Chapter 12 - Recovery

Chevalier sat in his study with his eyes closed. He was concentrating on Emily, and could feel how she went from alone and confused to almost exhilarated. He tried to concentrate, tried to focus to find the source of the change, but he wasn’t quite able to get it. He suspected, that over time, the bond would become stronger and he may be able to tell her thoughts or to see through her eyes. Now, though, he relished in the feeling of completeness and of belonging that engulfed her. It was too much, he had to know what she was doing that had filled her so completely with joy.

He wasn’t surprised to find the small guestroom to be empty, but he was able to track her out to the barn. He stood against the barn door and watched her work. He was surprised that that small body could work as she did and was fascinated by how doing so made her feel. Chevalier smiled as she took a pitchfork full of hay and tossed it onto the ground in front of some of the cattle. She slipped off the cowboy hat she wore and ran her sleeved arm along her brow. He didn’t like how the cowboy hat shaded her eyes, he preferred when he could see them.

Chevalier quietly slipped back into the shadows of the barn when Emily glanced in his direction. Her human senses weren’t too off, the feeling she was being watched was correct, but when she couldn’t see anyone, she turned back to work.

Emily was enjoying being out with her cattle again. She was able to release her mind and focus on them. She liked how her muscles strained beneath the heavy hay and looked forward to the soreness it would bring the next day. She was doing more than normal, somehow the pain caused her mind forget the deception. She groaned slightly under the weight of the hay on the pitchfork, but was still able to push herself to throw it.

With the cattle fed, she headed into the barn and began mucking out Patra’s stall. She kept turning around, the feeling of being watched was stronger in here. She dripped with sweat as she cleaned the stall meticulously and then re-filled it with clean straw. Once there was clean water and fresh oats, she went out to the cow pasture to get Patra, who was munching lazily on hay.

Patra saw Emily coming and stepped away from her.

“Come on, Patra, it’s time to go back inside,” Emily said, walking casually up to the horse.

Patra reared slightly and took a step back.

Emily frowned, “What’s wrong girl?”

She reached a hand out to her, but again, Patra moved away.

“You ole pregnant fool, come back here,” she called, running after Patra when the horse took off.

Chevalier was glad he was a long ways off in the barn, he was laughing.

Emily got just a few feet from Patra and was able to grab the bridle finally. Patra nipped at the rim of her hat, “Stop that,” she told her, and started to walk.

She landed on her butt on the hard ground as Patra set her feet and wouldn’t move. Emily stood up and pulled harder at the reins, but Patra only looked down at her. She finally walked over to the horse, “What is your problem today?”

Emily pulled hard against the reins, and Patra took one step and then stopped and whinnied.

“Come on!”

She leaned back, her entire body pulling against the stubborn mare, “Fine… be that way.”

Emily left Patra out and headed back for the barn, “Stay out here all night, see if I care,” she called back, but the mare was already pulling at the grass.

When Emily got into the barn, she took off her hat and slammed it into the ground, growling. The tiniest noise escaped Chevalier as he laughed from his perch above her. She spun toward the back of the barn but didn’t see anyone. Giving up, she kicked her hat at the wall and stormed off to the house.

Emily opened Kyle’s door and peeked inside. She saw he was awake and he smiled at her from the bed.

“How are you?” she asked, stepping inside and shutting the door.

“Never better,” he replied as he repositioned and grimaced.

“I thought heku didn’t get hurt,” she said, and sat down on a chair by the bed.

“Well… mortals can’t hurt us, but we’re pretty good at injuring one another.” He watched her.

“Good to know, I guess. I owe you another thank you it seems.” She leaned toward him.

“I couldn’t just let you leave that mad, Em. I’m glad I was there though. So enough about me… how are you?” He watched her intently.

“I wasn’t hurt at all, I’m good.” Her eyes told a different story.

“I’m not talking about what happened on the mainland and you know it. Are you talking to him yet?”

She shrugged.

“I’ll take that as a no. I’ve been thinking about that quite a bit this morning, and I’m not sure it’s as bad as I first thought.”

“Are you kidding me? Kyle, I drank blood!” She wrinkled her nose, fighting back a gag.

“Is that the real problem?” He raised his eyebrows.

“Well no… he lied to me and I trusted him,” she said sourly.

Kyle nodded, “If he’d told you, would you have done it?”

Emily shook her head.

“Are you sure about that? You are as in love with him as he is you. I have a feeling you would have done it anyway.”

She looked at the ground, “At least if I had, it would have been my choice.”

