Disclaimer: I don't own anything other than my lovely Elowayen, no matter how much I wish otherwise.
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A/N: Sorry about the lack of updates, lovelies. Things have been sort of hectic on my end, and I do apologize. I wanted to take a moment to explain something, however.
You might have noticed that the chapters have been cut down to three instead of two at this point, and that's because of a very simple reason- I'm reworking the story so that it actually deserves all the credit it's been given over the past six months. Hopefully by the time I'm finished you'll love it as much as I do. Until then, look for pretty regular updates, once every two weeks at the very least (as I'm rewriting the story in between accelerated classes and work). Cheers!
-o-
"You know, I hate golems." Elowayen said conversationally as she slouched against the wall of the control room. "I really, really hate them."
"These are particularly strong." Nathyrra agreed as she leaned against the wall, assassin's grace a sharp contrast to Elowayen's exhaustion. "I don't think I've ever seen ones that refuse to die like this."
"Only because we didn't blow up the one in time." Elowayen muttered petulantly. "This is why I hate constructs. You never know what two-bit tinkerer has done what, or how, and they almost always go berserk and kill everything in sight." the druid sighed and thumped her head against the wall behind her. "Then you have to figure out how to reverse it so you don't die in a puddle of blood and bones and organs."
"Are you finished?" Nathyrra laughed.
Elowayen nodded, then sat forward and studied the drow. "Are you alright? Any injuries that need healing?"
"I am fine." Nathyrra smiled. "You and Valen took most of the injuries. I don't know about your bard though."
"Deeks?" Elowayen called out. "Are you all right?"
"Aokay, Boss!" the kobold replied. "Deekin's lute a little worn, but otherwise Deekin be okay."
"Valen?" Elowayen turned her attention to the last of their party. "Do you have any injuries? We're safe for the time being, and I wouldn't mind healing you if you need it."
The tiefling didn't seem to hear her; with a frown, Elowayen pushed herself to her feet and limped over to the seated warrior. She noticed that his armor had a bit of a reddish stain on his left shoulder-
Golems don't bleed. She hobbled to his side faster and circled around until she could see his face. His jaw clenched tight, his left arm was held close to his chest. He didn't look up at her approach, which worried her more than the blood.
"Valen." Elowayen spoke again, her voice soft as she reached out and lightly touched his shoulder. "Valen, can you hear me?"
With a snarl, he suddenly whipped around and crushed her hand in his grip. Elowayen cried out as she was dragged off her feet and pinned beneath the feral warrior; behind her, she could hear Nathyrra and Deekin shout in alarm. Her eyes widened as she heard the rush of arcane commands, spells designed to knock Valen away from her- and possibly kill him in the process.
"No!" she shouted. The whispers of magic halted and she breathed in relief; slowly she met Valen's gaze and held it as she issued her next command. "Stay where you are and don't interfere!"
Valen's eyes, normally a bright, piercing blue, were clouded and tinged with red. He snarled again, his teeth bared as he grimaced in pain. Elowayen shifted lightly underneath his weight; he snapped at her in response- and then she understood.
The injury must be making it harder for him to control himself. I need to heal him, and I need him calm for that. With a mental groan, Elowayen prepared herself for the uncomfortable task ahead. He is like a wild animal gone mad with pain!
"Valen, I'm not going to hurt you." she spoke in a low, gentle voice as she remembered an early lesson- when approaching a animal wild with pain, speak soft and low. Valen merely growled in response, and she desperately cast about for an idea to prove that she meant no harm to him. The only way she could think of was to appeal to the bestial instincts of his demonic blood, and the only way to prove to a beast that you meant no threat was-
Oh gods above, I hope this isn't going to backfire, she prayed as she stared into his eyes. Slowly, carefully, she dropped her gaze away. She carefully tilted her head back at the same time to reveal the pale column of her throat to him-
And his impossibly sharp, strong demon teeth, she fretted internally.
-o-
He roared in triumph when her throat was fully revealed; it meant one of two things- death or submission. Her heart still beat, and he was pressed close enough to feel the thumps against his chest. It could only mean one thing.
She had finally submitted to him, and the demon was pleased.
-o-
He lunged. His teeth caught and bit down right above the vein. She could hear the others shout again, but she forced herself to remain calm- to panic would cause him to tear out her throat. She raised her free hand to show them she was all right, that they needed to stay where they were-
He growled and the vibrations rumbled through her body. Distracted, she gasped and he bit harder; she felt her skin break and her blood well. She felt him lap at the wound with his tongue, felt him shudder as he tasted her life's blood.
