"Uh-huh." Little Noor was snuggled up on a mattress on the second floor, while Jon had been given the bedroom, over his protests.
"Noor seemed happy with sleeping alone." She ran her foot over his calf, the affectionate act making him purr. "I figured she'd be scared - that's why I didn't want her at the top of the aerie."
"I think it's because she's in the middle. Hard for anyone to get to her."
"You're probably right. Jon's already so protective of her."
"Hmm." He kissed the curve of her neck. "We keep an eye on them they'll be okay. Look at us," he teased, "we tried damn hard to mess up something wonderful, but we made it."
She made a noise of assent, but said nothing else.
His leopard scented her quiet distress. "Baby, I can't read your mind. But I know you're sad."
"I wish...I wish I'd waited for you," she said without warning, her anguish so raw it crashed into him with the force of a tidal wave. "I know we're okay now, but I wish I could wipe out the past. I wish Orrin hadn't tainted me before we ever met."
"Don't." His voice came out harsh when he wanted to be tender for her. "Don't hurt that way. And don't you dare consider yourself anything less than perfect." God, she was sunshine and heart, light and beauty. How could she imagine he thought anything else? "You are the most beautiful thing I've ever dared to touch."
Her hand fisted against his. "But what about what I did? You must think about it," she insisted, voice thick with tears she refused to shed. "You must get angry sometimes."
"I did. Before." He'd been a fool, unable to see the truth. "Before I realized that you're mine and you always will be. No one, nothing, can come between us." Not even death. If she went, he would follow.
"How can you forget?" she asked in her stubborn, determined way, the same way she loved him. "You were so mad - "
"It wasn't easy," he admitted. "But I'm not stupid. I finally realized that what you did, the life you led, was what brought you back to me. If you'd become a good little Larkspur, you'd probably have married a farmer by now."
She gasped, obviously horrified. "I would not."
"No." His tone turned serious. "Because you were mine. You always have been."
"You're not angry anymore?" It came out hesitant, searching.
"How can I be angry with the other half of my soul?" he asked, his tone so tender it tore little pieces out of her heart. "I have a temper, baby, and I know I fucking brood. But even if I act pissed, even if I snarl, it doesn't mean I love you any less. Your soul shines, Tally, and I'm so damn glad it shines for me."
She felt a tear slide down her cheek at the unforgiving honesty of his statement. Somehow, he had achieved the impossible, made her feel young, innocent to the depths of her soul. "You sure can talk pretty when you put your mind to it." Her voice came out husky. "I am so glad you're mine - I know you'll always be there for me, that if I call, you'll come."
His arms grew tight and she knew he'd understood. Never again would she wonder if he would one day leave her. His devotion humbled her, made her determined to love him until his own scars were nothing but forgotten memories. Then he said, "Forever, Tally," and her heart broke.
"Clay, what if - "
"Don't say it." He squeezed her hard. "We'll talk about it after we see the specialists. The first appointment is tomorrow."
She bit his arm in a light reprimand, hearing his unspoken pain in the way he refused to discuss the subject. "Don't you dare shift again," she ordered, wondering if one lifetime, no matter how long, would ever be enough to love Clay all the ways she wanted to love him. "We can't ignore the fact that I'm sick."
"You don't smell sick to me," he snapped.
Neither of them spoke for a second, then they both spoke at once.
"I don't?"
"What the fuck?"
She wiggled in his arms. "Lemme turn."
He loosened his hold enough that she could turn around and shimmy up to take a face-to-face position with him. "You said I smelled wrong before."
"Yeah, you did." He frowned and nuzzled at her, this time to confirm his finding. His tongue flicked out to taste her pulse. "It's gone. Nothing, not even under the surface."
Talin's eyes were huge as he met her gaze again. "Remission?"