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A red and golden haze filled the edges of Nryielle’s vision, obscuring the edges of the dining room and limiting her view to Ashlynn, the sword of flame and the few people gathered immediately around her.

For a moment, her heart skipped a beat when Ashlynn’s hand hovered over the hilt of the blade.

Just the presence of the blade had already weakened her to this extent, but if her love were to ignite the blade, she wasn’t certain that she’d be able to tolerate its presence any longer.

At the same time, she dared not tell Ashlynn to stop.

The weapon presented too many opportunities to ignore, and at the same time, too many dangers.

As much as her body cried out for her to shatter the blade, hide it away, or flee from it, she refused to be absent when Ashlynn attempted to use the deadly weapon.

If anything went wrong, while she trusted that Ignatious and Heila would do their best to intervene, neither was as capable or as versed in sorcery as she was.

Finally, a wave of relief rippled through her when Ashlynn chose not to ignite the blade and instead handed it off to Ignatious for safe keeping.

"My darling is wise," Nyrielle said, gliding across the floor in her best approximation of her usual grace. The haze still clung to her vision but the echo of Ashlynn’s heartbeat called to her like a church bell, guiding her across the room toward the warmth of her lover’s embrace and the hot, pulsing force of life within her.

Those who had extraordinary senses or knew her well might see the uncharacteristic haste with which she rushed to Ashlynn’s side or the tremble in her hands when she took Ashlynn in her arms, but if anyone other than Ashlynn understood what was happening, they said nothing.

Her throat burned with thirst, and each beat of Ashlynn’s heart echoed in her ears like drums, calling her to the hunt.

The scent of her beloved filled her nostrils, woodsy and green like spring leaves after rain, but beneath it pulsed the rich metallic sweetness that called to the predator within her.

Each breath drew that scent deeper, until she could almost taste the crimson droplets on her tongue before they’d been spilled.

"Step outside with me..." Ashlynn’s whisper fell on Nyrielle’s ears like rain on the desert sands, calling out to her hunger and stirring the deep emptiness within her that ached for her lover’s sweet, tender taste.

The subtle flush beneath her beloved’s fair skin called out to her and she barely heard Ashlynn’s whispered plea to step outside before gave in to temptation.

Her body shivered and it took every bit of restraint she had left to sweep her darling up in her arms and rush out of the room in a cloud of dark, swirling mist.

Ashlynn’s room wasn’t far and the iron-bound wooden door rebounded off the stone walls, quivering with the force of their sudden entry.

"Aah!" Ashlynn cried out, momentarily startled when Nyrielle pressed her up against the cool, marble walls of her sitting room. For a moment, memories of Nyrielle’s nearly uncontrollable hunger the first night she’d seen her lover feed danced through her mind.

That time, it hadn’t been a wall but a mighty cedar tree that Nyrielle pushed her up against when she naively offered herself up to be her lover’s meal.

This time, however, she knew exactly what Nyrielle needed and what it would be like when she took it.

Nyrielle’s hands trembled against Ashlynn’s shoulders, pressing her back against the cool marble as she fought to maintain control.

Her beloved’s heat radiated against her own rapidly cooling skin as she used up what little strength she had left to hold herself back despite the overwhelming desire to pierce through all the barriers that separated them.

The scent of Ashlynn’s answering desire mingled with the soft, earthy power that had only grown more intense since she began to master her powers, creating an intoxicating perfume that made Nyrielle’s head swim.

She could feel the racing -THUMP THUMP- of Ashlynn’s heart through the thin layers of their dresses that infuriatingly kept her from drinking in the warmth of Ashlynn’s body with every inch of her soft, alabaster skin.

"It’s fine," Ashlynn whispered as she felt Nyrielle’s body shake and quiver against her own.

Once, Nyrielle had rushed through the night, desperate to reach a willing offering rather than touch her in this frenzied, hungered state, refusing to give Ashlynn any other reasons to fear her in the early days after they’d forged their bond.

It seemed foolish now, how frightened she’d been that Nyrielle would trap and exploit her when in truth, all they had needed was the time to come to know each other.

But now, there was no fear in Ashlynn’s emerald eyes as she turned her head to the side, exposing her delicate, tender neck and the strong, jumping pulse that ran just beneath the surface of her pale skin.

"Take what you need," she whispered, biting her lower lip and wrapping her arms around Nyrielle’s slender waist and narrow shoulders before surrendering utterly to her lover’s hunger.

The last of Nyrielle’s restraint shattered like glass. Her pupils shrank and the midnight blue of her eyes bled outward until her eyes resembled the endless, glittering night sky. Her lush lips parted, revealing long, slender fangs while her fingernails grew sharp enough to rend flesh.

With a sharp tug, Nyrielle tore Ashlynn’s dress away, revealing her full bust, slender waist, and the barest hint of her mark of the witch in her hip before she fell on Ashlynn’s neck like a striking snake.

Nyrielle’s fangs sank into the tender flesh of Ashlynn’s neck with a smooth, practiced precision.

The initial shock of sharp, penetrating pain drew a gasp from Ashlynn’s lips that quickly melted into a soft moan as Nyrielle’s own dark energy flooded her body, carrying her mind away to a place filled only with soft, enveloping warmth and the faintest sound of sucking.