She forced herself to relax. To survive this, she had to submit, completely and utterly. Points of his armor pierced through her leathers and skin; blood welled and pain threatened to break her concentration. With a deep breath, Elowayen focused only on being soft and limp. Valen bit her again in response, his actions rough as he licked away more of her blood.
She did not know how long they laid on the control room floor; the world had narrowed down to just the two of them, with Valen's weight pressing her into the stone and his lips and teeth rough on her throat. He radiated heat and the scent of leather and sun-warmed metal, with something underneath, an unfamiliar but intoxicating spice that made her want to rub herself against him like a cat in heat.
-o-
Throughout her adventures, she had memorized the different scents of her companions as they traveled together, a trick she had learned from Shery that had saved her life on more than one occasion. She told Ayala about it one day while they were harvesting Elowayen's garden, and the ranger had laughed in response.
"It's natural for you to do so," Ayala shook her head in amusement and sat on her haunches. She motioned for Elowayen to take a seat before she continued, "Nature walkers such as ourselves form packs when they travel, especially when they travel with others besides their animal companions. Animals identify their pack mates by scent and sight, correct?"
"Well yes," Elowayen nodded, her forehead creased in confusion. "So you're saying that when I memorize the scents of my companions, I'm simply being more of a druid?"
Ayala laughed outright, the sound ringing through the trees. "Not quite. You're just doing what's part of your nature, just as your panther hunts by moonlight or just as your dryad friends change colors with the seasons."
Elowayen seated herself next to the blonde elf, a curious expression on her face. "I think I understand now." she said slowly. "My teacher never spoke of this to me; I don't think he assumed I would willingly travel with others, or that it would ever be important."
"I do not know your Isendel personally, only by the stories you have told me." Ayala gently touched the druid's shoulder. "I think he wanted you to learn for yourself, to understand the bonds that can form between friends and compatriots. You were extremely young, and extremely heartsick when you found him- perhaps he wanted you to heal before you had such a lesson."
"Perhaps." Elowayen leaned against the trunk of the oak behind her, eyes closed and a smile on her face. "Perhaps he was just exercising his notably dry sense of humor. Master Isendel was an odd one, but a good elf all the same."
"An old elf, living by himself in the woods, gone odd in the head? You don't say!" Ayala teased.
Elowayen laughed and swatted at the ranger. "Seeing your future, Ayala?"
"Not as long as you allow me to visit." The blonde replied seriously. "The Harpers are kind to me, Elowayen, and always have been, but I feel as those my time with them is coming to an end. After Drogan-"
"It's alright," Elowayen replied gently as the ranger halted. "You will always be welcome here, Ayala, no matter the season or the year. Shery informs me that we are kindred, you and I- even she recognizes you as pack."
"Oh really, now?" Ayala stood and dusted off her leggings. "Come on then, lazybones, and tell me more of how your housecat makes the decisions around here."
"She says she prefers your scent out of the last few packmates." Elowayen shrugged. "Something about how the smell of sunshine and the woods is better than the smell of stone, horses, and wine."
"And what did she think of your... former paramour?" Ayala spoke carefully but her stance betrayed her; tense and waiting, like a wolf ready to spring at the first sign of weakness.
Elowayen blinked at the shock of the question. "How did you-"
"Know that you had one?" Ayala shook her head in disbelief. "I treated you at Drogan's when you first arrived, Elowayen. He had called me in as a favor to him, to make certain you had not forsaken your vows and gone mad from the loss of your powers. I knew as soon as I saw you that your vows were as strong as the day you made them, if not stronger, and that what ailed you was nothing that any of us could help you with. I never asked before, out of respect for you, but I feel that now is the time."
"Shery... tolerated him." Elowayen admitted, her voice low. "She did not particularly care for him, but she did not outright hate him, either. She said his scent was overpowering, that it mixed with mine in unpleasant ways."
"What was that?" Ayala stopped pulling weeds and stared at the druid.
"She said it mixed with mine in unpleasant ways. He smelled of shadows and gold, and she said it was unpleasant when layered atop my scent."
"He didn't smell of spice?" Ayala's gaze intensified. "To you, or to her?"
"No." Elowayen admitted. "Why does that matter?"
