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A urora’s heart thundered in her ears. What would Flora do to her now that she’d so openly defied her?

“They risk Passion’s wrath if they commit violence here. Remember that,” Theron said.

But only if a priestess or the high priestess were attacked. The guards could certainly drag them from the temple and commit violence once they were free of sacred ground. Aurora pressed closer to Theron. Would the paladins intervene a second time? Aurora’s gut clenched, and she was suddenly grateful they’d remained clothed. The shouting became more distinct. Flora. The queen tore open the door to their room, eyes glittering with rage.

“You!” she howled at Aurora. “Whore!”

Aurora glared back defiantly.

“That’s my wife you’re speaking to!” Theron snapped menacingly.

“You’re both clothed. There’s no proof! I demand you honour your vow and marry my daughter!” Flora screamed.

Theron chuckled.

“Oh, did Orithyia not tell you? I only vowed to wed before I left Boreas. I never once named who that person would be.” Theron grinned.

Another set of footsteps echoed in the hall.

“Your Majesty, you cannot barge into my temple and disrupt sacred rites!” Myrina called angrily.

Myrina arrived at the door, glaring daggers at the queen.

“What sacred rites? Hmm? What proof is there that they’ve consummated the marriage?” Flora squawked.

Myrina’s brows pinched in worry. She looked at them again, as if she could see through them, her hand to her heart. Her relief was palpable. Myrina sighed, a smile on her face.

“The proof is that I can sense that the bond has been forged. Theron and Aurora have been bound by Passion, until their last breaths,” Myrina announced.

“And I’m to take the word of some disgraced Aurean royal, am I? I demand she be inspected by my royal physicians for proof of intercourse!”

Aurora suddenly felt ill. Flora couldn’t demand such a thing, could she? Theron’s hands clenched at his side.

“I will break them before they dare lay a hand on her,” he threatened.

Myrina’s face darkened.

“Maybe Orithyia lets you get away with such disrespect in her goddess’ house, but I am the high priestess of Passion and this is our temple. If you’re not here to pray or ask for succour, you will leave or I will charge you with heresy.”

“Heresy? Ha! For what? Calling your bluff?”

“For questioning the blessings of Passion!” Myrina thundered.

Divine magic suddenly choked the air, thick and heavy and menacing. The walls seemed to close in, like the gullet of a beast. Even Flora was affected, taking a half step away from the high priestess. Passion ruled over more than just lust within the bounds of Trisia. Wrath, too, was her purview.

Aurora had never felt divine magic so threatening in all her life. That it was directed not at her, but her enemy, gave her courage.

Myrina was right. They’d been blessed and bound by Passion Herself. She’d seen Passion’s fire in Theron’s eyes. How dare a mortal queen question the blessings bestowed by a goddess? How dare this wretched woman who had abused her daughter, neglected her sacred duties as queen, who planned sadistic tortures for any under her power and now insulted a high priestess, barge in here and ruin what should be one of the best days of Aurora’s life? Rage boiled over, her magic seething inside her. Now that Aurora was bound to Theron, she was his queen. No longer a cowering prisoner—she was Flora’s equal. Aurora would never have allowed anyone to treat her thus in her own time. Why should she countenance it now?

Theron was about to come to his aunt’s defence when Aurora stepped in front of him. She urged him to stand aside as she marched over to Flora. How dare this woman question their marriage? How dare she come in here and treat them as if they were the dirt under her sandals? After all she’d done to torture them, to terrorise them? After all the things she’d put Epicasta through, she dared come here and make demands?

Aurora put all her strength into shoving the queen off-balance and out the door.

“How dare you—” She pushed Flora back. “Come in here—” She shoved harder as Flora stared at her, bewildered. “And make disgusting demands—” Aurora huffed, succeeding in pushing Flora back into the hall. “After everything you’ve done!”

“You promised my daughter would wed the king! Now you mean to steal him like the lowborn whore you are!” Flora raged back. “I offered you everything and you spit in my face!”

“You offered me chains and called them gifts! And you forced that vision out of me after you treated us like animals! You’re not fit to lick the dirt off our sandals, much less make demands! But instead of begging for the forgiveness you clearly don’t deserve, you question a goddess in Her temple! With every breath, you bring shame and ridicule to Viridis!”

Flora lunged. Myrina held her back.

