“This, us, together like this. It’s just … right.” Before she could argue, he pressed a quick, firm kiss to her lips and then nipped them playfully as he pulled back. “Now, tell me your favorite memory.”
“The first time I saw you,” she answered without pause.
“Intriguing.” Thalion purred. “What did you think?”
“I thought, why is that pompous elf standing in the rain?”
Thalion threw his head back and laughed. He loved that she was allowing him at least a small glimpse into her true self. Cyn was rarely playful and when she was, it was a gift. “I will admit that I was a bit preoccupied to notice the rain. A certain lovely fae had caught my attention.”
“What is your favorite memory?” Cyn asked him.
“This one,” he said quietly as he reached up and ran a finger across her lips. “I will look back at tonight and remember it as the night you let me in, even if only for a little while.”
The night continued on much the same. He would ask her a question, and she would tease him or give him a serious answer. Periodically, he would leave her breathless after capturing her mouth and kissing her until he had to make himself pull away. It was the best night he’d had in a very, very long time.
It was much later that Thalion held a sleeping Cyn in his arms. His own unwillingness to succumb to sleep was due to the fact that he knew his time with her was slipping away. It wouldn’t be long before the morning sun would break over the horizon and he would have to say good-bye. For how long? He had not the slightest idea. Cyn was as predictable as the weather. One day she might be biting cold and another as warm and inviting as the first days of summer. But whatever she was, she was his, and he hated knowing that she was still resigned to walking away from him.
When the inevitable finally happened, Thalion reluctantly released her from his arms as she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Cyn seemed unable to want to look at him, but he wasn’t about to let her off that easy.
“Don’t even think about flashing out of here without talking to me,” he warned.
She took a deep breath and then stood. When she turned around, Thalion could see the wall she kept up between herself and the rest of the world was already back in place.
“Will you keep your end of the bargain? I have kept mine.”
“What do you think?” he asked her, challenging her to trust him, to take him at his word and admit that he is a man of honor.
“I believe you will,” she said after several heartbeats of silence, then added, “I won’t lie. I enjoyed last night, but it can never happen again.”
Thalion sat up, pushing himself to the edge of the bed. He rubbed his hand over his face, attempting to shove away the frustration he knew was evident in his eyes and in the tightness of his mouth. The infuriating woman just wouldn’t give in. “Are you saying I will not be seeing you again? Fae warriors will be coming here to train. Will you not join them?”
She shook her head. “I am needed elsewhere.”
He walked over to her and took her face in his hands. He saw her skin flush at his touch and her eyes widen as he lowered his head. Thalion’s lips moved across her in a sensual dance, coaxing her to open her mouth so he could deepen the kiss. As his tongue delved in and her tasted bombarded him, he attempted to make it last so that he could memorize her taste, the feel of her skin, and her alluring scent. He finally pulled back. Cyn had her eyes closed.
He almost missed her whisper, but he didn’t miss the tear that slipped down her cheek.
“I’m sorry.” She was gone before he could respond.
“She was as broken as you were,” Reeve told him as his story came to an end. “When did you see her next?”
“Thirty years later, she came to me with the warlock king and a human in tow. It was a blessing and a curse. I was thrilled but I was also brimming with anger,” Thalion admitted none too proudly.
“She needed your help?” Reeve asked.
Thalion nodded, his mouth set in a grim line. “The world was falling apart at the hands of a witch no one new still existed. I had no idea the danger she had placed herself in, while I sat protected behind the walls of my castle. It was then that I decided I could no longer keep from interfering. I won’t lie.” He let out a sigh. “At first it was only for her. But she’s taught me that I should be willing to help those in need because it is the right thing to do.”
“She’s good for you.”
“Yes, she is.”
They sat in silence, both lost in the past. It was nearly a half hour later when Reeve spoke again. “If you find a female that is your equal, but also has strengths where you are weak, she is worth fighting for. She is worth following, no matter what.”
“Even beyond death?” Thalion couldn’t help but ask. He didn’t want to lose his friend, but he understood why Reeve wanted to leave this life.
“Even beyond death,” he confirmed. “I belong by her side and she by mine. Being separated from her has been a torturous existence.”
Thalion reached forward and laid his hand on Reeve’s forehead. “May I?”