Ayala turned back to the weeding. "When you meet a man who smells of spice, little one, you'll understand."
-o-
Pinned beneath a pain-maddened tiefling on the floor of a Underdark ruin, Elowayen finally understood.
Linu had smelled of flowers and moonlight, but Nathyrra smelled like dusky shadows and the sweet musk of poison. Sharwyn's scent was of wine and silk, with a hint of gold and bowstrings. Daelen smelled of sun-drenched grasses and leather, while Tomi stank of back alleys and secrets. Boddyknock was surprisingly similar to Master Drogan in the fact that they both smelled of old books and magic; Xanos, however, smelled of horses and wine, and Dorna was like wet stone and metal. Mischa was soap and metal polish, Deekin the earthy scent of kobolds mixed with the prickly scent of magic.
Valen, however, was spice. She hadn't a chance to scent him when he was fully out of his armor before, as he was always in the full plate or the leather under-padding. She was caught completely unawares by the strength of his scent. It rolled over her in waves, inundating her senses until all she could think of was him.
Mate.
It roared out of her subconscious, from the deep place where the Wild magic coiled and danced within her soul.
Mate.
She gasped and the taste of spice filled her mouth. Above her, Valen growled and the air grew even heavier with his scent. His lips trailed across her throat, molten hot against her skin as he marked her over and over again.
Mate.
With a noise more like a purr, he released her throat and leaned down to nuzzle at her face and hair. He rumbled something she couldn't understand-
Probably a demonic language, she thought. She felt him nudge against her jaw, felt his breath against her temple as his nose lightly traced the pointed tip of her ear. She inhaled, the sensation sending jolts straight to her stomach, then lower-
Now is not the time for that, Elowayen. She scolded herself. The time for seduction is not when you have an angry wounded tiefling on top of you, she told herself sternly. "Valen-"
He growled softly in response. He pinned her even more securely underneath him, his eyes slightly less cloudy but still tinged with red.
She tried again. "Valen. You're hurt."
He ignored her and instead moved back to nuzzle at her throat. With an inner sigh, she allowed him to arrange her more comfortably against him, the points of his armor no longer pressed into her flesh. Grateful for the reprieve, Elowayen tilted her head back even further and was rewarded with another throaty growl of pleasure. When she reached up to touch his face, however, he hissed in displeasure and pinned her wrist against the stone. She even received a nip as punishment, and resigned herself to another long wait.
The plan had come to her while he marked her throat. It was dangerous, but she truly believed that she could safely guide him back from his madness. She just needed the right moment to do it, when his guard was lowered and she could act. She would wait until then, her only chance to do this right.
Slowly, she reached up again and lightly touched one of his horns. She gasped when he nipped at her wrist and made a noise halfway between a purr and a growl.
He's... playful. The very idea of a playful, possessed tiefling was almost too much for her to take in. She bit back her giggles and instead watched as he began to follow the lines of her hand with his nose, fascinated as he nipped at her flesh wherever he chose. When she lowered her hand to his face, the purring growl in his throat deepened to thrum throughout his entire body.
Gently, she traced his horns from tip to base until her hand wound its way to his hair. She ran her fingers through the bright red locks and imitated his purr best she could. It was apparently enough, as he rubbed his face against her hand like a cat begging for attention. Her fingers scratched against his scalp, and he melted against her, his face relaxed and full of peace.
Perfect.
"Sleep, Valen." she murmured. Her fingers glowed with a soft white light as she ran her fingers through his hair one more time. "Sleep, and be well."
The look he gave her as the spell took hold tugged at her heart; a look of sleepy contentment, a look she hadn't seen since Aarin-
She forced a smile to her face before Valen fell asleep- and sagged against her completely. "Oof." she muttered as she tried to wiggle free. "You are far too heavy," she tartly informed the sleeping tiefling, "Especially in this armor."
"Boss!"
Elowayen winced and shot Valen a worried look; thankfully he remained asleep, that same content look on his face.
"Shhh!" Nathyrra clamped her hand around the kobold's mouth. "You'll wake him and we don't need that!"
"Thank you, Nathyrra." Elowayen whispered. She reached out her free hand to the drow, eyes still trained on Valen's face. "I'm in need of assistance, it appears- he's a bit heavy to move."
