---
Nothing rushed but it was very fast. Nothing forced. Everything is chosen. Everything is kind.
He kissed her again. The second half of the night was very close. It was gentle and warm. It was full of small words that meant more than longer ones.
He did not think about dust lines in the east or drums or maps. Not now. He thought about the two lives that would one day kick his hand from the other side of her skin. He thought about the promise he had made to her and to them. He thought about the sort of house that can stand when storms come. It is not a house of stone alone. It is a house of hands that hold.
The mountain hummed like a guardian that approves. The night folded itself around them and kept its watch. Kai kept his penetration going.
One hour later…