“Fair enough… but didn’t he spare you the agony of having to decide?”

“You’re on his side now then? Is that it?” she asked, getting mad.

“I didn’t say that.” His voice was almost pleading, “I just said that he’s good for you, I can see that and I wish you would too. I wouldn’t punish him for too long for one bad judgment.”

“He lied to me!” Her voice faltered.

“He loves you… he lied to protect you. I’m not saying it wasn’t wrong, but look at it from his side. Would you lie to him if it would save him the pain of making an impossible decision?”

Chevalier stood outside the door and listened. He’d planned on going in to talk to them both, but Kyle’s words hit him and now he just stood by the door, awestruck.

Emily didn’t answer.

“Just give him a break, ok? I’ve known him for almost 950 years and I’ve never seen him like this, the way you make him. I hate to use the word happy, but it’s close. I’ve no doubt he doesn’t want anyone to know you two are bonded, it would show he has a weakness… a very human emotion.”

“That or he’s embarrassed to be married to a mortal.” Chevalier could feel some of the self-loathing creep back into her and he cringed.

“You know that’s not it. If he were embarrassed, he wouldn’t have paraded you back through the island. He would have stayed in Colorado. It wouldn’t have been the first time he disappeared for a few years.”

Emily’s voice was much softer and Chevalier could feel her emotions changing, “I still don’t know, Kyle.”

Kyle laughed, “Well do me a favor and next time you decide to take off… don’t.”

“We’ll see.”

There were a few minutes of silence before Kyle spoke again, “That ring suits you.”

Emily looked down at the large glittering ring on her finger, “Yeah… well, for some reason, I can’t get it off.”

Chevalier winced.

Kyle laughed, “Did he not explain anything to you? You can’t get it off… not until the bond is broken.”

“Do what?” she gasped.

“It’s an essence ring. In the bonding, it’s the symbol that you are tied to the giver. It won’t come off until the bond is broken.”

“Nice… and how does one break the bond?” she asked, still tugging at the ring.

Kyle’s voice became nervous, “I’m not going to tell you that, that’s between you and Chevalier.”

Chevalier was thankful for that and stepped away, leaving them alone. He walked slowly to the solitude of his office. He shut his eyes and focused on her again, moments before the phone rang and broke his concentration. He cursed under his breath and answered it.

“What?” he snarled into the phone.

He straightened up when the nasally voice spoke, “I have called to inform you that the Elders will be making a formal visit to your coven in 3 days, please be prepared to discuss…” He heard papers shuffling, “Past Encala attacks, and they also request the presence of one of your coven by the name of Emily Russo.”

He cringed.

“She’s not in my coven.”

“She is still required to be in attendance.”

“Fine, we’ll be ready.” No one refused the Elders, not even a member of their Council.

Chevalier slammed down the phone and yelled for Storm. When she knocked on his office door, he stepped out

“Yes, Sir?”

“The Elders are coming in 3 days, we need this place ready. Set up the conference room to accommodate six.”

“Yes, Sir.” She sounded panicked and immediately sped off, barking orders at heku as she passed them, ordering to clean faster.

Chevalier knocked softly on Kyle’s door and the two inside became quiet.

“Who is it?” Kyle called.

He sighed, “Me.”

“No,” Emily whispered.

“I can’t deny the Chief Enforcer,” Kyle whispered back.

“Then I’ll go out the window.” Chevalier heard her chair scoot a bit as she stood up.

“We’re on the third floor, Emily, just sit down,” Kyle whispered, and then turned toward the door. “Come in.”

When Chevalier entered, he saw Kyle sitting up in bed and Emily looking out the window. He saw how her fingers tensed around the window frame and could feel unease coming from her.

“How are you feeling?” Chevalier asked, sitting in the chair by the bed.

“Fine, Sir, thank you.”

“Kyle, I owe you a great debt of gratitude… again.” Chevalier couldn’t tell him how much he owed, it was more than words could describe.

“It’s my duty.” His voice was professional, but Chevalier understood it was more than a duty.

“I need a favor,” he sighed, and looked toward Emily, “From both of you.”

Emily turned to look at him.

“I have no right to ask, I know that, but there’s no time to make things right before.” He watched Emily.

“Before what, Sir?” Kyle asked.

Chevalier reached out with his senses and caught nervousness from Emily.

“The Elders are coming… in three days.” As Chevalier spoke, Kyle sat up further in bed.

“Here?” he asked, shocked.

“Yes, to discuss their recent meeting with the other Elders.”

