It took me a moment to recognize that the whining sound filling the room was me. I was whining because something was wrong: where was Dain? I needed Dain. I needed to make him happy. He wanted me, and I was here, here for him, I'd give him everything, overwhelm him like I had in the hedge maze. But this time I wanted it to happen. I wanted him, and he wanted me. It would make him so happy, to know that I was his forever, and that was the only thing that mattered.

That tiny corner of my mind kept screaming, but I ignored her. That was a Leah who didn't understand, who didn't know how to do the right things. I buried my nose in Dain's pillow and breathed in the smell of his skin. Without even thinking about it, my fingers slid between my legs, and the instant my fingers touched my needy clit I knew that this was the right thing to do while I waited for him. Dain loved the smell of me like this. Wouldn't it feel good for him to have our bed smell like me, knowing I'd been getting off to the thought of him, coming in his sheets because they were his?

The sound of the door opening ensnared me. Dain, that had to be Dain, oh, God, I could hear his footsteps. Dain, my Dain—

"Leah?" he said, his voice shaky.

I moaned at the sound of his voice, and heard something clatter onto the floor. He'd dropped something. More footsteps. I couldn't stop touching myself, chasing orgasm, Dain was here, he was in the room, Dain, the only thing that mattered. They'd told me to make him happy, and I was going to do it, I was going to make Dain the happiest man in the world.

"Leah," he said again, desperation in his voice. "Leah, what... what..."

"Dain," I moaned, writhing on his sheets. "Dain, come here. I need you."

"You... you..."

I could hear him breathing hard, and then he was on the bed, turning me over onto my back, his face almost panicked. I grabbed him by the neck and wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling my groin flush with the hard heat of his desire.

"Leah," Dain said, like he couldn't say anything else.

I dragged him to me and kissed him.

For one glorious, perfect moment, Dain dropped his weight onto me, his hips between my legs, one wing-hand stroking the bare skin of my shoulder while his hand buried itself in my hair. I opened my mouth for him, ready to give him everything I was, and his forked tongue slid over mine.