Page 220 of Marked By His Hunger

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And then—Serena collapsed in my arms.

I mean to say I caught her before she hit the ground, lifting her into my arms as if she weighed nothing.

“Sorry,” she murmured faintly.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” I said, my voice low and dangerous as I looked at the wreckage around us.

The Institute trembled.

The wards strained.

And every ancient thing buried beneath Asgarheim had just taken notice.

Of her.

Of us.

Of what we had become together.

I tightened my hold on her.

Mine.

Not as possession.

As truth.

As fate.

As inevitability.

And for the first time since I had taken the Draugr’s burden—I understood something terrifying.

The curse had never been my end.

She was.

Chapter 28-Serena

I woke slowly this time.

Not falling inward.

Not drowning in darkness.

But rising.

Like something deep inside me had finally settled into place.

The first thing I noticed was warmth.

Not the distant, echoing warmth of the bond.

Not memory.

Real.

Solid.

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