“You want your proof?” Aurora rucked up her skirt so she could hook her fingers around her loincloth and shimmy out of it. She wiped her seed-coated fingers on the soaked fabric and tossed the sopping mess at the queen’s feet. “Here.” Aurora spat at Flora’s feet for good measure. “I’m the queen of fucking Aureum now, and I know what you planned to do to us at your party, so I’d suggest you watch your back, you thrice-damned bitch!” She glared daggers at the queen, whose face was apoplectic with rage. Aurora looked back at Theron, leaning against the wall, a satisfied smirk turning his lips up at the corners. “Do you have anything to add?” she asked him.

“No, I think you summed it up nicely.”

She turned back to the queen.

“He has nothing to say to you. Now leave my husband and I to enjoy the rest of our wedding.”

Myrina looked deeply satisfied as Aurora slammed the door in the queen’s stunned, horrified face. Aurora’s ragged breaths echoed in the quiet of their chamber as Myrina’s cheerful voice ordered Flora to immediately leave her temple. The queen stormed off. It was done. Her indignation left her almost as fast as it had come on.

Aurora turned around, eyes wide.

“Merciful Triad, I just threw my soaked loincloth at the queen of Viridis.”

“Not the most tactful first act of diplomacy as a queen, but it was certainly memorable.”

Aurora slid to the floor as her knees buckled.

“How badly did I fuck up?”

“On a scale of one to ten? Maybe a five.” He shrugged, unconcerned.

“You know what? I don’t even feel ashamed. Should I?”

“Not at all. I adored every minute of it. I hope they write songs about it.”

Aurora snorted. Theron’s eyes blazed with heat and good humour.

“Your anger is intoxicating. You’re in charge of all our diplomatic efforts going forward. Though we may need to keep you well-stocked with undergarments if this is how you plan to handle foreign relations.”

The laugh started in her belly and bubbled up until Aurora howled with laughter. She wiped tears of mirth from her eyes.

“Triad’s tits,” she giggled, “I thought her head was going to explode.”

“Would that the Triad were so generous.”

As her giggles died down, she sighed.

“Now what?”

“Now, we’re going to clean off. And then I’m going to prove to you that I’m a man of my word.”

“Oh?”

His gaze slid to the case.

“I promised to ruin you with each of them, one at a time, until you can take me inside you. And we’re going to see how many blessings Passion is willing to bestow on us. For scholarship.”

A shiver stole down her spine. He got off the bed and held out his hand for her. She took it as he helped her up. Theron opened the door she’d thought was the entrance to a closet. Instead, it opened into a small bathing chamber with a sunken pool of still-steaming water, big enough for two. He pulled her close, his eyes roving over her face.

His calloused finger trailed down her cheek and neck. He skimmed her collarbone until he met the clasp at her shoulder. He paused.

“May I?”

“Yes.”

He dispatched it with a flick of his wrist, baring one breast and then the other. His hands trailed down her chest, skirting her nipples. But two could play at that game. Aurora urged his kilt down his hips. Powerful thighs bracketed his member. Goddess, just looking at it again made her insides feel like jelly. Lustful Aurora wanted nothing so much as to test the limits of her body’s capabilities. Pragmatic Aurora doubted the logistics of their coupling.

“My eyes are up here, my fairy queen,” he purred.

The grin on his lips was magnetic. She kept her eyes locked on his as she pressed a kiss to his chest. Aurora slipped from her gown, allowing it to pool at her feet. He took her hand as he backed into the pool. When the hot water embraced them both, he grabbed a nearby towel and soap and crooked his finger. He began with her face, wiping away the thick paint. When he was done, he smiled.

“There you are.”

He tossed the towel aside and grabbed and soaped another, urging her to sit between his thighs on the sunken bench. He started with her fingers, kissing each after he was done, moved up, pressing his lips to her inner wrist, then her shoulder and neck. He repeated his care with her other hand, until he reached her neck, pressing his teeth to her neck and gently biting, asking forgiveness for the slight sting with a kiss.

“Do you want to play, Aurora?”

Anticipation was a drug pumping through her veins. Did he mean what she thought he meant? Heart in her throat she turned to look at him.

“What kind of play?” she asked, breathless.

“Control. Surrender.”

Her next breath was shaky with need. He was doing it again, speaking fantasy into reality.

“Yes.”

