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It was such a simple statement, a mortal concept.

Yet, it was the most profound vow anyone had ever made to her, other than her family’s promises.

She had a lifetime of pledges of loyalty and redemption, oaths wrapped in divine decree, edged with celestial obligation, and laced with unspoken threats.

Still, this was different.

Ki’Remi was unbound by the gods’ will or the burden of ancient contracts.

He wasn’t saying it because he owed her anything or feared the consequences of leaving her side.

He was expressing it because he meant it.

That insight broke something open inside her.

A slow, aching crack appeared in the wall she’d built around her heart.

She trembled until her man lifted a rough, calloused hand to her face, his fingers brushing her cheek.

The tenderness in that small gesture undid her, unraveling whatever resolve was left.

He frowned when his thumb came away wet.

‘Issandra?’ His rasp was hoarse, sensual, possessive,fokkin’ caring. ‘Ko sawa?’

She wanted to tell him she was okay, crack a joke, tease him, and brush away the vulnerability threatening to consume her.

The words refused to come.

Instead, she surged forward, pressing her lips to his, needing to feel anything other than the raw emotion about to swallow her whole.

Ki’Remi stilled for half a second as if startled by her sudden urgency, and then his hesitation vanished.

His hands were on her in an instant.

One cradled the back of her head, fingers tangling in her hair, the other gripping her waist, pulling her flush to his body.

The kiss was soft at first, slow and deep, a careful exploration. As the seconds ticked by, something inside them both fractured.

Heat surged between them, the intensity building like a storm rolling in over the horizon.

His lips moved against hers with a hunger that stole her breath, a raw, desperate need that sent shivers racing down her spine.

And when he kissed her deeper, when his teeth scraped over her bottom lip, when he growled her name like a man on the edge of losing all control.

Her fire ignited.

The flames erupted around them, an inferno of celestial energy.

This time, it was different.

Instead of the usual golden and amber flickers that danced from her skin, the hue shifted.

It twisted and curled into deep, luxurious purples.

Ki’Remi pulled back just enough to stare at the shifting colors, his breath ragged, his muscled chest rising and falling against hers.

His lips fell, kissing her again.