“What in the hell were you thinking?” I said.

“I was thinking I was here, saving your ass,” she replied.

“Great plan,” I said, giving a pointed look around the cell we were in.

Jurg had put us both into one large cell together, saying he wanted us to bond. He'd told us that on the final day of the tournament, the Masters held a battle royale, with their two best fighters working as a team. He'd said the crowd loved it and it usually made the Masters a ton of money. Like I gave a damn about that.

Jurg said he saw that spark in Kianna and his plan was to have me train her as quickly as I could. Then, she was going to fight a couple of matches on her own, just to prove herself. If she survived those matches, she would be paired with me for the battle royale.

Kianna said that her plan was much simpler – it was for us to be long gone before then.

“It was the only way into the Syndicate stronghold,” she said. “There was no other way for me to get to you.”

“You shouldn't have come,” I replied. “The only way out is to fight. To win a hundred matches. And that's not even a guaranteed ticket out.”

“There are always ways to escape,” she said. “You just have to find them.”

“I've been looking since the day I got here,” I replied. “I haven't found a single crack in the defense.”

“Then we need to look harder.”

A wry chuckle bubbled up from my throat and for the first time ever, I felt a sense of defeat permeate my body. I didn't know what it was, or why, but having Kianna in that cell with me made me feel all the more lost. All the more helpless. All the more hopeless.

It was like, as long as he was out there, I had a reason to keep fighting. To keep winning. I had a purpose. A mission. Getting back to Kianna was my goal and thing that kept me going on.

Having her in there with me though, knowing there was no way of getting out, suddenly stripped me of all that meaning and that purpose. My goal was no longer out there – she was sitting there, stuck in the same cell I was.

And I did not know how we were ever going to get out, other than winning a hundred matches and winning our freedom. Yeah, there was a chance of it, but a very small chance. Almost infinitesimal, really. Jurg was an exception to the rule. And in this life, there were painfully few exceptions.

Kianna moved over to where I was sitting on my bunk and put her fingers under my chin. She lifted my face until her beautiful eyes were staring into mine. She gave me a warm smile and then leaned down, planting a kiss on my mouth. Eventually, she pulled back and looked at me.

“I wasn't sure I'd ever feel that again,” I said.

“I never doubted it,” she replied softly. “I knew it was only a matter of time before we were together again.”

I cocked my head and looked at her. I felt the rueful smile touching my face and I had to look away as the heat of shame burned in my cheeks.

“I'm sorry I lost hope,” I said softly. “I'm sorry I gave into despair.”

“It's easy to do in a place like this.”

Stepping forward, she straddled my lap and sat down. Locking her hands behind his neck, she kissed me again, letting me feel every ounce of love and passion she felt for me. My hands were suddenly in her hair, pulling on it as our kiss deepened and intensified. Kianna ground my hips against me as I felt my cock stiffening against her and a low groan escaped my lips.

“I've missed this,” she said.

“You and me both,” I whispered. “But, do you think we should?”

I nodded to the door – more specifically, to the small rectangular, barred window embedded in it. She gave me a cocky little smile and shrugged.

“I don't care,” she said. “Let them watch.”

I pulled her into a kiss and relished the feeling of her tongue swirling and dancing with mine. She moaned softly as I tugged hard on her hair and slid my mouth down to her neck, kissing and licking her soft flesh. She practically tore my shirt off of me and tossed it away, and I did the same with hers.

I took her full, pert breasts into my hands, leaning down to lick and suck on her stiff nipple as I kneaded her other breast with my hand. She whispered my name as I alternated between kissing her mouth and sucking on her breasts, all the while, my cock strained against my pants, begging for release.

Kianna stood up suddenly and pulled me to my feet. In one swift motion, she yanked my pants down to mid-thigh as she fell to her knees in front of me. She attacked my hard cock with her mouth and tongue, sucking and licking with a furious energy. She grabbed my thick shaft, jacking me off as she sucked on me, her hand and mouth working in concert with one another, sending shockwaves of pleasure rolling through my body.

