A/N: Hello all and welcome to chapter 18. Even though this isn't a very popular story it is still enjoyable to write. Last we left off, it was on a tear jerker. Alana saying her final goodbyes to Serana. Now…I feel a little naughty, so fuck it. Have some lewds. Also, top tip: be careful when doing erotic asphyxiation. Remember, the difference between a felony and a fetish is permission.

Whispers of the Night

Summary: One year after Serana died and she left Astrid, Alana has left for Solstheim to be alone and never harm another innocent. Enemies new and old are rising, and it is never easy for one to free themselves from the shackles of their demons…

*Book 2: Oblivion Walker Part 10*

Astrid moved back to let Alana climb onto Shadowmere's saddle, her arms wrapping around her waist. No doubt she felt more at peace now that she had done what needed to be, but Astrid knew her lover well enough to know that not all was well with the blonde, despite her trying to hide it the best she could. Waves of emotion rippled from her like a torrent of icy water, powerful enough for her to choke. Guilt, happiness, regret, and pain swirled around Alana's form and the vampire leaned her head into her back. "You can talk to me, you know."

"I know," Alana said softly, her voice thick with sadness. Astrid knew that Alana was one of the most capable combatants she had ever had the privilege of watching fight, but the strength it took for her to say goodbye to the first love of her life was much different than swinging a sword or casting a spell.

"I'm just…I had hurt her before, so badly," the blonde confessed as Shadowmere took off in a slow trot. "I promised her I would live for us, yet I broke that promise like I had so many others. Yet she still trusted me, despite it all."

"As do I," Astrid murmured. She felt Alana stiffen and she continued. "The weight of it isn't yours to bear alone. It is both of ours. You know what you need to do, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do." Alana nodded, turning over to look over her shoulder at her mistress. In those brilliant blue pools, Astrid watched as her pain was replaced by love and acceptance. In that final act of saying goodbye, she was able to finally see just how much Astrid meant to her. "Astrid…"

The blonde vampire covered her mouth with her hand, preventing her from continuing on. "You damn fool." For a moment, she wondered if Alana would shy away from her touch. However, the warrior seemed to melt into it, her eyes becoming half lidded and a soft purr rumbling in her throat.

"You have no idea how much I missed your touch," Alana murmured. "I suppose I can stay around in Skyrim for the next five days without running off and doing anything stupid."

"What about your little friend?" Astrid asked, stroking the blonde's back. Gods, the tight knots seemed to relax under her touch.

"Saoron might not be Dragonborn or anything fancy, but he can handle himself. I have faith in him," she replied earnestly, groaning a little at the soft touches on her back. "Damn you Astrid…why is it you know exactly where to press to make me want to melt into a puddle?"

"You tend to learn a bit about something when you sleep with it." The assassin smirked and leaned her head between her shoulder blades, still rubbing her back. "I imagine that's not the first time you've heard those words."

"Serana said the same thing to me once." Alana let out a soft laugh. Not a forced one like she often did when she was operating as the Dark Brotherhood's Listener, but a genuine one. She needed it, more than she'd ever willingly admit. "You should have seen her face when she realized what she said. I don't think I've ever seen a vampire blush that much before, let alone one who was several thousand years old."

"Is this a story I want to hear?"

"…I don't want to talk about it…"

"Oho, so it is a bit of a scandal~." Astrid smirked at the reddening of Alana's pale cheeks. "Now I definitely want to hear more about this."

"Shut up, Astrid," Alana grumbled. The two blondes stared at each other briefly before they both broke into snickers. Alana turned back around to lead Shadowmere through the Pale with a soft purr. "What would I do without you?"

"Imagine what I'd be if I never met you." Astrid rubbed on her lower back. "So, we still have five days before the ship leaves for Solstheim. What do you want to do to pass the time? And kindly refrain from any lewd suggestions."

"I would never suggest such a thing," Alana let out a mock gasp, hand over her heart as if she had been wounded.

"You are still a horrible liar." The assassin smirked and stopped rubbing her back to wrap her hands around her waist, holding onto her tightly. They both needed this, more than either of them realized at first. Alana had been without her touch for far too long. 'Just knowing I can see and hear her is enough to take away that emptiness I felt gnawing away inside me over the past year.'

