What followed was not divinity demanding.
It was Elena and Jaime, desperate for something human, something joyful, something that belonged only to the two of them.
Their clothes scattered like fallen leaves, discarded in haste.
Their mouths crashed together again, but between the hunger were pauses- small gasps, whispered names, breaths caught on the edge of laughter. Every brush of skin made magic flare and crackle, until the room glowed faintly with threads of violet and indigo. Not overwhelming, not divine fire, but gentle, shimmering blessing.
He touched her as though rediscovering her body anew, tracing the curve of her shoulder, the dip of her waist, the familiar terrain made sacred by absence. She pulled him closer with trembling need, her whimpers dissolving into his mouth. His scars glimmered under her hands, rough and raised, and she kissed them one by one as if to weave new tenderness into old wounds.
He hovered above her, his eyes glowing faintly, his smile soft, reverent.
"Nothing is more divine than you, mi amor," he whispered.
Her breath caught. And then he let his divinity flow into her. A moan escaped her lips as her violet eyes lit with sparks of indigo, the two of them caught in the tide of something far greater than flesh alone. But even then, it was still them- two souls clinging to each other after too much loss.
She wrapped herself around him, claiming him as much as he claimed her. Blue and violet swirled around them, magic dancing in patterns like storms colliding over the sea.
"Jaime- you stayed," she gasped, nails digging into his back. "Ay, Jaime, you stayed!"
His grin widened, wild, unrestrained, as he moved within her, his voice rough and full of devotion. "Any. Thing. For. You."
Their bodies moved together as if guided by instinct, by bond, by love. Not gods, not fate, just them, tangled in sweat and adoration. The creak of the bed, the rustle of linen, the mingled rhythm of gasps and murmured names filled the room like benediction.
When release came, it was thunderous. Primal. Theirs.
The air itself shook. Magic burst like lightning, wrapping them both in incandescent glow. Their lips never parted, their bond never broke.
They collapsed at last, tangled in sweat and trembling limbs, their breaths ragged as they clung to one another.
The room was quiet save for the soft hiss of cooling magic and the uneven rhythm of their lungs. The faint violet and indigo glow still threaded along their skin, fading slowly, like embers dimming after a fire. Jaime's hair clung damp to his brow, brushing her temple when he leaned close; Elena could feel the warmth radiating off him, the steady hammer of his heartbeat pressed against her ribs.
She pressed her mouth to his jaw, tasting salt and woodsmoke, breathing in the scent of rain that always seemed to follow him. Her tears slipped freely, hot trails cooling against his skin.
"Gods be damned… I love you, Jaime," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I don't know why you stayed, but I love you. And it terrifies me. This bond terrifies me."
Jaime kissed her tears away, each press of his lips gentle, reverent. His thumbs brushed her cheeks as though she were made of glass, though his voice trembled when he said, "I stayed because you saved me."
Elena blinked at him through wet lashes. He let out a broken laugh, low and raw, shaking his head. "Not Guabancex. Not Coatriskie. You. You didn't have to show me kindness in the market. You didn't have to let me into your family. You didn't have to let me love your children, or hold you when your heart ached."
Her throat tightened. She could only listen, her chest rising and falling against his.
"It wasn't the gods," he said, pressing his lips to her brow. His hands trembled as they held her face. "It was you. Your love. Your family. This Sanctuary. You saved me." His smile wavered into something shy, yearning, vulnerable. "Even without the bond, Elena… I hope you'll take me as yours."
She stared at him through tears, violet eyes luminous in the dim glow. She kissed him again, trembling but sure. "We're one and the same now, Jaime. I… never even felt this with Niegal."
His grin turned wolfish at that, though softened with affection. "Good. That means there's a part of you he never touched. One I can tend to myself."
Elena laughed, fragile but genuine, the sound vibrating against his chest. He kissed her again, long and deep, until her laughter turned into a soft sigh against his mouth.
They shifted beneath the blanket Esperanza had folded at the foot of the bed, pulling it over themselves. Fabric whispered against skin still tingling faintly with magic. The sheets were cool at first, then warmed by their bodies as they sank into each other. Elena's head fit against the hollow of Jaime's throat; his arm curled protectively around her waist, palm spread wide over her stomach as if anchoring her in place.
For the first time in what felt like forever, she allowed herself to breathe deeply. To feel safe. To be.
The bond hummed between them, quieter now, not a storm surge but a steady tide, like waves brushing the shore. Her tears dried against his skin. His hand found hers beneath the blanket, their fingers lacing together with quiet finality.
And yet, sleep did not come swiftly.