Why Didn’t You…?

"...I'll never let you leave the Vale again…"

The words Nyrielle said, accompanied by the stern tone of her voice, washed over Ashlynn like a plunge from the hot tub directly into the ice and snow outside their shared dream. Her entire body trembled, and her emerald eyes quivered as she realized that when Nyrielle said the word 'never,' she really, truly meant 'never.' She wasn't just prepared to hold Ashlynn back in the Vale of Mists for a few weeks or months, but for years and centuries if they couldn't resolve this problem. 

"What? Why?" Ashlynn said with a voice that held none of her usual confidence. The notion that Nyrielle might try to control her, that the powerful vampire might one day turn on her, had long ago faded from Ashlynn's mind as the two drew closer together during their journey and even during their time apart.