“And is there anything that would displease you?”

“Pain. I don’t like pain.”

“As you wish,” he said.

“And I want to feel safe,” she added.

“You’re always safe with me, Aurora.” He pulled her back between his legs, her back against his chest. “Arms around my neck,” he whispered in her ear before he nipped it.

Aurora obeyed as best she could. Even with him seated and her standing, she only just latched her fingers around the back of his neck. He lathered the cloth once more and ran it down her chest, paying special attention to her nipples. Tracing around them in maddening circles until she was throbbing, he pinched them just enough to send little lightning sparks of pleasure through her body. The sight of huge hands on her only heightened the sensations. Only when her heart was racing and she was biting back a groan did he move lower, cleaning her belly, her thighs, and teasing her as he avoided the place that ached most.

“Please,” she begged.

“Please, what?”

“Please touch me.”

“I’m already touching you,” he chuckled.

“Touch me here.” She arched her hips, seeking his hand.

“Do you want to come again?”

“Yes,” she hissed as he cleaned her with the cloth, teasing her slick folds.

“Only good girls get to come. Are you going to be a good girl, Aurora?”

“Yes,” she gasped as he rewarded her with a firmer touch, the cloth abandoned. His rough fingers, softened by the water, brought her to the brink with only a few touches.

“Then dry off and wait for me on the bed.”

She groaned with thwarted pleasure. Aurora left the warmth of the pool and grabbed the nearest cloth. But if she ached, so should he. She turned to face him, baring herself for him as she dried herself one inch at a time, her eyes on him the whole while. Gold bled to black as he watched her. When she dropped her towel, she backed away towards the bed, his grip on his own towel white-knuckled.

The moment she sat on the bed, he launched out of the water, dried off and prowled over to her. Droplets rained down from his dark crimson hair to his beautiful brown skin, from his strong jaw down his neck to his barrel chest. She traced their paths down his muscles, to his hips to where the very sight of his thick length thrilled her. She laid back as he neared, grinning at his eagerness. Already erect, he loomed over her. He raised his chin.

“Spread your legs.”

Aurora swallowed, her neck heating. It was one thing to do so in the dark, but it was full daylight. He would be able to see everything. But this was the game they played. He commanded her to play out her fantasies and she obeyed. Slowly, Aurora spread herself for him.

Theron grabbed the case and set it by his side. He knelt between her thighs with another toe-curling smile. He jerked her close, surprising a gasp out of her. Hot breath on her curls, Aurora was ensnared by anticipation.

“Good girl,” he said, rewarding her with a long, slow lick.

His tongue, hot and insistent, played with her mercilessly. Aurora’s back arched, her hands twisted in the covers as she alternately pulled away from the overwhelming ecstasy and pushed closer, begging for release. He brought her to the brink of climax again and again, only to pull away, leaving her mindless with frustration. Just when she thought he would give her what she sought, he backed off. She grabbed his hair, trying to grind herself against his face without success. Whenever she got close, he peppered her inner thighs with kisses.

“Theron!” she cried when he tortured her again, leaving her wanting.

“Aurora,” he warned. “Trust me.”

“Please. I need…I need—”

“I know.” He opened the case and pulled out the smallest glass rod. “I’m a man of my word.”

He pressed it inside her, easing the ache, but only a fraction. Aurora bit her lip as he pressed his lips to her bud and sucked. When he pumped the rod inside her she came with a scream, bucking as she was finally rewarded with what she’d so desperately sought. As she was coming down from the high, her thighs trembling, he removed the first rod and slipped in the second, angling it to hit her just right.

“W-wait, Theron I need—”

“You need to come, Aurora, and you’ll do as you're told,” he growled.

The command sent a thrill through her. He pumped faster, teasing her bud with his tongue, sending her over the edge once more. A strangled sound escaped her lips as she arched against his tongue. Her inner walls clamped against the glass, but it wasn’t enough.

“More,” she moaned.

He pressed a hard kiss to her inner thigh.

“How could I refuse such pretty begging?”

Theron removed the second glass, kissing her curls as she shivered through the aftermath of her orgasm. He uncorked a bottle and poured some of the contents on the next toy. Just as before, without giving her time to recover, he slid the third rod inside her. It glided into her like silk. When he angled it though, it was more torture than ease. This time, he only used the rod, preferring instead to watch her as she gripped the sheets between her fists and met his every thrust with frantic need.

