Pain…suchpain. Sorrow and grief. Andhunger. Such a hunger that she thought her stomach would rip to pieces. Her heart connected to its heart. She thought of Draven and her sister, pushing the image into the creature. An image of love and happiness and the two of them as one, those last few moments of the song they sang together.
A new warmth filled her. Chest swelling, heart burning… heat spread and tingled her extremities awake. She shuddered at the feeling. The alpha pushed back, and the image of Aydra on the forest floor pulsed back to her. Nyssa could practically feel her sister's hand stroking the Ulfram's head.
Something touched her arm—Dorian’s hand. She grasped his fingers in her own.
Still shaking, Nyssa opened her eyes after a few moments to find the alpha staring at her.
Thank you, Nyssa whispered.
The Ulfram merely gave her a final nod—
And then it disappeared into the darkness.
A gleeful sorrow filled her, and Nyssa settled back on her legs. Her body felt of an exhaust she wasn't familiar with. As though she'd just used every single part of herself to connect with the beast.
Dorian was still holding onto her. She turned, tears rushing down her cheeks despite the smile on her face, and she had to pause to comprehend what she saw.
His eyes were widened to the point she could see the white around his bright blue irises. He sat tense, nearly frozen on the spot, and for a moment, Nyssa thought he was having some sort of anxiety attack.
A silent tear trickled down his cheek.
“Dorian?”
He blinked, inhaled a sharp breath, and met her gaze. “What did you just do?”
“What—”
“When you grabbed my hand," he interjected. "What was that?”
She stared at him, head tilting. “Dorian… I didn’t do anything.”
“But… I felt this warming in my chest—” his hands moved erratically, like he thought he could better explain what he’d felt by the movement “—this like pit in my stomach, a hunger in my core— I couldn’t breathe, and then there was this almost fire around my heart, feelings of agony and grief and wild happiness swelling into my fingers and toes—”
It was Nyssa’s turn to stare wide-eyed at him.
“You felt the Ulfram?!” she asked in a high pitch.
“I felt… something. When you grabbed my hand. It’s like whatever it was moved from your body into mine.”
“You felt the Ulfram,” she affirmed. “How did you feel—”
“I don’t know!” Dorian exclaimed, voice growing. “How should I know?”
“Dorian, you felt the fucking Ulfram!”
“Yes, I think we’ve established that!” His hands were in his hair, fingers tugging at the roots.
Nyssa got an idea. “Give me your hands.”
“What?” his head shot up.
“Just give me your hands!” she nearly shouted. She glanced to her eagle.Find me, she told him.
Her eagle landed on her knee just as Dorian placed his hands in hers. Nyssa shut her eyes tight and felt out for her eagle's comfort. His core consumed her with a chill down her spine. She sank into the comfort of his embrace, the safety of his core’s abyss. She allowed it to settle in her a moment before opening her eyes.
Dorian’s eyes were closed, but she watched the visible shiver roll over his shoulders, the hairs on his arms stand, and then his lashes lifted to hers.
“Whoa.”