“That sounds easy enough, why do you need Emily? I can make a full report of what I saw here that day.” Kyle was watching Emily also.

“They have requested an audience with her.” He saw her shoulders tighten.

“What? Why?” Kyle was frantic.

“I don’t know, but there’s one tiny problem.” He glanced at her hand.

Kyle sighed, “The ring.”

Chevalier nodded, “She’s obviously bonded to a heku and… well… it can’t be me.”

Kyle nodded, “I see.”

“I don’t see,” Emily said, turning to face them finally.

Chevalier hesitated, so Kyle spoke up, “The ring is an essence ring, it puts off certain… shall we call it… vibes… that tie you to a heku. It pretty much lets others know you are taken.”

He hesitated also when he saw her wince.

“The Elders will want to know who you have bonded to and as we’ve mentioned, for Chevalier to remain in his position, he can’t have fallen in love,” Kyle sighed, “So for this meeting, I will be your mate.”

Emily frowned, “That’s absurd.” She tugged at the ring.

“Love to a mortal is a weakness, at least as seen by most heku. The Chief Enforcer can’t show any weakness. The Elders are going to want to know why you’ve bonded and to who. I’ll be there too to make it official.” He saw the need for this and couldn’t understand how to make her see it.

Emily just shook her head, “Whatever, I haven’t agreed to stay.”

Both Kyle and Chevalier inhaled sharply.

“What?” she demanded.

“The Elders can’t be denied, Emily. If they show up and have requested an audience with you and you aren’t here… they will find you, and you would be punished for being disloyal,” Kyle explained.

“I’m not loyal to them,” she hissed.

“It doesn’t matter… you ‘belong’ to a heku from the Equites, so in their eyes, you belong to them, too.”

Chevalier finally spoke up, “It’s formal too, and I’ll have Margaret get on it right away. You two are going to have to work out how to be convincingly in love.” He froze for a split second when he felt an odd emotion coming from Emily, she was uncomfortable acting in love with Kyle.

As Chevalier watched Kyle, his mind reached out to Emily and he was relieved to find she was looking at him differently. The anger wasn’t gone, but it was being masked by her deeper feelings for him. He finally understood that things would be alright.

***

“Emily, we’re going to be late,” Kyle said from her bedroom.

“They don’t like waiting,” Chevalier called to her.

She stood, horrified, in front of the mirror. She had given Margaret strict orders that the formal dress she was making was to be modest and now she wondered if Margaret needed to re-learn the word. She liked the material, the way the long layers of soft fabric flowed when she moved. The top wasn’t too bad, a circle of pearls wrapped around her neck, and the upside down V of fabric draped from it did cover her mostly. One problem was that it left her shoulders bare and the sleeves, if that’s what you could call them, were split open all the way down, and hung from her arms by small beads of pearls. The color was alright also, the top was dark blue and it faded as it went to the floor, ending in white with what seemed to be runes stitched in contrasting blue thread.

She turned to the side though and gasped.

“I’m coming to get you in 30 seconds,” Chevalier called out to her.

She stepped out into her room and blushed. Suddenly, she wasn’t sure she liked her hair piled elegantly on her head with draped ringlets, she figured her hair would have hidden her body nicely. She felt uncomfortable as both Chevalier and Kyle looked at her and smiled.

“See, that’s not so bad,” Chevalier said, motioning for the door.

Emily sighed and stepped toward the door, spinning when the two heku started to laugh.

“I’m warning you.” She eyed them.

“I’m sorry, it just took us by surprise,” Chevalier said. He couldn’t tell from the front, but the top of the dress in its flattering inverted V shape left her back and sides completely uncovered. The back dropped dangerously low and accentuated her small waist, exposing down to just above her waist.

He fought the desire to reach out and run his fingers along her delicate spine. He had to stay away from her tonight though, he couldn’t let the Elders be suspicious.

Kyle glanced away nervously as he noticed that the revealing top also left the smallest portion of the outside of her breasts uncovered. He walked up beside her and held out his arm, which she took timidly, and smiled at him. Chevalier repressed the desire to remove Kyle’s arm.

They descended the steps and met the Elders at the bottom. The two male elders gasped at the sight of Emily. They hadn’t imagined she would be so beautiful. They stepped aside so Emily and Kyle could lead the way to the conference room. Kyle grinned as Emily blushed, she knew how revealing the back of the dress was and she could feel their eyes on her.

