I decide I need to act like I don't know what's happening. My lips claim Alvar's as I lean in to kiss him.

This is my husband, the man I love, and if I die, I want to savor this kiss for as long as the blissful moment lasts.

His eyes betray the illusion Saul is creating through him, but I know Saul can't see through Alvar's eyes and when I draw away, I mouth the word, "I know," at Alvar.

His expression brightens for a second, then he grasps my wrists painfully tight. This isn't Alvar's willing, he's always used a firm grip while making love, but I know what Saul is doing now. He's going to have Alvar hurt me to crush Alvar's soul once and for all.

"That hurts," I state bluntly and bite my lip.

"Lucy," Alvar states, his voice wooden, robotic, it's not him. "I like hurting you." He rips the fabric of my sleeve roughly off. My clothes are already burned and frail. He easily rips the other sleeve off.

I notice Saul, sitting in the darkest corner of the room quietly watching us.

"Then hurt me," I whisper in his ear, "hurt me until I've no life left. I'll always love you, Alvar."

Alvar growls an animal sound, his eyes are deep red, I can tell he wants to resist whatever Saul is ordering him to do.

There is the sound of footsteps next to my head. Saul has gotten up from his place and he's come to play, to relish in his sadistic triumphant return.

"Look at you, Earth Human, so helpless. You came back here to save your love, but now your love is going to destroy you in every way possible. I love how easy it is to terrify Earth humans. Your friend, Emily? She was incredibly easy to manipulate into telling me what I wanted to hear. I know your story, know how you've fallen in love with a Cursed--as if it were even possible. Did Alvar tell you about us? Did he tell you about all the people he killed for me? Or did tell you of the times he pleasured me with the very mouth he just kissed you with?" Saul leans down so his face is next to mine so the heat of Saul's breath is against my cheek. He pinches my cheeks painfully and forces my head to face him.

I close my eyes, not wanting to give Saul the pleasure of my pained, fearful gaze.

What an evil fucker. His words cut like a knife, but not for the reasons he wants. I know it's Alvar he's trying to hurt. Not me. My beautiful, noble husband, made to do such horrible things by this vile, cruel man.

"I'm a bit jealous," Saul continues, an evil grin spreading across his face, "I hear Alvar is in love with you. I don't like my pet being in love with someone else. Alvar is mine, Lucy. Long after you're gone he'll be mine. He killed Triss and now he'll kill you." Saul pauses and gazes down at Alvar thoughtfully, taunting, "How it must feel to kill the ones you love."

Suddenly Alvar grasps my bound together wrists and yanks them over my head. I know this is Saul's doing. I wince and cry out in surprise. With his other hand Alvar rips the rest off my shirt off so the only thing keeping my breasts is my bra.

Saul lets go of my face, in my prone position he runs his fingers from my throat in a straight-line down between my breasts and to my navel.

"Do you like to watch me touch her?" Saul asks.

"Yes, Master," Alvar answers, the words are so wooden I know they are not Alvar's own.

I'm shaking, the place where Saul's finger traced feels dirty. I hold back a relieved exhale whenSaul steps away from me and walks back to his seat.

"Procede," Saul says, waving a dismissive hand at us.

Alvar bows his head into my chest, every exhale from his nose sends a rush of hot air against my breasts.

It's hopeless. I don't know what Saul will do next, but I close my eyes and roll my head back. A gasp escapes me as Alvar nuzzles against me tenderly.

Saul can't have all the victories.

"You're so beautiful, I can't be a luckier man," Alvar whispers in my skin, his voice choked up. "I love you."

"You're not supposed to say that," Saul's voice interrupts, coming from the dark corner he inhabits again. "Tell her you find her disgusting and never loved her. That she can't compare to Triss, your wife who was trained in my palace in how to properly pleasure a man."

"Go to hell," Alvar hisses at Saul. "You can't make me hurt her." Alvar pulls off my bindings from my wrists and drops my raised hands so he can embrace me protectively, but Alvar's body is changing forms. I can feel the skin on his face harden and contort against my bared skin.

"Lucy, I was on Earth, and you must know this isn't a fairy tale, where true love conquers all," Saul growls, he pulls his key from a pendant he has around his neck and holds it toward Alvar. "Obey me."

Alvar's words come out jumbled together as he fights Saul's command.

"Obey me," Saul repeats. Alvar begins shaking violently and he lets go of me. He falls back on the floor writhing and crying out in pain as his body changes forms and he tries to resist the spell binding him.

Finally he fully transforms into his Cursed form, expanding in the space and destroying the room as he does so.

"Yes! Look at that ugly monster you're in love with, bitch," Saul shouts at me and he yanks me up by my hair sending tendrils of pain through my scalp and down my neck.

I scream. My ankles are still tied together and they twist painfully as I try to balance myself so I can ease the discomfort of him pulling my hair.

Alvar, now fully a monster, snorts and roars at me. I notice smoke seep through his jaws.

I take Saul's distraction as my chance. I whip my head and yank myself away from him while at the same point grabbing the key from Saul's hand and using all my body weight as I fall to break the chain holding the key around Saul's neck.

I notice a shard of broken glass on the floor from when Alvar transformed and I remember the blood exchange I'd seen in Alvar's memories and how they'd bound their blood to the key and collar. I take the shard and slice open my palm up to my wrist, deep, covering the key to the Fe collar with my blood.

"Alvar, fire!" I shout. "Fill this place with your fire!" I'm not sure if my crazy plan will work, but I scream out the word again, "Fire!"

Saul has but a moment to stare in disbelief at me before he's engulfed in Alvar's flames.

Blood is pouring from the wound. I've cut myself too deep. The flames are hot around us and I hear Saul's cries as the fire streams out around us. What was left of Alvar's bedroom is destroyed by it. The ropes around my ankles burn off as does the rest of my clothes. I rise to my feet and run to Alvar and wrap my arms around the trunk of his thick monster neck. I force the key I'd stolen into the lock of the collar and twist it.

Alvar groans, the sound so deep and loud it shakes the room. The collar falls to the ground and I watch as it melts into a pool of blood-like substance.

The flames vanish as if by magic and Alvar's form wraps into itself until he's but a man again. A man I'm leaning up against. For a moment he holds me to him, but then he shudders and collapses.

"Alvar!" I shout, reaching to catch him as he falls, but I'm so weak that I collapse on the floor with him. My blood is all over both of us, pouring from the slit I'd made and draining my life away. I need to stop bleeding!

"Is he dead?" Alvar chokes out the words, his eyes closed and his chest rising and falling as if he'd run a marathon.

I survey the damaged room and see the burnt remains of a body. "He's dead."

"Good." A smile hints at the corners of his mouth. "Good."

"It's over," I say, "forever."

"Forever." Alvar opens his eyes and he notices my bleeding, he rushes to sit up. "Lucy! What happened to you?"

He must not have seen how I'd spilled my blood all over the key in order to bind my blood so I could command him.

"Lucy!" his voice becomes a faint echo as I slip away from reality with a smile on my face. It is over.