In the dark

A final goodbye

There was no doubt. Tomorrow she faced probable death, but right now—in this moment—she had no doubt. After months of suffering the choices she herself had made—he was here.

His lips found their way back to hers and her world fell into place—and what a world it was—a world without pain, a world without the looming threats that followed her all the days of her life. It all vanished when he was near, it was his own particular brand of magic.

"I've missed you," she whispered softly, breaking the kiss, her gentle fingers cupping his jaw with care. His answering smile dazzled her, finally breaking the ice that had encased her heart for so long. The little wrinkles at the corner of his eyes crinkled as he looked upon her with such joy that tears threatened to spill. Lifting his big hands to her face, he cradled it softly before pressing his brow to her own.

"You're all I ever wanted."

She moved into him, her lips meeting his again. More confident this time, she took what she had been fantasizing about for months. It was her time now, what little of it there was left, and this moment would have to sustain her, them, until they could be together again.

Would her prayers be answered? And Maker knew she had prayed—to all the gods, both old and new—that they may have that opportunity. The chance to know each other in a world not set out to kill them.

Running a gentle finger up his chest, she undid the button of his shirt and kissed the pale patch of skin she had freed from its confine. She did the same for the second and the third, slowly, tortuously working her way down his chest until she was on her knees, looking up at him as her fingers slowly worked the laces of his trousers.

He stilled her hand. "Get up."

She stood, a small frown playing on her beautiful face, and watched as he finished removing his shirt, his muscles flexing with the movement. She drank him in; flat stomach, defined abdominals and obliques, such perfection that made him seem almost cut from stone.

He smirked as he watched her eyes travel along the lines of his body. She visibly swallowed as his hands traveled down to the ties on his trousers. He had stepped out of them before she could even remember to breathe, and for a moment the world stopped.

It had happened before, but only with him. The magnitude of his presence overshadowing everything else. She peered at him from beneath dark lashes as he stalked towards her—a lion hunting its prey—and it suddenly all came back to her. Why she had walked away so many months ago. Why this had been doomed from the start.

Her heart began racing as he grazed the delicate skin at her throat, nimble fingers tracing an unhurried path down to unlace her corset with ease.

There was no room for her when he was near, she faded away in his presence—she became ethereal, her actions driven solely by her maddening pulse and the deafening beats of her heart.

Her dress slid off her body to pool at her feet in a silken heap of fabric and lace.

How had he undressed her so quickly?

Her eyes never left his as he stepped forward, hypnotic and blinding, he was the sun and she the moon, his magnetic pull impossible to resist.

The first touch, she felt from her heart to her toes, pleasure rippling through her, radiating from the burning weight of his hand against her skin as he held her. A wicked grin split his face and she found herself falling back, pushed down onto the bed and bared to him in the blink of an eye. Her undergarments disappearing in one smooth, confident sleight of his hand. She perched herself up on her elbows and watched as his eyes roamed over her body, her pale skin flushing involuntarily under the scrutiny of his gaze.

That look in his eye, the very one that had been her downfall the first time, hungry, proprietary but with a softness that eased her—eased the intolerable heat building between her thighs, eased the burdens she carried, eased her down to her very soul.

Falling back into the plush mattress with a soft sigh, she heard him chuckle softly, her only warning before he struck. Parting her thighs, he fell to his knees in sensual worship, the feel of his mouth, his tongue—lost in sinful adoration—a revelation.

How had she ever strayed from his path?

A last thought before his skillful touch sent her soaring, lifting her ever higher, until she shattered, bursting into a dazzling mist of shimmering starlight. Gentle roving hands brought her back slowly, lips nuzzling at her throat, a tongue that tasted of her sliding into her mouth, taking, claiming. Her brain registered every shift but her body lay lax and sated, safe and warm, teetering on the brink of slumber.

"Come back to me love."

A lazy smile and a flutter of lashes were her only answer as sharp cheekbones and the very satisfied curl of his sensuous lips came into focus. She exhaled contentedly, light returning to her world—sharp and vibrant—sending her heart careening within its walls, yearning for more.

More that may never come to pass. The thought sobered her, cutting through the soft haze of happiness that had wrapped itself around her like a warm embrace. A hitched breath betrayed her, the weight of his body settling above her—her saving grace—keeping her from breaking.

Would he be the one to pick up the shards of his own shattered heart?

She traced lazy circles along the endless planes of his back, the hard muscles tensing and flexing beneath her fingertips. She wanted to remember every inch of him, every dip, every hollow, every marred imperfection. She wanted all of it, all of him, she always had, from the moment their eyes had met, surrounded by death and devastation, already then, there had been only him. She sucked in a breath as he slid into her, a rebel tear escaping from the corner of her eye, chased by his lips.

"Don't."

A soft command that brought her to heel as he began moving in slow gentle thrusts. Quiet words of comfort falling from his lips, drifting through her, slowly mending the dark breach that cleaved her soul.

She felt him tense before he moved and suddenly she was looking down at him, riding him slowly, sensually.

"Stay with me." he pleaded, the weight of the world shining back at her in those warm amber eyes. Nodding, she leaned down to claim what was hers. Their union, a delicate joining of souls, quickly building into a desperate rhythm—a dance of life and love, of loss and sorrow.

They were out of time now, the first tendrils of pink threatening to creep over the horizon. She saw the moment he realized it and bid him to close his eyes, to remain with her just a little longer. He grabbed her roughly, no longer holding back as he pounded into her, every snap of his hips bringing her closer to her end. And she understood now, there was no mistaking this for anything other than what it was.

A final goodbye.

Those magical fingers of his traveled down to her secret spot, and he played her like a well-tuned instrument, slowly at first building a crescendo of heat and passion until she climaxed with a strangled cry, her soul whole once more—a dark abyss where her heart used to be. His release soon followed as he wrapped himself around her, his strength a shield against the world. He kissed her, long and deep as though he wanted to leave a piece of himself, a small shard of light, to protect her against the coming darkness.

When she tasted his tears, she knew their time was up. Pressing her lips to his one last time, she pulled back to meet his eyes, "I love you Cullen. Since that day at the temple, I've loved you."

Pushing an errant strand of hair away from her face he smiled, a sad smile, eyes shining bright with unshed tears, "I love you too. And I'll be here when you return."

She nodded once and with a heavy sigh went to make ready. It was her turn to be strong now. Glancing at the commander of her armed forces, naked, draped across her bed, she reluctantly made her way to the stairs, hesitating before taking that final step. She knew he was letting her leave on her own terms and she loved him for it.

"I'll see you soon."

He only nodded, a slight curl of his scarred lip, her parting gift before descending into darkness.