When Jinon woke up some time later (he could usually tell at least approximate time, but the events lately had done enough to mess with everything), he hadn't moved, and he could feel it. He wanted a real stretch, and at the same time, didn't want to move. He was comfortable here.

"I need a shower, desperately," Yixing complained softly without moving. "I don't know how you can stand to even be in the same room as me, let alone my bed..." He groaned softly. "I don't know how I can stand to be in the same room as me. I hate battles. I'm a healer for a reason..."

He chuckled softly and opened his eyes, smiling at Jinon. "And I promise you that is not how we greet our bondmates in the morning," he grinned cheekily, his dimple showing through the dirt and smears of blood (mostly Kyungsu and Kan's) on his face. "I'd offer to show you, but I look and smell terrible, and we still barely know each other."

Jinon smiled, a bit afraid to laugh. "I can stand it because I'm not in much better shape," he said. "So probably more than half of what you're smelling is me. And you don't look terrible. At least, not as terrible as you used to." He sat up and groaned. "However, a shower sounds good to me, too."

He glanced around the room. "You know.... something's been bugging me, or at least, it should have been before this, and that's that you were on your own on that battlefield. I shouldn't have been able to make off with you that easily."

Yixing looked stricken at Jinon's comment about being alone on the battlefield, the smile disappearing from his face and a look of pain and sorrow replacing it.

"No, you shouldn't have," he murmured, almost choking on his next words. "You'd have been dead. If my..." He closed his eyes and swallowed heavily, trying to bite back the sense of guilt and pain. If it wasn't for him, if it wasn't for this stupid situation in the first place... "If my bodyguard and friend hadn't been badly injured saving my on the battlefield, maybe I wouldn't even be here either. He'd be ok and I'd be..."

Opening his eyes again, he looked up at Jinon, the memory of seeing Kyungsu fall still vivid in his mind. "Most of the blood that isn't your friend's... is his. I couldn't do anything for him, he was hurt too badly for me to heal on my own, though I would have in a second. They brought him back here, and hopefully I can see him some time today."

Jinon nodded. "They have a habit of doing that, don't they," he said quietly. "Getting in the way of blows meant for us. Sadly, I can't help yours the way you helped mine. Thank you again, by the way," he added. "But I'd like to help any way I can."

"I shouldn't even need a bodyguard," Yixing replied almost bitterly. "I don't like fighting. I'm a healer..." Nodding his acceptance of Jinon's thanks, he smiled sadly. "But I guess it's too much for me to expect things to change..."

Jinon took Yixing's hand and tugged gently on it. "Come on. You need to get up, shower, eat, and go see your friend. Possibly in that order."

Sighing, Yixing made a face. "We could have a bath instead?" he suggested. "That way we could sleep at the same time. I'm still tired." But not too tired to remember what he had to do.

Keeping hold of Jinon's hand, he sent a burst of power through his bondmate's body to heal him, determination in his eyes. Yixing wasn't going to let him get away without being healed this time, tired or not.

Jinon gasped as Yixing's power flowed through him, his grip tightening on his hand for a moment. "Are... are you supposed to be doing that?" he asked when he caught his breath again. With his free hand, he fumbled for the bandage and pulled it off, running his hand over the new scar. "Thank you," he said softly. "And a bath sounds amazing."

He squelched the irreverent question of whether they'd get to share a tub.

"Probably not," Yixing murmured, sitting up slowly to try and mask how much that had taken out of him.

He hadn't had nearly enough rest to regain the power he'd used up the day before, but there was no way he was going to let Jinon risk an infection with a poorly bandaged wound like that. He knew Jinon had done the best he could, but still, what point was there to having a healer for a bondmate if he couldn't make use of his services when needed?

"I'll show you where the bathroom is," he added a little sheepishly, holding out his hand as he got to his feet. "My suite is... big. So be warned. My bathroom is big." He looked down at his feet, his face pink. "Pretty much everything is big. We have lots of room and make use of it..."

"Big is good," Jinon said, standing and taking Yixing's hand. He moved easier now, the pain in his side eased. "I'm going to need a chance to change sometime too, by the way. It's been a while. And you might as well see all sides of me."

Yixing shrugged and smiled. "We're bonded, so does it really matter?" he asked softly, leading Jinon to the bathroom and starting to run the bath. "Are dragons body-shy with their mates like humans can be?" He chuckled. "And it's not like you have anything I don't already have myself, so..."

