The Vampire & Her Witch

Standing before the waterfall, surrounded by the misty golden glow of dozens of candles, Lennart’s heart thudded in his chest like a drum, beating out the last march of his life. Zedya had insisted he take time to consider his decision well and by now there wasn’t even the slightest doubt in his heart about what he wanted.

Fear, certainly. Every soldier feared death and it was that fear of death that drove him to fight his hardest any time he was forced to don his fighting gauntlets and wade into the fray of battle. But now, death had come for him and he couldn’t fight it with fists or claws, only with a will of iron and a determination to remain at Zedya’s side that was greater than his deeply ingrained desire to stay alive.

His palms were damp with perspiration and his ears twitched nervously as Nyrielle took her place beside them, acting as a witness for the first part of tonight’s ritual.

”Zedya,” Lennart said, breaking the silence that formed between the three of them once Nyrielle drew close. ”I have known you all my life. You have advised me, protected me, fought beside me... I know that by any measure, I have never been your equal. Should you have desired a man in your life, you could have chosen countless people who are stronger and more worthy than I...”

”Stronger, perhaps,” Zedya said softly, reaching out with a hand wrapped in lace to cup his scarred cheek gently. ”But none are more worthy than you.”

”Zedya,” he whispered, leaning into her touch and relishing in the feel of her delicate fingers as they caressed the soft fur of his face. ”I know that I lag behind you in years and power, but I promise to be worthy of the trust you’ve placed in me and the care you’ve showered on me,” he said as he dropped to one knee.

”Tonight, I will fight for the power to stand at your side for as long as we may both resist the call of the abyss,” he said. ”But if I fall tonight, I would prefer fall as your husband, having given you my everything,” he said, reaching into a small pouch at his waist and producing a lustrous silver ring, shaped like the paws of a bear wrapping around a brilliant amethyst jewel.

”I’m told that it’s human custom to exchange rings as a sign of your commitment,” he said, speaking slowly around the lump that formed in his throat. ”I offer this one as a promise, that my claws will always fight for you, to shelter you from harm and my arms will always hold you, to cherish you as the only love in my life. Zedya, will you be my wife?”

”Lenny,” Zedya said softly, tugging at the fingers of the lace glove on her left hand, pulling it off to extend her hand. ”My dearest Lennart,” she said as he slipped the ring onto her slender ring finger where the amethyst jewel sparkled in the golden light, standing out brighty against her pale alabaster flesh. ”I will be your wife, your one true love for the rest of our lives, until the abyss tears us from this world.”

Reaching into a the folds of the dark satin sash at her waist, Zedya pulled out a simple braided leather cord that held a small piece of pure white horn, carved into the shape of a bear’s claw. The simple token had been carved from a remnant of Paulus’s horn and though Erkembalt had been reluctant to part with one of the few remaining scraps of the powerful horn after completing Heila’s Snow Fang, once Zedya explained why she wanted it, he’d been happy to accommodate her request.

”This trophy comes from one of the most powerful foes I’ve ever slain,” she said, reaching out to tie the leather cord around his neck. ”I offer it in the ways of your Clan as proof that I will add my strength to yours, fighting at your side to protect all that we hold dear in this world. I can never offer you children, but together, we will build a home and we will fight as one to defend it. As your wife, I swear this to my husband,” she said.

For a moment, Zedya’s powerful amethyst eyes failed her as tears burst forth from behind a dam she hadn’t realized was there. The words she used weren’t part of any ceremony her parents would have recognized and she was certain that her sisters would have been horrified at her choice of husband, but at the moment, none of that mattered.

Zedya had walked in darkness from the her sister fell at the hands of an entitled baron who wouldn’t accept ’no’ from a lowly servant girl. She’d stayed in that darkness as she brought death to his family, one by one, taking away from him the people he’d taken from her until he had no sons, no heir, no wife, and no method of escaping her retribution.

For decades, she had served Nyrielle in darkness, finding purpose in her new life, and deep satisfaction in her work, even as her heart forgot what it was like to feel joy. She had avenged her fallen family and sent them on to the heavenly shores long ago, but she herself had remained forever in the shadows of her own past.

Now, however, standing in the warmth of dozens of candles and their soft golden glow, she felt like she had finally walked out of the darkness that clung to her heart. She wasn’t only a part of the family that Nyrielle had built, the collection of avenging ghosts and dangerous misfits who served as her weapons of war. Now, she was finally living for herself, forming a small family, even if it would only be the two of them, and it was a family that she would sacrifice anything to protect.

”Zedya. Lennart,” Nyrielle said, standing over the smiling couple as they exchanged their vows and tokens. ”Tonight, I bear witness to your love and your promises. No matter what happens next, from this day forward, the Vale of Mists will know you as husband and wife, your fortunes and fates bound together for as long as you both endure.”

Gently, with paws that trembled more than they had holding any weapon and facing any battle, Lennart reached out to lift the black lace veil, revealing Zedya’s sparkling amethyst eyes and soft, delicate features. By human standards, many would have considered her plain or ordinary, but to Lennart, there was no face in this world that could match hers at this moment.

From her soft, gently rounded features to her alluring almond shaped eyes, her slender, slightly upturned nose and curved, bow-shaped lips all combined to create a face that came alive with warmth and affection when she looked at the man who had finally found a way into her walled off heart.

The stone beneath Lennart’s knee was cold and rough, but he barely noticed as he leaned forward, finding himself at the perfect height to caress her soft lips with his as he ran the tips of his claws through her silky brown hair.

The kiss grew deeper and hotter as Zedya stepped forward, pressing herself up against her husband, yes, her husband’s powerful body, wrapping her arms around him and cling tightly to him before pricking his lip with the point of a fang, filling her mouth with the taste of his rich, powerful blood that carried echoes of unwavering courage and determination to fight until his dying breath... first for his lady, and now, for her.

The kiss sent shivers through both of them as Zedya’s amethyst eyes began to glow with borrowed strength and vitality. Of all the people she’d ever savored, none could compare to the deep warmth that flowed into her body along with Lennart’s love and the sweetness of his blood that accompanied his unwavering dedication to her.

It was a taste that awakened a hunger deep inside her, intoxicating her and pushing her to take more in a way no one else ever had, and when she finally pulled back from their kiss, that hunger burned in her eyes like a brilliant amethyst flame.

”It’s time, my dearest Lennart,” she said, gently cupping his face with her hands. ”Are you ready?”