A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

After searching the hotel for a few minutes, they finally found one of its larger and more luxurious rooms.

It included high-quality, minimalist furniture, featuring a large, king-sized bed with a thick duvet and many pillows. It also had a comfortable seating area with two sofa's, a coffee table, and several armchairs, with everything crafted from wood.

Naturally, there were many electrical appliances, but they were no more than lifeless shells with cracked screens. There was a fireplace, as well as some artwork, and large windows that looked out over the stunning vistas of Lapland.

Just as with the buildings in Frostvik, this room, too, had been preserved surprisingly well due to the cold. While small animals had made their way into this hotel, unlike in Frostvik due to the wall around the town, they hadn't gotten to the upper floors yet.

That said, everything was covered in a thick layer of dust and frost. The fabric on the furniture was faded and torn, and the wood was warped or cracked from the moisture of melting in summer and the dryness of cold winters.

The artwork on the walls was discolored and peeling, and their frames were askew. The once vibrant colors now muted, and blending in with the overall gloom of the room. The large window remained whole, but framed by icicles and translucent.

The room also felt a little damp and wet, as it was currently summer, and the temperatures were barely above freezing, which meant some of the frost in the room was in the process of melting.

But despite all the decay and abandonment, the room retained a ghostly elegance. It was currently early in the evening, and pale light from the setting sun glinted on the ice that remained, casting patterns on the walls.

"Well, it's a little wet and cold, but otherwise, this should do fine," Erik commented while scratching his head. Then he turned towards Astrid with a teasing grin, "Luckily, we have our own little sun."

"Heh," Astrid chuckled in response. "Not afraid I'll burn the place down? This place is largely built of wood, you know."

Erik immediately shook his head. "Not at all. I've seen the control you have over your affinity. Go on, Astrid," he prodded, his teasing grin returning. "Be my personal little sun."

Astrid felt her cheeks heat up at that remark, causing her to snort and turn her head as if offended while actually just trying to hide her embarrassment. Had she not been holding Emily, she might have lightly punched Erik.

"F—Fine," she stammered before handing Emily to Erik.

She walked into the room, and bright orange runes began to flicker all over her skin as the temperature around her began to rise.

She wasn't using any skill, as all she was doing was flooding her body with her affinity while carefully controlling the power output.

Soon, the orange runes on her body began to be obscured by the bright orange light shining from her skin. While Erik looked at her back with a warm smile, Emma had to turn her head away, as her mostly still mortal human eyes couldn't handle the literal light of the sun so close to her.

Erik, however, could handle it just fine and thought, 'She looks beautiful.'

Astrid's face scrunched up in concentration as the frost and dust around the room began a silent retreat as if cowed by the resurgence of such warmth. The frost melted, and the resulting water immediately dried, while the dust actually burned up without setting anything else ablaze.

Slowly, Astrid's all-consuming sunlight banished the room's gloom and decay, and both Erik and Emma felt as if they were standing in the glow of a soft summer sun, warming their skin and gladdening their hearts.

Finally, the room was dried up and nearly glowing with warmth when the color from Astrid's skin began to fade, together with the runes on her skin, as she released a sigh due to finally relaxing a little after her deep concentration.

Erik couldn't resist his desire. He returned to human form, softly put Emily down on the king-sized bed, and walked up to Astrid. Grabbing her shoulder, and spinning her around, he planted a deep kiss on her still slightly orange and very hot lips.

Astrid yelped in surprise, but it was muffled by Erik's lips on hers. As she realized what was happening, she found herself melting into his embrace. A pleasured expression appeared on Astrid's face as she tasted Erik's tasty fluids. At the same time, Erik loved the feeling of her hot lips and spicy taste.

After a moment, they separated. Astrid panted a little and looked unfocused while Erik grinned at her. "You looked beautiful," he complimented and then explained, "I couldn't resist."

Meanwhile, Emma just looked at the display with a warm smile. There wasn't a jealous bone in her body. Well, not so long as no one infringed on her role as Erik's maid, anyway.

Finally, Astrid regained focus and lightly punched his armored chest, glaring at him. "You— You ambushed me!"

"Didn't enjoy it?" Erik asked with a teasing grin hanging on his lips before swapping to an expression of exaggerated hopelessness. "I guess I'll never do that again, then," he sighed sadly as he turned his head upwards.

In response, Astrid punched him again, a little harder this time. "I— I didn't say that!"

While she still had not given Erik a definitive answer regarding his intentions for her, she knew that, inwardly, she had already given up any resistance. The time she spent with Erik in the past few days had lit a fire under her old feelings for him.

Astrid could feel the love he bore her, which finally equaled the love she bore him, just as she had always hoped for in the past. She knew she would never forgive herself if she didn't leap into this relationship with both feet.

She wasn't ready to admit that yet, however. She still had some slight reservations about Erik's changed personality and promiscuous lifestyle that she had to come to terms with.

Plus, she felt she needed to give him one last test to be sure he was still the person she knew.

But that could wait until later.

With Astrid's admittance, Erik grinned and bent over to kiss her again when he suddenly noticed an unwelcome presence in the room.

Victor.

The enslaved werewolf was still operating on his last order of following Emily, but Erik had no intention of leaving the man in this room with him and the women he considered his. He narrowed his eyes and removed a sturdy chain from his armor's storage space. "It's time to take out the trash," he mumbled.