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His brows furrowed, his dark eyes flickering from fascination to reverence as her lilac and deep magenta flames shimmered and disappeared under her skin.

‘Issa,’ he murmured, his voice hoarse, as if the heat of her flames seared his throat. ‘The colors today. What did they signify?’

She reached up, cupping the side of his face, her thumb tracing the sharp line of his jaw.

‘Purple,’ she whispered. ‘Signifies a rare piety. Also magic, and mystery.’

Ki’Remi exhaled, his grip on her tightening. ‘What does it mean for us?’

Her windpipe tightened, emotion clogging her chest.

‘It also means I trust you.’

A muscle ticked in his chin. His hands clenched at her waist as if grounding himself.

And then, with excruciating slowness, he dipped his head, his lips hovering just above hers.

‘You trust me?’ he asked, his voice a rough whisper.

Issa nodded. ‘I do.’

Ki’Remi was silent for a long moment.

Then, he grunted. ‘You didn’t before?’

She laughed, turning onto her side to face him.

‘I trusted you with my body,’ she admitted, trailing her fingers over the sculpted ridges of his abdomen. ‘Now, I trust you with my soul.’

His hand curled around hers.

Their eyes met, and his nostrils flared.

His muscles tensed, and he growled, ‘Good,’ rolling over her again, his heaviness covering her.

Her breath hitched. ‘What are you doing?’

He nipped at her bottom lip. ‘Exploring all the colors of the rainbow.’

She let out a breathless laugh. ‘That’s not how it operates.’

He grinned wickedly. ‘It’s how it works now.’

The flames burned again.

When he claimed her again, the hues were vibrant, flaming scarlets that signified raw, unadulterated passion.

Ki’REMI

The luxurious bolthole of a gilded cage was beginning to close around Ki’Remi.

They spent their time in an odd rhythm of captivity, alternating between making love until their bodies ached and needing a reprieve from their lovemaking.

For sanity’s sake, the Sableman pulled out an old, well-worn deck of playing cards from his satchel, teaching Issa how to play the Pegasi variant of Tarac’s Gambit.

She was a quick learner. Too fast.

Within hours, she beat him at his own game, her smirk growing victorious with every round.