I’ve never been so grateful to live a nearly immortal life. I have never been so relieved to know that should we survive any of this, I will have so many years to explore every layer and facet of this incredible woman who, despite everything, has chosen me.

“I love you so much,” I murmur as I pull her in closer, my hand sliding down her back and over the delicious curve of her ass.

“I love you too,” she whispers.

And once we’ve bonded and Lor ascends to her throne, then we’ll have another eternity to enjoy each other in the Evanescence. Even then, none of it will ever be enough.

I maneuver her to the edge of the bed, but at the last moment, she spins us around and pushes me down.

“Sit,” she says, a smirk curling on her face. Then she falls to her knees and places a kiss on my chest. Her hands slide under the fabric of my tunic, exploring the map of my body, her fingers curving over the contours and planes as I respond with a shiver.

“Remember when I wouldn’t let you touch me in the Keep?” she asks, and I chuckle.

“How could I ever forget?” My hands slide into her hair before I tip her face up to mine. “I remember everything, Lor. Every moment. Every smile. Every seemingly insignificant look. Every second has become a part of me, and I will do anything to hang on to this.” I give her a smirk of my own. “And that was still the hottest fucking blow job of my life. Even the particles of dust I become someday will remember it.”

She laughs. “Hottest? Surely I can top that.”

My face splits into a smile. “Care for a challenge?”

“Always.”

She leans down to kiss me before tugging up the hem of my tunic.

“Take this off,” she says. “I still like looking at you.”

I do as she asks, pulling it over my head and tossing it to the side.

“Last time, you refused to do the same.”

“I did,” she muses, and I’m almost positive she’s about to defy me just to make me suffer, but she stands up and then slowly peels off her clothes. I can’t take my eyes off her as she reveals every inch of her warm brown skin.

I love every curve and line. Every tiny mark. I study the scars left on her body, deciding at that moment to let go of the anger I feel every time I see them. When I look at her, I will see only the evidence of her strength and resilience. The proud way she holds herself and the loving passion she brings to everything. If she chooses to wear them as badges of honor, I can view them like that too.