She gave a shrug, petting Shadowmere's mane as he slowed into a gentle trot to preserve his energy. "No idea. How about a visit to a bed that doesn't sway? I felt like I barely got a wink of sleep on the trip here."

"Sounds good to me," Astrid agreed. She let out a yawn and leaned into Alana's back. "If you don't hurry up and find us a place to spend the night then you're going to end up carrying me."

"Oh no you don't." Alana reached back to pinch her leg. "If I don't get to sleep while riding a horse than neither do you." Shadowmere snorted as if he agreed with the warrior.

Astrid's response was to merely huff before breathing down Alana's neck. "Now, is that any way to treat your mistress?"

Alana suppressed a shiver at Astrid's tone. By the gods that silky smooth voice thick with seduction drove her mad. Trying to not squirm as Astrid's hands freely roamed over her abdomen, she let out a soft groan. "Maybe I felt a little bold today."

She knew she was asking for it; Astrid would never be able to resist such a challenge. Woman was far too proud when it came to certain things. Still, Alana loved that raw ferocity about her. It always, without fail, managed to set her desires ablaze. She let out a yelp as Astrid pinched her stomach, though it quickly turned into a whine as her fingers trailed lazily down her thighs. "Astrid~."

Dragonborn savior or not, she knew that she was not the dominant in her relationship with Astrid. Hell, she knew it over a year ago when they first started to fool around. Astrid's not so subtle teases had worked then and they were sure as hell working now. Stupid vampire charm.

"I'm not doing anything, dear. Just a mere slip of the hand." Alana could practically hear the damn smirk her mistress undoubtedly wore as she purposely got her riled up. "How could you insinuate such a thing?"

"Your attempts at playing innocent are not working." Alana rolled her eyes and tried to ignore Astrid's gropes as best she could. Unfortunately for her, her mistress knew every little spot to poke and prod at to get a reaction out of her. Worse was that it was working. The blonde could feel the slightest hints of heat beginning to bubble in her core and she shifted on the saddle, her cheeks tinged pink. 'Goddammit. Have I been deprived of her touch for so long that it takes very little to get me in the mood? Thought I had better self control than that. Evidently I don't.'

Astrid leaned her head over Alana's shoulder, flicking out her tongue to lightly scrape it over the back of her neck. The vampire prodded at her sensitive flesh with the fleshy muscle and Alana almost melted. A soft moan left her lips and she wove a hand into Astrid's hair, tugging it to keep her in place. "H-haaa~…"

Damn, she was becoming little more than putty in her mistress's hands. She whimpered and gazed longingly at her mistress, blushing. "Astrid~…"

The vampire chuckled at her predicament and massaged her stomach and chest. "You look like you want me to pin you to whatever bed we end up in and claim you."

"P-partially correct." Alana managed to gasp out the words and let out a groan. "You remember what I said to you if you ever feel hungry, right?"

"I do." Astrid's hand wove into hers and the blonde felt her squeeze it gently. "You know you don't have to."

"I know. But I'm offering it. Not so I can get the satisfaction of you taking out your frustration on me, but rather so I can show you how much I trust and love you." Alana felt Astrid stiffen behind her and she turned to look at her mistress evenly. "Let me be your prey. Please."

She could tell by the way she was silent that Astrid was conflicted. On one hand, she no doubt thought of this as another of the blonde's attempts at punishing herself for her actions. But the other part of her was urging to take Alana's offer. She could see her fighting with it.

"Very well," Astrid conceded. "When you put it like that, I can sort of understand it." She kissed Alana's shoulder, pushing the black cloth of her vest to the side to graze her canines against her neck. Alana bit her lip, trying to ignore just how much the teasing was getting to her. She let out a soft cry as Astrid gave into her newfound bloodlust and sank her fangs into the blonde.

Her eyes rolled back and she nearly fell off of Shadowmere's back, the only thing keeping her steady being Astrid's embrace. The vampire growled as she fed and eventually she pulled away, licking at the bite mark left over.

"Thank you, mistress~," Alana whispered with a purr, her senses coming back to her once her mistress had her fill for now. "Enjoy your little feed?"

"I did. You taste rather sweet." Astrid licked a drop of blood from her lips. "I can see why Serana loved your blood so much."