I gripped her hair as she blew me, closing my eyes and clenching my jaw. It felt so fucking good to have her mouth and hand on my cock. She was building me to a fast climax, so I stopped her, pulling my dick out of her mouth. I stood her up and slipped her own pants down her legs. Pushing her down on the bunk, I stripped them off and tossed them away. Pulling her to the edge of the bunk, I fell to my own knees and buried my face between her thighs.

I licked and sucked on her wet, swollen lips, drawing gasps of pleasure from her. Burying two fingers deep inside of her, I moved them in and out as I sucked on her clit. Kianna gripped my hair, grinding her face against my fingers and mouth, her body trembling, softly calling out my name. I slipped my tongue deep inside of her, savoring the taste of her sweet pussy on my tongue.

The scent of her, the taste of her, and the sounds she was making were all driving me crazy. I needed to be inside of her. Having endured so much death, I needed to feel that life-affirming sensations that only came with making love to somebody you cared about. I needed to revel in that feeling of light. Of life.

I took Kianna's clit into my mouth and pumped my fingers hard and deep into her again. She pressed her head back against the bunk and called out my name as I kept fingering and sucking on her. A moment later, I felt her body tense up and a stuttering gasp escape her lips. She let out a quiet moan as her body started to tremble, the muscles inside of her gripping and releasing my fingers as she came hard.

She called out my name as her orgasm crashed down over her, gripping my hair tight and squeezing my head between her thighs. I was overcome with desire, her scent and taste driving me forward. Getting to my feet, I pulled her up onto the bunk and positioned myself on top of her. Kianna spread her legs and wrapped them around my waist as I braced myself on my arms, hovering over her. I looked down into her eyes and felt my heart swell with love. With passion. With desire.

Leaning down, I kissed her hard, putting all of my love and desire behind it at the same time I thrust my hips, driving my thick cock into her. Kianna gasped, but it was muffled with my mouth still on hers. She dug her nails into my back as I started to pump my hips, my cock sliding hard and fast into her. I pulled back and drew in a sharp breath as she raked her nails down my back.

Her eyes sparkled with life and passion as I drove my cock into her again and again.

“You feel so good, baby,” she gasped.

“Not nearly as good as you feel.”

The sound of flesh slapping against flesh blended with our moans and cries, echoing around the chamber, creating an erotic symphony that only served to urge me forward, to turn me on even more. I moved my hips faster and hard, pumped my cock deeper into her. Kianna pulled herself up and bit my shoulder as she dug her nails into my back. Her breathing was growing ragged and her voice was hoarse.

“Fuck me, Elix,” she called. “Oh God, yes. Fuck me, baby.”

I pounded my cock into her harder, reveling in the feeling of being so deep inside of her – something I wasn't sure I'd ever feel again. And maybe because of that, everything felt so much more vivid. So much more vibrant. My body shuddered and hummed with a carnal electricity I hadn't felt before and it had me on the verge of bursting inside of her.

“Come for me, Elix,” she gasped. “Come inside of me.”

I gritted my teeth, a low, animalistic groan crossing my lips. I wanted to make this last. I wanted to extend the pleasure. Wanted to revel in being inside of her for as long as possible. But, when she started to squeeze me with her internal muscles, making her pussy even tighter, that was it for me.

I cried out and shuddered, feeling my cock throbbing as I drove it deep into her one last time. I tried to call out her name, but all that came out was a choked gasp as I felt my cock explode, shooting my hot seed deep into her.

Kianna gasped and pressed her head back into the bunk as her body tightened and then trembled hard. She writhed beneath me, feeling my seed filling her up, and her body let go. She shook like she was having a seizure, caught in the grip of another powerful orgasm. Our bodies rocked and shook as wave after wave of sheer ecstasy rolled over and through us. Swept us out on a tide of absolute pleasure.

And when it was done, once the last of my seed had been spilled inside of her and our breathing returned to normal, we held each other. We basked in the afterglow of ecstasy, relishing the feel of each other's bodies pressed together once more.

I smiled, letting the bliss steal over me, trying to push away the dark thoughts that kept intruding. Dark thoughts and dark whispers in my mind telling me I was enjoying the feeling and sensation of being with Kianna for the last time.

All that mattered to me right then and there was being with her.