Later, when the room grew quiet and the children slept in the next chamber, the four of us lingered by the fire.
Rylan pulled me down onto his lap, hands sliding under my tunic with familiar ease. Kane knelt in front of us, scarred fingers tracing up my thighs. Darius watched for a moment before joining, his mouth finding the sensitive spot beneath my ear that always made me shiver.
We moved together without haste, bodies knowing exactly how to fit after all the miles and scars. There was laughter mixed in this time, and teasing words, and the kind of tenderness that only comes when survival is no longer the only goal.
I lost myself in them and let them lose themselves in me, the bond flaring bright and steady between us until we collapsed in a warm, tangled heap.