Kyle opened the door for her and barely touched the soft skin on her back as she walked past him. He could feel Chevalier tense up, but he had his orders, he had to act like they were together. Touching was a vital part of that and one which he was enjoying too much.

He kept his hand on her back as she walked to her seat. Her seat was obvious as there was a glass and pitcher of water in front of it. The other seats faced an empty portion of the table. Kyle pulled out her chair and scooted her in as she sat. He reached down and kissed her lightly on the shoulder before sitting down beside her.

Emily watched Chevalier, and his face was unnaturally still. She felt Kyle’s lips against her skin and stiffened, ready for Chevalier’s rage, but it didn’t come. She sat back in the chair and waited for everyone to be seated.

The female Elder, Selest, spoke first, “Thank you for allowing us this meeting, Chief Enforcer, and you, Lady Emily, for gracing us with your presence.”

Emily just smiled politely, feeling uncomfortable as all eyes turned back to her. Kyle squeezed her hand gently.

“You know you are welcome here any time,” Chevalier said. Emily was proud of him. He was acting perfectly normal though she knew his jealousy had to be raging.

A young servant entered and placed a glass of red wine in front of Emily, then bowed and walked out. Again, all eyes turned to her and she could feel her face flush.

“We have spent the last week in the company of the Valle and Encala Elders,” Selest began. “I can’t say as though any progress was made, but we did ascertain that, for now, there will be no further attacks.” She emphasized, “For now.”

The Elder to her right began, “We do believe we have found that the attacks on the Encala’s coven were from the government of Greenland, not from one of the other factions. They do send their apologies for the unwarranted attack on this island.”

Chevalier growled.

“We understand the frustrations, but things are explosive. We had to come to a mutual peace understanding or we fear these attacks would continue and grow.”

“So what happens now?” Chevalier asked. “My way of life was attacked, the people I protect were put in danger and that’s unacceptable.”

“We all understand this. The Encala Elders were most upset by the attacks and have punished those involved. We have received…” He glanced at Emily, “Proof of their punishment and have accepted it.”

Chevalier scowled.

The Elder to the female’s left then spoke, “We will leave the proof with you to do with as you wish.”

This seemed to calm Chevalier some but Emily wasn’t sure what they were talking about.

The female Elder smiled, “Now on to more joyous things, Emily?”

Emily jumped at her name and stammered out, “Yes?”

The Elder smiled, “You were of some contention in the meeting, Child.”

Emily frowned but Kyle spoke, “What kind of conflict could my wife bring?”

“The Valle are trying to seek a claim to her.”

Emily gasped and she saw a twitch in Chevalier’s face. Kyle wrapped an arm around her waist, “They have no such claim.”

The Elder smiled, “It is true, more so now with the bonding and we will tell them about that when we return.”

Emily’s body was tense and she found little comfort in Kyle’s arm.

“We didn’t realize though, how very young Emily is… how old are you, Child?” the female Elder asked her.

She looked at Kyle and he nodded and smiled, “I’m 24.”

“Ahhh, so young, we had no idea.”

Emily couldn’t help it, “I’m not a child, 24 is an adult.”

The oldest Elder laughed, “Still a child, Dear.”

Emily scowled and felt Kyle rub her back.

“And beautiful, the Valle failed to mention how stunning you are.”

Emily blushed.

“We look forward to seeing the children this union produces, to think a Winchester heir could be in our ranks.” He smiled reassuringly but Emily froze.

“I… I… I can’t have children,” she finally managed to say.

“Why is that, Dear?” the Elder asked, sounding honestly concerned.

Emily shook her head, “I just can’t. The doctors told me that a long time ago.”

The Elder turned to Kyle, “And you knew of this?”

Kyle didn’t miss a beat, “Of course I did. I didn’t marry Emily for the sole purpose of reproducing, I love her.”

“Kind, very kind of you, Dear. It’s just so rare that we as the immortal get a chance to procreate that we thought it might be part of your plan,” he said, not sounding at all like he meant to pry.

Emily looked at Kyle questioningly.

“Immortal women cannot bear children,” he whispered in her ear. Her head suddenly filled with questions.

Emily grabbed the goblet and took a sip of the wine. It gave her a moment to think and the alcohol cleared her head. She sat it down and noticed everyone watching her again.

She looked nervously at Chevalier, “Why don’t we let Emily go then. We have more to discuss that doesn’t involve her,” he said to the Elders.

The Elders stood as Emily did, and one reached out for her hand. She hesitated and placed her hand in his and tried not to grimace when he kissed it softly, then held it as he addressed her, “It was good to meet you, Child.” His eyes glanced down to her exposed waist, “Very nice indeed.”