"Taken by my taste, are you? It seems to have that effect on the more powerful undead." Alana purred at the feeling of Astrid's tongue lightly scraping over the bite. "O-ooh…that felt rather nice."

"I always knew you were a bit of a masochist."

"Guilty as charged."

Astrid hugged her from behind, whispering softly in her ear. "So…where do you want to spend the night? We're closer to Dawnstar than Windhelm."

"I know. I think Dawnstar will be best; it'll give me a few days to think about what I'm going to tell Ulfric," Alana answered. "I am going to speak with him, Astrid. He's not just the High King to me. He was one of the few who didn't let my faults define me. He knew I was the Guild Master of the Thieves Guild when I sought out to join his cause. I doubt he'd recognize me as the same quiet woman who narrowly escaped execution and was looking to make the Dominion pay for my father's death."

'I was so young, then. So young and foolish, full of anger in my heart. I don't regret doing what needed to be done during the war, but the same anger and hatred that fueled my desire for revenge is what blinded me to everything the daedra did. I'm not looking for revenge for Serana's death anymore. I'm taking my sword in hand to protect those I haven't lost. This is what Akatosh meant when he told me to not see my power as a means to destroy, but to safeguard.'

The large walls of Dawnstar loomed ahead, a new addition to the capital of the Pale. It wasn't just Windhelm that had gotten improvements after Skyrim gained independence. The Dawnstar she remembered was a port city about half the size of Windhelm with only a handful of cargo ships even willing to brave the icy Sea of Ghosts. Now, it was almost a whole new city. The White Hall was now a proper fortress, able to withstand the fire of any dragons that remained. The great wall that surrounded the city was tough and weathered; the once miserable icy little port town was now a respectable capital city and one of the main trading hubs in the province.

Alana dismounted from Shadowmere, Astrid dropping down behind her. The last time she had been here was when she was sent to assassinate that damned miner as one of Nazir's contracts. The cold had been irritating to deal with back then and the same held true now. It was bloody cold.

She had given her cloak to Astrid as her mistress was less amused by the cold than she was, but right now she wished it was tailored big enough for both of them to cover themselves with it. 'You were never fond of this place either, Serana. I can't believe I actually miss hearing you complain about the weather.'

The Pale guards patrolling the wall didn't so much as bat an eye when they entered the city; either Astrid had bribed them like she did to the Rift guards or they just couldn't be bothered to actually stop them. Alana would put bets on the former. Astrid could easily keep the guards off of the Brotherhood's back if push came to shove. Not like they could storm the Sanctuary hidden on the far side of the city, since they didn't know the phrase to open it. Even if they did, between Astrid's newfound vampirism and Nazir's prowess with a blade, it would be suicidal to try and raid the Sanctuary.

"You don't seem to have anywhere near as many problems with the guards as I would have thought," Alana remarked. "The hell did you do to keep them off your back?"

"Simple. We…reformed the Brotherhood, for lack of a better term," Astrid answered. "With you and Serana gone, I knew we had to change or die. So I made some adjustments to what remains of the once proud organization. One could say our line of work is needed more than ever. Corrupt politicians, psychopaths too dangerous for even the honorable Companions to handle. We take on those contracts, eliminate the target by whatever means necessary, and then leave our mark to let any witnesses know that this was an authorized attack and not blind murder."

"You've made the Brotherhood into the Morag Tong."

"No. For one, we don't answer to anyone. Not the Night Mother, not the High King, or whoever else claims to be in charge. Those who spread those kinds of rumors end up with a dagger in the back."

Subtle. Astrid, for all the physical changes she had gone through, hadn't really gone under much of a mental change. Vampirism affected everyone differently, but those changed by a Daughter of Coldharbour were often more bloodthirsty than their normal brethren, using their immense powers to do whatever they pleased to mortals. The only reason Serana didn't indulge in her more ruthless side at all was more due to the trouble it brought than anything. Sure, when she was bored, she'd make a remark about feeling her thirst bothering her, but she always waited patiently for a willing victim or even someone who annoyed her enough.

"You've changed. The Brotherhood I remember was a bunch of cobbled together cutthroats without much of a sense of direction or focus and led by an amorous minx." Alana ducked under the attempted cuff over her head. "Missed."