He looked at his bondmate thoughtfully. "But we're not the same size," he added, pouting a little. "My clothes won't fit you." He grinned and sent Tao a quick mental message. "But my brother's will, if you don't mind looking like an emo goth teenager, though I can try and get Tao to bring some of his more... normal clothes for you. If he has any..."

He shook his head. "That kid. For an elf, he sure enjoys human fashion a little more than perhaps he should. Almost as much as Baekhyun. Maybe that's where he gets it from." Though he knew he was just as guilty of it as his brother, if in a different way.

"That depends on the person," Jinon said. "Some are, some aren't. I fall into the latter."

He blinked. "Emo goth teenager? Really?" he repeated, stunned. "I haven't even actually met your brother. But I have to admit, some human fashion isn't too bad."

Jinon grinned at Yixing on seeing the bathroom. "You weren't kidding about big. How many people can you fit in here?" He indicated the tub.

Flushing with embarrassment, Yixing looked down to hide his sheepish smile. "I don't actually know," he murmured. "I haven't tried to find out."

"Liar," Tao smirked from the doorway, his arms piled with black clothing. "You asked me to bring some clothes, so I did," he added defensively when Yixing him, about to shout at him.

"I didn't ask you to almost scare the out of me, Taozi," Yixing grumbled, gesturing for Tao to put the clothes away for Jinon. "You couldn't have knocked?"

"Nope," Tao grinned, his dark eyes dancing with mischief. "Any idea why Baekhyun won't answer his door? I went to talk to him earlier and he didn't answer." he said, changing the subject as he dumped the clothes on the top of a dresser that stood along one wall. I was going to ask if he wanted to come visit Kyungsu with me..."

Yixing glanced at Jinon. "He was out very late last night and is probably still asleep," he shrugged a little uneasily. "And we're going to see Kyungsu after too..." He sighed. "How is he?"

"Still hasn't woken up, the chief healer said," Tao replied, his eyes on Yixing's face. "It wasn't your fault. He did his job. You can't blame yourself, Yixing..."

"Leave me alone, Tao. Please..." Yixing turned away, wondering how the conversation that had started so lightheartedly had gone downhill so fast. "Just go..."

Nodding to Jinon, Tao turned and left, sighing.

Jinon looked between them, his brow furrowed, but didn't say anything until Tao left.

"He's right, you know," he said softly. "It's not the fact of the war, or that you're in battle, it's that you're the prince and a healer. I wish it wasn't necessary either, but I have the feeling your friend is going to want to kill me, and your father won't be too happy either." He touched Yixing's wrist. "But that's for another time. That tub looks about full, and I'm curious about your brother's 'liar' comment."

He cautiously reached to help Yixing get out of his shirt, not sure how he'd take... anything right now. "What about you? Body shy or not?"

Yixing shook his head, still turned away, not moving as he let Jinon take his shirt off. With so many emotions going through him at Tao's news, that between that, Baekhyun's injuries, and now his new bondmate, Yixing felt ready to fall apart, just when he could least afford to.

"It was Baekhyun, actually," he said quietly after a long pause, almost forgetting to turn the water off. "We were drunk and he wanted to see how many of our friends he could get in here but we were too drunk and he was too impatient so it didn't get much further than fifteen or so people, and then he tried to kiss me and all hell broke loose..."

Wincing at the memory, Yixing couldn't help the fond smile from coming to his face. "Baekhyun can be really stupid sometimes, but he's a good man. He has a good heart, he's very loyal, and would do anything for his friends. Any of us would do the same for each other..."

His voice cracking, Yixing trailed off, his control at risk of breaking.

"Fifteen," Jinon said. "And apparently not too crowded. He mentioned something about the kissing thing," he added. "And then said, 'don't do what I would do'. Considering that came after the warning about your personal wards... I thought maybe what he would do was more than anything I would do."

"It's nice to have such friends," he added, his fingers tracing abstract designs across Yixing's back, down to his waist and around front to help him finish getting undressed. Stepping closer to lend warmth without pressing against him, he tried to comfort and help when he didn't really understand what had happened.

Turning in Jinon's arms as he undressed him, Yixing pressed closer, suddenly needing the contact. There was nothing ual about it, just simple comfort from his bondmate, burying his face in Jinon's shoulder.

