death incarnate & night triumphant

He remained awake the entire night though his lids drew heavy with weariness. The Fae would not allow himself to slip into slumber while Lani's life clung so desperately to this world. His body only relaxed, albeit slightly, when her beating heart grew stronger through the middle of the night, her breathing taking on a more relaxed noise. Those dark hazel eyes of his tracing her bundled form every so often and finally he sees that pink tint return to her lips and her cheeks. Breathing a sigh relief, he slumps even farther into the recess of the chair, his gaze turning towards those mountains coated in a thick blanket of snow. The storm slowly begins to reside just as the sun tips over the peaks, the rays bringing life once more to the winter wasteland. Watching the snow sparkle in the sunlight he's momentarily distracted until he hears a deep breath from Lani. Eyes snapping to her face, his brows furrow in concern as her body slowly begins to wake, a groan so emitting from her has a flash of concern dancing across his features.

As her eyes begin to flutter open he releases a breath he had practically been holding the whole night. Andras wasn't entirely sure she would make it through the night even though the strengthening of her heart shouldn't have had him question it. Still, he's relieved when her eyes finally focus on him, his name on her lips as she calls out to him weakly. His face is cool as he takes her in, his own hazel eyes shutting momentarily to battle that rage down. Oh, how he wanted to lecture the woman until her ears bled. Her attempt at humor has him reopening his eyes, a swirling eddy of anger lurking in the depths of those dark hazel eyes. Casually, he crosses a leg over the other, counting backwards from ten in order to cool that rage that bloomed in the pit of his stomach, "I'm glad to see that at least one of us has a sense of humor about this predicament Lani, darling," he says coolly, his voice ragged from the long night. Drumming his fingers along the arm of the chair, he notices briefly, how very sluggish he felt. He needed to sleep. Now.

Watching her closely, he notes the way she struggles in the bed as if she wanted to sit up, "Do not even try to remove yourself from that bed," he commands sternly, his voice laced with a bit of impatience. And still, the blasted woman does not listen to him as she moves within those covers bringing on a wave of pain. Gritting his jaw, he moves to a standing position to reveal all that glorious muscle from his chest to his abdomen. Lifting his wings so they no longer dragged on the floor he takes the two steps to stand next to the bed. Reaching out that blood crusted hand, he gently brushes back her blond locks to inspect the puncture wounds on her neck, eyes growing dark with death, he carefully removes his hand, "I should have made him suffer," he mutters mostly to himself before hazel eyes travel up to Lani's face. "I would like to know why you decided to wander around at night time when I specifically asked you not to," he muses, feigning the calm in his voice while his dark gaze pins her in place.

"Did you think I was asking you to be careful just because I like to hear myself talk?" He questions again, those rhetorical questions falling from his lips one after another. He was pissed. Beyond pissed. Though, there is relief dancing behind that mask of calm. "You're lucky to be alive and that I was near enough to take care of your attacker," he states as he steps away from the bed, a lie. He had felt her at the other end of that bond, felt her pain, the terror, the conviction she was going to die alone in that alleyway. He was certain now as to what that bond actually was, but he wouldn't admit it himself. If he did; it made it real. He couldn't subject her to something like that. A human. That's what Matteo had said, the bastard knew and didn't tell him, though Andras had suspected for some time, he hated not knowing especially when it came to his life. Pushing the faerie from his mind, he focuses his predatory gaze on Lani once more. "I need to sleep, my... exertion took a major toll on me," he admits moving gracefully yet wearily away from the bed and towards the door. He would question her later as to what she remembered.

"You may come in now, Ida," he calls just as the door opens to reveal a woman in her mid fifties, laughter wrinkles lining her eyes, her graying hair tied back into a pony tail to reveal those pointed ears that depicted her as one of Fae. "Lani, meet Ida, Ida, Lani," he introduces them wearily with a gesture of his hand. "Ida is my house keeper and a friend, I've asked her to take care of you for awhile. Anything you need please ask her â€" I suggest a bath first and then food," he announces, ruffling his wings slightly before taking a step back to allow the woman into the room, who dutifully takes up Andras's spot next to the bed, a warm, motherly smile so adorning her features. "Thank you, Ida," Andras calls over to her, his eyes showing that of brief affection for the woman, before his dark gaze lingers on Lani, giving her a warning look as if to say 'behave' before he exits the room and leaves the two woman alone. "Don't mind him, dearie. He always gets cranky when he's tire and especially grumpy when he's worried," she says brightly before peeling the covers off Lani one by one. "I hear you've been through quite the predicament," she comments as she carefully inspects Lani's wound and helps her to a seated position.

"The High Lord means well, don't let him bother you," another statement before she's helping the girl up and supporting almost her entire weight as if she weighed nothing. Moving her carefully to the bathing area, the expansive pool is revealed as she begins to help the girl remove her clothes. Nose scrunching up in distaste, "The blood of the undead always makes my nose itch," she snorts as she continues helping Lani. "My, you mortals have interesting fashion choices." Her gaze lingers on the absurd costume, not entirely sure what to make of it, even the wings has Ida's eyes sparkling with amusement.

Andras Steinhello darling