Nevenka (rosecrowned) wrote in cirque_rp, @ 2019-05-03 01:23:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, !thread, ac: may 19, player: circe, player: leah |
WHO Nevenka & Jianfan
WHEN 1st May, 11am
WHERE Nevenka’s suite
WHAT A husband returns from the dead
WARNINGS Truly disgusting romance novel fodder, and then sex, then more fodder.
STATUS Complete
It had been a long shot, to post a nondescript message on a network of a place he had just arrived at. After hearing of the circus’ existence, Jianfan had deliberated whether or not to go at all. As soon as he had entered the city of New Orleans, however, he had been unable to prevent himself seeking it out. There was a mystical pull of old magic, something he was powerless to ignore, and so he had entered. As soon as he had been free to explore, having met with the mysterious Ringmaster and been relayed the rules, Jianfan had put up the message. Sitting in his newly acquired suite, he waited as calmly as he was able as various replies filtered through, some more helpful than others. Then, she had responded. Hands shaking slightly, from adrenaline and anxiety both, Jianfan had repressed the urge to go in search of her without instruction. He had been waiting for so long, a few more minutes wouldn’t have hurt, yet the longing he had felt ever since leaving her all those years ago seemed to press around his heart and spur him into action. Once armed with the information he needed, Jianfan followed the corridor to the stairs and ascended, his breathing regulated as he took each step one at a time. The sight of Nevenka, just as breathtaking as ever, almost made him crumple with relief. There was no time to fall apart. Before he knew it, she was bounding towards him and, as ever, he was ready to catch her. Arms tightly encircling her body as she leapt into them, Jianfan immediately buried his face in her hair and allowed his eyes to close, a sense of peace overtaking him for the first time in many, many years. Nevenka’s face was buried in Jianfan’s shoulder, his scent so familiar, yet she realised now that she had forgotten it over the years apart. She would never forget it now. Not again. She’d never allow herself. She was still crying, but didn’t quite realise it until she spoke, her words catching in her throat. “I thought you were dead.” She’d already said it, but it was all she could think. I thought you were dead, I thought you were gone, I never thought I would see you or hold you again. I thought you were dead. As much as Jianfan wished that the relief and happiness of having found one another again would overshadow the agony of lost years and the circumstances leading to them, such wounds would not so quickly heal. He frowned at the pain he could hear in Nevenka’s voice, it matching the sensation he felt beginning to spread through his chest. Pulling away a fraction in order to set her back down, though one arm remained tightly encircled around her, Jianfan brought a hand to her face to gently wipe away the tears staining her cheeks. “I thought many times that it was my destiny to die,” he said, eyes eagerly drinking in the sight before him. “But how could I? I had something more important than fate to live for.” Even now, with the solid weight of Nevenka in his arms and her tears tickling his fingertips, he could hardly believe that he had finally found her. “I should have known.” Nevenka began to slowly smile as she looked at him, eyes moving across his face as she remembered every line and curve of it. “I should have known that even death wouldn’t keep you from me.” Her Jian, who was the strongest person she had ever known. Her Jian, who had the purest heart and the most determined spirit. Her Jian, holding her in his arms like he’d done a thousand times before. “My love,” she whispered, leaning in to kiss his lips so softly, as though anything more might still make him disappear. “My great love, my only love. It’s been so hard.” All of the tension he had been carrying for so many years began to melt as Nevenka smiled up at him. He had never forgotten how he felt - how could he? - yet being here, with his greatest love finally encircled in his arms again, that pain and yearning of the passing years seemed to fade. Those feelings could not be erased but, for now, they could be set aside. With one hand moving to cradle her face, Jianfan leaned down into the kiss as if pulled by some magnetic force. It was a brush at best, like the petal of a bloom caressing his lips, yet it sent a shiver of longing through him that had him holding her closer. Pressed flush against one another, he rested his forehead against her own as he finally opened his eyes. “I know,” he whispered, placing a gentle kiss to the corner of her mouth. “I am so sorry it took so long to find you. I never stopped searching. I—” Letting out a breath, he nudged the tip of his nose against her cheek and inhaled once again, allowing her familiar scent to wash over him. “I love you,” Nevenka said, moving her face as he nudged her, letting him take her in just as she was taking him in. “None of it matters anymore.” She pulled back just enough so that she could look at him again. She had do doubt that he had been looking for her this whole time. That was just who he was. Jianfan had always been doing everything for her, anything to protect her and love her. When