Life had a talent for being extraordinarily unpredictable, this she had come to know some time ago, but as of late it seemed to only further place emphasis on that ever so clear inability to go the way that one wanted. It is this fleeting thought as she sits there at that mahogany table in who knows where that she remembers the endlessly wise words of her beloved grandmother."Life is unpredictable, my dear Beylani. It changes with the seasons. Even your coldest winter happens for the best of reasons, and though it feels eternal, like all you'll ever do is freeze, I promise that spring is coming â€" and with it, brand new leaves"... She had been in awe then, when she'd been sitting there on the old woman's lap in that rocking chair by the stone fireplace tucked away in the woods that the young girl had roamed as a little one, her imagination as wild and bright as it had ever been. She had been too young then to truly understand what it was that her grandmother had meant, her mind still a touch too young to grasp at that deeper understanding hidden beneath the rasped yet loving voice of the old woman that cold winter night, but they had stayed with her always. One day, she would know what those words had meant, and when she had grown by several years since that night, she knew. She had known what they meant when the terrible news that brought mournful cries from her family came through that phone call. She had known what they meant when she had experienced her very first heartbreak, salty tears soaking that pillow on her bed back in Willowhaven. And, as her mind lingers only a second longer on that dark night when she'd nearly lost her life, she knew. Try as she might to anchor those plans she intended for her future, there was never any telling if fate would have other plans for her, plans that would shake her world to the core. As she sits there across that dining room table in some unknown place with the dark fae man whose hazel gaze never faltered, she knows that those words of her grandmother were proving to be true once more.

As foolish as it may or may not be, as the last remaining remnants of that dark night finally leave her thoughts and allow for her to see only Andras, she trusted him. It was not that halfway kind of trust where she would only go so far with him without question or doubt whispering in the back of her mind. No, it was a complete and total trust. Fearless, pure trust that perhaps should only be reserved for someone that had existed much, much longer in the young woman's life and yet it had blossomed in her heart after only days. There was no denying that he had saved her life, that if not for him having been there by whatever means had brought the dark fae man to her side, she would have ceased to exist and all those great adventures she only ever imagined were waiting for her beyond that metaphorical horizon would have never become reality. Sure, she wonders how it was that he had been able to find her when he had, and maybe those of pessimistic mind might have wanted to know why it was that he hadn't found her sooner to save her from ever having to feel that excruciating pain she would not soon forget, but none of that mattered in the least. He had been there, and he had protected her when he didn't have to. He had intentionally placed himself in harm's way for the blue-eyed blonde human girl that was, in her own opinion, just another face in the crowd. And so, as a quiet sigh ushers from the dark fae man while he runs those fingers through still dampened dark hair before tenor tones fall into the air soothingly, softly for her, there is a gentle smile on those blush-colored lips, baby blues soft despite the quickening beat of her heart."I know", she offers him in soft-spoken reply though his words really need any. She wanted him to know that she had heard him, that she trusted him in spite of how little time has passed since they'd first met.

The entire mood of their conversation shifts into something that she'd never felt before. In those short-lived past relationships she'd had with the high school boys who in the end only broke her heart (though she was quick to bounce back from those silly little infatuations), never had she been looked upon in such a way that made her heart pound wildly in her chest and a warmth to overwhelm every part of her, occupy every one of her senses and omit every curious thought or question that might have at one point danced across her mind. Those hazel eyes still her in place as she is unable to look away. With each and every step closer that he came, her heart beat faster and faster until felt as though it would burst from its place. She was nearly breathless when he comes to kneel before her, placing those strong hands on her thighs. Suddenly, everything else is just white noise and all she sees is him, those baby blues wide in surprise at his nearness, the gentle motion of his thumb as it caresses the already thin fabric of those black leggings electrifies her as it had in the bedroom. It was far from that static shock one was subject to when touching those door handles after walking in socks across carpet. It did not cause pain or discomfort. It ignites in her a sensation of pleasure that takes her by surprise that she almost wants to try and move away from only to find that in the same moment she couldn't... wouldn't. Any lingering hunger she might have had before now was instantly forgotten, any trace of thirst for that nearly empty glass of wine completely vanishing. Even when that boldness rises to the surface and she dares to reach for him, dares to challenge him at his own game of relentless teasing, it is quickly matched â€" no, outdone - and sent scurrying back to wherever it had come from as those sultry, predatory hazels bore into her as Andras answers her challenge both spoken and unspoken.

His grip tightens ever so slightly on her thigh for a moment as wicked delight seemed to illuminate those dark hazel depths and she can almost swear the rhythm of her heart grows more sporadic as he slowly begins to rise from that kneeling position, moving his hands from her lap and onto the table, pinning her there. He draws ever closer and she feels that warmth burning into her cheeks now igniting the whole of her slender frame, almost certain that her heartbeat could be seen in her neck with the speed at which it drummed. She could feel the heat from his own body as it lingers oh, so close to her own, those hazel eyes finally leaving baby blues though only long enough to travel from her lips and slowly descending, as if they were drinking in every feminine curve before they slowly draw themselves to settle upon those blush-colored lips. Midnight tenor tones whisper quietly and there is a fire in her that was so new, so fierce... so exhilarating. She cannot find her voice in this moment as he hovers there and she feels a part of her burning with something entirely new to her, as though her skin was craving to feel his against her own. Time stands still then and the world falls away, leaving the two of them alone in this closeness that he surrounds her in... Suddenly that moment in time is released as the sweet voice of the old fae woman shattered the intensity of those feelings that took the young woman's thoughts to a place it never before ventured, not in the way it had in that heated moment. By now though, she was hardly hungry anymore but as Andras withdraws from that place he had seemed to occupy for an unknown amount of time, he bends that muscled frame in a bow, suddenly bringing to the present that early morning when he had kissed her hand after assisting Beylani into her sedan after their first encounter. She draws a breath that she hadn't even been aware of holding when he strides easily over to Ida, baby blues falling over the fae woman fondly as relief washes over the young woman at the passing of that moment though there is a tinge of some unknown feeling that follows quickly after that soft sigh. She smiles sweetly, amusement dancing in her gaze as she watches the interaction between Andras and Ida, noting the clear affection that the two shared. The older fae woman then turns to the blue-eyed blonde and Beylani now rises from her own seat, knowing there was no way she'd be able to finish the last few pieces of roast after what had happened only moments ago, moving over to where the two stood, Andras seeming to inspect the clothes."I'm feeling much better now. Thank you, Ida", she answers and when the fae woman directs Beylani's attention to the pile of clothes, realizing that they were in fact made for cold weather, an almost childish excitement sparkles in her baby blues as she looks between the two of them."Are we going to go outside?", she asks with clear excitement dancing through her sterling voice. If they were going to go out into the snow to explore this unknown place, that would make everything perfect â€" well, almost perfect.