By his words, she knew he was speaking the truth. Never had he lied to her or given her a reason to believe he would lie. A soft smile stayed on her face as she found the words to tell him, “Someday you’ll understand what I mean.” It wasn’t going to be much longer if they were to travel. She wanted to see her mother soon, in the woman’s own realm. She pushed the business aside as they began to fall quiet.

The last time she had a moment like this, it had been rather troublesome. It ended up with a guild hall partially destroyed and she was reminding herself constantly not to let it get that far. As he kissed down her, though, the thought was lost. Control was for someone who cared about its existence and in that moment she really didn’t care. There was doubt that he cared as well.

Time really had felt like it got away. She was so tired but as she looked at the room around them she laughed. “Aye, I suppose it is a good thing.” She was a woman with energy perhaps more so than she should have had. It always showed in the way she spoke, dictated, even when she made love. It was almost a pleasuring thought that he could keep up with her. “Well, it could be worse. I suppose we could have put a hole all the way through the wall..” She reached up and grabbed a broken edge of a hole they had somehow managed just above the headboard of the bed. She tossed it aside with ease and laughed even more.

“Alright is barely the word for it.” She was just as tired as he was as she curled up on him and put her head into just the right spot by his shoulder. Moving just right the redhead kissed his neck a few time and tasted the sweat he had managed on her lips. “For future reference, I think our room in the new house whenever we get it… is thoroughly screwed.” Oh, the builders would love them. 

Her red hair had spilled out of the loop she had put it in and was about her shoulders and him now. “Are you alright? You sound as if you are about to collapse.” She hugged an arm around his waist and kissed his shoulder again. Reaching down she managed to pull one of the discarded blankets up off the floor and drag it back over them. It was a crude attempt but it seemed well worth it. She wrapped a leg around his as she laid on her side.

Her mind was tired but she couldn’t help but bring herself back to her earlier thought. “We should go see my mother next… before we do anything.” A yawn left her lips as she closed her eyes and cuddled against him. “If anything… she might know a good place.” Another yawn and she chuckled, “Is every night going to be like this? If so, we might be in trouble.” She was teasing him now.

The last time he had been with another had been ages ago with his last mate. For their kind, there was much more to it than the mere physical pleasures it brought, there were also the spiritual and emotional connections it brought forth between two of them. Looking over to Aaryona, he had lost him in more than just physical attraction and desire. They had already bonded over time, it just so happened that they needed a push was all.   

Still he had to admit that he wasn’t expecting that much strength or stamina from her. Then again, she had a knack for surprising him time and time again. Why would this really be anything different? He mused over her optimistic wit as his arm snaked around her. “Sounds like a challenge to me.” Although it would likely scare the people downstairs if they hadn’t already figured out what had gone on yet. The two were exhausted, much energy had probably built in her over their complicated relationship like he had and once it was out in the open, they poured everything they had into it just then. He moaned softly at her kisses upon his neck- something that spoke volumes among beasts when they allowed their necks to be vulnerable to another. “Just our room?”, he said with a smirk. “Any place we pick out will likely end up like this.” Perhaps he was being too forward, but he was sure that if the want was there at any given time, he wasn’t sure that they could hold it within themselves to wait until they got to their chambers.

“I am fine. Tired but fine. I can’t recall a single battle I have been through that has been as taxing as this had been. Though it was also more enjoyable as well.” Eirik was slowly falling into the depths of sleep, barely hearing about their next move as his eyes grew heavy. “If that is your wish, though do you know where she resides? You told me that she practically dropped you from whatever heavens she was at the time.” Not to say that he didn’t want to go hunting her down; he would go wherever Aaryona would wish. But he wanted to be sure they had at least an idea of where she could be living and not go through a wild goose chase. 

Aaryona was already laughing the moment she knew what was going to come out of his mouth. “If it must be a challenge so be it.” She spent her time giving him affection and multiple kisses against his skin. She nuzzled him softly and put her lips to his ear. “That last time I let myself wild. I destroyed half a guild and had to listen to my uncle compare me to my mother. Which I’m still processing.” She chuckled at him. “So probably not just our room.”

She ran her fingers through his hair and chuckled softly as him. Her brown eyes were watching him drift into sleep and she smiled. “I think that Lilith said something about Arri, how Arri is here is beyond me but that is the home country of Rosenites. That would be the one place to summon her at. As for her temple? No idea. I’m not even sure where to start looking for information on that. We’ll talk more in the morning about it.” She kissed his forehead before bring herself down and pulling up the blanket on them. She found the little nook in between his shoulder and neck and got comfortable.