"Do you not have friends like that?" he asked softly, his breath ghosting across the skin of Jinon's collarbone. "That you would die for and who would die for you, no questions asked, no matter what you did?"

"It's nice, but it also hurts..." He shivered, closing his eyes against the pain. "I don't want Kyungsu to die for me. I want him to live for me..."

Jinon held him, his head resting on Yixing's. "Yes," he murmured. "Kan. Which is why I kidnapped you. I understand it in my head, but my heart rebels every time. Too many times," he added. "Way too many times. I keep telling him to stop, but he never does, and I just..." He sighed. "Maybe this bond will end this war."

Taking a shaky breath, Yixing nodded. "I hope so. If it doesn't end up starting another one..." He sighed. "Kyungsu is the same way. He refuses to listen and tells me to shut up, that he never tells me how to heal so I shouldn't tell him how to be my bodyguard..."

Pulling away slightly, he rested one hand on Jinon's hip. "We should hurry before the water gets cold," he murmured, though he knew there was little danger of that any time soon. "You still have too many clothes on..."

"If it starts another one, maybe we'll just run away together and they can all go to hell," Jinon muttered, but without real heat or intent. "I'm not letting your bodyguard meet mine. They'd have way too much in common and neither of us would ever have any peace from them."

He smiled and blushed. "Yes, I suppose jeans would not be good for getting into the tub." He started to undo his belt.

Not dignifying Jinon's first statement with any comment, Yixing groaned at the second.

"My life as I know it would be over," he grumbled shaking his head. "Don't even think things like that just in case he gets ideas. Between what Kyungsu knows about me, and what Kan knows about you, we'll never be able to get away, just the two of us..."

His hands already well-placed to help, Yixing fumbled to help Jinon, his face pink. "It just seems hardly fair that I'm the only person here without any clothes on," he murmured. "And I just really want to get clean..."

"Exactly. So. No chance. And that is just wishful thinking," Jinon added softly. His jeans finally unfastened, he slid them off and held out a hand to Yixing. "Clean sounds amazingly good, as does soaking in steaming water with you."

His blush deepening, Yixing took Jinon's outstretched hand and smiled faintly, leading him carefully into the bath, which was set down into the floor of the bathroom itself with a dip so that if any water spilled, it was automatically drained away rather than messing up the main area and causing a potential hazard. The water of the bath itself was nicely hot, but not so much that it was uncomfortable. Just hot enough to ease tired and aching muscles, soothing away the physical pain.

Reaching for the soap, Yixing scrubbed at the blood on his hands, anxious to get rid of that most of all. Then he could get the rest of him clean and relax, and hopefully not have to think for at least a little while. Even if he had to push all thoughts of where the blood had come from out of his mind, mentally apologising to Kyungsu and Kan as he did so. He was so fixated on that task that he was all but ignoring his bondmate.

Jinon took the soap when Yixing was done, found a cloth, and began scrubbing his back, running the soapy cloth down his arms, over his shoulders, but mostly focused on his back and neck, trying to ease the tension there.  He almost said something a couple of times, but didn't say anything in the end, not sure what to say or how to say it.

Almost jumping when he felt the first touch of the soapy cloth on his skin, Yixing sighed and tried to relax under Jinon's hands, his own hands now limp at his sides in the water. He knew he should probably try and at least wash his face now that his hands were at least cleaner than they had been, but though he tried, Yixing couldn't erase the mental images of blood on his hands and body. It was always like this after a battle or fight, especially when he had to heal someone, but it was at its worst whenever it involved people he cared about. His friends. And now his bondmate's, as well.

"Heavy thoughts?" Jinon asked softly, wringing out the wash cloth before soaping it up again, rubbing it across the back of Yixing's neck and then up the side of his hair line, trying to rinse away the sweat and whatever else might be there.

"Yeah," Yixing replied, letting his head fall back, his eyes closing. "The humans call it PTSD, and I know I shouldn't let it get to me, but...it does. Unfortunately, like highly placed humans, I can't admit to being less than stable, so apart from Baekhyun, Kyungsu, and a few others, you're the only one who knows..."

Yixing gave a faintly bitter smile. "The down side to being a healer, and a supposedly good one..."

Jinon hummed acknowledgement. "Hard to get images out of your head," he said softly, the cloth still moving gently over the healer's skin. He sent it down Yixing's throat gently, across collarbones and down his chest, leaving a swath of soapsuds in its wake.