"Well, I decided that we had lost too much to just roll over and die," Astrid said softly. "We had just had our greatest plan in centuries fall apart and lost not just a Listener, but two people we came to care for and trust with our lives. I made the choice to adapt to the times or face extinction. I was not about to let the Family that saved me and so many others from themselves just fade into a bitter memory."

Alana looked back and gave her a hug, leaning into her. "You did what you could. I'm sorry for leaving you. It must have been so difficult for you. You're lucky to have the Family lend their support when you needed it most."

"I am. But as much as they are my family, they're not you and never will be." Astrid cupped her cheek and leaned in to kiss her for the first time in more than a year. Alana melted into it, holding her close as they embraced properly once again.

"I'll never leave you again, I promise," Alana whispered. "I love you." She meant every bit of those three words. It wasn't just her blood that belonged to the undead assassin; it was her beating heart too. "My heart will always belong to you."

"Alana…" Astrid breathed in her scent and the familiar warmth, soothing the bloodthirsty monster that dwelled inside of her. "I love you too. That's why it hurt so much when you left."

"I know. I was so selfish, only thinking I was the one suffering." Alana rested her head on her shoulder, leading her mistress into the familiar sight of the city's tavern. "I'm glad that I did get saved by divine intervention. I couldn't live without you, as terribly cliché as that sounds. I need you, Astrid, more than anyone. More than my father, more than Saoron, and even more than Serana. If only I hadn't left you like such a damn idiot."

"You came back."

"No, you saved me from myself. I don't think that's a debt I can ever repay. If it weren't for you, I'd still be the same broken woman wanting to die instead of who I am now."

The blonde opened the tavern's door and they both stepped inside, Astrid pulling off her borrowed cloak. Inside it was toasty warm thanks to the large fire in the middle of the inn and one of the young Nord women working in the inn was very sluggish at best. Her eyes were slightly glossy and she seemed almost lethargic in her simple tasks. Alana knew the signs of one who was enthralled and to her knowledge there was only one vampire with enough power to do it and remain hidden for so long.

Alana shot Astrid a knowing look and the blonde vampire smirked at the exasperated sigh. "You did, didn't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Astrid denied with a smile, flashing her canines. "I didn't do a thing to her. Perhaps she's just had one too many pints of ale?"

"Nice try, but I know when one is enthralled all too well. Try a little harder." Alana rolled her eyes.

"Well, I couldn't possibly have had the sort of time necessary to enthrall someone. I kept myself busy with contracts as much as possible in order to make sure I didn't fall into such easy temptations."

"So you're going to accuse Babette? Even though we both know she prefer to kill them when she's had her feed?"

"…damn you." Astrid let out a groan. "Fine, you win. I did enthrall her. She got a little too curious when I needed a room to myself and I couldn't get away with killing her. I didn't have a lot of options."

"Uh huh. Keep going." Alana folded her arms. "How many times did you make her submit to you?"

"…why are you bringing this up?" Astrid hissed in annoyance, tossing the innkeeper a few gold coins so they could rent a room for tonight.

"Maybe I want to experience what that lucky girl got to." The blonde smirked. Just because she was willingly giving the vampire her blood didn't mean she wasn't going to get a little bold every now and then. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Whatever I want to."

"Then do it instead of gawking."

Once the challenge was issued, there was no going back. Alana knew Astrid wouldn't let her get away with it and braced herself for the inevitable. Not even a full second after the door shut Astrid pounced. Alana landed on the bed hard, the wind knocked out of her from the power of her mistress. The first thing she was aware of was her mistress straddling her and she regained her breath, enjoying the helplessness of being her prey. Astrid had her hands trapped above her head and the blonde vampire leaned down, her lips tantalizingly close.

"You've been a bad girl," Astrid whispered. "You know what happens next, don't you?"

"Yes, mistress." Alana didn't even squirm when Astrid undressed her, using her vest to bind her hands together. Normally, she was self conscious of others seeing her brazenly exposed, able to see every imperfection on her body. She felt Astrid's gaze rake down every single scar and she didn't so much as tense up. She knew that Astrid had long since accepted her for the woman she was.

Astrid's lips met Alana's with force, the vampire reminding her who was in control here. Alana whimpered and whined into their kiss, letting her lips part for her mistress's tongue to slide in. Astrid's tongue slid into her mouth, coiling around her own and exploring every inch of her oral cavern.

