death incarnate & night triumphant

The week had been sluggish. No matter how much Andras buried himself into Somnia's problems, no matter how much he flew, no matter how much he trained, he couldn't exhaust himself enough to fall into that massive bed at night. It was far too big and far too lonely without Lani, though, they had hardly shared a bed before. Perhaps it was because it was only thoughts of her that had so constantly invaded his mind. He couldn't erase her, he couldn't forget the hurt in her eyes or the tears that so streamed down her face. Andras thought he was doing the right thing, by making her hate him. It was safer for her, she shouldn't love him. And yet, her scent still clung to the lodge, as if Ida knew how much it would hurt if she went through and started cleaning out that spare bedroom he had gifted Lani. Or at least, that's what he had thought.

"You're a love sick fool, boy," Ida's voice calls from the doorway of his office. Glancing up, Andras blinks at her, his hand lazily holding a glass of amber liquid. Grinning at her, he gives a small shrug, though that smile hardly touches his eyes, "l haven't the slightest clue as to what you're talking about," Andras mumbles turning away from her as the older woman slide a hand onto her hip, her fierce eyes watching him. Bringing the glass to his lips, he takes a deep drink, "Why are you in here moping?" she questions him, though she doesn't move from her position in the doorway. "I'm not moping, I'm drinking," he rolls his eyes to her, shaking the last bit of liquid in his glass at her. It's Ida's turn to roll her eyes at him, giving him an exaggerated huff. "Don't be ridiculous. You've been holed up in Somnia for a week, I can't remember the last time you spent so much time at the lodge. Clearly something happened between you and that darling girl," Ida states, finally moving into the office, stopping just before Andras as her soft, withered eyes glance down at him.

Andras refuses to look at her then, his hand tightening subtly on his glass as he stares at the wooden desk before him, finding a sudden fascination with the grain of the wood. "She is your mate and you love her," Ida says softly managing to draw Andras's attention with that simple statement. Snapping his head up, eyes wide with incredulity, he parts his mouth to speak but the elder woman beats him to it, a humorous smile on her lips and laughter dancing in her eyes. "I haven't managed to stay alive this long without noticing a thing or two. I can practically smell the bond between you two," Ida chuckles lightly. Andras regards the woman with a look of amazement; she had never truly butted her head into his business before and yet, he could hardly fault her for it. The elderly woman had grown close to Lani over the last several months, it was only natural the two of them create their own friendship in turn. Sighing, Andras sets the glass on the table before swiveling his chair to face the faerie, "I won't deny that you're correct. However, I hardly think it's safe for Lani to be here as a human, let alone mated to me. You know very well she would have a target on her back, she would never be able to return to her simple human life. I can't take that away from her," he mumbles, looking out the window as the sun shines across the pines.

"Have you asked Lani what she wants? the older woman asks carefully. Andras is silent, confirming the woman's suspicions. "I thought so," she chides, "Just because you are a High Lord doesn't mean you get to decide how someone lives their life. You are not her keeper," she says gently before reaching forward and grasping his arm. Truly, Andras always forgot how strong she was, despite her age and her size. Allowing her to pull himself to his feet, she brushes out the wrinkles in his shirt, the man glancing down at her as she fussed over his appearance. "I'm kicking you out of the lodge until you've had a conversation with Lani. Get to it, High Lord," she smiles up at him before she practically shoved him through the office door. Mouth gaping, he looks over his shoulder, "Ida, the last time I checked I was the one in charge here and that this is my home," he grunts at her. Though, the woman hardly responds before she kicks him out into the hallway, slamming the door shut along with every other door in the house with her affinity. Sighing, he wouldn't admit it but she was right. It was Lani's choice to make, not his.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, he finds himself strolling through that front door and to that portal that lands him back in his garage at the townhouse. He hardly pauses long before he exits the house and into the bustle of the city, his bulk easily letting him part the crowds as he hurried along the street. And he was hurrying. There was excitement in him to finally tell her, to let her know exactly what he was and what it meant to love him yet, at the same time he was sick to his stomach. Being mated was on a strictly animal level, what if she didn't want that? She could easily not accept him. Pushing the thoughts away, he swiftly moves down the street finally approaching the familiar apartment complex, Andras hardly noticing that her car wasn't there. Wrenching open the door to the apartment complex, he takes the stairs two at a time before he's breathlessly standing before her door. Flexing and I flexing his hand, he drops his arms to his side before he reaches out and knocks on the door.

There's shuffling inside and it's only a moment before the door opens, "Lani I- Elain? What are you doing here?" He asks, his eyes widening in surprise. In his excitement he had quite forgotten to scent the area, he hadn't even realized the Hunter was here. "Where's Lani?" He asks then, that surprise easily wiped from his face as his nostrils flare, taking in the scents around him, only to find that Lani's was stale. Confusion washes through him, though he's careful to hide it as he takes in Lani's friend.

Andras Steinhello darling