Aelnith Eventide
The sun set at last. He’d made his home a cave for the daylight hours. Luckily, it had been one he’d used before. He’d almost not made it. His skin still tingled and burned where the sun had touched it. He couldn’t help but think how much better he’d have faired if he’d had more of River’s intoxicating blood.
Hard to believe she was only human, he thought. If she had any other ancestory, it was hidden by magic. It was something Aelnith considered. He’d met many human women, especially when he’d been a bit younger and took frequent advantage of Cinder’s door making to travel between worlds.
They’d been friends once, but the other Fae proved too untrustworthy. But once, they’d shared adventures and wine. Now, he’d see Cinder dead for his treachery. That he seemed to be on the side of House Eventide wasn’t to be trusted. Aelnith had fallen for it on
River BlackEvery time she thought about walking back to Inana’s cabin, she found that she’d gone further from it. It had to be magic, something she still had a hard time believing in all the way. It was hard to deny when it was directly happening, though, and now she tried to fight it.It couldn’t be ‘good’ magic if it controlled her, River reasoned. She would stop walking, resolutely plant her feet on the ground and then in a blink, she’d walked several steps. Well past sunset, she found herself deep in the woods in the dark.For a moment, she had her own will again. River spun in a small half circle, looking for the light of the cottage. It was long gone. She had no idea where she was, what time it was. Five minutes could have passed. Or five days. Disoreintated, she sat down, stubbornly refusing to walk another step. Her legs hurt, her feet ached. Cinder had given her a pair of boots, but they were a coupl
River BlackIt wasn’t like the movies or books she’d read about vampires. Everyone had that phase in high school. She’d read a lot of vampire romance novels. No, it wasn’t like that at all.Aelnith’s teeth sinking into her skin hurt. It burned. It was more than just breaking the skin. That pain only lasted a moment. It was something else. Similar to a scorpion sting she’d gotten once as a child, playing in her backyard by a rock pile. It felt like fire in her veins.The pain tore screams from her, but this didn’t slow or stop Aelnith. He drank form her like a man dying of thirst. She could feel the pull, feel her blood leave her body. His hands were rough, fingers biting into her hip before they trailed up her torso. He made animalistic noises, growling.For a brief moment, River worried he wouldn’t be able to stop. She even raised her hands to his chest to push him back. But that moment was
River BlackRiver stared at Aelnith, looking up at him. He seemed like a phantom, pale hand extended, his eyes phosphorent red. It seemed like an unspoken deal, some gamble she didn’t understand the rules of if she took his hand. She felt so weak, so tired, that it was hard to think clearly, and all she wanted to do was go -home-.Time slowed, as if giving her some unspoken mercy, as she tried to remember home, the faces of her parents, the voices of her friends. They were far away things now, watery memories that didn’t seem as sharply in focus as they should have been. Aelnith’s extended hand was sweetly deceptive. River knew better, but found herself taking it anyway.Every touch, the barest brush of his fingers and she could almost feel his lips on her throat. A wave of desire and dizzyness darkened her vision and she gasped, unable to stand. She hated feeling weak and useless, helpless.Before she could topple over,
Aelnith EventideThe Witch Queen Carmun had three sons. The Dain, Dub, and Dother. Each one was marked by terrible dark magic. It each one with different, dark gifts. Aelnith stood holding River, in the cover of a copse of trees. Where the Dain had been a hulking, foul monster, Dub was merely a shadow. That didn't mean that Dub was harmless or somehow a safer choice than the Dain, it merely meant his magic and darkness was that much more subtle and insidious. Dub had no body, no
River BlackShe couldn't see what Aelnith saw. River couldn't see the creature called 'Dub'. He insisted it was there, a tall, person-shaped skinny shadow lurking by the windows of Inana's cottage. For a moment, she thought she saw -something-, but no. Nothing. Dawn would come soon and Aelnith needed shelter.“I can't leave you here,” he told her. “When the sun rises, Dub will surely be weakened, but I will be...dead. At his weakest, he'd still be able to make short work of you.”Aelnith had taken her in his arms again and though she wanted down, she knew she didn't have the strength. “What about Tamsin? We can't just...leave him there vulnerable,” she said.Aelnith shook his head, moving deeper into the woods. “There's nothing we can do with you weakened and my curse...” He paused. “And neither of us know for sure where Cinder is
River BlackThis time, she kissed him first. She took what she wanted. It was infinitely simple and complicated all at once. The rules of her old life were gone. She could do whatever she pleased. No one would talk about it in her friend group. Her mother wouldn't scold her. River was free to do whatever she wanted. And right now, she wanted to kiss Aelnith.It helped her ignore that she was starving and exhausted. It helped her forget that she'd never see home, her friends or family ever again. That back home? She was as good as dead and buried. A ghost. A sad memory. A short story on the news. Nothing more. Endless potential interrupted.River bit hard at his bottom lip, making him cry out in surprise and pleasure. It made her feel powerful, in control of an out of control situation. His hands drank in her body, skimming up her torso, filling his palm with her breast, his other hand cuppi
CinderThey'd returned to the cottage less than a day later. Cinder expected to see River and was surprised when she wasn't there. Surprised...and much to his chagrin, worried. Inana scolded him, blamed him for it. Said he should've stayed with River. He couldn't recall whose idea it was that he go with the witch, but she was probably right. It probably WAS his fault. Most everything was.He shouldn't have cared about some dumb mortal girl. He had stolen away so many for the Dain, he'd taught himself not to feel any way about it at all. Long, long ago, he'd loved mortal girls. Many of them. Frequently. He'd lure them into the woods for secret kisses. Not to get brutalized by Carmun's terrible abomination of a son.Now, he thought about it. Thought about all the poor mortals who had the misfortune of meeting him in the waking, human world. It really soured his victorious mood. Just moments earlier, he'd b
CinderHe couldn't rouse River. She'd passed out in his arms shortly after delivering the terrifying news about Dub. He cursed Aelnith Eventide under his breath. He'd taken too much. River was sick. Maybe even dying. Cinder didn't know! He had little long-term experience with humans. They seemed -very- fragile. She needed Inana, but Inana was possibly in more danger than River was.Cinder paced, holding River. He didn't know what to do. Every instinct he had, that had kept him alive for hundreds of years, told him to run. Run and not look back. Leave River there as a distraction. Dub could be lurking in any and every dark corner. Unlike the Dain, Dub was clever and quick. Always plotting. Always scheming. He wouldn't attack outright. No. He'd wait until the perfect moment.Cinder did love surprises, but not -those- kind of surprises. River groaned, snapping his attention back to the present. Right. He couldn't l