---
"I know," he said. "I am here now. I love you. You are my first home."
Her chin dipped. He kissed her hair. She breathed in, and her body went still. She pulled back just enough to look at him. Her nose twitched once like it did when she checked a stew. Her ears lifted.
"You smell like smoke," she said. "And like pine. And like a girl."
He did not flinch, but he did not lie to himself. The scent would be there. Ikea's hair. Ikea's skin. Her orgasm on his body. The fire in the small shelter. He chose his next words with care.
"I met a traveler," he said. "She was in trouble. The snake bit her. I killed it. I drew the poison. I stayed near her camp until she could sleep. She was alone. I did not leave the forest until the sun came up."
Luna's eyes narrowed. "Alone," she said. "A girl. In the forest. And you stayed the night."
