- and something else shifts, too -

Iridescent scales run off him like ink. He goes from twelve feet tall to a little less than six and a half. There is a dizzying moment when he feels the entire valley settling in around him, becoming part of him -

"I think I'm in love," he says, and dissolves the wall with a thought, and pounces.

...This is kind of confusing!

But she's still not scared of him--she would've half expected to be--and the wall's gone and he's here and she does not in fact want him appreciably less now that this is neither incredibly dangerous or logistically difficult.

The first thing he does is kiss her passionately.

She has zero experience with this whatsoever and the informative books were actually less than informative on this particular point but she does her best to kiss back.

He has no complaints whatsoever.

"Beautiful, beautiful," he murmurs against her lips - he hasn't been in his own body for two thousand years, he should feel small and strange, but he doesn't, his skin fits perfectly, he moves as naturally as he ever has. He kisses a tear-track on the side of her face, kisses her jaw and her neck and her collarbone and her breasts - "I love you," bites gently, "you're glorious," and another kiss, and there's still something in his way, isn't there, and he pulls it out and then he's inside her and beyond words entirely.

She still doesn't know what's going on but she feels warm and bright inside in a way that has nothing to do with her physical senses--is this what love feels like--and he's kissing her all over and she shrieks in startled pleasure, how does it feel this much better than her own hands, it's nonsensical--and then he's in her and it's so good why is she crying again...

She's the most beautiful thing in the world and he's loved her since she first touched him, he has no idea how it took him this long to notice.

How is she this lucky, how, how does she get to stay here in this place, the heart of the only place she's ever been safe, with this man who is the only person she hasn't been even a little bit scared of since she was six, who holds her like this and kisses her like this and looks at her like a miracle and could hurt her so easily and wouldn't and, and every other wonderful thing about him--

Now he's crying, that's hardly fair.

Well, she can kiss away the tears too.

"I love you."

"I think I do too--is this what love feels like? So bright and warm inside..."

He wraps his arms around her and hugs her tightly, with absolutely no risk of killing her at all -

"Yes, I think so. It's wonderful. You're wonderful."

"You're wonderful," she sighs, and her inner muscles squeeze him gently.

He kisses her. "I love you."

She throws her arms around his neck and tangles one hand in his (still so soft) hair and kisses back. "I love you," she breathes when she comes up for air.

"My Annisetimara." Kiss.

"All yours," she breathes, and "oh, it feels as good as I thought it would, oh..."

He kisses her neck, rolls on top of her, pins her to the bed. "I love you."

She whimpers and melts under him.

With great effort, he holds himself still.

"I said I'd make you beg," he breathes in her ear.

"Oh that's not fair you can't just stop--you want me to beg, that's easy, please, it's so good, I want you so much, love you so much, take me, fuck me, please."

"All right."

He does. Holds her down and fucks her hard, the way he's been wanting to all this time.

She throws her head back and screams.

It's the most beautiful thing -