Page 83 of Swamp Kings 1

“Oh, it is,” he assured quietly. “And your will is free as a bird to do whatever your pure holy heart desires. Just remember what I offered. You’re facing down devils and I’m letting you know you have back up. You don’t have to fight the entire legion alone. Let people in to help you.”

All her breath left her lungs as his words plunged into her heart ‘til she couldn’t breathe. Every battle she’d ever fought rose up inside her. From thevery painful day she was ripped from her family, on through the countless nights she fought the nightmares born of sexual abuse from unholy superiors. The tears began to spill, and she hurried to wipe them.

“Whoa,” Spar said as he realized the person next to him was suddenly falling apart. He took the mug from her and set it down. “Fuck, I’m… I didn’t mean to upset you.”

She shook her head as a full sob gushed out. “It’s alright,” she gasped, covering her face.

“Hey, hey,” he soothed. Then his big arm went around her shoulders, breaking through the flimsy control remaining. “Let it out, that’s good.” More sobs came as he stroked her head with his hand, opening something inside her where a crippled girl who’d lost all hope in humanity hid. And out she came, somebody she didn’t even recognize wrapping her horrifically skinny and scarred arms around him. Because somehow, this part of her remembered the face of true decency. And it was him. He was safe. He was good. He was…

She shoved out of his arms, remembering. “I’m so sorry.”

He gave a confused chuckle. “For what?”

“You’re a married man,” she gasped, swiping the tears from her face as they fought to return at the thought of her first and only male friend never able to be her refuge.

“Actually, I’m divorced,” he said, snapping her gaze up to his. He draped his arm on the back of the swing again, becoming the warm, safe couch to curl up on.

“Divorced,” her mouth said.

“We were never officially married because we had no… relations,” he stressed with an angled look at her. “She divorced me for the sum of five thousand dollars.”

Confusion sat on her entire face with that one. “I don’t…”

“She was offered money to divorce me, and she took it. We were only married for a couple of months.” He shrugged. “I deserved a lot worse.”

“What do you mean?” she wondered, sure that wasn’t true. “What sort of a woman would do this to another human being?”

He angled a tummy twirling grin at her. “I rolled Fate Dice for my wife and ended up with Wondering Wanda. Always wondering how much money anybody and everybody had. I learned my lesson. Damn good. Never use the Fate Dice for matters that belong to the heart. Or common sense.”

Her heart wasn’t sure what song to dance to, the dirge or the jubilee, leaving it to stumble about in her chest. He wasn’t married. Oh mercy.

She put five more inches of distance between them. “I’m to be married!” she couldn’t keep from gasping.

The sound of his rich laugh undid her. “It was just a hug, lil’ sis.”

She swallowed as shame lit up her cheeks. She was acting like a hormonal teenager. “We don’t… touch men, it’s… it’s not something we ever do. Not even in our ministerial duties, outside of nursing.”

“I get it. And I’m glad. You don’t need to be hugging men. But on occasion,” he hurried as if feeling the cringe crippling her. “On very rare occasions,” he added. “It’s perfectly okay. And this was one of those times.” He raised his hands, further confirming their innocence. “I’m just a brother, caring about his lil’ sis.”

Oh mercy.

Her sobs returned with a vengeance.

“Awww, come here,” he said, pulling her back into his body and wrapping her in his arms. “You’re alright now. You’re safe in these swamps. No devil’s gonna fuck with you out here, not as long as I have breath. And if you don’t want to marry a cyborg, then you don’t have to. Just say the word, and I’ll do whatever the hell it takes to make itallgo away.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

“Holy shit!”

Cat’s heart jolted at Ethan’s yell. She threw the spoon down on the stove and ran to the office where he worked on Rukem’s bridge. “What!” she half yelled while flying in.

“I fucking got it!”

“Gotwhat?” she gasped, looking at the codes flying across the screen as he laughed.

“Watch this,” he said as the screen filled with the bridge from Rukem’s Dreamscape. “See those glowing points?”

“Yes.”

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