Jianfan was there, Nevenka was in full bloom. She reached up to put her hand against his cheek, mirroring his own action. “You’re really here and so am I. We’re really together.” Nevenka kissed him again, more deeply, holding him close to her. “I love you too.” Those words seemed so trivial when given the hardships that both of them had been through, from having to hide their budding relationship while still in the Ljubičica court to being on the run and their subsequent parting of ways, yet they were no less true. Jianfan felt as strongly now as he ever had, that Nevenka was the only one he would ever love with such unwavering ferocity. Where she went, he would always follow. So as Nevenka guided him back into a kiss, Jianfan went willingly, allowing himself to get wrapped up in her essence. It almost felt like taking a deep breath after being held underwater, sweet relief like a salve to burning nerves. It took little effort to pick Nevenka up again, one arm cradled around her back as the other slid under her thighs. It was easier to kiss her properly, to drown in her, and he remained stationary for several long moments before blindly walking towards the door she had previously bolted out from. While he didn’t much care if anyone saw them, he desired time alone with his wife to properly express just how much he had missed her. How many times had he lifted her like that? She remembered the first time, when he had taken her from her bed in the middle of the night and into his arms, had whispered that danger was coming to her house, that the enemy would be here soon but that he would protect her with his life. She remembered how they had stolen away into the storming night, Nevenka slipping free from his arms so that she could run beside him, his hand holding so tight to hers. She remembered the old barn they had hidden in and how cold it had been, how Jianfan had wrapped himself and his cloak around her to try and keep them both warm. How there, with the threat of the enemy finding them at any moment, they had kissed for the first time and Nevenka had known that she was bound to him forever, not by blood or magic, but by something deeper than either. It was the same thing that still bound them, that had led him to this very circus and back to her. As Jianfan carried her into the room, Nevenka reached out to push the door shut behind them, giving them a private bower of colourful flowers bursting into bloom. The scent of them was so strong now, probably intolerable to anyone who wasn’t so connected to flowers as they were. But to Nevenka it smelled like life and love and peace, and she kissed her husband as lilacs and sakuras dropped their petals lazily down upon them. Jianfan smelled the blooms before he saw them, their very essence screaming Nevenka’s name out to him as the scent tickled his nose. It brought a smile to his face, once that was lost against Nevenka’s lips as they continued to kiss with abandon. It was with great reluctance that he finally withdrew, their foreheads remaining pressed together as he looked into her eyes with all the insurmountable love and affection he felt for her. While it had been many years since they had been so wrapped up in one another, everything felt instinctual to Jianfan. The time and distance had only served to make his heart grow fonder. “I love you,” he whispered again, expression soft and filled with devotion. “I never want to leave your side again.” Nevenka couldn’t stop smiling at his words but there was something just behind the smile that kept trying to voice itself. Jianfan had gone to fight for them and he hadn’t returned when he said he would. She’d thought he was dead. He’d said he very nearly had been. Which begged the question, “is anyone coming for us?” She wasn’t going to leave him, not again, but she had to know whether they were safe or not here. It was essential that they talk, that he inform her of what happened during their years apart. Now that the surprise of their reunion was beginning to ease, Jianfan expected questions. He wasn’t surprised with the first that Nevenka voiced. Pausing briefly, he once again lowered her to the ground before seeking out her hands. Twining their fingers together, he squeezed gently. “Perhaps,” he said, though he was quick to continue. “I have not encountered anyone from our past in almost two decades, but I doubt that is indicative of anything.” When they had first begun to run, soldiers had been sent in droves to stop them. Those forces had thinned out over the years as he and Nevenka moved so frequently, yet they never stopped searching entirely. When he and Nevenka had parted ways, it was because her father - the king - had sent forth his own personal guard to find them; highly skilled warriors, as Jianfan was, who would not stop until they had completed their mission or died in the attempt. “I will not let them harm you,” Jianfan said, releasing one of Nevenka’s hands to run his fingers carefully through her hair. “As I did before, I do again. I swear on my life that nobody will ever hurt you, not as long as I draw breath.” Nevenka believed him, without question. Not since they had known each other had Jianfan giving her reason to doubt that he would (and, more importantly, could) keep her safe. Even when he hadn’t loved her and was instead merely blood-pacted to her family against his