It was early afternoon when she was released from the hospital, with the healer's instructions to rub a small handful of pixie dust on her upper chest once a day to aid in boosting her body's ability to produce its own dust.

"You must not miss a dose," the healer said said firmly.

"She won't," Milori said, wrapped his arm around her waist and gave her a disciplining look.

She cocked her eyebrow at him.

He couldn't hold back a smile and pecked a kiss on her cheek.

She giggled. And then her face turned red-she'd never giggled in her life!

His smile grew, and he flew her home.

He had her tucked in bed and a fresh bowl of ice on the nightstand. He sat in a chair beside her and looked around.

"Too feminine?" she asked.

"No," he said thoughtfully as he studied the room. "Too...impersonal." He turned his eyes to her. "You like roses and purple and butterflies, but there is nothing like that in here."

"Oh really?" she smiled. "And how should it be done then?" she asked in curiosity.

He cocked his head and surveyed the curtains. "I would have amethyst curtains from the ceiling to floor. The walls would have sketches of roses and butterflies and portraits of the children."

"The children?"

He nodded and met her eyes. "Assuming everything goes well during pregnancy and we aren't beside ourselves with exhaustion from the first one, I think two or three is a good number."

Her eyebrows rose in surprise, not expecting this conversation. "I was thinking maybe three or four."

He smiled and nodded. "Four would be perfect." Then his eyes traveled to the rug. "And this would be embroidered with roses," he said before looking at the bed. "This is far too large," he frowned and looked at the large bed. "It should be a tad smaller. No, actually, it's just right."

She laughed.

"It needs to be bigger on your side. We would have the bed lined up with the border so I could sleep on ice beside you."

"Why would my side need to be bigger?"

A naughty glint appeared in his eye. "So there's enough room for both of us when I bed you-I doubt you'd like being bedded on ice."

Staring at him in surprise for a moment, she started to laugh. And then she couldn't stop.

"You find my bedding to be funny?" he replied with a cocked eyebrow and smile.

"No...well, yes," she wheezed and held her middle. "I mean, you say it as if we're talking about what kind of tea to have." She rolled over onto her side in hysterics.

He stood and leaned his hands down beside her on the bed. "Clarion," he said huskily.

She wiped her eyes and looked up at him, giggles still subsiding.

His mouth claimed hers, and one hand cupped her cheek.

Not another inch of him touched her, but she was soon sighing and restless.

He pulled away from her slowly. "You won't laugh when I bed you, sweetheart," he promised huskily.

Worried about leaving her alone all night with possible traitors on the loose, he and Sled carried in a large chunk of ice that they placed in a hollowed gourd beside her bed to catch the melted ice. Mary placed a tube in it to drain the water out the window. Then Gliss came over and frosted Milori.

When they were finally alone, Milori turned to Clarion with a smile. "That wasn't so hard."

She laughed as he tucked her in.

"Do you mind if I take off my shirt? It'll help to stay cool longer. But that's alright if it makes you uncomfortable-"

"I hate to break it to you, but if we're going to be compromised, I think you staying here is riskier than taking off your shirt."

"Well...I see what you mean." He stood and grabbed the edge of the gourd.

"Are you leaving?"

He stilled. "Didn't you want me to go?"

"No. I was just teasing you about your shirt."

"Oh. Well, maybe it's best if I go so I don't ruin your reputation."

"Milori, I don't think anyone even thinks you or I are capable of having a non-business thought," she smiled.

"True. I vow to be a gentleman, my lady," he promised.

She smiled, touched by his concern for her. "I trust you."

He pulled off his shirt, plopped down on the ice and folded his hands behind his head to look up at the ceiling with only their glows giving a soft light.

Lying on her side with her hands tucked under her head she said, "Isn't the ice too hard?"

"I'm used to it, so it doesn't bother me. The first few nights after being born I had a terrible time-" His words cut off when a pillow hit him in the face.

She giggled. "Sorry, I meant to hit your chest."

"Uh huh," he said with humor in his tone. He shoved it behind his head. "Huh, this is soft like you."

Her laugh broke the silence. "You might sleep better."

"You just want to me to get used to sleeping near you and needing one of your pillows," he chuckled. Then he turned his face into it slightly. "It smells like you," he smiled.

"I know we can't, but it's kind of nice having you able to be in the warm weather for long periods of time."

He sighed. "I was thinking the same thing...I probably don't have to have my talents, sweetheart."

"No, that's not fair to you."

He turned on his side and looked at her. "I would rather have no talents and be with you, though," he said quietly.

"But if we have a house on the border, like you said..."

He nodded. "I know. I just like being able to go where you can."

"Do you think that after we mate, we'll be able to tolerate the differences in temperature better?"

"I don't know. Perhaps, but I wouldn't count on it."

Her brow furrowed. "Milori, I just had a thought. Can we have a baby being we're different temperatures?"

His teeth showed in the darkness as he smiled. "I asked Dewey about that. He said that the baby would take on both of our properties and be able to tolerate both seasons, just not extremes for long like summer or the coldest part of winter."

She didn't realize that her wings glowed slightly brighter. "Milori?" she whispered in the dark.

"Hm?"

"I've never been so happy."

"Ah, now how can I stay away from that?" He got up and sat on the edge of her bed to lean down and give her a kiss.

She broke the kiss. "Don't start or I'll make sure we finish tonight," she teased.

He laughed deep in his throat and pulled his bed closer so they could easily hold hands. "Clarion?" he whispered.

"Milori?" she smiled.

A chuckle broke the silence. Then he was serious. "I love you."

"I love you too."

She woke up in the morning to see Milori already awake, his piece of ice melted down to a thin sheet. Rolling to the edge of the bed to look down at him, she smiled.

"Good morning, my lady," he smiled up at her. He reached up to run his fingers through her loose hair that fell around her like a curtain. "You look pretty in the morning."

She blushed and rolled out of view back on the bed. "And you are still a rake in the morning."

He laughed and popped up.

She squealed and scrambled out of bed when he reached for her.

A devilish smile overcame him as she started a game of chase. It was only a few seconds before he caught her in his arms.

"You cheat!" she wheezed with laughter.

"You are supposed to be resting," he smiled and pulled her hair aside to kiss the side of her neck. "Now, be a good girl and stay in bed. I have some business to attend to this morning."

She stilled when the playfulness in his voice sounded forced. Looking at him, she asked, "Where are you going? And don't lie to me."

His smile fell. "I have to go talk to Bernard."

She stepped back and wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly chilled. "He knows I can have babies."

"What?" His eyebrows snapped together.

She relayed everything that had happened with Bernard. "I want to come with you," she said.

He was pacing like a caged mountain lion. "I want you to stay back just in case he tries something," he growled. Then he turned to her. "Whatever happens, you must swear to me you will stay back. He's a snake."