Whispering Death (part 21)

(Hey Ragarootlings! Apologies for the late post, I've been dealing with a lot of personal issues which are getting sorted now. I should resume my regular Wednesday postings again. Without further delay, please enjoy!

-Turan)

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Stirring back into the world of consciousness, Drina groaned. Her body was stiff and sore, not to mention overheated. It prickled uncomfortably with pain. Why was she boiling up? The sounds of birds chirping outside the window reminded her of the hostel she was staying at. Quickly Drina established that the source of the heat was coming from someone beside her. With a groggy roll to the side, she grumbled.

“Jeta, you are too close again. Move over and give me space.”

Her body ached at the movement which caused her to take a sharp breath in. With a light touch against her arm, Drina felt several bandages wrapped around her shoulder. A vague memory of the night before began to swarm her at once. The attack from the ghosts, her newly awakened power, Wiggles gulping the spirits down with ease. There was so much she needed to process from all the events that transpired. Deep within her thoughts, a sudden hand slid across her chest to pull her close.

“I am starting to pity your sister for having to deal with you as a bedmate. You are a total bed hog, not to mention you yell at her all night.” Hestar’s body connected to her and embraced her tightly. “Is Jeta her real name?”

Drina frowned, furrowing her brow with her eyes still closed. “I am not a bed ho-”

It took a moment before it dawned on her, the person sharing her bed was not Ocan. It was Hestar. Stiffening, she shot her eyes open and turned to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. Sure enough, Hestar was staring back at her with a smirk. The sun had brightened the room and bounced off the strands of blonde flowing hair that splayed across the pillow they had been sharing. Her soft violet eyes locked with hers threatening to lure her into their depths. Drina felt the heat radiating from her face. Too close!

In a panic to push herself up, pain erupted all over her body. Drina winced and grabbed at her shoulder with a growl. The soft linen sheets and blanket covering Drina slipped off her chest, exposing her unclothed body. Hestar sat up with a concern, brushing hair out of Drina’s face.

“Are you ok? Don’t move so fast. You took a lot of damage fighting yesterday. Some of the burns haven’t healed fully.”

Drina grabbed handfuls of the sheet in front and covered herself. Her voice cracked while she spoke in a harsh whisper, “W-why am I naked?”

Drina turned to Hestar for answers and got an eye full of her body. Hestar was also unclothed and unhindered by the covers. It was clear her concern was more important than modesty. Drina felt her jaw drop in a stupor. It was the first time seeing a woman she felt attracted to this close and naked.

“I had to remove your clothes to look at your wounds. You don’t expect me to put you to sleep with dirty cuts and burns so they can get infected, do you?

Before Drina could break from the spell she was under and reply, a giggle came from the entrance of the room. Standing there was Ocen and Lulu. The timing they both couldn’t have been any worse. Lulu had several clean towels in her arms and dropped them on the bed nearby. Having just entered the room to check on Drina’s wellbeing, she gave a shake of her head. Ocen couldn’t hide her excitement, giggling uncontrollably. Lulu rushed back to the door and shoved her around the corner quickly. Looking back once more, she narrowed her brows. “Honestly girls!”

Drina felt all the blood drain from her face. Stammering a bit, she finally yelled out after them. “It’s not what it looks like! We didn’t do anything!”

Hestar broke out into a hearty laugh, unable to help herself. There was nothing Drina could do now to convince her sister that she was not intimate with Hestar, especially after seeing her like this. Hopeless, Drina flopped back against the bed and covered her face with embarrassment. Hestar fought to speak through the last remains of her laughter.

“Drina, relax. You are right, nothing happened. Last night you were so cold after I removed your clothes and cleaned your wonders. I was worried you were going to die, so I joined you to help warm you up.”

Hestar crawled partially over top of her and grabbed at her hands. With a light pull, she peeled them away from Drina’s face to uncover her lips. Kissing them tenderly before pulling away with a more serious tone. Her voice was barely a whisper.

“In all seriousness, I thought I was going to lose you.” Hestar reached up to Drina’s hair and brushed it away from her face once more. The memory of the night's events was fresh in her mind. Drina removed the rest of her hands, looking up at Hestar. Because of her power, it was normal for Drina to be as cold as the dead. How easily she had forgotten that no one else would be used to it. It was one of the reasons Ocen slept so close to her while they were out on the road traveling. She too would often worry that Drina would drift off in her sleep and never wake up in the morning. Reaching up to touch Hestar’s face, Drina offered a tender smile.

“Don’t worry, I am here now. We are lucky to still be alive.”

Drina caught the scarring on her arm. With curiosity, she let go of Hestar’s face to inspect it. “What did you do to heal it so quickly?”

“Healing salve. Lulu usually keeps it for things like this. Not that it happens often, but anytime someone shows up at her doors with injuries or wounds, she would tend to them. No questions asked. Now knowing that she is a traveler, it's really no surprise.”

Drina reached around Hestar to rub her arm, nodding. Everything had made more sense since she learned the truth about Lulu’s past. Ever since the first day they arrived, Drina suspected that Lulu knew more than she let on. Yet at the same time, it wasn’t much of a concern. With a heavy sigh, Drina remembered the fight she had with Ocan in Lulu’s office. She must have known what she was saying in their dialect too. Dropping one hand on Hestar’s back, she used the other one to pinch the bridge of her nose. Drina was ashamed of her behaviour. How could she have been so childish? There was much she needed to correct. The blood-bind contract, saving Hestar, breaking the bind with a vengeful spirit, and apologizing to Ocen. All the wave of embarrassment slammed into her gut, twisting it into a knot. How was she going to apologize to Ocan now after she had seen her naked in bed with Hestar? Too many emotions flooded Drina at once that she couldn’t focus on just one. Instead, she peeked through her fingers towards Hestar.

There on her side was Hestar shamelessly laying beside her exposed. It took everything in Drina to keep her eyes from drifting from her soft violet eyes peering back. Not that it was any better. The look of adoration shifted quickly into a look of lust. The blood that had drained her face earlier had raced back into her cheeks from the sight. This had become a very dangerous position.

“Well, since you are feeling much better and no one will be disturbing us for some time,” Hestar raise an eyebrow as she adjusted her position closer to Drina’s face. In a small voice that sent a shiver throughout Drina’s spine, she continued.

“How about we finish what we started in the alley?”