"No," I told her gently. I moved my face towards hers so we were only inches apart. I wanted to touch her, to kiss her so badly, but I refrained. "It won't happen to you. You're too strong. You'll fight it, just like you did this time." I assured her.

"I only did it because you were here." I couldn't stand it anymore. I wrapped my arms around her as she buried her head in my chest. She was silent for only a moment before she spoke again. "I can't do it by myself."

"You can," I murmured. "You're strong—you're so, so strong. It's why I love you." There they were. The words I'd wanted to tell her since the moment I realized that she meant everything to me. She knew she had my heart, but I don't think she realized the extent of it until just now. I heard her breathing catch before she spoke.

"You shouldn't. I'm going to become something terrible. I might already be something terrible." The words made my heartache. She wasn't something terrible, nor would she ever be. She was beautiful and full of light, and everything I'd ever wanted. I pulled her away and took her face in my hands, forcing her to meet my gaze.

"You aren't. You won't," I assured her. "I won't let you. No matter what, I won't let you." As we stared deep into each other's eyes, I knew she could see everything. It was like she could see into my soul, and the thought scared me, but intrigued me all the same. It's why I'd been so drawn to her. She then reached up, and wrapped her arms around my neck, bringing her lips to mine for a kiss. Considering the circumstances, you would have thought the kiss would have been desperate, and full of emotion, but the only emotion I could find in the conveying of our lips was love. It was pure love. Steadily, the kiss grew hungrier, filled with the longing we both felt for one another. It reminded me a lot of the night we'd been under the lust spell, except these actions and feelings were all on our own account. She had one arm around my neck, the other hand on my back, her nails digging into my skin. I'd never tell her, but it drove me wild. It was taking everything I had to hold onto the very little self-preservation I had in me. I laid her back on the bed, running one of my hands down her body to the back of her thigh, and pulling it up around my waist. At the same instant, we both pulled away, only leaving a few centimeters between us. I knew so much rested on this moment, and I didn't know if I could do it.

"We can't…." But I need this.

"I know," She agreed. But I want you.

It was all it took, the unspoken words cleared up anything we could have said out loud. My mouth was back on hers, and I knew there was no going back. This was it. I loved her, loved her more than anything in the world, and this was my time to show her just how much she meant to me. I fumbled with her coat, pulling her up to pull it off of her. She then ran her hands underneath my shirt, pulling it up and over my head. I pulled her up into a sitting position only to pull her shirt off over her head, and toss it to the floor beside the bed. She ran her hands down my chest, causing goosebumps to rise on my skin. The things this girl did to me, I swear. She stopped at the button of my pants, and undid them assisting me in getting them off. I removed my mouth from hers, pressing kisses down her neck and chest, all the way down to her belly button. I watched as her back arched slightly. I ran my hands down her back, unhooking the soft black bra from her and pulling it away, tossing it to the floor as well. Once the rest of the clothes were shed, I couldn't help but drink in the sight of her. I'd known she was beautiful. I'd known it since the day we found her out there in the streets of Portland, under the streetlights, but here in the soft glow of the moon in this cabin, she was almost too beautiful to look at, but I couldn't keep my eyes away. She was majestic, she was everything. We spent a good portion of the time kissing until she pulled away from me, and met my eyes.

"Please." She whispered. I met her eyes for a second, and nodded. I never thought I'd feel nervous about something like this with anyone, but with her… she made me second guess everything I did.

"If I hurt you, tell me… okay?" I murmured into the nook of her neck. She nodded once until I lined myself up and pressed into her. She gasped and dug her nails into my back, surprising me when she didn't draw blood. I looked down at her face, looking her any sign of pain, but there wasn't. Her eyes were closed, and she looked perfectly content. When she opened her eyes, she reached up, and grabbed my face, pulling me down to her lips. I let her adjust to me, before I continued. She followed my lead, obviously new to this. Every once and awhile, she'd moan, or whimper. She whispered my name a few times, which was almost enough to drive me off the edge. With each brushing of finger tips, with each kiss and touch we conveyed nothing but love. It was in this moment, in this act I knew that I'd proven to her just how much I loved her. I threw aside all my morals, all my Zen life lessons of right and wrong, just to prove to her how much she meant to me. I wasn't going to lose her. It was now that I realized how stupid I'd been to think anyone else could do to me what she did. When I was thinking about leaving with Tasha? If I could go back and change it, I would… just so I wouldn't have to regret even thinking about leaving Rose. We both hit our release together, crashing over a white wall of ecstasy. When she hit her release, she bit down into my collarbone, leaving a very visible, very noticeable bite mark. After it was over, we laid in bed, side by side. She traced the mark she'd left, as I ran my hands through her hair, smiling down at how beautiful she was. I don't think I'd ever been as happy as I was in this moment, being able to lay in bed after sex with the woman that meant more than my own life. She laid her head on my chest, as I kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Roza." I whispered to her. I kissed her again. "I'll always be here for you. I'm not going to let anything happen to you." I knew my words were dangerous. I knew I shouldn't be putting her before Lissa, I knew Lissa should be my top priority because I was her guardian, but I couldn't keep pretending that I would ever be able to put someone else's life before Rose's. I knew my words were dangerous, but I didn't care. They were nothing but the truth.

"And I won't let anything happen to you," She promised. "I love you." I kissed her again, cutting off any other words she might have said. Even if I would have let her speak further, it wouldn't have mattered. I love you was still ringing in my ears.