*Luca*
I have known the weight of war, the taste of blood, the ache of loss. I have carried it all, and yet nothing could have prepared me for her.
Ava–clever, loyal, brave as any warrior, with beauty that strikes like lightning, and yet, somehow, she is also the best kisser a man could ever hope to find. It defies sense. If I fall tomorrow, if I am laid in the earth with the rest of the dead, I will go to my grave with the memory of that kiss on my lips, and count myself a fortunate man for it.
“We should probably–” She speaks breathlessly.
“You’re right,” I say. “The others are waiting.”
We leave the mouth of the bathhouse and follow the narrow passage until we reach the iron door to the main chamber. I stop with my hand on the latch.
“Your presence is a blessing,” I say. “We’ll sp