“So pretty when you’re needy,” he growled, increasing the pace of his thrusts.

The orgasm that hit her next left her breathless and more frustrated than before. It hadn’t been enough. She threw her arms over her eyes as she shook, her heart racing. He pumped the rod inside her lazily as she rode the last waves of her orgasm.

“B-bigger,” she croaked.

“That sounded like a demand,” he chastised her, removing the third rod.

“Please,” she begged.

“Better. Are you unsatisfied, my queen?”

“Mmm.” She nodded.

“Well, we can’t have that.”

She could hear the smile in his voice. He ducked out from between her legs and rummaged through his discarded clothes, snatching up his gold belt. He returned, closed her legs and tied the belt around her thighs. Thus confined, he poured lubricant over the fourth rod. He pushed her knees against her chest, holding them there as he pressed the glass against her folds, teasing her with the head. When he pushed it inside her this time, she felt a delicious stretch for the first time. She moaned.

“But Aurora, you never apologised for making demands.”

He withdrew the glass completely.

“I’m sorry,” she gasped bereft.

“That’s not going to be enough.” He shook his head. “No, if you want to apologise,” he began, pushing the fourth rod inside her with one brutal thrust, stealing her breath. “…you’ll grip this rod inside you without my help and you won’t let it move a single inch. If you can do that while I make you scream, I’ll forgive you. Do you want my forgiveness?”

She nodded vigorously. Aurora reached down to take hold of the rod when he stopped her.

“Ah ah. No hands.”

He wanted her to grip it with her inner muscles alone? Merciful Triad, she was going to fail. Without giving her a chance to think, he pressed his thumb to her bud, punishing her with slow, lazy circles, his eyes taunting her the whole while. She tried to concentrate on gripping the rod, but he’d made her wetter than she’d ever been in her life. Even with her knees belted together and pressed against her, it was already slipping. When her climax came moments later, she cried out his name.

“Oh, Aurora, I thought you wanted my forgiveness,” he taunted her, taking the fourth rod from inside her. “Do you know what happens to bad girls?”

She shook her head. But she was dying to find out.

“They get punished. I’m afraid you don’t get another orgasm until you’ve earned my forgiveness.”

She liked the sound of that.

“P-please, Theron.”

He removed the belt, his smile sending a shiver down her spine.

“Get into the middle of the bed and lay on your side.”

She rushed to obey. When he joined her, he set the case by his side of the bed and withdrew the fifth rod. Aurora already knew this one would fill her the way she liked. Just as before, he coated it in lubricant. He sidled up behind her and hooked her leg over his.

“Kiss me like you want my forgiveness, Aurora.”

She pressed pleading kisses to his lips, her tongue asking for permission to touch his. When he obliged, her tongue sought his. At the same time, he pressed the fifth rod inside her. She exhaled in pleasure as he pumped it inside her, hitting her in all the delicious ways she loved. They lay there like that for some time, exploring each other with kisses while he thrust the glass inside her. But the moment she tried to angle her hips for more, he withdrew the rod completely. She nipped his lip in protest.

His eyes flared with heat.

“That didn’t feel like you wanted my forgiveness. And if you don’t want that, then it can only be because you want to be more sternly punished instead,” he purred.

Aurora shivered.

“Yes,” she whispered.

“You want me to treat you like a bad girl, Aurora?”

She nodded.

“Then get the next rod and fit it inside your pussy. Once you’ve done that, you’ll suck my cock until I’m satisfied that you’ve learned your lesson.”

Aurora swallowed. She wanted more. She wanted him to conquer her. But in order for him to do that, she needed to fight him—and lose. Aurora took a steadying breath. Would he understand what she wanted?

“Make me.”

His breath hitched, eyes darkening with lust. Theron grabbed her by the hair, never tight enough to cause her pain, but just enough to have control of her head. He delivered a punishing kiss. She twisted, her skin flush against his, her nails pressing into his chest. The harder her nails bit into the perfect skin there, the more brutal his kiss. Intoxicated by the violence, Aurora ground against his erection and bit his lower lip. He pulled her head away from his, breathing ragged.

He’d never looked more wild, more aroused. Theron touched his lower lip with his tongue. She’d stopped just short of drawing blood there, but even now, beads of it formed where her nails scored his skin.

