Everything in her screamed against allowing such a thing. She was plain, awkward Ellysetta Baristani, the woodcarver's daughter, and though for some incredible reason Rain Tairen Soul believed she was his truemate, she knew there was nothing within her important enough for these men, these oddly dear friends, to protect at the cost of their immortal lives. How could she live with herself if even one of them died on her account?

«They will protect you whether you agree or not, because I will command it. You are my shei'tani, and immeasurably valuable to us all,» Rain told her silently. «But if you rail against their protection, you take away their joy. Do not make this great honor a burden to them.»

She lowered her eyes and dragged in a breath. "I'm sorry," she said, forcing her voice not to tremble. "Of course, I am honored by your protection.”

Breathing resumed. Paper crinkled. Silence lifted. «Beylah vo, shei'tani. »

Ellie fiddled with the ribbons on the package in her lap and did not respond.

Bel finished unwrapping the large package and held up an object made of shining steel and shaped like a very ugly coiled serpent. "What in the name of tairen fire is this?”

Kieran laughed. "I think it's a keflee pot.”

Bel stared at the object in his hand, twisting it this way and that. "And what's the matching cream pot, I wonder? A scorpion?”

They were joking. How could they be joking?

«Would you have them cry every day of their lives? »

She looked at Rain and blinked back the tears that sprang to her eyes. "I thought you couldn't read my mind," she accused. Her anger was weak, but she grabbed it, not wanting to cry in front of these men who had far more reason for tears than she.

Rain only shook his head. "Your thoughts are plain on your face."

They managed to open, record, and pack away all of the gifts in the parlor before lunchtime. Lillis and Lorelle returned from their morning's instruction with Madam Nolen, a widow who supported herself by teaching the local guildmasters' children basic reading, penmanship, maths, and household management. Ellie reviewed their morning's work, fed them, then sent them out into the rear garden to play with their kitten so the Fey could do a swift, magical spit-and-polish of the house before Master Fellows arrived.

Lillis and Lorelle weren't pleased when they realized Ellie would be too busy the next three afternoons to take them to the park, and nothing mollified them until Rain offered to spend a portion of tomorrow's courtship bells playing Stones with them in the park. The offer transformed their expressions from utter dejection to soaring delight, and the sudden change of emotion made Ellie's eyes narrow with suspicion.

"I think you've just been manipulated," she told Rain.

He glanced after the girls as they disappeared through the kitchen door, then shrugged. "Ah, well, it pleases me to see them smile. They are young and bright, and their laughter lightens my heart.”

She felt her own heart squeeze a little. Behind that simple statement lay centuries of indescribable torment: the pain he'd shared with her that first night in the museum, the loss of the people he'd loved, and now, as she'd just learned, the suffering from every life he'd ever taken in defense of his people. And yet despite all that, he could still find happiness in making a child smile.

She reached for his hand. Her fingers curled around his, measuring through touch the unyielding strength of his grip. She was tall, but beside him she felt slight. He stood a full head above her. His body, while lean, was hard with muscle, his shoulders broad and squared. He was a man built to hold the weight of the world on his shoulders. And she was a woman just learning how much she longed to lighten his burden.

He stood motionless as she reached up to lay her other hand along the side of his face. "You're a good man, Rainier vel'En Daris." She rose up on her toes and pressed her lips to his.

A shudder rippled through him. His free hand slid round her waist, and he started to pull her hard against him, then stopped. Though she could feel the surge of longing in him, the fierce desire to capture and claim, he conquered it. The tairen roared for dominance, but Rain refused to give in. He kissed her with breathtaking passion that left her in no doubt of his desire or need, yet when she broke the embrace and stepped back, he opened his arms and let her go.

He held her stunned gaze with eyes that glowed bright and fierce. "I am not a good man, shei'tani," he corrected. "I never have been. But for you I will strive to be better.”

She pressed a hand to her lips. He could make her feel so much, so deeply and so quickly it was frightening. Just then, while he'd kissed her, a powerful sensation had moved inside her. She could feel it still, drawing her skin tight, shuddering through her bones as if at any moment they might dissolve.

She took a deep breath and dragged a ragged veil of calm around her, tamping her emotions down until the feeling faded. "I should go freshen up. Master Fellows will be here soon, and I don't want to embarrass you by looking a mess when he arrives.”

Rain's brow's drew together. "You bring pride to this Fey just as you are.”

She laughed ruefully. "Yes, well, be that as it may, we both know the nobility won't share that view—which is why I spent this morning and last letting the queen's craftsmasters try to change me into something more acceptable. And why I'm going upstairs now to freshen up before Master Fellows gets here." She turned and started for the stairs.