A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

When he was done, Erik pulled Emma off his cock. Some white cream mixed with drool dribbled down her chin, a drunk expression on her face, and a giddy smile graced her lips.

With the sex over, his domineering master persona made way for the caring husband, and so he quickly waved his hand to carefully burn away any remains of his creamy discharge with lightning. Next, he pulled Emma onto his lap and leaned back on the sofa, with Emma now hugging him and resting her head on his chest.

She still shivered slightly from the pleasure that had rocked her body just before.

The giddy smile hadn't left her face, and she whispered in a tired voice, "I love you, Master."

"I love you too, little Glimmer," Erik replied with a sigh as he caressed her hair, which flowed freely once again. "That was just what I needed."

"I'm always… ready to… s…serve you, M…str…" her voice slowly trailed off as Emma fell asleep, the same smile still on her face.

Next to them, Astrid had a strange expression on her face as she looked at the pair next to her. Currently, she sat on the sofa in a lotus position with her front towards Erik.

"How can you two swap so easily from… that to… this?" she wondered aloud, but softly, so as not to awaken Emma.

"Love, confidence in our relationship, self-awareness about who we are," Erik answered without thinking. "But most of all, a boatload of trust."

"I see…" Astrid mumbled again, a little jealousy seeping into her voice and expression. 'They've only known each other for a few weeks, while I've known Erik for years. Yet, I don't remember ever having a real relationship based on trust with him,' she thought regretfully.

"Don't look so down," Erik chuckled when he saw her face. "We just need some time. But for what it's worth, I trust you just as much as I trust Emma."

"Hmpf," Astrid softly snorted before she mumbled, "You better…"

Despite her words, she also felt a little guilty for not being able to completely trust him yet. He was too different from how he had been in the past, and she still wasn't sure what to think of him.

She did love him, however. She knew that. But love and trust were not the same thing. Nor was she even sure whether her love was a simple projection from the Erik of the past or if she actually loved this Erik as well.

Ultimately, the simple fact was that she still needed more time.

Luckily, Erik was perfectly willing to give her as much as she needed and changed the subject.

"By the way, aren't you hungry?" Erik asked with a smile.

"W— What?" Astrid asked, a little confused when she was suddenly roused from her thoughts.

"We've had a very tiring day," Erik explained. "I'm sure you could use some blood after all that energy you spent."

Astrid blinked and suddenly felt her instincts stir in the vampire's equivalent to a rumbling stomach.

"Are you sure I can take some?" she asked, a little concerned for Erik's health. "We both used a lot of energy, and you were far more wounded than I was."

"Don't worry about me," Erik smiled warmly at her concern. "I have some internal bruising still, but I'm not bleeding anywhere, internally or otherwise. I can stand to lose a little blood if that means you'll be in better shape tomorrow."

Erik smiled slightly, moved Emma a little, and swung his left arm open in an inviting gesture.

That was the last straw for Astrid, as she lunged forward with a slightly open mouth and sank her teeth into Erik's neck.

Erik felt a light sting, but nothing that would even make him flinch.

"You know," he mumbled, closing his left arm around Astrid's body and caressing her hair as he felt a trickle of blood leaving him. "It's a shame that ecstatic feeling a vampire's victim is supposed to get when they're being drained is a myth."

"Although it does feel kind of intimate like this," he chuckled.

When Astrid was done, she retracted her fangs and slowly licked the small puncture wounds until his natural regeneration had closed them.

"Do you always lick the wounds?" Erik smiled with curiosity.

"Yes," Astrid mumbled as she kept her face buried in Erik's neck. "But only because you're the only person I've ever drank from directly. Even after the awakening, I only ever drank from bags or bottles…" She fell silent for a moment.

"Back then was actually the first time I drank directly from someone. It was a pretty big deal for me, but you never realized," she finally admitted, a little despondent.

Erik sighed and used his left arm to pull her off him. She made some complaining noises, but soon, she was staring into Erik's eyes, and he was staring into hers. Erik saw a little surprise and uncertainty in those eyes. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty for his past idiocy once again.

Erik over and lightly kissed her on the lips. "I was an idiot back then. I'm not one to apologize multiple times for the same thing, and I know you don't care either, so I won't. But I will promise once again that I won't be an idiot anymore. Assuming you'll have me."

As the vampire felt the lingering taste of his lips, looked into his eyes, and listened to his words, she felt an overwhelming desire to give in. She leaned forward a little, intending to kiss him back, but then pulled back.

"I'm sorry," she stammered, looking away, her usual bravado and confidence nowhere to be found. "I need a little more time… You've only been back in my life for a few days, and I… I have seven years of despair, loneliness, and complicated feelings to work through."

"I…" she continued, with small tears in her eyes, before turning her head back to Erik and looking into his eyes with love and determination. "I just want to be sure I love the present, Erik, and not simply a memory of the past."

Erik smiled, took her chin, and turned her head back towards him. "I'm not trying to rush you," he said, kissing her forehead, causing Astrid to smile fondly and feel her determination waver again.

He grinned playfully as he pulled back, "But until you actually reject me, I'll keep stealing kisses from you."

Feeling the urge to punch something again, she tried to hold herself back but still ended up punching Erik lightly against his chest with a red face. "Shut up! But I guess that's fine…"

Of course, her light punch would still have blown a regular human through a wall, but Erik could take it and just chuckled.

Next, he bundled the sleeping Emma into his arms, stood up, and walked up to the bed, where he softly put her down.

Then he turned and grinned at Astrid, "The bed is large enough for four people, you know."

Astrid jumped from foot to foot, a little nervously, but then nodded and walked up to the bed.

Erik smiled before lying down. He pulled Emma on top of his chest, pulled the still sleeping Emily against his body on the left side, and opened his right arm invitingly towards Astrid.

Having decided to join him, Astrid showed no more hesitation and immediately placed herself next to him, with her face against the side of his chest.

They wished each other good night and quickly drifted off to sleep.