So you're what all the fuss is about

The way Absinth moved around her, practically dancing with light steps on nimble paws, it felt as if she were herding Ember, trying to pen her in. She jested and teased, acting hurt by Ember's accurate accusation that she'd never fit in at the Hallows, but the princess was unfazed. What did get a reaction out of her was the way those striking green eyes roved unabashedly over her body, practically feeling Absinth's salacious gaze roaming across her form. It made those butterflies stir in her belly again, the electricity racing through her nerves and keeping her on edge, but in an unusual way she didn't immediately recognize as desire. It was the desire to be seen, to be wanted, to be coveted. Ember had never been a vain fae, but in this moment, feeling Absinth's searing gaze all over her, Ember couldn't help but feel a bit powerful.

When the Infernos fae made a remark about dancing to her own tune, Ember simply scoffed. "And now you march to the beat of a psychopath," she retorted, a jab at Absinth's subservience to Sephiran. It was no secret that Sephiran was a strongly disliked wolf. Why anyone would willingly want to follow a madman into hell was beyond her. With her name given, Em saw something light up in Absi's eyes, and then they were face to face again, the Syndicate wolf almost pressing their chests together as they stood mere inches apart. Ember's breath caught in her throat, eyes still narrowed, but the gleam in them flickering between defiance, anxiousness, curiosity, and yearning. Something about the way Absinth repeated her name made her heart race, the fire surging through her veins. It was a fire to fight. To push forward and tackle Absinth to the ground. To wrestle her about on the snowy ground. Imagining what Absi's body would feel like pinned underneath her in submission.

The two women engaged in this constant dance of back and forth together, with Ember pursuing Absinth only for Absinth to draw back and surge forward again, leaning in so close Em could feel the warmth of the other fae's breath against her mouth with every purred syllable. It was Absinth who pushed the boundaries first, adding touch to their game as one digit stroked delicately along Ember's jaw. The reaction in the Carpathian fae was immediate—Em's body went tense like her touch had struck her with lightning, her breath hitching and catching in her throat. It was an intimate and yet controlling gesture, coaxing Em deeper into her web. Ember held Absi's gaze, her chin lifting ever so subtly to the other woman's touch, those butterflies exploding into fire in her belly. And then she was drawing back, her paw gone from her jaw, and Ember could breathe again, sucking in short gasps of breath. Fuck...

Absinth was no Saxe, but she was of the Syndicate. Was that enough in Ember's mind to justify violence against her? She was still debating that when Absi offered to show her something more thrilling than combat. Em found that hard to believe, but she was inclined to listen, at least for now. Fighting Absinth was not what she'd come here for, and she wasn't Sephiran, so harming her would do no good. Those seductively purred words had Ember curious. She had an instinctual idea of what Absi was hinting at, and she was no naive princess, but she'd never experienced such bold flirtation and seduction before, especially not from a fae! It was stirring up a whirlwind in the young fae's heart and belly, a restlessness she didn't know how to satiate. But Absinth seemed to know how.

Ember let out a slow breath, oceanic blue eyes burning deep into Absinth's emerald greens. She came closer, surrounding Em in her presence, her scent all around her. Absinth's lips were at her ear now, whispering honeyed words straight into her hormone-addled brain. Each words expertly crafted to elicit a response from her. And respond, Ember did. Her lips pulled back in a subtle show of her teeth, ears flicking back to her head, but it wasn't a growl that came from her. Instead, Ember surprised herself as a soft, quivering whine escaped her throat in response to Absi's seduction. A fire that burns. Beautiful. Ember breathed a stuttering sigh, caught between wanting to turn her head to push her nose into the side of Absinth's neck to breathe in her scent and wanting to snap her jaws around the sinister fae's face. "And what can you show me that's more thrilling than a fight...?" Ember whispered in a breathy whisper back. This was dangerous territory Ember was treading, but she didn't dare want to back down now.

"Ember Carpathius" | "Carpathian"