"I am not fishing. I am merely observing that your assessment seems understated."
She laughs again, and the sound is the most beautiful thing I have ever heard. "Fine. It was incredible. Earth-shattering. Life-changing. The best sex I've ever had."
"Better." I roll onto my back, pulling her with me so she is draped across my chest. "I have a reputation to maintain."
"What reputation?"
"As someone who is, in your words, 'adequate.'"
She snorts. "I think we've upgraded you past adequate."
"High praise indeed."
We lie there in comfortable silence, her head on my chest, her fingers tracing idle patterns on my skin. The fire crackles low. Through the windows, I can see the first snow of solstice falling soft and silent.
The new bond hums between us, warm and golden and alive. I can feel her contentment. Her peace. Her love, no longer guarded or afraid but open and free.
And she can feel mine.
"I can feel how happy you are," she murmurs. "It's like sunlight in my chest."
"You made me happy. You made me want to be happy." I press a kiss to her hair. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For seeing me. For saving me. For loving me despite everything I was."
"Because of everything you are," she corrects. "Not despite."
I tighten my arms around her, overwhelmed by the simple truth of her words.
For two centuries, I was a weapon. A tool. An empty thing shaped only by commands and compulsion.
But she looked at me and saw a man.
She looked at my darkness and offered light.
She looked at my chains and gave me the key.
And now, on the longest night of the year, in the warmth of the home we have built together, I am finally free.
Not free from her. Free with her.
There is a difference.
"Cadeon?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm cold."
I chuckle, reaching for the throw blanket draped over the nearby chair. I pull it over both of us, tucking it around her shoulders.
"Better?"
"Much." She snuggles closer, her body warm against mine. "We should probably move to an actual bed at some point."
"Probably."
