thought so too. Ash wasn’t so sure when she tasted the thought from the man, but now, hearing Yukihime say it… “How can I ever believe anything you say to me, Shishō?”
Yukihime smiled. “You shouldn’t. But trust my intentions.” She rolled over so that she could put a hand on Ash’s bare knee. “You always had a choice. You still do.”
Ash looked at the small hand and sighed, pushing her off. “Stop that.”
“What can I say to make you understand I mean well?”
Ash huffed as the other woman moved around on the bed to place herself behind Ash. She didn’t even pull away when Yukihime put her hands on her shoulders and whispered, “Lilith remembers you well, Asta-chan. She loves you and wishes to see you again. But like all Moriakos, she is resiliently stubborn. She just needs time to mend her hurt feelings.”
Ash laughed, shaking her head but wouldn’t look back at the vampire leaning against her. “It is not like you to placate. Not without some other nefarious reason.”
“I think you misunderstand me, child.”
Ash’s lips pressed into a thin line as she gave Yukihime a look over her shoulder. “Nefarious is your religion, Shishō . And you are a zealot to the extreme.”
Yukihime laughed and hugged her tightly. “Come to bed with me.”
Ash immediately started to shake her head as she shrugged out of Yukihime’s hold. “No. I cannot—will not, not again.” That Ash survived that first and only time was a testament to her mental strength. It was a test she was not willing to endure again.
“Oh dear.” Yukihime’s small hands wandered up Ash’s torso. “We had such fun.”
“No,” Ash said firmly, pushing the hands aside. “You had fun.” Perhaps a human might think of it as torture. To the vampire it all was perfectly normal.
The ancient vampire sighed and threw herself back on the bed with a big pout. “Fine.” Then her face lit up. “We can wait for the boys to return. I know you haven’t given lovely Ryōshi-san his official baptism and what better way than—”
“No!” Ash’d heard enough and burst to her feet. “No, no, no, NO.”
The other vampire laughed hard enough and with enough motonō that Ash doubled over, moaning out her pleasure. She hated it when Yukihime did that.
“What happened with you?”
“What?” Ash asked in a breathy whisper as the last of the pleasure fizzled out.
“Between you and Tristan? Things are not going well.”
Ash scowled. “Are you truly asking because you do not already understand our situation or are you looking to pry for information you already know and just wish me to put it to words?”
“You were at a crossroads, Asta-chan, back there in France. To stay or leave. To either give up on him or finally give him everything. You decided to stay and yet, you are still holding back. Why is that?”
“Again, you need to ask?” Yukihime knew perfectly well why she would be more inclined to hold back than not. The vampire had tasted Ash’s memories, thoroughly shifted through them all and knew her feelings. Too much past, too much remembered anguish, they all served to prove that impulsive hadn’t boded well for Ash.
The older vampire sighed. “I understand your life is not what you wanted it to be. But is anyone’s?”
“Well, no—”
“You’re being just terrible to Tristan. He loves you deeply. I’ve never seen that sort of love for any of our kind by anyone. You have a chance to be truly happy and yet, you still hold him an arm’s length away. He’s strong, but the human in him makes him fragile too. If you’re not careful, you will lose him forever. And it will not be just you who suffers.”
Ash crossed her arms over her middle and hung her head. “I know, all right? I know. But I—it’s just so hard. What if I lose him anyway? No, you know what? No. This is not a conversation I want to have with you .”
Yukihime made a dismissive gesture with her hands, lips puckered. “He’s not
Yukihime smiled. “You shouldn’t. But trust my intentions.” She rolled over so that she could put a hand on Ash’s bare knee. “You always had a choice. You still do.”
Ash looked at the small hand and sighed, pushing her off. “Stop that.”
“What can I say to make you understand I mean well?”
Ash huffed as the other woman moved around on the bed to place herself behind Ash. She didn’t even pull away when Yukihime put her hands on her shoulders and whispered, “Lilith remembers you well, Asta-chan. She loves you and wishes to see you again. But like all Moriakos, she is resiliently stubborn. She just needs time to mend her hurt feelings.”
Ash laughed, shaking her head but wouldn’t look back at the vampire leaning against her. “It is not like you to placate. Not without some other nefarious reason.”
“I think you misunderstand me, child.”
Ash’s lips pressed into a thin line as she gave Yukihime a look over her shoulder. “Nefarious is your religion, Shishō . And you are a zealot to the extreme.”
Yukihime laughed and hugged her tightly. “Come to bed with me.”
Ash immediately started to shake her head as she shrugged out of Yukihime’s hold. “No. I cannot—will not, not again.” That Ash survived that first and only time was a testament to her mental strength. It was a test she was not willing to endure again.
“Oh dear.” Yukihime’s small hands wandered up Ash’s torso. “We had such fun.”
“No,” Ash said firmly, pushing the hands aside. “You had fun.” Perhaps a human might think of it as torture. To the vampire it all was perfectly normal.
The ancient vampire sighed and threw herself back on the bed with a big pout. “Fine.” Then her face lit up. “We can wait for the boys to return. I know you haven’t given lovely Ryōshi-san his official baptism and what better way than—”
“No!” Ash’d heard enough and burst to her feet. “No, no, no, NO.”
The other vampire laughed hard enough and with enough motonō that Ash doubled over, moaning out her pleasure. She hated it when Yukihime did that.
“What happened with you?”
“What?” Ash asked in a breathy whisper as the last of the pleasure fizzled out.
“Between you and Tristan? Things are not going well.”
Ash scowled. “Are you truly asking because you do not already understand our situation or are you looking to pry for information you already know and just wish me to put it to words?”
“You were at a crossroads, Asta-chan, back there in France. To stay or leave. To either give up on him or finally give him everything. You decided to stay and yet, you are still holding back. Why is that?”
“Again, you need to ask?” Yukihime knew perfectly well why she would be more inclined to hold back than not. The vampire had tasted Ash’s memories, thoroughly shifted through them all and knew her feelings. Too much past, too much remembered anguish, they all served to prove that impulsive hadn’t boded well for Ash.
The older vampire sighed. “I understand your life is not what you wanted it to be. But is anyone’s?”
“Well, no—”
“You’re being just terrible to Tristan. He loves you deeply. I’ve never seen that sort of love for any of our kind by anyone. You have a chance to be truly happy and yet, you still hold him an arm’s length away. He’s strong, but the human in him makes him fragile too. If you’re not careful, you will lose him forever. And it will not be just you who suffers.”
Ash crossed her arms over her middle and hung her head. “I know, all right? I know. But I—it’s just so hard. What if I lose him anyway? No, you know what? No. This is not a conversation I want to have with you .”
Yukihime made a dismissive gesture with her hands, lips puckered. “He’s not
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