A whisper-light touch, cool against Astra's flushed cheek, sent a shiver through her. Blinking open, she met eyes the colour of molten amber, dulled by fatigue yet blazing with surprise. Eydis's lips, chapped and softened with a hint of lavender balm, curved in a hesitant smile. "Thought you'd never wake up," she murmured, her voice husky with relief and something deeper, a tremor that echoed in Astra's own chest.
Astra choked out a laugh, a shaky, wet sound that echoed in the stillness. The familiar line, a teasing banter that had once sent shivers down her spine, now felt like a lifeline. The intoxicating scent of lavender swirling around them as she leaned in, their lips meeting in a soft, searching kiss. "And I thought I'd lost you," she whispered, her breath catching on the last word.
Eydis's brows furrowed, a playful glint in her eyes. "Can't believe you took that monstrosity for me," she teased, "You deserve someone far less… hairy and venomous."
Rising with grace to reach for a glass of water from the bedside table, taking a long sip, Eydis's throat working, she met Astra's gaze, the playful mask slipping for a heartbeat, revealing the raw fear that mirrored Astra's own.
A knot of guilt tightened in Astra's stomach. "I..." she started, the words feeling heavy on her tongue. Before she could explain, Eydis returned, pressing her lips against Astra's. She tilted her head, letting the cool water trickle from her mouth into the injured girl, she smiled upon hearing the surprised gasp.
"I could take a sip from the cup, you know," Astra retorted breathlessly, feeling her cheeks warm. The simple act of drinking water seemed unexpectedly sensual, and she couldn't help but wonder if Eydis might just be her undoing.
Eydis shrugged, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Where's the fun in that?" She leaned in again, her kiss this time a searing brand, a tongue tracing the contours of Astra's lips.
A gasp escaped Astra before she could stop it. Eydis was hovering above her, one hand gently lifting her shirt to reveal the bandaged abdomen. Nimble fingers explored the wound, a silent language of concern and fascination.
"Incredible," Eydis breathed, her gaze lingering on the fading scars. "They're almost gone."
A flush crept up Astra's neck under the intensity of her scrutiny. She moaned as Eydis's warm fingers traced the fading lines, the touch electrifying yet grounding. Astra expected a teasing remark, a playful quip. Instead, Eydis pulled down the nightshirt, her expression unreadable.
The silence stretched, thick and laden with unspoken emotions. Astra closed her eyes, gathering her courage. This was the moment of truth. With a deep breath, she let the amethyst light within her surge, filling the room with its ethereal glow. Eydis's eyes widened, the mask of composure cracking for a fleeting moment.
"I know you have questions," Astra rasped, her silver hair beginning to weave with threads of raven. In her hand, the amethyst pendant, a constant around her neck, now released the magic she had always kept locked within. Amber's gaze, though darkened with shadows, held no fear, only a flicker of recognition.
"Mythshollow Woods," Eydis murmured, the words heavy with unspoken memories.
The last ember of defiance died in Astra's eyes, replaced by a quivering vulnerability that threatened to consume her. Her voice, usually a husky challenge, trembled as she confessed, "Yes. They called me the witch of Mythshollow Woods. Callista... that's what I am."
Astra swallowed hard, bracing for the inevitable recoil. Her mind conjured up a kaleidoscope of possible reactions: fear twisting Eydis's features, anger hardening her gaze, disgust turning her stomach. Each image felt like a shard of ice poised to shatter the fragile hope Astra had clung to.
Tears welled in her eyes, blurring the edges of the room. But instead of the expected dismissal, a warm hand cupped her face, tracing the contours with surprising gentleness. The witch's heart, a hummingbird trapped in a cage of bone and fear, fluttered erratically against her ribs.
Eydis, instead of recoiling, leaned back, her gaze holding Astra's with a quiet intensity. Her touch, hesitant at first, became a soothing balm as she brushed strands of raven hair from Astra's face. The witch, who had spent years believing her name synonymous with monstrosity, felt a flicker of warmth ignite within the desolate landscape of her soul.
Eydis, instead of horror, leaned in and kissed the raven hair, her lips whispering against the cool silk. "I suspected," she murmured, her voice a husky caress that sent shivers down Astra's spine. "The hair may have changed, but you're still you, Astr-Callista."
