The night draped itself around them in a velvety hush, broken only by the whisper of leaves dancing in the moonlight. Eydis traced constellations on Astra's silver hair, her fingers whispering comfort against the woman's haunted gaze. Astra's eyes, once vibrant pools of amethyst, were clouded with the ghosts of a tortured past.
Eydis's hand, usually steady, trembled as she traced Astra's jawline. "How long were you trapped?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper, fear flickering in her amber eyes.
Astra's laugh, a brittle shard of sound, echoed in the cavernous study. "Feels like an eternity," she rasped, her throat tight with unshed tears. "Perhaps a decade, lost in the abyss of its cruelty."
Eydis squeezed her eyes shut, her knuckles white against the worn leather of the armchair. The tremor in her heart pounded a chaotic rhythm against her ribs, refusing to be silenced. Ten years. Ten years of Astra lost to that wretched darkness, yet here she stood, a phoenix rising from the ashes. Her amethyst eyes, though dulled by hardship, still held a defiant glint, an embers of hope refusing to be extinguished. Shame coiled in Eydis's gut. Her own struggles, her self-inflicted exile in search of meaning, suddenly felt like a child's scribbles compared to this epic canvas of resilience.
The words 'everything will be alright' trembled on her lips, an empty promise. How could it be, under the malignant gaze of a god who ruled this broken reality with a flick of his wrist?
"You are a force of nature, Astra," Eydis murmured instead, her voice a smouldering ember against the chill.
Astra scoffed, a harsh sound that scraped the silence. "A force? Some monsters here," she spat, bitterness lacing her words, "were human once. And I… I built them. I burned them down. I betrayed the very allies I swore to protect." Tears welled in her eyes, each one a shard of guilt she couldn't swallow. "I'm the architect of their pain."
Eydis felt the weight of Astra's confession like a stone in her chest. The inferno-born woman, consumed by the fire within, saw only herself as the monster. But Eydis saw the scars of struggle, the defiance that had etched itself onto Astra's very soul.
Her fingers tightened in the cool silver of Astra's hair, a silent promise. "The God-thing made them, Astra," she said, her voice a soothing balm against the storm raging within the mage. "Not you. You fought back, wrestled with your own fire. That's strength. That's free will, not madness."
Astra buries her face in Eydis' shoulder, the scent of lavender a faint anchor in the storm raging within her. Centuries of torment, rebirth, and loss have etched themselves onto her soul, each scar a silent scream. But in the gentle warmth of Eydis' embrace, a flicker of hope dared to kindle. Maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't all be in vain.
Across the room, Indigo observed them, a solitary figure draped in a cloak of midnight blue. His gaze lingered on Eydis, a flicker of something unreadable in his brown eyes. He'd never seen Callista find solace like this, not even in the fleeting comfort of his own presence. And Eydis, gone was her playful facade, her face etched with fierce determination. It mirrored the look he'd glimpsed when she infected his machine, carving her own path with reckless brilliance. Just what was going on in her mind, and why, just why were her eyes smouldering with an unnatural golden fire?
Indigo knew their fight against the god was a fool's errand, three mortals defying a celestial storm. Yet, as he watched Eydis and Astra, a spark, hesitant and fragile, ignited within him. Perhaps, just perhaps, the bond they forged was not just a solace, but a weapon. A weapon forged in empathy, defiance, and a shared spark of hope against the encroaching darkness.
**
The night walk was a tapestry of silence, spun with the weight of Astra's revelation. Eydis, her mind a whirlwind, reached for the mage's hand. But the past, a towering fortress of loyal comrades and centuries lived, felt like an unbreachable wall.
Eydis wished, with a pang that twisted her gut, that her life could be more than a fleeting chapter in Astra's history, a mere blip in the grand universe. Unlike Indigo, bound to Astra's essence, she could offer no promises of eternity. The weight of her own mortality felt like a stone in her chest, a constant reminder of the finite nature of their bond.
Astra's voice, laced with a hint of amusement and nerves, pierced the silence. "Your thoughts are buzzing, again, Eydis." As if fearing her past's weight, she flinched, a vulnerability that tugged at Eydis' soul.
Eydis forced a smile, the usual playful glint in her eyes dimmed. "Just your average queen bee." she said, the words tasting hollow on her tongue.
Amethyst eyes, flecked with uncertainty, met hers at the bedroom door. With a click, a sigh, and a turn, and as Eydis lay on the bed, Astra hovering above, the weight of unspoken questions pressed down.
"What troubles you?" Astra asked, her voice a gentle caress against the storm within.
