The room was quiet, save for the sound of faint kisses that spread inside the room.
The mountain air outside was crisp, but within the stone chamber, the temperature was higher, air filled with the soft scent of cedar, fire oil, and something floral.
It was Erica's perfume, faint but lingering.
Zia's uniform was half-unbuttoned by the time Erica's fingers gently brushed her collarbone. There was no haste between them. Only stillness and reverence.
Erica's fingertips traced her lover's skin, and her lips followed shortly after, pressing there with a feather-light kiss.
"I heard that you suffered a lot," Erica murmured, voice barely a whisper.
"My suffering isn't that much compared to Tiona's," Zia replied, her hand gently caressing the snake armlet on her left arm. "She fought bravely to save me."
"I will thank her personally once she recovers," Erica promised, looking at the unresponsive black snake, whose coiled body was as hard as steel.
