For several heartbeats, Nyrielle just held her lover close, giving Ashlynn the time to process her fears and worries. Isabell's warning had pried open a wound that was still tender and fresh, but she and Ashlynn had discussed their fears for her family before. Little had changed between the last time they'd had this conversation and now, but Ashlynn's heart was too riddled with hurts and fears to separate them neatly into problems that could be solved and wounds to be tended.
Eventually, however, her lover needed to confront the part of Isabell's warning that stirred up everything else within her heart, or Ashlynn would sink into another series of nightmares as she tried to shoulder burdens far beyond what even a powerful witch could bear.
