1/13/2021 A Kiss

 Leifan’s fingers brushed mine, just for a second, and then I was ripped away. I screamed, struggling to get back to him, where he lay broken at the altar. A dark laugh rumbled against my back, and my vision flashed red. I threw every ounce of strength back, throwing my arm down to smash into my captor’s groin. He cursed violently and stepped back, releasing me for just a second. I spun on him and launched forward, smashing a kick into his sternum hard enough to send him sprawling back. Behind him, the dark figures turned to the sound of our struggle. 

I spun and ran for Leifan, flinging myself to the ground beside him. I just needed one more touch before they took me. Just one more touch before my captor’s hands pulled me away for good. 

Leifan’s breath was ragged, but his hands felt warm and strong as he grasped my face. His lips pressed against mine, wild and desperate. I clung to him, drinking in the warmth of him. He tasted of blood and sweat, but the violence and desperation melted away, replaced by a tenderness that shattered through me. I realized then just what this man had become to me. More than my friend. More than my companion. My beloved. My soul. But it was too late for us now. 

 I pulled away to stare at him one last time. There was a fierceness and terror in his eyes I had never seen. Heat blossomed in my core and pulsed through my veins, angry and defiant. This fight was lost, we both knew it. But this would not be the end. No matter how much of that wretched darkness rained down on us, we would find our way back together again.  

Claws dug into my shoulders and wrenched me away. I writhed against my captor, but he wouldn’t be foiled again. His hand gripped the back of my neck in a vice and a shadow swung over me. Pain shattered through my skull and the world blackened. The last thing I heard was Leifan’s battlecry, a vicious and unearthly sound. But he was broken, and he couldn’t stop them from taking me.