Chapter 146: Lady Heila
For Ashlynn, the final hours she’d spent with Nyrielle before sunrise had been among the most tender that the two women had yet shared. It seemed impossible for the vampire to restrain herself completely from sampling Ashlynn’s blood, but this time around, the blood seemed secondary to her desire to help Ashlynn heal.
From her toes to her head, Nyrielle’s lips slid up Ashlynn’s body, pausing whenever there was a wound that broke the surface of the skin. This time, Ashlynn’s injuries had been frighteningly severe with dozens of cuts from shards of ice, including one gash that ran almost the entire length of her thigh.
Ashlynn’s own healing powers were considerable, any normal human would likely have succumbed, not from the injuries directly, but from being plunged into icy water and forced to endure everything that had followed her battle with the Tuscans.
When Nyrielle’s lips encountered one of Ashlynn’s wounds she bit the tender flesh softly, just enough to stimulate the flow of blood before gently kissing the wound. A vampire’s bite healed in hours instead of days. Spreading her power to other wounds would allow Ashlynn to return to her full strength within a day or at most two.
The two women hadn’t stopped at intimacy that fueled healing. Both of them craved the touch of the other after Ashlynn’s brush with death on the frozen lake. That night, it had been Ashlynn’s nails that tore at Nyrielle’s flesh, deeply marking her lover as she clung to the most important person in her life.
It was only when dawn pulled them apart that Ashlynn realized how drained she was. The darkness of the room combined with the soft furs and warm bed pulled her directly to sleep. Her dreams that night were strange, filled with visions of Nyrielle at glorious balls where the two danced the night away or quiet moments spent in Nyrielle’s chambers where she kept her lover company while Nyrielle painted the scenery of the Vale of Mists.
The dreams felt more real, clearer, and without the random feeling occurrences that so often intruded in dreams. When she woke, her memories of the dreams faded quickly, leaving her with a warm and cozy feeling like she had spent the day sleeping in Nyrielle’s arms even though her lover had retreated to her darksteel-lined daybed and would remain there until the sun set.
Now that she was awake, she had to resist the urge to seek out Hauke or Lord Ritchel to discuss the happenings last night. From the revelations about Paulus’s treachery to the strange blood magic used on the Frost Walker ancestors, there were many things that could be discussed while Nyrielle still slept.
Unfortunately, Nyrielle had forbidden it. Lord Ritchel’s people had lost much of her trust when it came to keeping Ashlynn safe during the day so instead, Ashlynn washed and dressed herself before asking the guards outside the door to fetch her a meal.