It swept over him like a wild wind, ripping away all thought, all doubt, leaving only a bedrock of unshakable certainty in its wake. This was the primal, elemental beauty of life, the passionate exchange of flesh and breath and essence, two halves made whole. This moment with her was the reason he'd been born. She was the reason for his life.

He fell back beside her against the softness of the mattress and regarded her from dazzled eyes as his ragged breathing slowly grew even. She was such a wonder to him in every way. A salvation he had never expected. A joy he had never deserved. And here, now, lying beside him, her soul so bright she shone like a star, she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever known. Strength blazed beside her shei'dalin's compassion; her will was threaded with the purest steel and the tairen's fierce wildness. When she finally embraced the entirety of her abilities, she would be a force of nature, a Feyreisa of such power as the world had never known. It humbled him to realize that he, Rainier vel'En Daris, was the warrior chosen by the gods to stand beside her, to protect and aid her, to ... love her.

Unexpected tears gathered with surprising swiftness, filling his eyes and spilling over.

"Rain?" She reached for him in concern.

He gave a small, embarrassed laugh and lifted a knuckle to wipe away the betraying moisture. "This Fey learns humility after all.”

She did not return his smile. "What is it? What's wrong?”

"Las, kem'san. Nothing is wrong. I only just realized something I should have known all along." He carried her hands to his chest, then cupped her face with one hand while wrapping the other around her waist. He held her close, skin to skin, so that with her shei'dalin senses she would feel for herself the wonder that bloomed within him.

"From this day forward, no matter what happens between us-even if we never complete our bond, even if we cannot save the tairen or the Fey-I want you to know this one thing, Ellysetta Baristani." He smiled into her eyes and gave her the words.

"My heart has followed where my soul has led. Ke vo san, Ellysetta. I love you.”

He felt the faint tremors that rippled through her when the truth of his emotions washed over her senses. Her brows drew together and her forehead creased in a confused frown. She wanted to believe, longed to believe, but her fear of opening herself up to another betrayal made her doubt him.

He pressed a kiss first at one corner of her mouth and then the other. "Your soul calls out, shei’tani. Mine answers." He drew back to meet her gaze, and held it with a steadiness she could not doubt. "And I would have it no other way." He lowered his head and claimed her lips with aching gentleness and dazzling intensity, pouring into his kiss every hope, every dream, every ardent wish, all coupled with a steadfast vow. He repeated the words in Feyan, then sang them to her in the rich tones of tairen song, his song, the song she had been born to hear, carrying in its wordless symphony the essence of all that was Rain.

Tears shimmered in Ellysetta's eyes. She could taste his emotions like a rich, many-layered spice, a truth she could not disbelieve, a promise she knew he would die before betraying again. He was offering her, at last, the love she'd always dreamed of, the acceptance she'd always longed for.

Closing her eyes, she returned his kiss and drank in his shining promise of devotion. Her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him close. «I love you, too, Rain. I always have. »

Against her hip, his body stirred as love became passion and passion became need. She took him into her body, smiled with breathless wonder as once more he filled and completed her.

And afterward, as they lay together in spent silence, the first fragile thread of communion that had fallen silent last night began softly to sing once more. A second, shimmering new thread joined the first, adding its own melody, tender and bittersweet, tempered by loss, deepened with forgiveness, and stronger than the song sung between them before.

In the small silver bells of the night, with no fanfare to mark their passing, the Fey departed Celieria City.

Sol and the twins were packed up as well, traveling west with Lord Teleos and the Fey. They would stay on Lord Teleos's lands near the Grarreval, guarded by ten quintets who would help Lord Teleos fortify his defenses and train his men in the Fey arts of war.

Outside the western city gates, Rain stepped away to summon the Change. Ellysetta closed her eyes as the swell of his magic swept over her, calling to her own, long-buried gifts. And when he crouched before her in tairen form, magnificent and fierce, his black fur gleaming like the richest ebonwood in the silver-bright light of the moons, she was glad she'd been born to stand at his side.

She would choose him. She would always choose him. She would leave her family and everything familiar to her. She would embrace her magic. She would defy laws and kings and Mages and demons and even the Church of Light to be with him. She would tear down the barriers that still lived in her mind, confront whatever darkness lurked behind them, and defeat the Mage who thought to claim her soul. That soul-and every part of her-belonged to Rainier vel'En Daris. There could never be happiness for her that did not include him.

At Rain's word, Ellysetta ran forward and vaulted into place with a boost of Air. When she was seated, Rain drew back on his haunches and sprang into the sky. His wings unfurled, snapping taut as they caught the wind, pumping to gain height and speed.

The night air was warm and sweet, and the Mother's light gleamed like a beacon, calling the Fey home. Rain Tairen Soul's shadow raced over the moonlit ground, heading west towards the Fading Lands.