Chapter 286: First Hat
Though Amahle had intended to offer a small celebratory dinner in honor of Heila’s return, seeing how worn both Heila and Ashlynn were after their ordeal, she postponed her plans, sending them both to wash up before preparing a thickened lentil soup with a healthy portion of dark leafy vegetables from her garden.
By the time they’d washed and eaten, neither of the young witches possessed the energy to do more than return to Ashlynn’s hut. This time, however, Heila had a slightly guilty look on her face as she looked in the direction of the small hammock on the balcony.
"It’s okay if you want to join me tonight," Ashlynn said, holding out a hand as she stood beside her own hammock. "You don’t have to go so far away."
"It should be enough to be nearby," Heila said awkwardly, shifting her weight from one cloven hoof to the other. "But right now, I just want to be held a bit. Is it really okay? Lady Nyrielle won’t mind, will she?"
"It’s not like that between us," Ashlynn said before using the strength she’d gained from Nyrielle to scoop Heila up into her arms and carry her into the hammock. "You becoming part of my coven, it created a bond between us, similar to the one I share with Mistress Nyrielle," Ashlynn said.
"Mmm," Heila said with a nod. "I can feel something when we’re close. Like, we’re tangled together, even when we’re barely touching."
"Exactly," Ashlynn said, wrapping her arms around the diminutive witch. "It’s not the same as my bond with Nyrielle. It doesn’t feel as strong or as intimate, but it’s real. It isn’t something you’re imagining. And... and I’m glad that you’re the first person I get to share it with."
"I am too," Heila whispered as she snuggled closer to Ashlynn, drawing comfort from the other woman’s touch. For a moment, she felt like she had returned to her days as a little girl, pleading for affection for her mother and clinging to her for affection before she went to bed with her siblings.
Only this time, it was Ashlynn who gave her that warm sense of security and comfort. And right now, she had no siblings to contend with. In the future, she knew that there would be others, but for now, as her eyes drifted closed, she was happy to indulge in her lady’s affection.