The little group didn’t get far the next day. Between their slow speed and the need to circle around settled areas they were still a long way from their goal. But since there was no sign of pursuit, they weren’t overly concerned. Flame Song was enjoying the easy pace. She shifted back to human form so she could more easily converse with Aidan, and they strolled along at a leisurely pace, hand in hand. At last there was no hurry, no rush, and she could recuperate without any worries. By the time they set up camp on the second night she was feeling almost like her old self again.

Aidan volunteered for the first watch, so she curled up on the deep grass under the trees and fell asleep, too tired to bother shapeshifting. Aidan leaned his back against a tree and looked out into the night. All was still and quiet. There was no sound but the normal, familiar noises of the forest. He never heard the soft whoosh of wings overhead as his double flew over the camp. And he certainly didn’t hear the perfectly inaudible sound of a sleep spell settling softly over him. He just closed his eyes and slumped to the ground. Celia and Aldro too slipped even deeper into sleep. Nothing would wake them. Only Flame Song was left unenchanted. The mirror Aidan landed softly near her. His hands wove a pattern and he whispered a few soft words. The spell that settled over the sleeping woman was only a gentle thought, a suggestion that whatever situation she found was not unusual, coupled with a resistance to remembering the existence of a second Aidan. She would think only of her husband. He felt a twinge of guilt as the spell settled into place. And yet he could do nothing else.

For a long time he simply sat next to her and watched her breathing. She was so beautiful. Her double was beautiful too, but she had none of the innocence and purity that added immeasurably to this woman’s attractiveness. Again Aidan had second thoughts. Perhaps he should leave. It was not too late after all… and then Flame Song stirred and opened her eyes.

“Aidan?” she said softly, questioningly.

He was mute. He could suddenly think of nothing to say, but what he felt must have shown in his eyes, for Flame Song sat up and put her arms around him wordlessly. He looked into her eyes, gone dark in the moonlight, and softly touched her cheek. She looked back at him with love, and though he knew it was false, that her love wasn’t for him, still he drank it in more eagerly than blood.

There were no words between them, only tender touches and softly passionate kisses. Aidan surrendered his heart to her fully, and gave his body to her touch. As they came together he found in himself a gentleness that he had never suspected. And even when, at just the right moment, his lips found her neck and his teeth broke through the soft skin, even that was as gentle as he could make it.

He drank the red, rushing life of her slowly, taking one electrifying drop at a time. And as he did their hearts came together even as their bodies met and he was awash in the gentle warmth of her love. His own heart felt like it might burst from the joy, the wonder, even the awe he felt. He hadn’t known such depth of love was possible. In that moment the sweetness of it and the bitterness of his past and the sadness that this would never be again somehow all balanced out into a soft peace.

He came back to himself after a long time spent floating in the mutual warmth that flowed between them. He softly kissed away the tiny trickle of blood from her neck. Her eyes were closed, her breathing even, but he knew she was still awake.

He extracted himself from her embrace and began to get dressed again. He needed to go before the spell he’d cast on her broke. She too sat up and got her shirt and trousers back on. He rose to go, but made the mistake of looking back. She stood there in the moonlight, looking at him with an expression he couldn’t read. He couldn’t do what he had just done to her and then go without a word. He had to tell her. He turned back.

“Flame Song, I… I’m not…”

“I know,” she said before he could find the words to say what he needed to say.

“You … you know?”

She smiled, a smile both sad and warm. “Yes. The heart doesn’t lie. The blood-bond is still there, and though even in the heart you are much like my Aidan, you are not him.”

He turned away from her, unable to bear the kindness of her eyes after what he’d done. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“For my husband’s sake,” she replied, “so am I, and for the wrong of it, because it was wrong. But for your sake I’m not. What did she do to you, my other self, that left you so hurt?”

Unexpectedly tears gathered in his eyes. All at once he found himself forced to face a truth he had never wanted to see. The truth that, for all the long, dark years he had been with his wife, for all he abuse he’d taken and all that he’d given in return, he had still somewhere inside hoped for real love from her. For all the power games he’d played, for all the evil he’d done, the real reason he’d stayed with her was that faint hope that someday she might say she loved him. And a deeper truth lay beneath that, for despite the hatred he had for her, he loved her too. And that was why she could hurt him. That was why each betrayal stabbed as deeply as the first. He’d ignored the pain, putting it from his mind, telling himself he was just using her the way she was using him, but it had all been a lie.

He found that Flame had put her arms around him and he was crying on her shoulder. He sobbed for a long time, letting out a decade’s worth of hurt and anguish in a flood of tears. At last he wiped his eyes and looked up at her. She smiled. “I wish there was more I could do for you.”

“How can you say that? After all you’ve done already. After all I’ve done to you…”

“My Aidan will always be first in my heart. I love him more than anything. But, well… I love you too.”

Aidan stared at her, disbelieving. “You… you do?”

In answer she hugged him close and said softly, “Yes. The heart doesn’t lie, remember?” And he knew it was true. The blood-bond still lingered between them and he could feel the warmth in her heart and she held him close.

He put his own arms around her. He found he was crying again. He’d never shed so many tears, but these weren’t tears of sorrow, they were tears of joy. How long they stood there he didn’t know but eventually the moment came to an end. Aidan hesitated. He couldn’t stay, but he didn’t want to leave. “I should go,” he said.

“Yes,” she said. They still stood close together, both reluctant to break off the moment, but finally Aidan stepped back.

“Goodbye,” he said, walking slowly backward, his eyes still fixed on her face.

“Goodbye,” she replied, and lifted her hand and waved. He turned and launched himself into the sky. It was only a moment before he vanished utterly into the darkness, but Flame Song stood and stared after him for a long time, until a soft sound behind her drew her back from her thoughts. It would be an understatement to say her feelings were mixed when she turned around and found her husband standing there.

“How long have you been awake?” asked Flame Song softly.

“Not long… but long enough.”

“Aidan, I…” she looked for a way to explain what had happened.

He held up one hand and she fell silent. He closed his eyes and was obviously thinking hard. “Flame…” he sighed. “You don’t need to explain, and you don’t need to apologize. After all the pain I’ve caused you in the past, you don’t owe me any apologies.” Flame heard the echo of the other Aidan’s words; “After what I did to you, you don’t owe me any thanks.”

“Aidan… I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

He came forward and he put his arms around her, and wrapped his wings around her too, so that they were both encircled in soft white feathers. “I know,” he said simply. “I know.”