He locked her tight against him, hissing briefly when his left shoulder smarted but not loosing his grip. Opened his mouth to say something—you should meet Yseult, I should tell you about the pyrii, we should plan and discuss...

It would wait. For now, relief spiked with a not unpleasant sense of loss stopped his words, crammed his throat, made him swallow and smile and relax. He leaned his cheek against the soft down of her hair and let the sea mutter uninterrupted.