For a while, Quinlan listened to the stream below their tower, content to lie beneath the stars with Black Fang's head on his shoulder.
Her hair stirred across his chest when the breeze returned. He slipped his fingers out of hers to brush a few strands away from her face, then let his thumb linger against her cheek.
Black Fang looked up at him.
"What?"
"You're soft."
His thumb pressed into her cheek. The lovely skin yielded beneath it, and his smile widened as he took a gentle pinch between his fingers.
"Where was all this when we first met? You were terrifying."
*Smack!*
Black Fang slapped his hand away without changing her expression. The impact left his fingers tingling; a lesser man's hand would've broken on the spot.
Her head remained on his shoulder, and she behaved as if nothing happened.
"I was the same person."
Quinlan flexed his fingers, admiring her.
"Were you?"
"Vex was dying, and you were surrounded by lionkin. What expression would you have preferred?"