"Oh, I'm sure." Nathyrra's grin was positively sinful as she knelt next to the druid and caught her under her arms. "But at least now you can brag to the other females in Lith My'athar that you have been under the General and they have not."
"Nathyrra." Elowayen groaned as the drow began to pull her free, "You are positively wick-eep!"
Even in slumber, Valen moved like quicksilver. He caught hold of Elowayen's legs and held tight, his face twisted into a grimace before he snarled and buried his face in her lap. Elowayen went completely scarlet while Nathyrra stumbled away, hand clasped over her mouth to stifle the laughter threatening to escape. Choked giggles still managed to escape despite the drow's efforts, which only served to further anger the druid.
"This is not funny." Elowayen hissed angrily as she glared at the assassin.
"Oh, I assure you, it is." The drow merely chuckled harder. "He's nuzzling you."
"Yes, I know that, thank you!" The druid scowled harder as Valen pressed his face further into her lap; Deekin padded his way to her side before he plopped down, his book already open and quill ready.
"Deekin, you better not be doing what I think you're doing." Elowayen warned as she struggled to sit upright.
"Doing whats Boss?" the kobold asked innocently. His quill moved in sure strokes across the paper, sketching out what Elowayen was certain would turn into something tawdry and more suited to a two-copper romance than an adventure novel.
"If this new book has illustrations, I'm killing you." She hissed as she managed to sit up. Deekin merely gave her a toothy smile and she sighed. "I'm surrounded by fools." she muttered.
Elowayen turned her attention back to the sleeping tiefling with a sigh. "At least you're more agreeable now." she told him as she shifted
With gentle hands, she reached for his wounded arm. He snarled in his sleep again and she paused, unsure if her sleep spell still held. She was relieved when he merely grumbled something she couldn't quite understand and nuzzled against her once more.
Elowayen hummed under her breath as she began to work, an old fey song that she learned from a Dryad years ago. She stroked his head softly as she unbuckled his gauntlet, hands gentle and sure as she worked the metal free from his torn flesh. It wasn't until it came free with a wet sucking noise that she winced, concerned she had woken him- but he slept on, unaware of her care.
"Bless the gods," she exhaled softly as she set the gauntlet to the side. "I don't relish you waking up in the middle of this, master tiefling."
She barely paid attention as Deekin set down his book and scampered away with the ruined gauntlet, his magics a whisper in the still air of the golem's tomb. Distantly she registered that the kobold was probably using a Mend spell, but how and where he got such a spell was beyond her. Her focus now was Valen and his wounds.
He must have taken a direct hit from that minogon's ax to get it this mangled, she thought with another wince. Wait... the last minogon we fought was directly behind me. He took this hit protecting me.
"Oh Valen." she murmured sadly. She stroked the side of his face as he slept. "You amazing, stupid tiefling." She looked up with a sigh and motioned to Nathyrra. "Can you get a healer's kit from my bag, please? I need it to clean his wound before I heal it."
"Certainly." Nathyrra moved quickly; Elowayen only had to wait a few seconds before the drow handed her the supplies. With quiet thanks, she began to clean the wound; bits of metal and stone had to be removed before she could begin to heal him. Lightly, she wrapped the wound in bandages, only stopping to soothe Valen with light touches and murmurs when he subconsciously hissed in pain.
"Easy, handsome, easy." she whispered, her fingers entwined in his hair. She completely missed the look of malicious glee Nathyrra sent her way, so focused was she on the injured tiefling. Deekin didn't miss it, however, and shared a similar look with the drow.
Things were going to get interesting, and very soon.
-o-
Valen awoke as a feeling of warmth washed through his arm. He groaned as he raised his head from his pillow, expecting to see his bedroom in Lith My'athar, the Seer seated on a chair as she tended his wounds-
Only to find he was lying on a hard, cold stone floor, still in his armor, with his head in Elowayen's lap as she hummed lightly under her breath, her hands bright with healing magic. Nathyrra and the kobold lay a few feet in front of him, curled up under their cloaks, asleep.
He jerked and tried to move, only to have Elowayen's hand lightly press against his shoulder. "Shh, don't move." she whispered. "You're still rather injured; I had to put you under to work."
"Put me... under?" his voice cracked; his throat was unnaturally dry. He felt Elowayen's weight shift as she reached into her pack to pull out a water skin.
"Here," she passed it to him, her eyes dark as she returned to her work. "And yes, I did. A light sleeping spell, nothing serious or threatening. It normally doesn't work, but you... you weren't in your right mind."