will and forced into the role of her protector, Nevenka had always trusted that she was safe. “Were you frightened?” she asked him, holding tight to the hand that wasn’t running through her hair. Gently she pulled him down to sit on the couch with her. The blossoms had taken it over, and as the two of them sat flowers were crushed beneath them, bringing up yet more new scents. “No,” she said with a shake of her head before he could answer her. “What a foolish question. Just let me kiss you again instead.” Nevenka shifted from beside Jianfan, moving to straddle him instead. As they kissed her hair fell down around them, making it darker, making the sound of his breathing more pronounced. Lowering himself down next to Nevenka but keeping their hands connected, Jianfan’s lips quirked as she answered her own posed question. While he wasn’t above feeling emotions like fear, especially when it came to Nevenka and her safety, he hadn’t felt such a thing during his absence. Anger had fuelled him; that he had been forced apart from his greatest love, that he had to fight for both of their survivals, that her family would rather continue coming after them than allow her to be happy. Setting both hands on Nevenka’s hips as she released her hold and moved to settle in his lap, Jianfan tilted his head back to look up at her. Despite the privacy her rooms allowed, he much preferred the darkness that came as her hair shielded them from the light. It felt intimate, as if only the two of them existed. He had missed the feeling immensely. “You are as beautiful as the last time I saw you,” he muttered, lips skimming her jaw and trailing down the curve of her neck. “The years have been kind, even if circumstance has not.” From what he could tell, very little hand changed. Nevenka’s eyes were still bright and filled with life, the shapes of her body still supple and smooth beneath his hands. There was a hint of sadness about her that hadn’t been present before, though given the passing years, it was as understandable as it was regrettable. Now that he was here, all Jianfan wanted to do was help alleviate that sorrow however he was able. “The years since you saw me have been short,” Nevenka reminded him. “Barely anything really.” Words were a little difficult to find with his lips against her neck, and the breath she let out was heavy and replete with longing. She dropped her face so that she could look into his eyes, so dark they were almost black. “But every one of them felt like a century without you here.” He was still beautiful too. Still exquisite and with those eyes that she’d happily let cut right through her. They had been together almost five hundred years, and Nevenka had never grown bored of him. The years together, making homes in different cities among the humans and pretending to be like them, had only made Nevenka love him more with every passing year. And now he was in her arms again. Now he was warm beneath her and his lips made every part of her body feel alive, like a storm-flooded river barely contained as it surged toward the ocean. With delicate fingers she reached down to unbutton his shirt, letting her hands slip inside it so she could touch more of his skin. A shiver ran through her. In comparison to how long they had known one another, forty-seven years was a blip. Yet, as Nevenka said, they had felt so much longer when experienced apart. “It has been long enough,” he muttered, delighting in the reaction that his kisses were causing. “Too long.” Resting back as the tickle of Nevenka’s fingers brushed his chest, Jianfan was unable to withhold a chuckle. “Some things refuse to change no matter how many years pass,” he teased, his fingers squeezing her hips before moving around to her ample backside. Running his palms over the light material of her dress, he rucked it up in order to dip his hands under it, fingertips caressing the soft expanse of her lace-covered rear. In truth, it was somewhat miraculous that they were being so restrained. The desire to drown himself in her every valley and curve urged Jianfan on yet a big part of him wanted to savour the moment. As with all things, he opted to follow Nevenka’s lead. Nevenka was having a similar internal struggle to Jianfan. To savour or to take immediately? It was difficult. She wanted both, but when Jian’s hands shifted under her dress she felt like her body was taking more control than her mind. She kissed him fiercely then, the desperate sort of kiss she had been holding back before. Against Jianfan’s lips Nevenka moaned, rocking her hips against his and digging the flats of her fingertips against his sides as though that might bring him closer. One hand moved further down, finding the button on unfamiliar pants without breaking the kiss. There was very little that Jianfan could do to get closer in that moment, given that they were both still fully clothed. It helped that Nevenka was wearing a dress, a garment that he was well-versed in removing from her supple body, yet it seemed she was having a little more trouble with his pants. Breaking from the kiss with a grin, Jian slipped a hand between them in order to assist. Once the button and zipper had been dealt with, his own hands moved to his shirt, which was promptly shrugged off, before they returned to the hem of Nevenka’s dress, fingers curling around it and urging it