“You’re so beautiful,” Rune said, as he ran a brush through Yori’s hair. He smiled and added, “I could eat you up.”

Yori flushed at him and met his eyes in the reflection of the mirror. “I don’t feel especially beautiful right now,” he said, his voice soft.

Rune nodded. “I know,” he said. He set the brush aside and wrapped his arms around Yori’s shoulders. One hand settled on his mate’s abdomen. “I can’t help the way I feel, Bellissima. You see yourself – the changes these little ones form in you – as getting less and less beautiful, but… they’re our young. To me, you grow more beautiful with each hour.”

A faint smile touched Yori’s lips. “Thank you,” he said, his voice barely audible, in spite of how close they were.