She pulled her hand away and left the room, ignoring the feel of eyes on her bare back. Once she heard the door shut behind her, she slipped off her heels and ran to the kitchen. She flung open the door and began to go through a nearby cupboard.

“Can we help you, Child?” one of the young chefs asked from behind her. She dropped her hands. She could only imagine what skin was exposed with her hands extended.

“First, stop calling me Child… second, I want more of that wine I just had.” She was looking around the kitchen when the chef appeared ahead of her with the bottle.

“Thanks,” she said, heading back out to her room.

She couldn’t get out of her dress fast enough, and piled it onto the floor. She then slipped on one of Keith’s old t-shirts, and sat in a chair with the bottle of wine between her knees. She pulled and tugged on the cork, but it wouldn’t come loose.

Frustrated, she stepped out into the hallway, held it out and said, “It’s stuck.”

Within less than a second, a strange heku appeared and pulled the cork out, and then vanished.

“Thank you!” she called after him.

She had the bottle to her lips before she got to the chair and drank deeply. The alcohol burned her throat and she sat down, gasping for breath. She noticed a glass sitting on the table but ignored it as she put the bottle to her mouth and drank. Emily smiled as she felt the warmth from the wine start to warm her and relax her. She slumped down in the chair and drank more.

As the world began to spin, she slid down to the floor, holding the bottle in front of her. She couldn’t seem to drink enough to take the memory away.

“Keith?” She walked up to him while he was shoeing a horse.

“What? I’m busy,” he snapped at her.

She paused, took a deep breath and then continued, “I just got back from seeing Dr. Meacham.”

“Yeah? So?” He didn’t look up at her.

“He said I’m pregnant.” She took a step back as he stood up and walked toward her.

“Oh yeah? Who’s the Dad? Huh, Emi?” His fierce eyes raged.

She took another step back, “Don’t act like that Keith, you’re the only one...” Before she could finish, he punched her hard in the mouth and she fell to the floor of the barn as blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

“I am, eh? Not the entire male population of Cascade? I’m not going to spend my hard earned money taking care of you and some asshole’s little brat.” He finished by kicking her in the side.

The doctor looked down at her from the table, “I’m so sorry Emily, the baby’s gone.”

Emily was numb, and she just nodded her head.

“I’m afraid there’s more.” The doctor put a warm hand on her arm, “The horse did more damage than we’d first thought.”

She looked up at him.

“You can’t have any more children, I’m so sorry.” The doctor had tears in his eyes that Emily didn’t. She felt relief at not bringing a baby to become part of Keith’s fury.

Emily took another long drink, the warmth spreading through her faster and her mind finally began to block it all out.

She leaned back onto the floor and looked up at the ceiling tiles as they danced and moved above her. She smiled as she watched them. Suddenly, a face blocked her view of the swirling tiles and she frowned.

“She’s drunk,” Chevalier said from above her.

“Yeah… I see that,” Kyle said from somewhere in the room.

The dancing ceiling stopped as Chevalier picked her up off of the ground. She could still feel the bottle in her hand and she brought it to her lips just as Kyle pulled it away.

“I think you’ve had enough,” he said softly.

“Give it back.” Her demand was slurred.

She reached out and tried to hit him, but missed. She fumed when Kyle left the room with her bottle.

“Go get it back,” she told Chevalier unevenly as he laid her on the bed.

“And risk you getting too drunk to talk? I don’t think so.” He was covering her with a blanket.

“I don’t wanna talk.” Her words were slow and hard to understand.

Chevalier sat down beside her on the bed and watched her for a moment as she marveled at the ceiling again.

“Emily?”

She didn’t look away from the tiles, “Huh?”

“Do you want to talk about this?” he asked, partially amused.

“Talk about what?” She was reaching out to touch the ceiling.

“About why you are drinking. It’s not like you.”

“What makes you think I was drinking?” It made perfect sense to her. Deny it, that’s what Keith always did.

Chevalier chuckled, “Oh, I have my suspicions.”

“Gah, it’s not true,” she said as her fingers danced with the movement of the ceiling above her.

He watched her hands for a moment, “I keep going over it in my head and I’m not sure which part would upset you… is it because of the baby comment?”

He knew he’d struck a nerve when her dancing hands stopped and she glared at the ceiling.

“Emily, I didn’t marry you to have children. I wish you would have told me, but that wouldn’t have changed anything.” He stroked her cheek softly.