up over her head so it could be properly removed. It really didn’t matter what Nevenka wore, for she would always look breathtaking to him. That being said, her wearing nothing would always be his favourite, and so he didn’t hesitate to bring a hand up and unclasp her bra with one hand as the other dipped below the line of her panties at the back to resume his caress of her rear, this time under the fabric. With his pants undone, Nevenka could reach down and touch him properly, hand wrapping around him. She’d been with a lot of men over the years, but she’d know Jianfan even in the darkest night. His was the body she was most familiar with, that she always craved the most. Was this a dream? Some wonderful dream she was going to wake up from and be heartbroken? She hoped against all hope that wasn’t the case. His kiss felt real. The warmth of him beneath her felt real. The way his hands moved across her body, it all felt real. She leaned forward, kissing up along his throat, her chest touching his. Much like Nevenka, their time apart hadn’t meant that Jianfan had been without bed partners. Yet nothing could have ever compared to this moment, to having Nevenka straddling him so, her warm hands running over his body so expertly. As loathe as he was to break their connection, the pleasurable touch of her against him, they were not in the best position for what was inevitably about to occur. Moving as little as possible in the hopes of keeping her body where it was, Jianfan shifted her weight in order to rise to his feet. It took a little manoeuvring but with one hand encircling Nevenka’s back and the other cradling her rear, he made short work of moving over to the flower covered bed in the centre of the room. Gently laying her down, Jianfan took advantage of his standing position and removed his pants unabashedly. He had never felt the pangs of self-consciousness in Nevenka’s presence and didn’t intend to begin now. There was no room for such thoughts, not when his wife was spread out on the bed with flourishing blooms around her, waiting for him to dutifully attend her. Without further delay, Jianfan knelt on the bed and leaned down to mouth at her stomach, her chest, her neck as one hand propped him up, the other trailing down to dip between her legs, fingertips teasingly running over the lace-covered apex of her thighs. Looking up at Jianfan from where she lay on the bed, Nevenka felt even more like it must have been a dream. (If it was a dream, let her never wake up.) Standing above her, Jianfan was beautiful beyond words. Incomparable to anything or anyone. A small sound of need and desire escaped her throat as he came down to her, and when his hand reached low she was reminded of the last annoying piece of fabric separating them. Nevenka stretched with one hand - the other in his beautiful hair - to try and shimmy out of her panties without moving him away. It was slightly unsuccessful and she laughed a little, knowing she must look a little silly even in such an erotically charged moment, but she felt no embarrassment. They had been together so long, few things could embarrass her with Jianfan anymore. But the panties were gone soon enough and she was wrapping her arms around her husband and kissing him, the smile from her laugh still lingering on her lips. “I love you,” she told him breathlessly, wanting to say it again, wanting to say it all the time in case he ever even began to forget it. The teasing lasted briefly before impatience took hold, with Jianfan more than happy to assist in the removal of the final layer between them. He pulled back momentarily in order to take in the sight of Nevenka, just as beautiful now as the last time he had seen her and every instance prior to that, before returning to catch her lips with his own after her declaration. As his hand skimmed the side of her body, Jianfan’s lips pecked lightly down the curve of Nevenka’s neck. Burying his face in the crook, his fingers traced their way back to their previous position between her legs, the tips of his middle and index fingers running the length of her opening before peeking inside slightly. “I love you too,” he whispered, his thumb steadily seeking out the bundle of nerves at the head of her entrance. Every action felt like muscle memory, the curves and lines of her body like a map, long lost but never really forgotten. A jolt passed through her body as Jianfan found the most sensitive part of her, his fingers there better than anyone else’s. Nevenka arched against him, unconsciously opening her thighs a little wider, wanting more of his attention, wanting everything that he would give her. With her hand resting in his hair, Nevenka made a light fist so that she could take hold of him properly, pulling him down into a deeper kiss as he touched her. His mouth was hot against hers, and her breath was becoming more rushed. Pleased to have more room to work with, Jianfan added a little more pressure as he was pulled down into a breathtaking kiss. Letting his own soft moan slip out, he carefully slid one finger into her tight heat as his thumb continued to circle her clit at a steady pace, his movements unhurried as he reacquainted himself with Nevenka’s body. Nevenka pushed herself against Jianfan’s hand, wanting more of him. She continued to kiss him, to hold him close by the hair, her grip becoming