Blood streamed down Astrid''s throat, even as tears streamed down her face.


    As soon as the red liquid touched her taste buds, Astrid''s eyes flew open, and tears began to fall even faster.


    As the familiar yet impossibly real taste of Erik''s blood hit her senses, Astrid''s heart warred with her mind. ''This can''t be,'' she thought, even as a part of her screamed in recognition. The taste she had dreamed of in her darkest nights was now a bittersweet reality flooding her senses, challenging her denial.


    Her arms, which, so far, had been hanging uselessly to her side, now wrapped themselves around Erik''s back, and squeezed hard, as if she was trying to wring everyst drop of blood out of his body.


    Luckily, her drinking speed was a far cry from what it was a few days ago, allowing Erik to easilypensate with Elora''s help.


    ''T- This taste, it''s… it''s really his…'' Her thoughts and fury had calmed down significantly when Erik''s familiar vor registered in her brain. She had always considered Erik''s blood to be unique, as it not only tasted better but was also more nutritious.


    Now, seven yearster, both of those qualities had gone into overdrive, but despite that, she didn''t fail to recognize the underlying and unique vor she had once known so well. The taste of her childhood crush.


    It wasn''t even as delicious as it could be, however, as Erik had asked Elora to tone down the enhancements to his body''s taste, before allowing Astrid to drink.


    He knew Elora''s work on his body was at least a small part of the reason why Emma had fallen for him so quickly, and why Emily was already well on her way. He also happily used it to influence Seraphina back in London, and it helped him tame Norast night.


    Yet, Astrid was different. He didn''t want to influence her in that way.


    At least not before she chose to be with him on her own ord. After all, while Astrid had dered her love for him after she recovered from her ghoulish state, she had not only been delirious at the time, but she also expressed her desire to have him all to herself.


    And, well, she couldn''t have him all to herself. So for now, he would simply wait and see how his rtionship with Astrid developed, without influencing her through his taste.


    All that aside, even without Elora''s adjustments, his own special nature,bined with the added bloodlines of the Raiju and the Winter Wolf, already provided a quality of blood that could only be considered a unique delicacy for vampires.


    It was the taste of this unique delicacy that finally shattered thest of her defenses—a vor that had once been aforting memory in a world that turned chaotic. With each pulse of Erik''s blood, memories cascaded through Astrid''s mind:ughter shared in the glow of sunset, tears wiped away in secret, and the piercing loss of his absence.


    As reality seeped back, the walls she had built around her heart crumbled, not with resignation but with a reluctant hope. ''Erik,'' his name a silent whisper in her mind, became the anchor pulling her from the sea of despair that was her current life.


    At the same time, all the feelings and memories she had been suppressing from the moment she found out about Frostvik''s fate came bubbling to the surface.


    the-ce-NovelFire


    It happened a few months after the awakening. Like some others, Astrid''s mother had been strangely prepared for the arrival of the awakening. She had already been well-established on the path of a Runebound, giving her the strength to not only survive but thrive.


    So, after founding the Dominion and bringing some calm to the chaos around her, Liv Frost had begun to gather information about their surroundings, which, eventually, included Frostvik''s fate.


    Astrid remembered how, for weeks after finding out about Erik''s death, she had spent her time going from nearly suicidal depression to all-consuming anger at Edda''s betrayal.


    She always regretted how much trouble she had given her mother during that time, as Liv attempted to carve out a ce in a rapidly changing world, rule a powerful faction, and deal with the emotionally unstable daughter she loved, all at the same time.


    Naturally, Liv''s refusal to me Astrid only deepened the girl''s guilt. When Astrid questioned her mother about this, Liv offered her a warm smile and exined, ''If the person I loved was killed by my best friend, I''d find it hard to cope, too.''


    Eventually, with her mother''s help, Astrid managed to get back to a stabler state, but by that time, the old Astrid was gone. In its ce stood a colder version of herself.


    From that day on, the only things she cared about were her mother and power. Having always been a girl of action, Astrid decided to honor Erik''s memory by getting revenge on his killer, but she knew she needed strength for that.


    Now, seven yearster, she was hugging Erik and drinking his blood once again. She felt like maybe, just maybe, she might be able to get back to some kind of normalcy now. Perhaps she could find the person she used to be again.


    She still didn''t know how or why this was happening, but drinking his blood and calming down quickly made her ept that this Erik was the real deal.


    While she continued to drink, reminisce, and cry, Erik just smiled indulgently as he caressed Astrid''s hair and back.


    His mind was going back in time as well, as he remembered all of his past spars with her; the longing looks she gave him, which his dense mindpletely missed, and the many times she tried to find excuses to drink his blood, just so she could be physically close to him and feel a part of him inside her.


    All things he never realized until he saw her again in those woods as a ghoul.


    The entire outside world had disappeared, and all that was left were these two and their hug.


    In the door post, Emma was looking at the two of them with a wistful smile. She wasn''t jealous of the attention Erik was giving another woman, but rather, she wished she had a past with him as well.


    While her feelings for him were genuine and powerful, there were still many things about him she didn''t know, yet wished to. Things that only time would reveal.


    She felt no regrets about bing Erik''s wife, but it had all happened very quickly, and their rtionship was still a little shallow.


    That aside, her generally kind nature popped up its head as she looked at Astrid''s emotionally wrought, tear-stained face and empathy began filling her. She sighed in eptance and thought, ''Oh well. It''s not like I would like to be separated from Master for seven years while thinking he was dead either.''


    Suddenly, a cloud of bright specks of light appeared on Emma''s shoulder and coalesced into Elora''s small form. Astrid''s drinking had now slowed down to a trickle, so there really wasn''t much left for her to do.


    Seemingly recognizing the look in Emma''s eyes, she smiled. "Don''t worry too much, Emma. You and have him have a long, long time to create your own past that you can reminisce about."


    Then she giggled yfully, "Besides, no matter what, you''ll always be his second wife, while Astrid can at most be his third."


    Hearing Elora''s words, caused Emma to giggle along with her, before recing the wistful smile with a bright one, and nodding, "You''re right. I have a lot to look forward to."