Alana moaned into it weakly, feeling all her pent up negativity leave her as Astrid dominated her. The blonde vampire pulled away from their kiss, biting on Alana's lower lip hard enough to draw a few drops of blood. Astrid made sure to lick them up to not let them go to waste and her golden gaze seemed to glow with power as she grabbed her by the cheeks. "Look at you, moaning like a common wench in heat. You should be ashamed of yourself but you're not, are you? You want more."

"Mmhm~." Alana nodded, trying to look as desperate for her mistress's touch as possible. "I need you, mistress."

"Say it a little louder so the whole place will hear you, why not." Astrid hissed and bit down on her collarbone, the blonde gasping in a mixture of both pain and pleasure. She tried to be subtle about rubbing her thighs together so Astrid wouldn't notice, but it was no use. The vampire knew that if she kept at this pace Alana would be on her hands and knees begging for her.

"S-sorry mistress…" Alana moaned as Astrid sucked hard on the skin, occasionally letting her teeth graze it. When she pulled away, a thin line of saliva connected her lips to the bright red mark left on her.

"Good girl." Astrid leaned down to give the other side a matching mark, claiming what was hers. She looked down at Alana's legs slowly trembling and smirked, licking her lips. "Simply adorable. I haven't even gotten started yet and you're drenched."

Looking down, she saw that she was right. Alana was only too aware of how easily Astrid could get her riled up. Her underwear felt uncomfortable now and she looked up pleadingly. "P-please?"

"Please what?" Astrid kissed up and down her neck, gently biting to make her moan some more. She wouldn't let her get what she wanted that easily. She was going to hold true and make Alana beg for release.

"Please…take me, mistress~." Once the words left her mouth Astrid kissed her again, pushing her tongue back inside. Her hands may have been bound but that didn't mean the blonde couldn't keep her in place some other way. Her legs locked around her mistress's waist and Alana kept her steady. She felt a jolt of pleasure race through her core and she moaned into their kiss. Astrid was teasing her through her underwear, feeling the wetness pooling between her legs.

Alana let her legs slacken, her will to keep her mistress from moving having faded. She just wanted her touch after such a long year of shutting herself away from everyone she ever cared about. She whined under Astrid's weight, feeling her impatient nature getting the better of her. Astrid shut her up with a kiss down her chest, taking one of her breasts into her mouth. Alana moaned at the feeling of her tongue licking around the sensitive mounds on top of the rubbing between her thighs, slowly beginning to pant like a wanton bitch.

She nearly climaxed as Astrid suckled on her breasts, dragging her tongue around the nipples. But when the predatory golden stare bored into her own, Alana redirected one of Astrid's hands to her throat, giving her a trusting nod. "Please?"

"You are one naughty little minx." Astrid kissed her and obliged, not showing any hesitation.

"Only for you, my mistress~," Alana said with a purr.

The sweet release she so desperately yearned for was rough and violent, but she didn't care. She was just thankful she had been able to find happiness again.

The town of Raven Rock was eerily quiet the morning after the horrific storm that swept over the settlement. The Bulwark had done its job and protected the town from the worst of the squall, but there was still some minor damage to the walls to the back of the colony. Nothing that couldn't be repaired through hard work and dedication; if Saoron were to guess, he estimated maybe a day or two before Raven Rock was fully back on its feet. Still, as he watched the dunmer settlers clear out ash and mud from the front of their doors, he couldn't help but feel slightly uneasy as if this was only the beginning of something much worse.

"You're all tensed up, you know," the Nerevarine murmured, tucking one of her long red locks inside her hood. "You fear this is only the beginning."

"I do." Saoron nodded and headed towards Glover's forge, the old Breton sweeping dust way from his grindstone and smelter. "Glover. Nice to see you this morning. Is it ready?"

"Aye, that it is." Glover grinned and pulled out Saoron's armor from underneath the workbench, running a hand over the breastplate. "You're positive you didn't want me to add a little bit of ebony for added strength?"

"I'm sure. Steel suits me just fine. No need for all that fancy stuff. I prefer being comfortable with what I'm wearing rather than trust something I'm not used to," Saoron said with a soft chuckle. "How much do I owe you?"