He was actually relieved that she’d told the Elders. They would tell the Valle, and Ulrich could stop worrying about him fathering a Winchester child.

“I was once,” she said in a daze.

“Was what, Em?” Chevalier kissed her lightly.

“Pregnant,” she said as she covered her face with her hands and started to cry.

Chevalier tensed, he didn’t know that. The crying didn’t last long, the alcohol in her system kept the memories from surfacing all the way.

“Keith wasn’t very happy,” she said, reaching for the ceiling again.

“I see,” was all Chevalier could say.

“Does the ceiling dance in your room?” she asked, her words more slurred and she suddenly became tired.

Chevalier didn’t answer, but watched as her eyes slowly shut and she relaxed.

He held her all night as she lie motionless. He wished he could kill Keith again, this time more painfully. What right did a man have to do this to a woman who loved him? How could a man manipulate and control someone so completely? His anger ebbed as dawn approached. He had rid the world of Keith, and took some comfort in that.

Emily groaned as the light erupted into her room. She grabbed her head and buried her face in the pillow.

Chevalier touched her hair lightly and spoke softly, so as not to make her headache worse, “There’s coffee here, Em.”

“Kill me,” she said into the pillow.

He smiled, “Not today. Here… drink some.”

He held the coffee cup up for her.

She sat up, wincing at the light, and took the coffee from him. She also noticed aspirin on the table and swallowed four of them.

Chevalier sighed, “You should have told me. It would have helped last night if I had known.”

She winced, “Yeah, well, I guess we both kept some things private.” Her head hurt too badly for her to notice how he grimaced.

“Truce then?” he offered.

She nodded, then groaned and went back to her coffee.

Emily laid back down until the aspirin worked and she could sit up without getting sick.

He smiled, “Feel better?”

“Mostly… I don’t drink wine.” She gave him a half-smile.

He grinned, “I noticed.”

She leaned toward him and curled into his chest as he wrapped his strong arms around her,

“Time for some questions then?” she asked.

“Shoot,” he told her, knowing it was coming.

“If heku don’t... erm... can’t have a baby... how do baby heku happen?” She knew it must have sounded insane when she heard him chuckle.

“When’s the last time you saw a baby heku?” he mused.

She frowned and thought about that. She was sure she’d never even seen a child heku before, “Never, I guess.”

“It’s extremely rare for an immortal man to fall for a mortal woman, that’s the only way a heku can procreate. That’s also where the incubus comes in.”

“Who?”

“An incubus is a male heku that seduces mortal women in their sleep for the sole purpose of reproducing.”

“That works?”

Chevalier nodded, “Yes, but it’s a mortal baby that is produced.”

She looked up at him, “Really?”

He smiled, “Sure.”

“So how are heku made then?” She curled back against his chest.

“It’s a long process that involves draining the mortal’s blood and replacing it with that of a heku along with some ancient magic.” He said too much and refused to go further.

Emily frowned, “Magic?”

“Yes”

“Like what?”

“Nothing you need to concern yourself with. We don’t turn mortals into heku haphazardly. It’s only done with great care and only to individuals who could further the power of the coven.” He pulled her tighter to him.

She thought for a moment, “How can a bond be broken?”

He stiffened, not sure exactly where this was going, “Were you going to give it a go?”

She laughed, “No, just curious.”

For a few seconds he debated. He felt she had the right to know, but also feared an irrational bout of emotions might drive her to it, “Why?”

“Curiosity sake is all.” She kissed his neck lightly.

“You aren’t playing fair,” he said, grinning. “Fine… the bond is automatically broken when one of the two of them die. It’s also broken after any infidelity or harsh betrayal.”

She frowned, “So when I die you’re free to marry again?”

He fought to keep his composure. He had thought about that a lot lately and he wasn’t sure he could stay awake if she were gone. He was planning an eternity of stasis when she died, “If I would choose to.”

“Hmmm”

He wished she’d say more than that but her thoughts changed pattern, “You aren’t upset that I can’t have children?”

He felt her stiffen slightly beneath his arms, “Not at all. I wouldn’t have gotten mad had it happened, but I’ve never seen myself as a father. It’s so rare for a heku to do it that it’s ludicrous to consider it.”

“Still, when we got married it had to have crossed your mind?”

“Maybe… but we hadn’t discussed it. I wasn’t sure if you even wanted children.” He kissed the top of her head.

She looked up at him and grinned.

“What?” He smiled back.

“Want to practice though?” She was on her back before she could laugh.