“Do you know what I do to brats like you?”

She raised her chin defiantly as she panted.

“I tame them,” he growled.

Theron released his hold on her head and grabbed the belt once more, this time pinning her hands behind her back. Aurora fought, trying half-heartedly to dislodge him as he bound her, her heart pounding in excitement. This was what she’d craved. As she scrambled to her knees, Theron was already pouring the liquid over the sixth glass rod. He pushed her onto her back, then grabbed her thighs and pulled her close to the edge of the bed. She tried to close her thighs, to deny him access, but he pressed his thighs between hers, forcing her to open wide. With one hand on her belly, he used the other to press the sixth rod inside her, inch by slow inch, his eyes on hers the whole while.

Aurora cried out as it stretched her taut. Once he’d fit it inside her, she was forced to catch her breath. She’d never felt so full, and she wasn’t even ready to take him. But she loved this ruthless passion from him. Heady with pleasure, she dared to demand more, even as he thrust the rod in and out in slow, small thrusts.

“F-fuck you,” she whimpered.

“You have a filthy mouth,” he retorted. “I think it’s time we put it to good use.”

He cupped her behind her head and levered her up, forcing her to splay her legs and sit on the rod. She moaned as it pressed further inside her. He stood in front of her, his erection pressed to her lips, one hand on her shoulder, the other behind her head. In this position, her every move was his to dictate. She was entirely under his control.

“You know what I want,” he said.

It was so big, if he pushed even a little too hard, she would choke on it. Fear pierced the fog of lust.

“I’m scared,” she whispered.

His hold instantly gentled.

“Why are you scared, my queen?”

“You’re big and I’m afraid of choking,” she whispered, ashamed.

After everything he’d given her, she was too afraid to do the one thing he’d asked of her for his own sake. And yet instead of disappointment, his expression was understanding. Theron traced a knuckle down her cheek, his eyes earnest.

“I can hold completely still, but do you want to end our play for today? Do you want to stop entirely? What would make you happy?”

With just a few words he cracked open that secret space inside her heart and filled her with hope and warmth. She’d never had a lover so considerate of her needs. If he could offer her that, then the least she could do was be fully honest.

“I wanted you to conquer me…” she muttered, heat creeping into her ears. It sounded ridiculous when she said it aloud. “I wanted to lose control and still be safe.”

“And now? Do you still want that?”

“Yes.”

“We can do this a different way. Gentler.”

Her brows knit.

“But you like rougher, don’t you?”

She’d not mistaken how he’d been filled with the greatest passion when she’d forced him to kiss and tease her into submission, when he’d been forced to fight her.

“I’m happiest when you’re enjoying yourself, Aurora.”

Aurora released a shaky breath.

“Then I think I’d like that. Gentler. This time. Maybe next time, we can play rougher.”

He hummed in his throat approvingly, kneeling before her, his hands on her thighs, holding her in her seated position. Aurora’s heart sank. She still wanted to please him as best she could. Had he decided to forgo his own pleasure just because she’d gotten frightened?

“But I still want to—”

“I know, but now you’re going to please me with the larger dildo inside you,” he purred. “After I reward you for telling me what you wanted.”

It didn’t take long before he had her dizzy with need, before he gave her another climax with his talented tongue. Her inner walls spasmed against the unyielding glass as his rough hands gripped her thighs. Another strangled cry escaped her lips. She was nearly at her limit for his special brand of torture.

Theron reached behind her, freeing her wrists from the hold of the belt and urged her to lie back, his hand stroking her belly as he removed the sixth rod. He poured the lubricant on his hand and stroked her inner walls with his calloused fingers. That done, he pressed a kiss to her belly and went to retrieve the seventh. Aurora swallowed. Goddess, it was enormous. How was she ever going to fit it inside her? How was she going to fit him? He generously poured the lubricant over it and returned to her.

But he must have seen her trepidation.

Theron kissed her, soft and slow. She shook with anticipation, waiting for him to begin. Instead, he deepened the kiss, distracting her with his clever tongue until she’d forgotten everything but his lips, the taste of him, the warmth of his breath on her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close as the world drifted away. Only then did he press the head of the rod against her entrance, pulling back whenever he met resistance, stimulating and teasing her until she was the one pushing against the thickness he held in his grip. Between needy kisses and whimpers borne of desperation, it felt like it took hours before it was finally seated inside her, driving her mad with the pressure.

