Ashlynn's heart hammered in her chest, loud enough to almost drown out the echo of Nyrielle's heartbeat alongside her as she examined her mother's response to hearing that she was betrothed to a vampire, looking for the faintest sign of rejection that might appear before her mother could smooth it away…
She found none.
Instead, a slow smile spread on her mother's lips, and a look of delight spread across her features.
"Oh," Maela said as she pressed the tips of her fingers to her lips and her eyes widened. "Oh my," she said, pressing her other hand to her chest for a moment before she reached for her own goblet of wine, drinking close to half the cup at once before returning her gaze to her eldest daughter.
