His hand trailed down the front of her nightgown. The fabric parted without a whisper of protest, falling away in silken swaths to bare the soft fullness of her br**sts. The delicate torment of the sliding fabric and the subsequent small breath of air drew her ni**les tight, twin buds of soft pink. His thumb brushed across them, sending a tiny quake of sensation shooting through her that echoed across his own senses.

"Or perhaps this?" Slowly he bent his head and took her in his mouth.

"Rain ... yesssss. That." Her breath hissed out on a heated sigh, and she clasped him to her breast. Her head tilted back and her eyes closed as his tongue teased the sensitive peak.

She tasted of sunlight and springtime, of blossoming flowers and crystal waters. Each stroke of his tongue on her flesh was a tiny sensory illustration of what life would be like in the Haven of Light. Beauty, pleasure, peace, completion. Belonging. Everything he'd always wanted, and the promise of much more than he'd ever imagined.

His body answered with an ardent surge, hungry for more than teasing glimpses of fulfillment, ravenous for the gift every Fey warrior dreamed of.

He pulled back just enough to drink in the sight of her, pale and shining in his arms, the silvery glow tinted with deep, warm tones as her own passion rose in response. Her bright Fey eyes glowed a verdant green so rich and deep he could lose himself in them.

Ducking his head again, he scattered soft kisses across her skin. "When I was a boy, before I found my wings, I tried to dream of what my shei’tani would be like. I could never picture her, because in my heart I knew I was destined to fly, and I knew the sacrifice that would require. But there's not a Fey warrior born who does not dream of finding his truemate, so at night, after my parents went to bed, I would sneak out of the shellaba and lie beneath the stars and ask the gods if they could somehow find a way to give a tairen a truemate”

"You never told me that before.”

Color rose in his cheeks, making him look far younger than his years, and more vulnerable. "It was such a foolish, selfish dream," he said. "Being a tairen is a rare and great gift of its own, and as I grew older, remembering how I begged for more made me ashamed.”

Her hands reached up to frame his face. The sweet kiss of her fingertips and the warm glow of her eyes bathed him in acceptance, soothing the sting of ancient childhood embarrassment. "Wanting love is not selfish, Rain. We're all born missing the connections that make us complete." Her thumb smoothed across his lips, and she smiled when he answered the caress with nibbles and kisses. "I dreamed of finding a place where I truly belonged, even though I had a family who loved me. And even though I knew I was neither as good nor as beautiful as the princesses I read about in Fey tales, I still dreamed of finding my one true love.”

He caught her thumb between his teeth, the flare of jealousy small but instinctive. Tairen did not share. Just as quickly, he realized what he'd done. He unlocked his jaw to release her and feathered a quick kiss of apology. "Did your true love have a face?”

She laughed softly, not missing the jealousy, nor misunderstanding its cause. "He did.”

"Well? What did he look like?”

Her smile faded until only a wistful hint of it clung to her lips. "You.”

His eyes blazed, and his head swooped down to claim her mouth. His arms slid around her, steely bands that clutched her tight and pulled her hard against him. He kissed her until she was breathless and melting against him, then pressed his face into her hair and nuzzled the soft skin behind her ear.

"Perhaps I should not be so pleased that there has never been another in your heart but me, but in truth I cannot find the humility to be sad for it." A loin, growling purr of satisfaction rumbled in his voice.

"Can you not?" She laughed, a bewitching sound that sent his pulse skyrocketing. Her hands roamed over his chest, cupping the swell of pectoral muscle. Her nails scraped lightly across his flat ni**les, teasing them into small, tight points. She paused to rub a testing fingertip across the pebbled flesh, then met his eyes and smiled. Her power flared. Magic leapt from her flesh to his in a breathtaking flow of energy.

Blood rushed to his groin in a hot, almost painful swell. He groaned and gave a rueful laugh. "Careful, Ellysetta, or you'll finish me before I can even begin.”

"Then begin," she insisted. Her hands trailed down his sides and tugged at the closure of his leather breeches. "You've shown me what to expect, and I find I am impatient.”

He didn't need a second invitation. Earth sprang from his fingers, dissolving boots and leathers and the remains of her nightshift, leaving both of them bare to each other. She gave a small gasp at her sudden nakedness, but despite the brief flood of color that darkened her cheeks, she did not flinch or pull away.

She was the same to his eyes, yet so astonishingly new. Her beauty radiated on so many levels, a banquet to his senses, and her emotions caressed him in waves, urging him on, singing to his soul a new song of her own ... not Spirit, not tairen, but woman. Captivating and compelling. Come to me, Rain. Make me your wife.

He moved without thought, his hands reaching for hers, breath exhaling in a soft groan as his fingertips rediscovered the exquisite satin of her skin. At last, he had the freedom to claim what was his. By the laws of her culture and in the eyes of her family, the mating he'd hungered for was no longer forbidden-it was their right, his and hers.

He stroked the gentle, slender curve of her body, from the roundness of her breast, to the narrow tuck of her waist, and on to the soft flare of trim hip and thigh. A tingle of magic followed in the wake of his hand, the sparkling lights of his own essence dancing across her skin and setting her senses afire.