what's this?

Despite Lillith calling his name, Romulus didn't dare take his eyes off of the apparitions down on the plains below. What had begun as two ghostly figures soon became four, then ten, until it looked like an entire pack of specters had formed out on the plains, ready to siege the castle. Roman's breathing hitched in alarm, blinking his eyes rapidly as if doing so would dissolve the nightmare world coming to life around them. What had begun as a romantic milieu had transformed into something sinister. His foreleg wrapped around her side squeezed her tighter to his body, refusing to let Lillith go while he analyzed the situation unfolding before his eyes.

The ghosts on the plains did nothing. They didn't move, they didn't blink, they didn't even breathe as they stared down the two wolves from miles away. Roman didn't dare look away either, afraid that the moment he did, something more horrible would happen. The world stood still for what felt like hours, neither party—living nor dead—making the first move. The ghosts weren't coming closer to the castle. Why? Was there something here keeping them at bay? What the fuck was going on?! Then, one of the wolves raised its head to the sky in a howl, yet no sound came from the creature. One by one, the rest of the ghost pack joined in on the silent howl. And then, with a whip of the wind, the ghosts vanished into mist.

Romulus didn't move for a long while after they were gone. He simply stared out at the plains, scouring them for any signs of danger. He wasn't superstitious by any stretch of the imagination, so seeing ghosts had always been out of the realm of possibility for him. But this... this he could not explain away. Breathing a sigh of relief, Roman let his tense shoulders slump and relax, turning his softening gaze back to the girl in his arms. He met her terrified gaze and felt his heart wrench at the sight. Every fiber in his being yearned to protect her and make everything right for her. But how did you fix an army of the dead showing up on your doorstep at midnight?! "C'mon, let's go back to bed," he whispered, planting a soft kiss on the bridge of her nose before ushering her back into the bedroom with one last glance out to the plains. "If you want, I'll kiss you until this is all just a bad memory."

Roman shut the door behind them once they were both inside, locking the horrors of the night outside. Following Lil's lead back to bed, the young Armada man hoisted himself back up to the soft mattress and pillows, slipping back into the blanket hollow they'd left behind and waiting for Lil to snuggle up with him before he wrapped himself around her to shield her through the night. If Lillith wanted, he'd kiss her all night until dawn to make her feel safe.

"Speech"