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Resistance was futile, so I let go. Tears streaming down my face, I just let go.

He thrust his hips up at the last moment, throwing me off him. I tumbled to the side, the dagger slipping from my hand.

It quickly returned in a burst of silver smoke.

With a hiss, I sprang to my feet as he got to his. I charged for him, taking a swipe. The red decorating his body helped me focus on ending him in the darkness of the basement. A target, mine to kill.

And love…

What a damn shame. What a damn, heartbreaking shame. The heat between us burned brightly, but so did the regret of what we couldn’t be. Finally admitting I was in love with him filled me with happiness beyond my wildest dreams. Warm soup and hugs and every good thing you could ever hope for wrapped into one. A special gift just for me to take care of forever.

But hate cut through it, screaming the loudest. The unwanted skin on top of the soup.

I hated that skin.

He ducked, avoiding my swing. I spat, trying to kick his shin.

The fucker dodged me again.

Good!

Not good! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!

He darted left to avoid my stab, twirling out of my trajectory.

“Stand still and fucking die!” I screamed, barreling toward him.

Tears and snot ran down my chin, my head trapped in a massive conflict of emotion. I just wanted it to stop. I just wanted this to be over.

I just want to be yours…

He darted up a stairwell, his scarlet radiance revealing the doorway at the top. He watched me, those magnificent eyes of his representing sin, love, hate, everything.

It wouldn’t stop until he was dead. And, apparently, me along with him.

I didn’t want to die. Really, really didn’t want to die. Not right now. Not until I saw things get better.

Man, I should have kept my mouth shut.

“Paris,” he whispered.

My skin crawled and ached with need at the same time. “I have to end you.”

“We can fix this,” he said. “Somehow, we can fix this. Together.”

A vicious surge of rage filled me, like drills wailing in my skull. The dagger vanished, my hands clamping over my head. “You dying fixes this. There’s no way out. You know that. You know that. You know that.” I lowered to the floor, crossing my legs and rocking back and forth.

If I stayed here like this, maybe it would give him time to run.

“I don’t know anything about this curse apart from the words,” he fired back. “And because I’m still alive, I have hope.”

“Run for your people,” I managed to say. “Get as far away from me as you can.”

The hate sizzled and writhed inside me, furious at my attempts to try and save him.

How dare I stand in the way of destiny?

I slapped my head over and over, hoping the pain might intervene.