AARYN

Aaryn grinned. Gar had fallen asleep half an hour earlier, while Reth sat in the chair in the sunlight from the window, blinking, his eyes drooping.

He was drunk enough not to have noticed when Aaryn tipped the end of his drink out, then replaced the empty tumbler next to his hand—and when he'd asked for a refill, Aaryn showed him one empty bottle and insisted they were all out.

He'd been intending to let Reth sleep as well, but the older man kept talking about the ceremony, and how intense it would be, but that Aaryn wasn't to worry. Then he'd gone quiet.

But when he blinked himself awake again and frowned at his empty glass, Aaryn decided it was time to distract him.

"Tell me about your Flames, Reth," he asked quietly, so he wouldn't wake Gar who was snoring softly on the bench seat next to the wall. "It must have been strange, not knowing Elia before you mated."

"I did know her, as a child."

"Yes, but you hadn't seen her in how many years?"

"Ten. At least."

Aaryn whistled softly. "How was it, seeing her again?"

Reth turned his head to look at Aaryn, his brow lined with concentration as he tried to focus. "It was the most exhilarating, and saddest moment of my life when I saw her, because I was convinced she was about to be killed, and there was nothing I could do about it," he growled.

"But when she won and you chose her… to walk the flames… did you two get to talk at all beforehand?"

"Yes, I took her back to the cave to change clothes and explain a little bit. I knew she was overwhelmed, and she wouldn't want to change clothes in front of people. It was the right thing to do," he said, his voice gruff, but gentle.

"What did she think of the Rite? When you told her, I mean?"

Reth chuckled. "She didn't have a clue, and I didn't really have the means to tell her. She was still in shock from the Rite of Survival. I just gave her some advice and… let her go. And she was amazing." Reth trailed off, his eyes drifting to a spot on the carpet as he dove head first into his memories of his mate.

"Wait," Aaryn said. "You didn't tell her how the Rite would go? That she had to fight?"

He shrugged. "I told her no matter what, she had to choose me. And then… then I told her to follow her instincts."

Aaryn frowned. "But… she's human."

Reth's eyes snapped to find his and Aaryn suddenly wondered if the man wasn't as drunk as he'd thought. "Humans have instincts—Creator given instincts. They are just… they aren't trained to listen to them. They stifle them in themselves and each other. It is… it leads to a great deal of pain and deception. I told her to listen to her gut, to follow her instincts, and she did. And she was remarkable."

"You trusted her instincts even then?"

"Of course. That's what instincts are. They're inherent. Bred into us. They don't come from knowledge. They come from the senses we can't see. They come from the Creator. And if we listen and don't harden ourselves against them, they lead us to truth."

Aaryn was going to let it go, but… he cleared his throat. "Does she still have human instincts, or has she learned the Anima version now?"

"She never needed to learn the Anima version of anything. She is a mighty lion, and she was since the day she was born. She only looked different, so others didn't see it. I always saw it in her." He'd drifted into memories again, his eyes fixed in the middle-distance, flickering back and forth as if he was watching something.

"So, she still has them?"

"Of course!"

"Then… weren't they guiding her when she held things away from you? Weren't they guiding her in her dealings with the disformed, and the choices she made about what to share with you, and what… not? I mean, I'm only working on my own experience. But I never held things back from you because I thought you would do wrong by them. It was something inside me, deep inside, telling me to step carefully. To weigh their needs first. I just… I'm guessing that's what happened for Elia, too?"

Reth blinked, then blinked again. He turned his head slowly to find Aaryn's eyes.

At first, Aaryn was afraid he would see anger in Reth's gaze. But instead, it was shock and… something he couldn't put his finger on.

Aaryn took a deep breath. "She loves you so desperately, Reth. I know she wouldn't have done this to hurt you. She was listening to that unseen voice in all of us. I don't always agree with it either, but… Don't you think you would have done the same?"

"For twenty years?"

"Almost twenty. But… I don't know. It seems like the passing of time would have left lots of opportunities to tell you without it being a problem. Unless, like me, her instincts stayed the same. Unless the Creator had a reason?"

Reth grunted like he'd been stuck with a jabberthorn. His brow pressed into lines, and he went back to staring at that spot on the carpet.

Gar rolled over on the bench and almost rolled off, caught himself, then yawned and stretched. "Is it dinner time yet?"

"Almost," Aaryn answered, then blinked. He would have dinner soon… then it would grow dark… then the Rite would begin. Then he would take his mate and never have to let her go. Ever. For the rest of their lives.

His nerves and excitement spiked and suddenly he was breathing quick and shallow.

"There is it, finally," Gar muttered.

"What?"

"The normal response to the idea of mating my sister for life—gut-wrenching terror."

Aaryn threw a pillow that bounced off of Gar's head. They went back and forth, Gar teasing, and Aaryn defending El, until suddenly, Reth was on his feet like he'd been launched out of the chair.

"I have to go," he announced in a strange voice.

Aaryn stared at him. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes. I'll… I'll be back for the Rite. I just… I have to go." Then he turned on his heel and walked out, straight as an arrow, Aaryn frowning at his back.

Gar made a gagging noise as the door closed behind him. "Ugh. They're going to have make up sex now. Lots and lots of make-up sex."

Aaryn shot a look at Gar, ready to tell him to grow up. But then he caught the relief that Gar was trying to hide, and he smiled.

"I hope you didn't want the Weeping Tree tonight," Gar continued. "It'll be busy."

Aaryn shuddered at the mental image, but decided that they could visit the Weeping Tree anytime. If giving it to Reth and Elia tonight would bring them back together, that would be worth it.

"Oh, shit!" Gar groaned.

"What?!" Aaryn asked, alarmed.

"He's going to be roaring all fucking night. Honestly, he's like a teenager when he gets going."

Aaryn laughed, but Gar just gagged again.