he slid my pants down my legs before stripping his own. “Mind if I join your swim?”

“Please.” I gasped as his mouth found my neck. Sweat apparently ranked nowhere on Aren’s list of concerns; getting his mouth on me surpassing everything.