So you're what all the fuss is about

It was as if nothing Ember said even fazed the other fae. If anything, she seemed even more entertained by her attempts at defiance and strength, commending her feisty retort. The purr in her voice when she spoke of loving women with bite to them send a chill down Ember's spine, the sensations coming with it a strange mix of discomfort and something more. Something Ember had felt only a couple times before. Closer and closer the snow and shadow fae came, and while Ember's initial reaction was to take a step back to keep the safe cushion of space between them, she refused to give up even an inch of ground out of principle. Foolish girl that she was.

The stranger taunted her with her Syndicate connections, coaxing a low growl from the Carpathian, black lips peeling back from pearlescent fangs briefly. Ember scoffed at her attempts at intimidation, her braided tail giving an anxious sway behind her, like a cat waiting to pounce. "Don't flatter yourself. The only monstrous thing about you is your ego." Ember didn't dare look away from the Syndicate fae, lest she leave herself vulnerable. But the sound of the many ravens overhead was making her grow concerned. On her back, Nocturne croaked out a subtle warning. He was keeping an eye out for her.

As expected, she had picked up on Ember's pack scent. She was unmistakably from the Hallows, as her smell and the gold brooch clasping her cloak around her neck betrayed. Em had done nothing to hide it of course. She was proud of her lineage and her loyalty. But it was when the Syndicate bitch mentioned Talyssa that she finally elicited a response from the adolescent princess. Em's eyes widened with recognition, her expression contorting into a growl that bared her fangs again. "How do you know Talyssa? What debt do you owe her?" How had her sister come to a run in with a degenerate heathen like a Syndicate wolf?

But all of a sudden, Ember's personal space was being invaded by the stranger. Quick graceful strides had Em suddenly staring straight into those rich emerald eyes, stealing her breath in a sharp gasp. The step back she took was reflexive, one single step that she halted and held her ground with again. Do not back down. The stranger asked what she hoped to find out here, and if she wanted to have a chat. Perplexed, Ember scrutinized those verdant eyes. The fae's voice was low, a seductive purr luring her in. Those deep green eyes practically hypnotic as they held Ember's swirling blue gaze. Em felt her heart race in her chest, her pulse quickening in her veins as heat pooled in her belly. The fae's personality was indomitable, intense, almost overwhelming. But Ember did not buckle. She was not some submissive bitch to bow down and roll over. She was a Carpathian. A Carpathian currently feeling a maelstrom of adolescent hormones and emotions.

When she leaned away, Ember took a deep breath, not realizing she'd been holding her breath the entire time they'd been mere inches apart. She blinked her eyes a few times, trying to clear her head. What the hell had just happened?! She was waiting for her answer. What was her answer going to be? Violence had been the first thing on Ember's mind when she jumped out of the shadows, but now... now Ember's mind was just a hazy blank. Looking back up into the snow and shadow fae's eyes, surrounded by her ravens and almost fully entranced by her, Ember spoke the only words she could think of at the moment. "I think... I'd like to chat." Maybe she could get some intel from the woman. Or maybe she'd fall victim to her gaze again. "Does the monster have a name?" It was the first question that came to Em's mind. She wanted to know the name to go with the face—and with those intense eyes.

"Ember Carpathius" | "Carpathian"