–

A few days went by and Aaryona found herself unable to get away from business. They had managed to get her a good set of clothes, good for work and travel. Though the smallest thing for a waist of her size happened to be a loose off shoulder shirt and corset. She sat in the study of the manor doing paperwork of all things. “How the hell has she managed to make paperwork a thing already.” She was applying her signature to documents and looking up at Eirik with sympathy. “Lilith? How?”

Lilith peeked in at her and gave a smile. “You need to stay organized. The best way to run a clan is to make sure all the paperwork is in order so that we all know our places.”

“I thought knowing your places wouldn’t take paperwork but I guess this is for added security of throwing it in their faces while I’m gone.” Aaryona groaned a bit as she looked at the stack she had already gone through. “Do you just stay up at night and think of ways to make my life busy as all hell?”

A laugh came and Aary could swear she heard Lilith trying to contain herself. “No comment about that but I do know back when Harkon was the leader of the Draconis that he use to get lots of paperwork. Though I do believe he would put it off on your father. At the time Marius was just a prince but I imagine he did all the busy work.”

Curiosity got poor Aary and she spoke up. “What did you do? I mean two thousand years ago was a long time.”

Lilith creaked the door open. “I did what I was told. I was a thrall and we had no power. We were barely above the chattle. I was graced with life because Harkon felt sorry for me. I was given to Marius as a gift and if Marius disobeyed than it was me who suffered the most. It was happy times and yet there were periods of darkness. Harkon was a man of honor but he was also strict. Disobedience of the highest like my sire was met with death, swiftly. Me? I was in shackles in front of both Marius and Harkon as they decided what to do with me. I was a mutt. I was not truly given the blood of the Draconis. Nothing but a rogue but Harkon thought he saw potential. And now? I look over Marius’s daughter and I was his wife.” 

Aaryona smiled and nodded. “Vampire hierarchy be damned right?” Lilith chuckled and finally came all the way in with what looked like a letter.

“If I didn’t know any better I would Rosenite hierarchy could be just as bad. Also, this looks like your mother’s wax seal. I’ve seen it plenty enough when your father and her use to bicker back and forth to keep on each other’s toes.” Another chuckle left her lips as she delivered it. “She found us fast.”

“She’s earth, she does what she wants. I’m just glad they didn’t bicker in person.” Aaryona gently broke the seal and read the letter. Slowly her smile disappeared. 

“What is it?” Lilith seemed to panic at the sight of Aaryona’s utter shock. The woman was now shaking as she held the letter.

“Nathaniel is on trial.”

“That can’t possibly be! You killed him. We all were there,” Lilith came over the desk and looked at the letter. “I can’t read it. It’s all in damn Arriese.”

Aaryona steadied herself. “Nathaniel showed up in Adeluna about a week ago. At least that’s when she noticed him. It was hard for her to choke it down but when she confronted him… it was really him. Freed of the curse or so it seems. He’ll be on trial to see if he can be trusted to be alive. He has something he wants to say to me.” Aaryona threw the letter down on the desk and she sat back in her chair. She was suddenly staring at Eirik. “Looks like we’re going to Arri anyways. The trial is set for the day after tomorrow. She says to take a portal and get there as soon as possible.” 

The days that came had been fair to say the least, that was unless one had asked Aaryona. She and the clan had spent that time gathering clothing and supplies for the journey ahead. Wherever she went, Eirik followed her and kept his eyes out for any signs of danger. He was sure that by now they were safe from any repercussions of taking the manor from the previous family and slaughtering most of them in defense. At least now they wouldn’t have to keep looking over their shoulder at every given moment.

Currently she was despising the amount of paperwork she was going through while he sat at her right side, whetting at one of his blades to continue its upkeep. She gave him a sad look which he met with some small chuckles before going back to his whetting. Being a leader wasn’t fun and games, and both were quite aware of that, or he had hoped so. Better her than him. Eirik listened onto the banter between her and Lilith, listening but never speaking of it. It wasn’t his place for one, and besides it was very entertaining the way it went back and forth. There was plenty of reasons why he preferred the life of the “uncivilized” over things like this. There was no need for paperwork and other unnecessary things like that.

The letter given to Aaryona slowly eroded her pleasant mood and upon hearing Lilith asking her what was wrong, he looked up from his own work and watched her. “Aaryona?” The name she spoke of made his eyes narrow in question. Wasn’t he the brother she was forced to slay? That didn’t make any sense of a dead man to face some sort of trial. But then again, the way of the world was unruly and ever changing. He set aside his blade and propped himself forward on the table with both hands beneath his chin. “It appears so. Do you think that it could really be him?”, he asked. There was a possibility that could be him, or someone that may have thought he was him. But he suppose that all that knew him would be the perfect judges for that, especially his mother and the sister closest to him. “When do we go then?” Eirik was prepared whenever she was to head to Arri.