Tears, like amethysts catching the sunlight, spilled from Astra's eyes. "Are you insane?" she choked out, her voice raw and disbelieving. "I'm…a monster."
Eydis, a gentle smile playing on her lips, met Astra's gaze, her eyes pools of molten gold reflecting the witch's shattered soul. "And so am I," she murmured, "We're perfect for each other, Callista."
With a tenderness that defied the darkness within, she reached out, brushing away the tears that traced paths down Astra's cheeks. The touch, a fragile promise of acceptance, sent a tremor through the witch's very core.
Astra's heart hammered against her ribs as she pulled Eydis closer, their lips mere breaths apart. Violet eyes searched Eydis's face. "I've lived for over three centuries." Her voice trembled, revealing a vulnerability she hadn't dared to show before. "Are you... repulsed by me?
Eydis's gaze softened, her amber eyes holding an ocean of understanding. Instead of words, she traced a gentle path with her lips, starting from Astra's teary eyes, down the bridge of her nose, whispering warmth against her ear. Goosebumps erupted on Astra's skin, chasing away the chill of fear. "Were you keeping your distance because of it?" Eydis murmured.
The air crackled with an unspoken truth, stealing the breath from Astra's lungs. She'd imagined rejection, a hollow echo where acceptance should be. But this...this unfiltered tenderness, this fierce understanding, it chipped away at every carefully constructed wall, leaving her raw and exposed.
"I want you," Astra whispered, her voice hoarse with a yearning that transcended words. "More than you could ever imagine."
Eydis's breath hitched. A teary laugh escaped her lips, a sound of relief and bittersweet joy. "Honesty suits you, Callista," she breathed, her voice thick with emotion.Their lips met. It was a kiss of confessions, a whisper of a home finally found, tasting not just of promises, but of salt-rimmed tears and the sweet relief of acceptance.
Astra pulled away, her amethyst eyes searching Eydis's face for any flicker of judgement. The unspoken question hovered between them, a tangible mass of fear and hope. Her throat went dry, her pulse hammering against her ribs. "Would you like to hear my story?" she whispered, her voice barely a tremor.
Eydis retrieved Astra's pendant from her hand, securing it around her neck. A shiver ran down Astra's spine as the touch trailed up to her ear, feather-light yet achingly intimate. "You need rest. But there is one thing I need to know," the brunette murmured.
The heat of Eydis' lingering touch was a counterpoint to the icy fear in Astra's stomach. "What is it?" she asked, fighting the urge to pull Eydis flush against her.
Eydis traced the curve of her jaw, her gaze locked on the silver strands slowly reclaiming the raven waves. "In private, should I call you Callista, or..." her voice trailed off, a hint of breathlessness in her tone, "...Astra?"
The world narrowed to a single point: Eydis's impossibly soft lips. Astra's pulse pounded in her ears, a drumbeat against the silence. Then, with a soft smile that reached her eyes, she cupped Eydis's face and leaned in, feeling the heat of her breath before the press of their lips. The taste of lavender and salt, the texture of velvet against velvet, the soft moan that escaped Eydis's lips like a secret shared between them. "Call me Astra," she whispered, "The way you've been calling me all along."
Astra, the name she'd crafted herself, the one that made her want to shed the skin of Callista and be reborn. In that whispered name, Astra tasted freedom, a glimpse of a world where she wasn't the witch of Mythshollow Woods, but simply Astra. The woman who loved silver hair because Eydis did, who wanted to rip down the walls she'd built brick by trembling brick, just to feel the warmth of the brunette's touch.
But with this intoxicating surrender came a chilling awareness. The feeling that threatened to drown her, to unravel her very being, was both terrifying and exhilarating. It was giving Eydis the key to every hidden chamber, every guarded secret, trusting her to hold her heart without crushing it. It was letting go of control, of the carefully constructed fortress she'd called her life. Eydis was breaking through that fortress, not with force, but with a gentle insistence that made Astra want to surrender, to be shaped by her, to become hers.
And Astra wanted, no, needed to feel her.
All of her.