stronger and a little more shaky as Jianfan kept up with his ministrations. Slowly she felt her orgasm rising inside her, the smell of him mixing with the scent of the flowers, her skin growing more flushed. She reached her hand down to find his erection and whispered, “please,” against his lips. “Jian, please.” Despite his steady pace, Nevenka seemed to be especially reactive to his touches. Unable to stop a victorious smile, Jianfan let slip a soft chuckle and sped up his movements a fraction, delighting in the heat that was radiating from Nevenka’s skin. The pleading and the touch to his cock had Jian gasping, his moan swallowed as his body shivered with pleasure. It was such a light caress, barely there, yet the familiar hold on him drove him wild. How could he deny her what she wanted? He had never been able to before and it seemed that time hadn’t altered that fact. Pulling back slightly, Jianfan looked down at Nevenka and admired her flushed cheeks and lust-blown eyes. With a smile, he kissed her softly and continued to thrust his fingers inside of her, curling the tips slightly and brushing against her inner walls to further prepare her. Only once he was satisfied that she was slick enough did he withdraw his fingers from within her, his previously occupied hand joining her own around his cock in order to align himself correctly. While it was all happening a little faster than he would have expected, Jian made no move to slow down. All he wanted was to lose himself in the moment, in his wife’s loving embrace. Balancing his weight on his knees, Jianfan used his free hand to move Nevenka’s leg up and around his waist into a more comfortable position. Offering her another smile, he leaned down and pecked at her lips as he slowly entered her, watching every micro-expression that crossed her face as his hips rocked steadily forwards. Nevenka liked that smile from Jianfan. She’d missed that smile from Jianfan. His slight arrogance of knowing her body better than any other man always made Nevenka want him all the more. And gods of all the world, she wanted him now, wanted him more. As he looked down at her, Nevenka was watching him with just as much lust, admiring the way his hair fell over his eyes as they devoured her, seduced by the lithe muscles of his torso, the tight lines there. He was strong and powerful, and Nevenka loved that about him. Loved that he could just toss her around like a ragdoll if he wanted, that he could take such control of her. She knew and trusted that he would never use that strength to hurt her, only to make her happy. His fingers were driving her crazy in the very best way, and his cock twitching against her palm made her writhe all the more. Nevenka let him shift her into the position he wanted, and when he smiled at her, Nevenka couldn’t help but smile back. She’d never been so happy to be somewhere, never wanted anyone more. Jianfan moved into her slowly, and Nevenka whimpered at the sensation of him filling her. She lifted her hips to meet his, spurring him on, her hands reaching out for any part of him to grip. Her eyes fell closed for a moment but she opened them again, wanting to see his face as they made love. Wanting to see only her Jianfan above her as he thrust against her, her thighs spreading further to allow him deeper. Time seemed to lose all meaning as soon as they were joined. Jianfan took his time, his thrusts slow and deep as his mouth alternated from languid kisses against Nevenka’s lips to skimming the sensitive skin of her breasts. One hand caught hers at some point, fingers entwined as he pinned her arm down beside her head, the other hand settling on her outer thigh as their hips rocked together in sync. When it seemed like he or Nevenka were getting close to completion, Jianfan slowed down his movements even more, intent on making the experience last for as long as he could. He refused to be satisfied until he had drawn every ounce of pleasure from his wife, until he had made love to her as she deserved. Occasionally their eyes locked, the intensity of the moment deepening exponentially as they neared their climax. Eventually it became too much, the height of pleasure reached, and Jianfan came apart with Nevenka’s name on his breathless lips and his gentle gaze fixed on her face as if nothing else in the world mattered save the two of them in that very moment. When they were both spent, Nevenka took her time getting her breath back with Jianfan on her, hands stroking lazily through his hair after he’d fallen against her. She was happy to stay like that for a while, kissing his throat softly, until finally she made them move so they could both lie down beside each other. She wanted to lay her head on his chest and listen to his heart, but she wanted even more than that to be able to see him. So she lay beside him, watching him, one hand stroking along his side. “I still can’t believe this is real,” Nevenka said quietly, after she’d been gazing at him for a long while. He was so beautiful, all flushed and messy haired and hers. The comfort and ease that settled over him then was the most relaxed Jianfan had felt in an age. With his head resting against Nevenka’s chest, her calming fingers running through his hair, it felt almost like a dream. Even as she moved them both into a different position, the weight that had settled