The taste of her, mingled with the taste of Ebony, was almost too much to bear. Ignis' hands drifted up from where they'd rested on Liliana's hip to help steady her when she moved to straddle him and pulled her in closer so that he could drink from that intoxicating brew as deeply as possible. This, with the salty sea air in his lungs, his hair no doubt disheveled from the wind in it, and those words--you're allowed to be this happy--made his head swim. He clung to Liliana and her kisses like an anchor and realized that she wasn't the only one beholden to something. She, totally her daemons and sundry, he, to his past. And while she had to vanquish hers, all he really needed to do was just...let go.

Allow himself to be happy. In this gorgeous car with this stunningly magnificent woman who'd effortlessly claimed him from the very first word, who'd brought him a taste of something he'd thought long forgotten for good, taking his idea of a perfect day and showing him just how truly blind to the concept he'd been, how narrow his focus, because he couldn't truly fathom what to even do with that kind of happiness.

But he knew now.

Gods, did he know now.

"Mine," he whispered, on the exhale of a breath he had no choice but to take, and he wasted no time in returning to where they were.