Eydis's smile, reaching her eyes for the first time that night, was a fragile thing. She pulled Astra close, their gazes locked in an unspoken language. "Honestly," she whispered, the raw sincerity taking Astra's breath away, "I'm jealous."
Astra's voice, tinged with confusion and a sliver of hurt, trailed off. "Of...Ivan?"
Eydis squeezed her eyes shut, the ghost of her own pain dancing too close to the surface. To confess her envy of Astra's strength would be to reveal the gaping wounds of her past, wounds she wasn't ready to share. Settling for a truth that carried less weight, she whispered, "Of Indigo, even Damien. They saw you…as a child, with your crimson eyes and fiery hair. All I have are stories, whispers of a past I can't touch."
A surprised laugh escaped Astra, her heart softening at the brunette's admission. It was a vulnerability rarely seen, a rose blooming amidst the thorns. "I could show you," she whispered, the offer laced with a playful challenge.
Eydis's breath hitched. "Now that's a dangerous thought. My heart might not survive too many…enticing revelations in one night." Her smile held a hint of nervous excitement, the ghost of her earlier doubt fading.
Astra's smile, a secret whispered in moonlight, replied, "Then save yourself tonight, let the revelation sink in." Her cloak slipped away, revealing an ivory dress, simple yet breathtaking. "Because once I have a taste, it won't stop with just one...simple...wave."
Eydis, the hunter turned prey, grinned. She loved a challenge, especially when it was wrapped in the alluring enigma of the woman she...cared for. With a deliberate grace that concealed a fluttering heart, she shed her own layers, revealing a silken nightgown that echoed the twilight sky. The fabric clung to her form, accentuating every enticing curve, leaving little to the imagination. The sight caused Astra's eyes to darken, her gaze unabashedly traversing the contours of Eydis's body, lingering on the tantalising prominence of her peaks and the alluring swell of her breasts.
The brunette, mischief glinting in her eyes, settled beside Astra. "Then it seems you have no choice but to endure my presence," she purred, her voice a silken thread laced with honey. "Because tonight, I have no intention of leaving your side."
A soft chuckle escaped Astra's lips as she pulled Eydis closer, the warmth of her body a welcome refuge against the chill of the night. "Such a tease," she murmured, her fingers trailing a featherlight path across Eydis's cheek. "But who am I to deny a queen bee her wishes?"
A soft melody of laughter filled the air, temporarily washing away the weight of her distant memories. Fatigue, a gentle hand, tugged at Astra, pulling her towards the silken embrace of slumber. Yet, even in the hazy realm of dreams, she felt the echo of Eydis's presence, a warm anchor in the swirling sea of unconsciousness. In that cocoon of purples, browns, and everything in between, Astra found a haven, a whispered promise of comfort and more, nestled in the arms of the woman who held the sunrise in her eyes.
**
A sliver of pre-dawn light sliced through the blinds, painting stripes across Eydis's peaceful face. Mesmerised, Astra watched as the golden rays traced the curve of her jaw and kissed the tips of her eyelashes. Eydis's dark, wavy hair, like a river of whispered secrets, flowed across the pillow, each strand catching the light like a captured ember. The curve of Eydis's neck invited Astra's kisses, the hollow of her collarbones tempting her exploring lips. Astra's fingers itched with the urge to map the landscape of Eydis's body, to memorise the supple curves hidden beneath the soft fabric of her sleepwear.
Amethyst eyes snapped back to the brunette's serene face to stop herself from acting on primal urges. Astra traced the line of Eydis's jaw with her thumb, the soft skin radiating warmth like sun-kissed stone. Her lips grazed the edge of Eydis's nose, a feather-light touch of affection barely there before it flitted to the corner of her lips. Astra's heart hammered a frantic tattoo against her ribs, a stark counterpoint to the soft melody of Eydis's breathing. For as long as she could remember, she'd built a fortress around her emotions, denying the truth that whispered in the quiet corners of her soul. But the walls have crumbled, pulled down by the invisible force of Eydis's alluring presence.
Astra's thigh nestled between Eydis' silky-smooth legs, a spark igniting in the depths of her belly that fanned into a wildfire. Her fingers tightened around the younger woman's waist, a desperate dam holding back a torrent of desire.
"You're such a tease," Astra muttered, her husky voice thick with longing.
Eydis's eyes fluttered open, their amber depths sparkled with amusement. "Yet you, my dear Astra, are not doing anything about it," she murmured, her fingers tracing lazy circles on Astra's arm.
"What are we waiting for, really?"