“Are you ready to earn my forgiveness?” he asked.

She shivered.

Her only response was a strangled groan and an insensate nod. He helped her sit again, legs splayed, the glass pressing even harder inside her than before. She cried out and shook, her nails digging into his hips as he stood before her. Her breaths were uneven as she inhaled the musk of him.

“Then put your beautiful lips on my cock,” he said.

She was clumsy, her mind addled by the rod shifting inside her as she moved to run her tongue along his cock. Aurora grabbed it with one hand, her fingers not even meeting around the thick length as she angled it towards her mouth. As he promised, Theron held completely still, his breath leaving him in a hiss as she closed her mouth around the tip and sucked. But he was far too large to fit comfortably inside her mouth. Try as she might to take more of him, it was a losing proposition. She whimpered, forcing herself to give up. Instead, Aurora pressed kisses to his length, licking the sensitive underside of the head and pumping her fist along his silky shaft. But whenever she moved, shifted to get a better grip or place another kiss, the rod inside her moved, pressing on every over-sensitized spot inside her. She groaned against his cock, waiting for the jolts of pleasure to subside so she could concentrate on her task.

“Aurora,” he growled. She looked up to him, half in a daze. “That’s enough,” he ground out.

She’d not noticed his galloping breaths, his white knuckles, the look of control one moment from snapping. He stilled the tremor in his hand, but only just, as he reached to cup her cheek.

“You’ve been a very good girl. Are you ready for me?”

“Yes. Please,” she begged, mindless.

He laid her back on the bed and crouched on top of her, one arm outstretched to balance himself. He slid his free hand down to her bud, and with a single slide Aurora saw stars. She dug her nails into his arm and screamed his name like a prayer. As the aftershock sent delicious pleasure coursing through her veins, he slid the rod out of her. He put it aside and grabbed the liquid once more, his movements jerky as he coated his cock.

“Ride me.”

Aurora, shaking mess that she was, scrambled atop his thick body and positioned her trembling thighs above his length. It felt impossible as she pushed down on the thick head of his shaft. But now was not the time for thoughts of impossibilities. Her lust had eroded good sense. She bore down on him, pushing him inside her, needy and reckless. Theron swore.

“So fucking tight,” he cursed. “Slower, Aurora. We have time.”

But she’d reached the end of her tether. Her patience had long since run out. She needed him fully inside her, and she needed it like she needed to breathe. Refusing to give into the sting of pain, she pushed harder, until he was inside her and she was collapsed on his chest, her breaths heaving. She was pinned in place, unable to move.

“T-Theron, I can’t move. It hurts,” she whimpered.

“Stay still,” he groaned. His magic curled around her, finding her hurts and soothing them. “Better?”

“Mmm,” she moaned.

“Just breathe,” he said, panting. “Don’t…don’t move.”

Goddess, she’d never felt anything so alarmingly divine. Cheek pressed to his chest, she could feel his racing heart, the quick rise and fall of his sweat-slicked skin. He burned inside her, hot and hard and gloriously thick. She was lucky he was a healer, for she’d never have been able to take him otherwise. She lifted her hips experimentally.

He gripped her hips in his hand and rocked into her, surprising a gasp out of her.

“Yes?” he asked, desperate.

“Yes!” she cried as he rocked again.

She didn’t have the energy to take him in the way she wanted, so she let him take control of her hips, his rocking turning to thrusts, and his thrusts becoming more powerful the more enthusiastic her cries of pleasure. She scored his chest with her nails, her throat raw from crying out his name. Her mind was gone, her body his, her whole being remade by the pleasure he gave her. When he neared his limit, he ground against her overstimulated bud, bringing her to climax one last time as he pumped his release inside her with a roar.

They lay there, her on top of him, hearts galloping, breaths ragged. Where she ended and he began was anyone’s guess. Aurora was utterly spent. A pleasant, sleepy fog descended on her as he pulled himself from her. She must have fallen asleep, because she woke when he pressed a warm, wet washcloth between her legs and kissed her forehead.

“Hold me?” she asked, her words slurred by sleep.

“Always,” he murmured, pulling her close into his embrace.

Aurora fell asleep to sound of Theron’s heartbeat, a smile on her lips and her heart full of hope.