A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

After the introductions were done, the group moved back to the living quarters. Only Alice remained behind, as she wanted to continue training while the memory of Erik and Liv's fight was still clear in her mind.

They sat down on the couches in the same way as before, with Erik and Astrid next to each other, and Liv across from them. The only addition was Elora, who was still sitting on Erik's shoulder.

"You tricked me…!" Astrid complained, arms crossed, and eyes narrowed on Liv. Then she swiveled her angry gaze towards Elora, "And you should have told me!"

Both Elora and Liv wore shit-eating grins as they let Astrid's accusations wash over them. "I'm sorry, little angel, but I wanted to see if you'd tell me about you and Erik yourself," Liv chuckled mischievously. Then, her expression became almost comically pleading, "Please forgive me?"

"I just thought it was a family matter and I shouldn't get involved," Elora said, although her grin told a very different story.

"Ugh," Astrid groaned, muttering some complains under her breath. But then she suddenly stopped. Her expression turned to one of deviousness, before grinning mysteriously. "Alright, Mom. I'll forgive you on one condition."

"Anything for my little angel," Liv quickly perked up. She didn't actually feel bad about playing a little prank on her daughter, but seeing Astrid's expression, she suspected her suggestion might be fun.

"Good," Astrid chuckled as her eyes started shining lustfully before dropping the bomb. "I want you to have sex with Erik while I watch! I want to see who ends up on top!" Ever since these thoughts came to her during the fight, she hadn't been able to let it go. And she had discovered she liked voyeurism back in Frostvik.

Silence descended on the group. The only sound being Elora, who was snickering loudly. She had never felt much connection to Astrid before, but she was coming to appreciate her presence more and more.

Erik, who had been staying out of the conversation so far, now looked at Astrid with a hint of surprise. 'Her voyeurism is stronger than I expected… maybe I should give her a sigil that looks straight into my bedroom,' he chuckled inwardly.

Outwardly, however, he raised an eyebrow, "Did you think of asking me about this first? I didn't do anything to you, right?"

Astrid turned towards Erik and scoffed while rolling her eyes, "Please don't try to tell me you have no interest in Mom. And besides," she continued while narrowing her eyes. "Since you want to fuck around while expecting me to be faithful, you can at least let me choose someone once in a while."

Erik's eyes widened, and his mouth opened as if wanting to say something, but then he closed it again, completely dumbstruck. Yet, after thinking about it for a moment, he shrugged in assent, "Well, I have no good comeback to that." He turned to the equally dumbstruck woman on across from them. "Liv, what do you say?"

"I— Uh…" she stammered, a little shocked. Suddenly, she was getting teased and surprised by her daughter, rather than the other way around. But she managed to blink away her confusion, before chuckling, "You've changed, Astrid. But I like it."
Experience more on empire

Turning to Erik, she continued with a curious grin, "Well, I can't say I'm not interested… It's been a long time, because I do require anyone I have sex with to be able to stand up to me in a fight. But I want to wait until my body has fully recovered."

"Sure," Erik nodded at Liv with a lustful smile, his gaze locking with hers. "Looking forward to it."

For a moment, it appeared like lightning was sparking between them. The setting of their next duel had been determined.

To the side, Astrid looked cautiously excited. She wasn't entirely sure what had come over her when she suggested this, but with both parties now having accepted, she couldn't help feeling a mix of anxiety and excitement.

Meanwhile, Elora simply observed, enjoying the play.

Finally, Erik decided to move on. "Anyway," he began, lounging back into the sofa, while throwing an arm around Astrid and frowning a little. "Since you destroyed the memory seal, are you alright? I can't imagine what it must be like to remember yourself being controlled like a puppet."

Suddenly, Astrid realized she had been ignoring this crucial part of Liv's revelation. Her eyes widened with concern and she jumped up. "I completely forgot! Mom?!"

Waving her arms to try and calm Astrid, Liv shrugged casually, "Actually, I still don't remember anything about that. I only remember what happened after Elora removed my control sigil. Remembering so much chaos and bloodlust isn't pleasant, but it only lasted a short time, so I'm fine."

Rather than Erik or Astrid, it was Elora who answered, muttering thoughtfully, and with a frown. "Really? Perhaps the sigil works differently on ghouls, since it's designed for beasts?" Then she shook her head, "Regardless, I suggest you keep an eye on it. We should have a talk about this later."

Even if it wasn't for Astrid, Keeping Liv sane was important for her and Erik's future plans. Before, Elora simply assumed Liv simply had the mental fortitude to ignore those memories, but now she realized she might need to take some precautions.

"Are you sure you're fine, Mom?" Astrid asked, anxiously, all her annoyance from before forgotten.

"I'm fine, little angel," she smiled slightly at her daughter. Then, she turned to Erik. "But enough about me. You beat me, and I believe you would stand a good chance against me at full power, so I'll follow your lead as promised. I hope you have a plan for dealing with 4000 ghouls without blood donations from the Enclave, because I don't."

"I do," Erik grinned, "But you might not like it, and I hope you will continue that attitude even after you leave Finnmark…"

"Leave Finnmark…?" Liv frowned a little. "Where do you expect me to go?"

"The council…" Erik answered confidently, before starting to explain his and Elora's plans for Liv and the Dominion.