death incarnate & night triumphant

After his brief conversation with Troy, Andras was ready to leave the cellar. Gathering Lani gently in his arms, he tucks her head beneath his chin, feeling the warmth return to her skin, the sound of her beating heart filling his ears. He concentrates on that sound, as if worried it would stop all of a sudden and go away, but he still manages to maneuver the two of them up the stairs and back into the fresh air. And some point, night had fallen, the stars shining on them as he tilts his head back and breathes in the freshness. Expanding his wings, he takes flight, shooting them gently into the sky as he climbs higher and higher. He can feel Lani shift in his arms, his hazel eyes worried as he glances down at her as they fly closer to the city, the lights illuminating the darkened sky. Propelling the two of them forward faster, he's careful to stay high enough and out of sight until he finds his townhouse, the man scanning the streets quickly before he dives into the alleyway next to his home.

Silently landing, he doesn't take the time to sink his wings back in, instead, he moves towards the back door, letting himself in and immediately heading for the garage where that portal awaits. He moves swiftly through the portal, the cool air of Somnia touching his bare skin, the snow almost all but gone in the heat of the summer, though it wasn't nearly as warm here as it was in the city. Quickly, he marches towards the lodge, entirely ignoring Ida as the woman runs out, her eyes wide with worry until she catches the sight of Lani, "She's fine," Andras mumbles, not looking at the older woman before he moves past her and takes those stairs quickly, the older faerie on his heels. As he pushes into his bedroom, he glances over his shoulder, Andras's own dark gaze filled with distress, "Ida, I'd like to be alone with her for awhile so I can... explain," he says, his voice hoarse from the ordeal they had been through. Ida merely nods and steps away, "I'll go into town and stay with a friend for the night," she says, her gaze resting on Lani's features before she turns away and disappears.

Sighing, he immediately takes Lani to the massive bathroom chamber, the tub already filling with hot water as he carefully strips his mate and lays her in the hot water. He quickly washes all the remaining blood from her, hardly taking anytime to cleanse himself. Taking a moment, he inspects the wounds the two faeries had inflicted on her, only to see that they had entirely healed, the scars gone as her new immortality expanded throughout her body. Quickly, he pulls her from the tub, dries her and dresses her in loose fitting, warm clothing before tucking her into his bed, throwing an extra blanket around her. Sighing, he takes a few steps backwards before slouching into the chair, his wings draped around him as exhaustion and worry coats his features. Andras hardly expected to ever sleep again knowing full well he would imagine Lani dying again and again and how he hadn't been there to save her and now he had subjected her to a life of immortality he wasn't sure she even wanted.

Lifting a hand, he pinches the bridge of his nose as the night drags on, sleep eluding him as his dark eyes watch Lani through the entirety of the night. Hours had passed before Lani's breathing shifts, her body finally waking up as Andras sits up in his chair, leaning forward to watch the woman allow her gaze to flicker open. He can see the confusion dancing across her features and he knows she's attempting to make sense of everything that had happened. A weak smile touches his lips, though it hardly reaches his eyes, the man all but wary of the woman in that moment. His name upon her lips is almost his undoing, his eyes closing briefly as he swallows back that sadness that threatens to take him. Breathing deeply, he opens his dark hazel eyes once more, her voice questioning him as he finally stands, his wings all but dragging behind him as he comes to kneel next to the bed. Reaching out he grasps her hand, his eyes remaining on her face. He's silent for a moment before he parts his lips, "Lani, you died and it was my fault," he states not wanting to beat around the bush, though his voice is hoarse, his gaze wavering though he knows better than to look away, "I... you're a faerie now," he murmurs, his thumb gently stroking the back of her hand.

"I finished the change in the cellar, I couldn't lose you."

Andras Steinhello darling