Chapter 1975: Give Myself To You

Ashlynn leaned back in the pool of warm, lavender-scented bath water and allowed herself to float.

The trip from Lothian to the Vale of Mists had taken longer than it felt like it should have. More than once along the way, she’d been tempted to throw herself into Nyrielle’s arms to be carried away on dark, feathered wings. For just a few days, she wanted to escape it all and let the world catch up to her instead of feeling like she was constantly racing to stay ahead of the world.

They’d never found Valeri Leufroy before they left Lothian City. Perhaps they never would. Perhaps some slighted servant had turned on their master now that the old order had ended and his body had been dumped into the River Luath. Perhaps he’d actually found a way out of Lothian City that no one had been able to block.

Either way, the disappearance of the fallen baron was just one of many problems Ashlynn had been forced to leave in Thane and Hugo’s capable hands as the pair took over the security and administration of the Verdant Hills. Anything else that she hadn’t settled before she left would either have to wait for later or accept whatever solution Thane and Hugo came up with.

In the end, despite her desire to race ahead of the caravan making its way west, she’d yielded to the countless pressures to stay with everyone else returning to the vale along with all of those who were entering the Vale for the first time.

Nothing moved quickly.

Her coven and Nyri’s progeny, along with her family and a few close ones, assembled on a single-masted cog at the Lothian docks in less than an hour. Despite their importance, none of them had traveled to Lothian City with significant baggage, and they were all practical enough to approach things with minimal fuss.

With Captain Albyn at the helm, Ashlynn was even able to enjoy a nostalgic moment on the deck of the ship with Jocey and her mother while they waited to set sail.

But while Ashlynn’s entourage was accustomed to swift and occasionally rough travel, the same couldn’t be said for everyone else accompanying them on this journey.

It wasn’t anyone’s fault, Ashlynn thought, splashing in the warm water of the bath as she stretched to relieve the tension that had built up in her shoulders. No one had done anything wrong, and Ashlynn was grateful that so many of the people who had distinguished themselves recently were able to join them.

But by the time they added Sir Elgon and the other knights of Blackwell, and their horses and luggage, Adala, Charlotte, Eira and Morwen along with their families, Erling and Khorijin who insisted on accompanying the young lord while he recovered from his wounds, Liam Dunn and all the rest...

It took five ships just to carry all the people, horses, luggage and carriages. Loading all of them into the ships took several hours, and some, like the heavily pregnant Lady Olwyna, or the injured and recuperating Lord Erling, needed a bit of extra time and support.

The journey itself wasn’t swift either. The ships were slow and lumbering, and they reached the town of Maeril well after dark. At that point, Ashlynn would have been content to hole up in Marcel’s Broken Blade Tavern for a night of rest before resuming their journey at dawn.

Unfortunately, the newly elevated Lord Warden of Maeril had ridden ahead to prepare a welcoming celebration for the empresses of the Bloodroot Empire. Once again, Ashlynn couldn’t fault him for his behavior, even if she found it tedious.

While many in Maeril were shocked to learn that they’d been conquered by the Eldritch, Lord Garrik Maeril had worked feverishly to convince the most prominent people in the small town to celebrate the establishment of the Ride of Maeril, and he’d presented a feast that would be considered extravagant by the standards of any knight Lothian...

But the last thing Ashlynn wanted to do was to spend an evening politely smiling at the merchants, moneylenders and landowners who hoped to win the favor of the Empire’s rulers. Thankfully, Nyri had rescued her, and after making a brief appearance at the feast, they’d left to sit on the stone piers that were all that remained of the ancient bridge that once spanned the river.

Nyri had held her close and they watched the moon rise over the river in silence until it was late enough that almost everyone had found their way to their beds.

"You’re thinking again," Nyrielle chided as she slid through the warm, steamy water with barely a ripple, arriving behind Ashlynn to tap lightly on her brow. "What is it that troubles you so much at a moment like this?" Nyrielle asked gently.

"Not troubled," Ashlynn said with a smile. Her feet kicked once in the warm, steamy water as she pushed herself back against Nyrielle, savoring the feeling of bare skin against skin in the warmth of the bath.

Nyrielle’s arms wrapped around her, pulling the two of them close enough together that Ashlynn could feel the slow, steady beat of Nyrielle’s heart through her back while Nyrielle’s hands cupped her generous bust.

"I was just thinking," Ashlynn said, leaning her head back against Nyrielle’s right shoulder to expose her slender neck to her lover’s fangs. "I’m glad the people of the Vale understand. I know they all want to celebrate the dawn of the Empire and the fall of Lothian, but if I had to host one more feast..."

There were celebrations taking place across Vale City. In every tavern and pub, in several city squares where revelers spilled into the night, in countless homes and villages across the Vale, people celebrated the fall of the Lothian Line and the founding of the Bloodroot Empire.

But none of those people would dream of demanding that their empresses host a feast to celebrate the momentous occasion as soon as they returned home. They put their faith in Nyrielle and Ashlynn to defend them and to rule wisely, but in a hundred years, Nyrielle had proven time and time again that her presence should neither be expected nor required for the people to celebrate.

If Ashlynn and Nyrielle decided to hold a festival like the one they’d held to announce their betrothal, then the people of the Vale would delight in celebrating alongside their rulers. And if they didn’t, then the people of the Vale would celebrate on their own.

"You don’t want to host a feast, so you offer me a feast instead," Nyrielle whispered, teasing Ashlynn while brushing the tips of her fangs against the pulse in Ashlynn’s graceful neck.

"I offer my everything to you," Ashlynn replied, placing her hands atop Nyrielle’s and pulling her lover’s fingers more deeply into the soft, yielding flesh of her full bust. "Now that we’re finally home, you can take all that you want from me..."

For the first time in weeks, there were no enemies lurking on the horizon. No battles to fight. No rescues to ride to. No reason that Ashlynn had to preserve her strength against an enemy that hadn’t yet been defeated.

Tonight, she could offer up more than just a few drops of blood from her lips or her wrist. Tonight, she could let Nyri drink her fill.

"You’ve given me so much," Ashlynn said, turning enough that she could look directly into Nyrielle’s midnight eyes. "Now it’s my turn to give myself to you..."