Should Lea ask anyone for Isa's whereabouts he would receive no answer. He was not to see Isa. It was the Keeper's orders. No one would risk enraging him for a human. Instead Lea walked amongst the camp fires and eavesdropped for information. A few nights of work revealed Isa's possible location. A promise of Elfroots was all that was needed for Even to allow Lea to spend his day in the forest.

Isa had asked to be more than friends. Lea had not thought of the possibility of more intimate relationships until Isa had mentioned it. Lea was out of the Circle, away from their rules, but still he thought it necessary to live by them. The fire in the pit of his stomach had not once vanished since the day by the creek. He could not close his eyes without seeing Isa bathing, his beauty bare for Lea to enjoy.

The sun was setting when Lea sprinted through the woods. He sought the landmarks he had heard mentioned. Isa was to be by the Caves of Rabbits. Lea tripped over moist roots and patches of moss all the while thinking he was to find a cave shaped like rabbit until he saw a flock of rabbits scatter away in the opposite direction of the small mountain. It was a gamble to follow them. He was quickly running out of daylight and a torch would only help him so much. Perhaps the Keeper had planned this all along. If Lea was lost in the woods, they could leave him behind. As soon as the last sliver of sun disappeared, another light lit up in a hidden cave. It danced in the same manner as a camp fire. Lea approached the cave cautiously. Isa was pacing inside. He was out of his hunting gear. His bow stood propped against a rounded corner. There were no kills hanging over the fire.

"Isa…" Lea said and watched him jolt at his name.

"You made it." Isa smiled.

"I was sent out for Elfroots. I lost my way and I saw the light. Would it cause you trouble with the Keeper if I stay with you until morning?"

Isa led him into the cave and pulled him in close while he spoke. Lea closed his eyes when Isa's lips ghosted against his. Isa's body was warm and enticing. Lea knew the tattoos by heart and found it increasingly more difficult to curb his need to touch them.

"Do you have an answer for me yet, Lea?" Isa asked breathlessly.

"I have. I have spent days agonizing in my yearning for you, Isa."

"Serves you right for making me wait this long." Isa cupped Lea's face with gentle hands and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "I've grown very fond of you, Lea. Let me show you how much."

Isa laid down on his bedding, beckoning Lea to follow with a tug of his hand. Lea's heart leaped in his chest when Isa urged him closer with his legs around Lea's waist. Isa's kisses were slow, cautious until Lea eased against him. The undeniable ache between his legs diminished with every rock of his hips, with every sweet moan that made it past Isa's lips. Lea could understand why the mages back in the Circle would risk punishment for this. The warmth, the intimacy at sharing something like this with someone was beyond anything a mage could hope to experience. Magic without magic. Isa reached a hand between them and pulled Lea's pants down his hips with his feet. Lea shuddered at the cold of Isa's slender fingers around him, but relished at Isa's touch.

"Lea, merge with me," Isa whispered against Lea's lips.

"Isn't, isn't that what demons say?" Lea chortled.

"Am I a demon to you?" Isa looked up at Lea. No demon, not even the most cunning one, would manage such sincerity in their eyes. Lea shook his head. Thus far Isa had been the closest to the Maker's Kingdom any mage had ever gotten. There was an unrivaled kindness to him that made this world bearable. Lea wanted all of it to himself.

Isa pulled his thin, linen shirt off once Lea lay on his back with Isa straddling him. To witness his beauty up close was more mesmerizing than from afar. Lea could scarce breathe at the sight. He traced the tattoos on Isa's shoulders, sat up to kiss where his hands had touched. They turned to thirsty beasts as soon as they lay naked. Lea came to know what it was to merge in the flesh and see the Maker's light with the name of a beloved one on his lips.