Now leaning almost his full body weight (which, even for an elf, was not as much as it should have been) with his back against Jinon's chest, Yixing shivered.

"Are you trying to kill me?" he murmured, his tone lightly teasing, though strained. "We're just supposed to be getting clean. This is..." Yixing opened his eyes and looked up at the patterned ceiling as Jinon washed his body for him, his hands tightly clenched into fists. "You know what it's like after battles, don't you? The... need that comes after the realisation that you survived. That you made it..."

His voice was breathy. "I've never had anyone to share that with until now, and even with you, I can't..."

"Yes," Jinon said, nearly whispering it. "It's almost as bad after you've been healed, knowing you're alive and won't die.... But no, I'm not trying to kill you. I just... wanted to help you relax. Do you want me to stop?"

He rather hoped Yixing said no. He could, if he did, but Jinon wasn't sure what shape he'd be in.

Yixing wanted to cry. Here he was, finally bonded, and he couldn't even properly enjoy the experience. It was so complicated. He knew Jinon would understand (eventually) but the thought of hurting him, though Yixing knew either answer he gave would hurt in one way or another, was upsetting.

*I don't want you to stop," he murmured slowly, his voice shaking, "But if we can't keep things from getting out of hand, I don't think we'll have much choice." He put his hand on Jinon's to still it. "Our bond still has yet to be properly acknowledged, and until then..." Yixing's voice dropped even more to a barely there whisper. "And I don't know how it works with dragons, but I'm still a . I'm not unusual amongst elves, though I'm hardly usual either. It's by personal choice."

Jinon shifted, getting a bit more comfortable without letting him go. "Acknowledgement first, anything truly intimate after?" he asked. "We're not nearly so formal, but I think... maybe we should be, you and I."

"As for the other..." He laughed softly. "We'll take it slow, figure things out together." He moved his hands back to more acceptable territory. "But I do hope this is okay, sitting like this."

Nodding, Yixing was grateful for Jinon's understanding. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard after all.

"You're not at all like I expected a dragon to be like," he murmured quietly, moving his head so he could look at his bondmate easier. "After you stopped threatening and hurting me, that was," he teased softly, chuckling a little. "I expected you to be more like whoever it was that hurt Baekhyun, not caring what the repercussions would be. Someone with a volatile temper..."

"Uncivilised..." He sighed. "We're told so many things about you that don't seem to be true, and I hate to think of what you've learned about us that Kyuhyun has proven..."

Jinon opened his mouth to protest... and then closed it again, sheepishly. "Ah, yeah, sorry about that," he said. "It wasn't exactly the best way to do it, but I was sort of getting desperate."

He smiled. "We are a volatile lot," he said. "I suspect that Baekhyun will be able to back me up on that, aside from whoever strangled him. My father was probably not in the best of moods when he got there. And I seem to recall threatening Kyuhyun earlier..." He shifted his shoulders. "I'll make sure I don't go off at a bad time."

Yixing blinked at Jinon. "I was teasing about that," he pouted, sighing softly. "But I don't understand. For someone who claims to have a temper, you didn't get upset with me for asking you to... tone it down a little." He flushed. "You don't even seem hurt, though you have every right to be. The bond we have means I am yours just as much as you are mine, and you would have been within your rights, technically, to ignore my request and do whatever you wanted."

He looked away. "That's what we're told dragons do. That you take without regard to rules, that you hurt without caring for consequences..." Yixing was confused. "I don't understand what is true and what isn't, Jinon. Please tell me. Help me understand..."

Jinon blinked at him. "We just... take?" He frowned. "While it is true that you are mine and I am yours, it would be so wrong to do something so horrendous as to... to make you do what you don't want. To start off a relationship like that would so damage it... so damage you. I couldn't."

"You are still your own person; you belong to yourself as much as to me, and 'hated enemy' or not, I can't do that over something so trivial as ."

Jinon leaned back in the tub, trying to relax. "Our rules are different than yours, I think, and no one's ever tried to understand or even learn them. Like this. To share intimacy before acknowledgement is common. Usual." He bit the inside of his lip. "Some are like that, sure, some because of this war, but I hope that even before this bond happened, I proved at least some of that false...."

Carefully moving away from Jinon so he could turn to look at him properly, Yixing nodded.

