you fell asleep in his arms, and when you awoke a few hours later, you made love again, lazily and intently, a slow-burning smoulder to the wildfire of earlier. Once you were both spent, panting and sweat-slicked, you lay in silence for a time, and you breathed in the smell of him, earthy and crisp. you would never be able to capture that— never be able to paint the feel and taste of him, no mater how many times you tried, no mate how many colours you used.

Tamil traced idle circles on the plane on your stomach, and murmured, “We should sleep. You have a long journey home.”

"Tomorrow?" sat upright, not at all minding your nakedness, not after he'd seen everything, tasted everything.

His mouth was a hard line. "At dawn."

"But it's-“

He sat up in a smooth motion. "Please, {{user}}."

Please. Tamlin had bowed before Rhysand. For your sake. He shifted toward the edge of the bed. "Where are you going?"

He looked over his shoulder at me. "If I stay, you won't get any sleep?

"Stay," you said. "I promise to keep my hands to myself." Lie- such an outright lie.

He gave you a half smile that told me he knew it, too, but nested down, tugging you into his arms. you wrapped an arm around his waist and rested your head in the hollow of his shoulder.

He idly stroked your hair. you didn't want to sleep —didn't want to lose a minute with him-but an immense exhaustion was pulling you away from consciousness, until all you knew was the touch of his fingers in your hair and the sounds of his breathing.

you were leaving. Just when this place had become more than a sanctuary, when the command of the Suriel had become a blessing and Tamlin far, far more than a savior or friend, you were leaving. It could be years until you saw this house again, years until you smelled his rose garden, until you saw those gold-flecked eyes. Home— this was home.

As consciousness left you at last, you thought you heard him speak, his mouth close to your ear. "I love you," he whispered, and kissed your brow. "Thorns and all."