He took a few cautious sips to wet his lips and tongue before taking a deeper pull from the skin, aware of the hazards of drinking water too quickly. She feels so very warm, he thought hazily, warm and soft and comforting. He sighed as he felt her magic course through his body, restoring it as only a healer could.
"I didn't harm anyone, did I?" he asked a short time later, drowsy from her heat and magic.
"Depends on who you ask." she replied in a teasing tone. "You... slipped into a mindset that worried the others."
"The others?" he lifted his head to frown at her, his expression worried. "What happened? What did I do to worry the others?"
She cleared her throat; he could have sworn that she blushed. "Well, you, ah... you lost control of the demon, best as I can guess."
He closed his eyes as her words sunk in, pained by the realization that he lost control again. "I am... sorry, for that."
"Don't be." she smiled lightly as she patted his shoulder gently. "I... recognized it. We managed to prevent any bloodshed between us."
"How?" he demanded. He tore away from her, armor clanking as he forced himself to his feet. The noise woke Nathyrra and the kobold; he vaguely noted them leaping up with weapons at the ready. Valen ignored them both and crouched facing Elowayen, his face desperate. "How did you manage it?"
"Give me your arm, you big oaf, and I'll tell you." She replied, her voice annoyed. She held out her hands expectantly, foot tapping on the ground as she waited. Somewhat sheepish, he extended his bandaged arm back towards her. "That's going to be another healing spell." she muttered crossly under her breath. "Go back to sleep, you two, he's fine." she ordered the others. "Grouchy, but fine."
"My lady?" Valen prompted, his eyes still searching her face. "How did you manage my infernal blood?"
"She let you bite her." Nathyrra's voice was blunt.
"What?" Valen gaped at the druid as she colored a bright red and glared at the drow.
"I thought we agreed I would tell him." she hissed angrily.
"We dids, but you puts it too nice, Boss." Deekin informed her. "Goat-Man need to know just what he did to Boss."
"What I-" Valen closed his eyes, ashamed. "What did I do to you?"
"Nathyrra, Deekin, other side of the room, now." Elowayen's tone brooked no argument, although both drow and kobold made faces at her command. She waited, watching coldly, until they settled themselves as far away from Valen and Elowayen as possible. Only then did she turn to him, her gaze soft. "I did what any animal to would do to another in such a situation, and I do not blame you."
"You did what?" His expression must have been priceless, as she started to giggle and shook her head at him in amusement.
"You misunderstand, Valen," she sighed when her giggles subsided. "You were injured, severely, by that minogon, and don't think I don't know just how and where you got that injury either." she scolded him.
He flushed lightly at her rebuke; she continued as if she hadn't noticed. "You had gone into a state that I've seen wild animals experience- the pain made it hard for them to express anything but the most base emotions. Yours were pain, and rage."
"My lady, I-" Valen tried to pull away, but she gripped his arm tightly and shot him a look.
"I'm not finished." she snapped, lessening her hold to continue healing. "You grabbed me when I approached you and pinned me beneath you. I couldn't move, you wouldn't respond to my voice, Nathyrra and Deeks were ready to blast you with spells- so I did the only thing I could think of to prove I wasn't a threat."
He felt a blush starting at the base of his neck. "What did you do?"
She hesitated, shyly meeting his gaze with her own. "I... showed you my throat."
"You what?" He was stunned. No one in all the Hells had ever done something so stupid, so dangerous- so damned trusting. This delicate she-elf dared to do something that not even demons were brave enough to try, and all so he wouldn't get hurt?
"I showed you my throat in submission." She repeated, ignoring his shocked expression. "You, ah, accepted. Vigorously." she added and smiled softly at him. "Nathyrra and Deekin nearly shot you again when you did that."
"I could have killed you." he hissed in disbelief. To think that she would be so foolish as to bare her throat to a tanar'ri- that she would have such faith in him.
"And they would have killed you." she hissed back, her eyes bright with anger. "I wasn't about to let either thing happen, and it seemed better to offer my throat than let you get blasted. Besides, you didn't actually do anything other than bite me."
He didn't believe her; the blush that seemed to be permanently attached to her face now probably had something to do with that.
"Oh really?" he asked dryly, motioning towards her face. "Your maidenly blush tells another story, my lady."
