The morning light filters in, and Lev remembers as he drifts awake that he'd forgotten to purchase curtains to replace the ratty ones that had come with the home. It's with those thoughts that he has to chuckle to himself about the mundaneness of it all.

And it's with that chuckle that the warm body next to his stirs, and he turns to look at her.

Talia Hellenez.

By the melzors, she was beautiful.

The lines of her face were framed by the hazy gold, her long eyelashes and full lips, her strong nose and the curve of her jaw. There, in the hollow of her throat, barely hidden by the shadows, was his revenge for her bite. And there, just below the layer of the blanket, was her bare shoulder.

Her hair had been pulled into a knot at the base of her skull sometime before she pressed him into the bed, but after he was starting to lose himself to the pleasure. Even now he feels he might need a map to find himself again, the strange euphoria and full feeling, the dizzy way she'd made him feel with each thrust and press of her lips against his.

He thinks he might be in love, and he also thinks that he's losing his mind.

Talia leans towards him and presses her face into his shoulder, breathing out slowly. He smiles and presses a kiss to her forehead.

"You know, you roll around in your sleep."

"Really? I was looking for you."

"Then come here, baby." Her lips wrap around the word like his around a lie, and if they weren't both laying down he'd fall down to his knees for her all over again.

The next kiss is lazy and slow, a bit gross due to the morning breath, but sweet too. He was filled with emotions he didn't entirely know how to quantify, but he did know that all he wanted was more of her. He knew they wouldn't have much time together. She was a princess and a pop star and busy, and he was a peasant and a traitor and lying in wait, sneaking in the shadows.

If she stayed in his reach he'd only betray her.

She grabs a fistful of his hair, and he moans and opens himself up to her all over again. Despite his overactive imagination, there's still a needy princess in his bed.

He rolls so that she's on top of him, her legs shifting to frame his hips.

"You're somewhere else." Talia's hand finds his jaw and wraps around it, making him look at her. "Come back to me."

Lev can't help the smile slipping back into place, shifting to suck at her thumb for a moment. Her golden eyes pierce into his very soul, he swears.

"I promise I'm still here."

"Not physically." Her other hand presses on his chest for emphasis. "But mentally. I want you to focus on me, baby."

He has to repress the groan.

"I have to tell you something."

She stares him down, then rolls to the side.

He can't even move for a moment, until he sits up and looks at her. She's waiting, one leg bent and the other hanging off the bed, her hands neatly folded in her lap. Her hair is still messy, and he knows her back must be a mess from his blunt nails.

She was really, really too good for him.

"It's… I'm… ephedian. Lev." He blurts out.

Talia stares at him.

The silence hangs between them for a long moment.

"Is that it?"

"What?"

"I already knew."

Lev has to stare her down, then his cheeks heat up and he slides forward. "Wait, what?"

Talia huffs, reaching up to undo her low, messy bun. "I already knew who you were. Could tell the moment I walked into the smoothie bar."

"And you just, what, pretended that you didn't know? Does Iris know? Auriana?"

"No, no. And I didn't pretend, you did all the pretending. I just didn't say anything."

"Why not?"

"Maybe I was testing the waters? And maybe I wanted a little stress relief."

Lev sputters. "I- stress relief?"

"Yeah. I mean, you're really cute and I had fun, but…" Talia leans forward to cup his cheek, her hair spilling silkily over her bare shoulders and chest. "What future do we have?"

He finds himself leaning into her touch, unbidden. What's wrong with him?

"We… Please."

Talia leans forward and steals a long kiss. For someone who was worried about betraying her, he's not sure how to feel.

Maybe this is a blessing.

Talia shifts to straddle him again, and his fingers get caught in her hair. Her skin has cooled from the air, and all he wants now is to warm her up.

"No strings?" She whispers against his lips.

He nods. Yeah, he thinks he can do that. "No strings."

She catches him in another deep, deep kiss.