The tight ball of worry between his shoulders eased. Vael let out a long sigh of relief. Stroking her damp hair, he said, “It is not a waste,t?ht.”
She sniffled. “I wish I could sleep like you.”
“I don’t.”
“Why?”
“Because…” He pulled back just enough to flash her a reassuring smile.“Becausethis is like the pool. You thought you couldn’t swim with someone else, but you could. The things that make you different from me areconsiderations,not problems.”
Hele blinked. Tears glittered in her lashes, catching the light that filtered through the taut membrane of his wings. “Considerations?”
“You think I didn’t take that into account when I built our nest?” Hetsked.“You shame me, my mate. Of course I thought about the fact that you don’t sleep.”
“I… What did you do?”
“Let me show you.”
Slowly, he unwound his wings from around her — silently promising himself that he would embrace her again very soon. Taking her hand, he led her into the heart of the nest. His tail lashed with excitement as he pointed out the floor level lighting she could activate with a gesture of her hand, the shelves built into the walls meant to keep her books and tablet within easy reach at all times, the blankets he had picked out to complement her coloring, and the tapestry that held pride of place above their nest.
Hele stared at it all with wide eyes. Her fingertips hovered over the threads of the tapestry, tracing the shapes of clouds and stars and his wings with reverence. “Is thisus?”
Vael pressed the pad of his thumb against the white and pale lavender threads that made up Hele’s falling form. Stroking them with the utmost care, he answered, “Yes. I commissioned this last year, after I bought the dwelling.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “Because it was the best day of my life.”
“Oh.” She blinked. Her long fingers trailed up, over the bumps of overlapping thread, to touch the roughened ridge of his scarred knuckles. Vael looked down at her and found her expression somber, her eyes focused on him. “You are forgiven.”
He turned his hand over. Twining their fingers together, he gently tugged until she was once more in the shelter of his arms. “Thank you.” He smiled ruefully. “I’m not good with words. I wish I could make a grand speech for you like a hero from one of your books. All I can say is that I can’t promise I will never fuck up again in the future, but I love you, and I will always try to do better after I make a mistake.”
“If you explain, I will listen,” she replied, as succinct as ever. He loved how clear she was. There was no obfuscation with his Hele, no guile. She meant what she said and she said what she meant. A perfect fit for him in every way.
After a brief pause, she gave him a narrow-eyed look and added, “And ifIexplain,youwill listen.”
“Deal.”
A dazzling smile broke out across her face. Her eyes darted back to the mass of pillows and blankets beneath their feet — so deep and plush it felt like they were being sucked into the world’s most comfortable sand dune.
The air hummed with electricity when she announced, “I want to lay in the nest now. I want to touch all the blankets and see if they are as good as the ones you gave me!”
He laughed and slung his arms around her waist. “Did you like the blankets, then?”
“Yes. I always lay with the green one when I read.” She peered down at the lavish nest beneath her feet. After a moment of consideration, she nodded once decisively. “It will look nice with the other blankets, I think.”
“That was the plan, my mate.”
Vael peppered her face with tiny kisses as he gently laid her in the center of the nest. She spread her arms and legs out in a star, feeling the dragon-grade blankets, the down cushions, and made a slightly exaggerated noise of approval for his benefit. Even knowing she was teasing him, it was the proudest he’d ever felt.
Dropping onto his hands and knees over her, he leaned down until their noses bumped. “What do you think now, my Hele? Still sad?”
Her lips skimmed his. Speaking against his mouth, she answered, “Our nest is the best in the whole world.”
It felt like his grin was going to stretch clean off of his face. “Yeah?”
“Yes!” Her knees framed his hips. Pulling him closer with hands hooked around the back of his neck, she added, “There is only one problem.”
“What? Not enough blankets?”
