Remi stumbled out of the tavern in shock. She hadn't even been able to muster a farewell to her grandpa with all the thoughts swirling around in her head.

She could hardly think straight. Her brain felt dazed and confused.

Her grandpa had delivered and unleashed a bomb of information on her, and none of it made any sense. Well, it did, in a twisted, imaginary, theoretical sort of way, but not in a way that seemed even remotely realistic. It couldn't be possible.

The golden token felt heavier than a lead weight in her pocket, weighing her down with its magnitude. It was almost as light as air, in actuality, but it sure didn't feel that way right now.

Remi bumped into someone by accident, not paying attention to her surroundings. They whirled around, intent on unleashing their anger on her, but was stopped. Everything was blurry, and Remi couldn't tell what was going on. People had killed for less.

And then she saw him.

Killure sent the tall man she'd bumped into flying down the street. His loud holler faintly registered in the back of her mind, but she couldn't bring herself to even think about him right now.

"Killure," she whispered softly, so softly that her words were drowned out by the deafening voices of the crowd around her.

But he heard.

His blue, stormy eyes met hers.

"Take me somewhere, away from all this. Just for a while," she pleaded, her vision blurring, everything around her confusing and too bright.

His gaze was dark and intense. "As you wish, doll."

And then they were flying. Far, far away from Merricrest. Away from the stupid crowds and all their noise.

Away.

Away from it all.

------

Waves crashed into the large rocks at the bottom of the cliff, powerful and angry.

Remi looked over for a second more, watching the frothy foam dance on the surface with every movement of the water.

And then she must have leaned too far, for she suddenly lost her balance. Her eyes shot open wide, and fear danced through her veins as she realized she had lost control. Her arms shot out, flailing wildly.

A muscled arm wrapped around her waist and roughly pulled her away from the edge, spinning her around.

Killure was looking at her like she was stupid, a dark eyebrow raised high. He was clearly unamused. "Are you trying to fall off and die?"

Remi crossed her arms and huffed. "I was doing just fine."

"Sure you were," he rolled his eyes and scowled in her direction. He was lounging about casually, with both his knees half-way up, leaning on one arm.

Remi glanced past him to the charred remains of Northfall. It was a barren land, full of charred trees and waste. There were no creatures that scurried about, not even clicking insects or fluttering bugs. Although for that Remi was glad. She hated bugs. They were the one living thing she wished never existed.

Still, it was sad to see this place like this. All charred and burnt beyond recognition, and probably only a fraction of what it once was. If Remi looked hard enough, she could almost imagine how beautiful this place once was.

Her eyes wandered back to Killure's handsome face, only to find his stormy eyes staring straight at her with a startling intensity.

"What?" she asked, furrowing her brows in confusion.

He emptied his face of all emotion, staring at her coolly. "Why did you free me, doll?"

It took her a few seconds to realize what he was talking about. The fire seemed like so long ago.

Remi barked out a laugh in reply, which only caused an offended look to pass across his face. He started to get to his feet and leave, eyes becoming hard.

Remi grabbed his hand and pulled him back down, until he was sitting right in front of her. He parted his lips to say something, but stopped short, one dark brow eyebrow raised.

"Why do you think?" Remi asked, amused.

He became aggravated. "Why? How should I know? To mess with me, maybe, or to amuse yourself?"

Remi grinned widely, leaning closer to him. His body tensed as he glanced down at her. "Is that the kind of person you think I am, Killure?"

He didn't meet her gaze. "I can't get a read on you. It's irritating."

Remi reached up and began to slowly trace his chiseled jaw with her thumb. His breathing hitched, and his eyes snapped back up to meet hers. She smirked up at him. "Why'd you come back?"

He glared hard at her, clearly unwilling to answer that question. He looked at her quizzically, like he was trying to figure her out. "Just something to do to pass the time," he ground out, clenching his jaw hard.

Ignoring him, Remi leaned in further and wrapped her arms around his strong neck, burying her face in his chest. She glanced down to see one of his hands fisted at his side.

Finally, he lightly wrapped his arms around her, hardly touching her. "You've never ran," he murmured in her ear, hot breath fanning Remi's face. She suppressed a delighted shiver.

"Because you were never a charity case for me. You always mattered," she whispered back, voice full of fervour.

Killure pulled back just a little, until their faces were only a few inches apart. His eyes searched her face, as if looking for the lie. He didn't find one.

For the first time since Remi had known him, his eyes showed vulnerability. "I've never mattered to anyone for a long time, and I sure as hell don't deserve to matter to you. Don't subject yourself to—"

Remi leaned in and kissed the corner of his mouth ever so softly. He drew in a sharp breath and his body stiffened. His hands tightened on her waist slightly, and he let out a ragged breath. "What do you want from me, doll?" he asked, his voice hoarse and gruff as he tried to restrain himself.

Remi left a trail of kisses along his jaw, causing the Icix to close his eyes and tilt his head back in pleasure.

She pulled back, and Killure peered lazily at her through half-lidded eyes. "I don't want anything from you, Killure. No ulterior agenda, I swear. I only want you."

She averted her eyes and frowned, turning away from him. "But if that's not what you want, then I completely under—"

With a low growl, Killure pulled her onto his lap, pressing her tightly against him with a powerful arm wrapped tightly around her waist. His dark blue eyes, stormy as a turbulent ocean sea, stared deep into her eyes. A wicked smile spread across his face as he let out a low, breathy chuckle. "Your grandfather killed everyone I knew. Destroyed my home. Wiped out most of my race. I've hated Designers for as long as I can remember. In fact, I wanted to kill you."

Remi parted her lips in surprise. He'd never told her any of that before. She slowly wrapped her legs around his waist, shifting in his lap. His grin sharpened, and he bit his lip. "The things you do to me, doll . . ."

She peered at him through her strawberry coloured eyelashes. "Why didn't you kill me? You had every opportunity when you were free."

He stared at her for a moment in disbelief, momentarily pausing the circles he'd been rubbing on her waist with his thumbs. "I thought I knew how people acted. I could predict them. But you? You're an enigma. It's almost too good to be true."

Remi shook her head, the smile falling from her face almost immediately. "I'm not too good to be true. I'm not the perfect person you make me out to be—the farthest thing from it, in fact. There's always been a darkness inside that I have to fight off with all my strength."

He looked at her in disbelief and snorted, "Right."

Remi smoothed her lips into a small, sad smile. "Let me tell you a story. Don't make a decision about me until after you understand my darkness."

———

A/N: Okay so I wasn't planning on updating until Thanksgiving break, but I was reading all your comments and support and it made my day, so I thought I'd write this up quickly and give you guys an update. (: Hope you enjoy!!