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Regis nodded. “Thanks.”

“You let me have my time; I can let you have yours, but I have to ask, how did the food trucks show up?”

“Emerald.”

“Ah, that would explain the petit fours.” Rex smiled. “Go on and have a night together. You must be exhausted. We will watch over Ira.”

Avor chuckled and said, “Lead the way, my lady.”

She felt a blush on her cheeks as she took him by the arm to lead him to the third floor.

“You have made the halls wide and tall.”

“Yeah, well, I have met you. I factored the wings in.” Regis smiled.

They walked to the large double doors, and he chuckled. “Invite me in?”

“I did that last time, and the result is downstairs.”

He chuckled. “I could only dream of getting that lucky a second time.”

Regis smiled. “That wasn’t luck; that was research. I had the test and was ready to start her before Rex and I got into that vehicle.”

“So generous.” He frowned as she opened the doors. “I am surprised you were able to bear her so easily.”

She walked inside, and he entered the room after her, closing the doors behind him.

“It wasn’t easy. I had all the energy I had taken from you, every drop of fire I could hold. After that started to wear out, I got wobbly, but then... oh... I met Kay.”

He paused. “That would explain it.”

“Yeah, she held my hand, baked me treats, and gave me a cookbook of her specialties that I used to open my bakery.” Regis blinked. “And I didn’t know who she was.”

Avor pulled her into his arms and held her. They stood like that for minutes or hours, Regis couldn’t have said.

When she lifted her head to his, he was there, and their kiss woke memories for her that Tawney had kept for herself. Clothing rustled, he kissed her tears, and eventually, they moved together on the bed, whispering words of relief and joy until dawn broke.

Regis groaned, and Avor kissed her shoulder, chuckling. “Sore?”

“Out of practice. The last thing that was in there was Ira.”

Avor laughed.

Regis smiled and stroked his cheek. “I remember the laugh.”

“I smiled a lot the first time and grinned for a decade the second, knowing that our time together was getting closer. Now that I can actually learn the kind of person our daughter is, I can see the future as a whole getting brighter.”

“What did the dark elves want here to start with?”

He chuckled. “To set up an outpost to stop incursions from other dimensional forces.”

“Like djinn?”

“Like any number of forces who had already been picking at human populations like popcorn. Entire early cities simply disappeared.”

Regis blinked. “You are serious.”

“I am serious.” He kissed her shoulder again, slowly working his way to her neck.