within his bones was the good kind. Remaining silent for a long while as they admired one another in their post-orgasmic stupor, Jianfan smiled lightly at Nevenka’s eventual comment. “You must be shocked,” he muttered, fingertips coming to brush her hair from her face carefully. “I am sorry to have caught you unawares, my lady.” That use of ‘my lady’ made her smile, a slip into age old habits from lifetimes ago. “You can catch me anyway you like,” Nevenka told him with a little smirk. “You should know that by now.” Currently it was a lie though. She still wanted at least another minute or two to just lie there with him. But she knew she’d be reaching out to have him again very soon. He was irresistible to her, even before he’d disappeared for decades. “I’m just happy that you’re here,” she said, far more sincerely. “This is more than I could have ever hoped.” The smirk was met with a chuckle as Jianfan leaned in closer, brushing the tips of their noses together playfully. “How could I ever forget?” he teased back, though he too had no intentions of moving much. Simply laying here with Nevenka, such a simple pleasure he had once taken for granted, gave him more comfort than he had felt in many years and he was in no rush to bring that to a close. “So am I,” he replied, his arm coming to rest lightly over her waist as he shuffled closer. Pressed flush against one another, he savoured her warmth and the tickle of the petals coating the bed beneath them. “Have you been well?” he went on to ask, fingertips tracing idle patterns against the back of her shoulder. Then, after a moment of pensive silence, he asked: “Have you been happy? Even after what happened and you assumed I was…” “For a long time I thought happiness was something I’d never have again,” Nevenka admitted, dropping her gaze as she thought about it. “When you didn’t return-” She licked her lips, finding them suddenly dry. “I packed up my things so quickly, just leaving behind anything too difficult. I had a flight out of Rio within a few hours and to start with I just felt numb and scared, looking over my shoulder constantly like someone might be there. It wasn’t until I landed somewhere far away that I let myself mourn.” She lifted her gaze to him and ran her thumb along his cheek. “For a few years that’s all there was. Just mourning you. I didn’t know what else to do. But then… I found this place and it was safe, even though there were other fae here and we avoided our own kind for so long out there in the world. It was nice to be among people where I didn’t have to hide. And slowly, so slowly, I learned how to live without you. I missed you every day,” she told him with a slightly teary laugh, “but I made friends and found people who cared about me.” “But what of you, minii khair?” She frowned deeply as she thought about the very different life he had probably lived since they parted. “Have you been alone all this time?” Listening intently, Jianfan tried not to think too hard about what it must have been like when the day he had given for Nevenka to run had finally come. To hear her speak of it was painful enough. All he wanted in that moment was to bundle her up and promise that she would never have to go through such heartache again. He would mean it too; he had no intentions of ever leaving her side again. Before he could make such promises, Nevenka was asking after him and the life he had lived during their years apart. “Not always,” he eventually confessed. “A lot of the time, yes. I moved from place to place as we once did for a while, yet still, more came for me, believing you to be with me.” With a melancholic smile, Jian paused briefly to consider his words. “I eventually grew tired of running. I faced the last of the guard somewhere in Slovakia, some eighteen years past. That was the last of them I encountered. Since then, I have been searching for you.” Her fucking family! Why couldn’t they just have let Nevenka go? Let her be happy with Jianfan? She knew that her actions had broken a truce they had been trying to set up for a very long time, but was it fair that she was to be nothing but a pawn for them when she could have a good life with someone she actually loved? That they would do anything to destroy Jianfan out of their own foolish sense of pride was bad enough, but that they would rather see Nevenka dead than free with him was absolutely ridiculous. It was obscene! But was he right, and it would finally be over? Let her family fight their own foolish wars back in Serbia, let them continue to tear each other down, let them fuel themselves with continued vengeance for ancient slights. Let them do all that, but let them just forget Nevenka finally. “Thank you,” Nevenka told him, leaning forward to kiss his lips, “for everything that you’ve always done for us. I promise that you will never have to be alone again.” Leaning into the kiss, Jian hummed contently. While their life together had never been easy, he would have done it all again without protest if it meant keeping Nevenka safe. It was his duty; first as her guard, then as her husband. Even after so many years, he took the task as seriously as ever. “We will never be apart again,” he said sincerely, his hold around her tightening as he nuzzled into her neck. “I promise you that, no matter what happens, I will never again leave your side, xīngān.” |