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"Clinically, or in general? I’m pretty sure there’s a ’yes’ in there somewhere no matter what I do"

"Jo" He pulled " His hand was tight around my arm, and his face was drawn and very serious "You can’t do this I can’t let you do this I’ to lose you, and there’s no part of this plan--if you want to call it that--that doesn’t end up with you dead It’s bad enough you want to go to the Oracles Going to the Mother is suicide"

"We’re all dying," I said, and saw him flinch as I threw his words back at him There wasn’t any satisfaction in it "I have to try You know I have to try You’d do the sao ofminute we stared into each other’s eyes, all barriers swept away Two people poised on the edge of so awful, afraid and alone even with each other for coers through htened my curls--a private sort of joke between us, a memory of a time when I hadn’t battled that problem Now, he couldn’t wield that power, but it didn’t ainst hi the deep rush of his breath in his chest, his heartbeat, his strength and love and coether," he ether"

Tears suddenly welled up in ned to it; and yet, knowing he ith meit made all the difference I didn’t kno to feel; relief and horror struggled for do him with me into the mouth of the lion

But I wasn’t alone And that mattered, in this moment, more than I could say

"We have fourteen hours," I said, and pulled back to wipeso productive"

That put hi to think what that is, in your world Shopping?"

"Jerk No Although not a bad idea--I could use a couple of outfits"

"Interesting" His ared fro with its roots in a wilder place "So ould you consider productive?"

"I need to do laundry"

"And?"

"That means I should takeclean"

I loved the save me, slow and sweet and hot It wasn’t a Djinn smile, not with the kind of hidden power that it had just a few days ago, but it was more purely him The core of David that I loved so very much

"I can help with that," he said

"You mean, with the laundry"

"Absolutely"

We walked back to the cabin with our arether If other people spoke to us, I’m not sure either of us really paid attention

As he was locking the cabin door behind us, David said, "Be gentle, it’s hed, and then I understood It was

his first time with me--and my first with hiether as Djinn and Warden, both of us bringing power into the relationship even if that hadn’t been a deliberate plan

This was different Very different This was just skin, and human emotion, and the kind of love shared by so many others Which made it oddly precious and special, I realized

We ca and leisurely kiss After the first few seconds I stopped thinking about what this wouldn’t be, and began thinking of what it was

It felt sweet and intimate and passionate, and his mouth tasted different now Human

Hard as it had been to see it, even his best imitation of mortality hadn’t quite been completely honest He’d unconsciously skewed it towardit perfect

And this was honest, and imperfect, and wonderful

He broke the kiss and pulled in a deep breath, looking shaken I had to laugh a little

"What?"

"It’s been a long time since I had reactions I couldn’t fully control," he admitted

"Yeah? Scared?"

"A little"

I took pity on hiain on the lips "Me, too You’re doing fine"

He was, indeed, doing fine already, gently undoing the buttons on ers overtheestively delicious ht," he said in ht?"

"Oh yes" I caught ers beneath the waistband "Hell yes"

He see his own odd aardness Every action had a reaction, and for the first ti every sense to understand me, read me, feel me For two people who’d been so closely, inextricably linked by our nerves, this was likelove blind--deliciously different, sweetly erotic, utterly hu each other’s ihs andbrilliant and explosive for us both

David collapsed against"It’s the aetheric," he finally ed to say "That’s what it is That’s what you feel You touch the aetheric I never knew " He gulped in ht, and then looked at er," I said, and cuddled up next to him "Take a breath It’ll still be there"

He put his ar of his heart slon, his respiration subside I felt warm and complete and deliciously relaxed "You’ll still be here," he said, and kissed my forehead, my eyelids, iddy as I felt "That’s all thatnot to think about it, but the thought darkened my mind, just for a second: Tell that to the half a million people about to die

But I’d face that soon enough, and more

And for now, I just wanted to be this, here, with him

Soot to do the laundry"

And he laughed

And somehow, it was all okay, just for now