"You did," he replied quietly. "You had no reason other than your word to let me go, but you were still going to. You did let me go in fact, even with the bond. And you never hurt me more than you had to, and I knew you never meant to in the first place, even at the time..."

"I don't know who tried to learn your ways, only to warp them to us... but I hope things change for the better. If we can get enough people to believe in us..."

It was Yixing's turn to bite at his lip.

"As for the intimacy, as I mentioned, it's more of a personal thing, though I believe it's pretty evenly split between those like Baekhyun, who aren't bothered and will sleep with anyone who will have them, and those like me, who make the personal choice to stay a until they're bonded." He chuckled softly again, shaking his head wryly. "And then you get the odd few like Kyungsu who don't seem to care about being bonded, or even being intimate, at all. If he does, he's never been the type to talk about it, not even with his closest friends..."

"I don't think it takes even a knowledge of our ways to misunderstand them," Jinon said slowly, "But the idea of someone erting them on purpose is a scary one."

He frowned.

"You think people will believe this is a hoax?" he asked. "That we're trying to do something? What possible motive..." Jinon shook his head. "Any motive he wanted to think up," he answered himself.

"Still," he went on, brushing a thumb across Yixing's cheek. "Personal differences are even more important than the cultural ones."

"I don't know that it was done on purpose," Yixing mused quietly, finally unwinding enough to start washing the blood and sweat from his face, shying away from Jinon's touch. "It just happened, maybe because there wasn't enough understanding, or effort put into understanding..."

He gave Jinon an odd look. "They know better than to think that," he said, shaking his head. "I think they'll just choose to believe I'm letting my emotions sway me, rather than logic, and thus be tempted to ignore or belittle anything we might do or say."

Yixing sighed. Just his hair left to wash and then he was as clean as he could get. "Kyuhyun's good at making people believe he's the logical one, when he's most ruled by his emotions, especially his hatred."

Jinon let Yixing go when he pulled away, ignoring his body's need for the moment. He was going to have to tread very carefully while he was here, until Yixing was more comfortable around him.

He smiled wryly. "And I think I just proved your point." he said, and slid under the water. Oh, that was nice. Emerging some distance away, he grinned. "That was me, showing off my own ignorance and assumptions about your people."

"It's an easy one to make," Yixing replied calmly, ducking his head to wash his hair. It was nice to actually feel clean again. "And won't be the last time," he added teasingly, a faint smile on his face. "For either of us, I'm sure, but we'll make it."

Leaning back on the edge of the tub, Yixing watched Jinon warily, wanting to reciprocate the kindness and care he'd shown earlier, but feeling... wary of being misunderstood or rejected, however nicely. Closing his eyes tiredly, he could feel himself drifting off again, still feeling tired and worn out. Yixing could only hope the day would be easy on him, though he knew he should know better.

Jinon grinned at him. "Without doubt," he said. His smile faded shortly though. "You look exhausted," he murmured. "You should go back to bed." He moved through the water to Yixing's side, laying a hand on his shoulder.

Blinking his eyes open when Jinon touched his shoulder and began to speak, Yixing sighed. "I am," he admitted softly, looking down. "But I have responsibilities that won't wait, one of which is making sure my father doesn't kill you, or let anyone else kill you. We... I have to tell him about the bond..."

And there was still Kyungsu to check on as well, and Baekhyun's injuries to finish healing, if he hadn't already gotten someone else to do it for him.

Jinon frowned, but nodded. He understood, even if he wished it otherwise. "Then rest here a while," he said quietly. "Relax a little, at least." They'd have a hard time trying to kill him, no matter.

On the other hand... He could wait. But at some point, he would have to let his dragon-self meet Yixing. And soon. He was just beginning to feel the strain of holding this shape.

Biting his lip, Yixing searched Jinon's eyes, worry in his gaze. "Will you be ok with this?" he asked softly. "After we talk to my father, we'll have to talk to yours..." And since they didn't have a very clear idea how his father would react... Though maybe Jinon could give him some insight. "What do you think your father is going to say?"

"I have no choice," Jinon said quietly. "But I am fine with it. My father..." He leaned back, resting his head on the edge of the tub. "He may not be happy, but should accept it. And you. I hope," he added. "This situation has never come up, that I know of. And who we are..." He shrugged. "What about your father?"