"You, ah, may have, ah, nuzzled me." she whispered. She dipped her head to study his arm with great intent, as if to avoid his expression.
"Nuzzled you?" He repeated, the blush creeping up his neck to his face.
"Yes. And possibly, um, nipped my hand. A few times." Elowayen blinked, focusing harder on his arm. "You're almost ready now!"
"Th-thank you," he closed his eyes. He fought the urge to fidget, fought the desire to put as much distance between the two of them as possible she finished healing his wound. "Did I- do anything... inappropriate?"
"You, ah, may have purred. A little." She bit her lip, the tips her ears pink from embarrassment.
"What she's not telling you is that you purred yourself on top of her, and when she hit you with the sleep spell you almost flattened her." Nathyrra called across the room.
"Or that yous not lets Boss go, either." Deekin chimed in gleefully. "Drow lady had to pull her out from underneath yous, and thens yous wouldn't let Boss's legs go."
"So true, Master Bard, so true!" Nathyrra laughed and patted him on the head. "You were draped over her so strongly we couldn't even pry your arm free to heal it! She had to pet your-"
"That's enough!" Elowayen chirped brightly, hastily dropping his arm. "There, all better. No more minogons for a while, got it? Good!"
She leaped to her feet, only to sway dizzily in place. "Oh... I think I overdid it." she muttered as she clutched at her head. "Oh-"
"You probably did, my lady." Valen had scrambled to his feet with her, and now stepped forward when Elowayen staggered and almost fell. "You need rest. When did you last-"
"On the boat here." Nathyrra remarked as she moved towards the pair. "She refused to let your arm go untreated, even after wearing herself down with the golems."
"They're destroyed now, though." Elowayen muttered defensively. "We got the fixer one. Once they go down, they stay down. And his arm-"
"Is that of a warrior's. I would have survived once asleep. Nathyrra's right, you should have rested." Valen chastised. "What would we do if you fell here?"
"Find a new savior?" Elowayen smiled crookedly at him. "I hear they're a gold a gaggle Above. Or is that geese?" she mumbled and blinked in confusion.
"I would not know." he remarked. He gently grasped her elbow and guided her back down to the floor. "Nathyrra, could you-"
"Bedroll? On it." The drow nodded and quickly divested Elowayen of her pack; the druid's protests fell on deaf ears as her companions worked to make her rest more comfortable.
"Boss needs potion now?" Deekin stood at her side and watched her with worried eyes. "Deekin has good potions."
"I'm sure you do, Deeks." Elowayen murmured tiredly. "But no potions. They're just too-"
"Inappropriate for her affliction." Valen cut in. "You need to rest, my lady."
Elowayen muttered something in Elvish, only to have Deekin gasp and turn to her in admonishment. "Boss! You no curse like thats!"
"Why did I ever teach you that?" Elowayen grumbled at the kobold; she rolled her shoulders back before nodding at the bedroll. "I think a nap would do me wonders, though."
"Indeed it would, my friend." Nathyrra lightly touched her shoulder. "Your bed is ready; would you prefer me or the kobold?"
"I should be alright." Elowayen shook her head. "I've got to get over this dependency sometime, right?"
"As long as it not be Goat-Man. Goat-Man slept with Boss once today." Deekin grumbled.
Both Elowayen and Valen colored at the announcement. Nathyrra cackled and gave both of them a mischievous look. "Oh, I don't know Master Bard, perhaps since he was injured earlier he should rest as well."
Deekin considered her words carefully. Elowayen could almost see the thoughts swirl through his head and she groaned inwardly- she knew that look.
"Deekin thinks drow lady be right! Boss and Goat-Man sleeps together again!"
Elowayen flushed and turned to see Valen was blushing just as heavily as she was, if not harder due to the kobold's innocent, but completely misspoken phrasing.
I'm doomed, she thought, catching his bright blue gaze. Completely and utterly doomed.
-o-
"And has there been no-one else since?" She asked him, leaning next to him against the wall in Ferron's camp. Her head rested on the stones near his shoulder, her braid tossed over one shoulder.
Valen shook his head, a soft smile on his lips as he remembered his former love. "No, there has been no-one else since."
He caught Nathyrra's gaze from across the hallway then; the drow merely smirked at him before she shook her head at him.
Liar, she mouthed, her eyes shining in the light, you utter liar.
It disturbed him to think about it, but later that evening, as they rested on Cavallas's boat, he realized that she was right.