Several minutes passed while Ashlynn and Nyrielle held each other. Neither of them wanted to be the first to pull away but even sheltered by Nyrielle's dark, feathered wings, Ashlynn found herself struggling in the invasive cold of the underground tomb.
"You never told me you had wings," Ashlynn said, stepping back and looking at Nyrielle's pale, artfully sculpted face. With her dark hair falling in ringlets and the black wings wrapped around them, she looked like a fallen angel that had come to rescue her from the depths of some horrible nightmare.
"I'm not dreaming, am I?" Ashlynn said, reaching out and gently cupping Nyrielle's face. "You really came for me?"
"I'll always come for you," Nyrielle promised, leaning into Ashlynn's touch. "But darling," she purred, leaning close to whisper in Ashlynn's ear. "You can't keep torturing me like this. Finding you covered in wounds, it's…"
"I know," Ashlynn said, lowering her head. "But I'll heal. Andrus… he…"