Yixing looked away, his eyes sad. "He had expectations of me," he murmured, closing his eyes again. "With Kyuhyun pushing him, he'll be even harder on me, if he doesn't disown me completely from the start. He has Tao..." Who wasn't going to thank him for dumping all the pressure onto him.

"But I honestly don't know how he'll react. Kyuhyun, yes, but he is not the king, no matter how much he wants to be. The council will be more of a worry, but they still ultimately answer to the king. He doesn't have to do anything they say. They'll just put pressure on him to get rid of me..."

"You'd be welcome with us," Jinon said immediately. "We don't have a healer of our own. And if they are so stupid as to cast you off for something you have no control over..." Jinon clenched his fist, hidden under the water. "And I would make sure you did nothing you did not want to. My father might not like our bond, but he will not turn away a healer. Ever."  

He forced himself to relax. "But with luck, it won't come to that," he said softly. "You will be allowed to be happy."

"I hope so," Yixing replied softly, touched by Jinon's generous offer. Yixing wasn't sure he'd be able to go against his people, even if they rejected him, and hoped it wouldn't come to that. "It's too early to be thinking things like this," he added, still so exhausted that he could feel himself falling asleep despite the heavy discussion. "So tired..."

Opening his eyes with effort, he looked over at his bondmate, biting his lip as he considered whether or not he should try and sleep again now that he was clean.

Jinon smiled at him. "Do you want a nap in here, or in your bed?" he asked softly. "It might be better for you to sleep right now, than to try to do something you haven't really got strength for. Even a short nap might help."

"If I sleep here, I might drown and make the situation moot," Yixing chuckled wryly, not wanting to move. "I don't think I have the energy to get out, even if I wanted to, which is kind of worrying..." He'd doubtless get in trouble for letting himself get so worn out that it would take him days to recover, but Yixing was too tired to even care about that. "Next time I do something stupid like this, hit me or something..."

Jinon laughed. "I am not going to hit you," he said, and then scooped Yixing up and stood. "I wouldn't let you drown," he added as he mounted the steps to leave the tub again, and carefully set Yixing down outside it.

He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around Yixing, and then one for himself, tying it off around his waist.

"Up for walking, or shall I keep carrying you?"

Giving a startled gasp (he would deny it if anyone said he squeaked), Yixing held the towel around himself and looked up at Jinon with wide eyes. He hadn't expected to be picked up as if he weighed nothing (even if it was practically true) and set down so carefully.

"Not up for walking," he murmured, grasping the towel in his fists. "But are you sure you won't get tired of carrying me?" At least they were still in his suite, so there was no chance of anyone seeing him like this.

Jinon shook his head. "You are way too light to be healthy," he murmured, lifting him again with ease. "We'll have to work on that too, eventually. I suspect it has to do with over-work and no one noticing, or able to do anything about it if they do." He padded into the bedroom and set him down on the bed. "How long will you need to recover completely? And... would food help?"

Looking away, Yixing sighed. Not Jinon too. "A few days, at least," he murmured, keeping his eyes on the bed. "A week ideally, but I rarely have that luxury." As for food... "I don't know if food would help," he added tiredly. "I'm usually too exhausted to eat much, if at all."

"Why?" Fiddling with the towel, Yixing felt the drowsiness return with a vengeance. "Like I am now," he murmured sleepily, closing his eyes again, not even sure he was making sense anymore.

Jinon dried himself off a bit more fully, then wrapped the towel around him again and gently pushed Yixing into the bed, pulling the covers over him.

"Because you aren't healthy, bondmate, and I'd like to see you that way." He crawled into the bed with him. "But I don't want to nag you to death either. So if I start, tell me." He sighed and brushed his fingers lightly across Yixing's cheek. "You just look so pale, and tired, and... I really shouldn't be able to pick you up that easily, dragon or not."

Not arguing when Jinon put him to bed and fussed over him, Yixing smiled faintly.

"I will make sure you know when you're nagging," Yixing murmured, touched again by how much Jinon seemed to care for him despite only knowing him for less than a day. It was more than he got out of most of the people he knew over the course of his lifetime, something that saddened him. He'd have to think about that sometime when he wasn't about to expire of exhaustion.

"Thank you," he added, snuggling closer to his bondmate and promptly falling asleep. He was just too comfortable now to care about anything else but sleep.

Jinon kissed his forehead. "You're welcome," he murmured, and closed his eyes. Sleep came slowly, but it would come, and he breathed in the scent of his bondmate until it overtook him.