"We'll call it even at 150 septims. Seem fair to you?" the smith asked.

"Yes." Saoron reached into his pockets and fished out the necessary gold coins to pay for the repair. Once he handed over the coin, Glover handed him his armor back and he wasted no time in suiting back on. The familiar metal skin felt like a glove and he didn't realize just how much he missed it. Walking around a frontier town with just his magical prowess and sword for protection was not something he was eager to do again. He'd never understand how Alana could tolerate not wearing some sort of protective layer. It would drive him completely mad.

Once the armor was fitted back on he flashed Glover a smile. "Thank you. Now I can get back to work myself." There was sure to be plenty of work involved in the coming days, including a few errands that he had promised Captain Veleth he'd handle as soon as his armor was repaired.

"Work? What kind of work?" the Nerevarine asked as he left the forge.

"Some dangerous creatures from Morrowind have been sighted on Solstheim as of recently," he explained. "Kagouti, from what I've heard from a few Redoran scouts. It shouldn't be much of a hassle, but I've never faced one down before so I have no idea what I'm stepping into."

"Need a hand?" the dunmer offered. "It gets really boring sitting around no doing anything productive."

"Sure. You have more knowledge of these creatures than I do." The Breton shrugged. "Anything you can tell me about them would be greatly appreciated." 'Never heard of these damn things, but they made the mistake of getting too close to Raven Rock. Have no choice but to put them to the sword to keep the people safe.'

"They're as tough as they are vicious," she warned. "Covered head to toe in a scaly hide that can absorb weaker spells easily. Don't think an Ice Spike or Firebolt spell will break through. There's a reason why they were feared in the mainland."

"Anything else?"

"Yes, don't let them bite you. Once they do, they like to rip and tear off your limbs. They're more ruthless than the most savage of bears."

"Perfect." Saoron rolled his eyes. "They sound wonderful. I wonder if they'll accept my invitation to the pub later tonight." The Nerevarine snorted in laughter.

"You do clean up rather nicely, by the way. Suits you." She gestured to the steel armor that covered everything he needed to. "Surprised you never adopted the official title of sellsword."

"I like to think that I'm just doing it because it's the right thing to do, not because of the coin people will offer." He shrugged, ignoring how her compliment made his face slightly heat up. He was no stranger to women giving him looks, but he doubted any of them were as old or experienced as the redheaded dunmer.

He passed under the safety of the Bulwark and glanced out, seeing something large swimming in the waters surrounding the town. Whatever it was, it was fast and agile, able to move quickly before vanishing again. "What was that?"

"No idea. Whatever it was, it was way too fast for me to get a good look at it." The Nerevarine groaned. "There goes my plan for having a nice swim later on. I'm in no mood to come out with a leg or arm missing."

"You're telling me." Saoron snorted. They had just passed the abandoned farm outside the Bulwark when the ground began to shake and tremble, causing both to stumble. "The hell is this!? An earthquake!?"

"No! Something else!" The Nerevarine shouted. The ash in front of them erupted and out from it came a massive creature, towering at least 20 meters above them with one single eye in the center and many insect like legs adorning its long body. "What the hell is that!?"

Saoron closed his eyes to feel its magical presence. It was dark and unnatural, and he swore he could have heard sadistic laughter from within the beast. 'This thing, whatever it is, is not of this plane. Vaermina, you persistent bitch.'

He gripped the handle of his longsword and drew it. So much for an easy job hunting kagouti. "Daedra. We can't let it reach the town."

"You intend to fight this thing?"

"I've faced a lot worse."

The Nerevarine sighed and let her hands become alight with flames, standing next to him as they stared the behemoth down. "Alright, let's put this ugly thing back in its hole."

Saoron gripped his sword tightly, wishing he had Alana here right now. When it came to dealing deadly blows to demons and daedra, there was no one who was as good as her. But he had to try for the sake of those depending on him and those who needed to be protected from this vile monstrosity.

"Let's do this."

A/N: Hehe, yep. Couldn't help but have these two team up while Astrid is fucking Alana's brains out. A reminder: ask for consent before you do anything stupid or risky in the bedroom please. I don't like having a knock on my door at 3am from two burly Russians in black suits with a black car outside.

-Classiest#8332