Blackfoot Forest I sense a darkness in you...

Meldresi barely flickered as Slade's eyes ran down her body for a brief moment before dancing back up to meet her eyes. Meldresi had always known that the dark wolf had an attraction for her; most of the original wolves she let into Blackfeather did, after all. She wondered how he might have truly felt knowing that she was pregnant with Keith's children, and then became Burke's mate. She always wondered what Slade was thinking, to be quite honest.

She followed after him, matching his stride despite the strain and freezing in place when he did. So he finally admitted it, verbally. The priestess took the news unsurprisingly. She had known that he felt something for her — perhaps she had felt something for him, once — but she always wanted her courtiers to admit it first, to make the first move. He had made his move far too late.

"The Dark Brotherhood would not have been in such decline, because you could have done something to help. You and Bane needed no training to become assassins, but the recruits after you did. You could have stayed to help me train them." True anger, the kind that was kept locked under a tight mask for moons, began bubbling at the cracks created by her weakness. Meldresi started to lose her cold regality as her fangs bared slightly with contempt. They had both lost their professionalism, now. She snapped her mouth shut to listen to Slade, listening to the emotion that seeped into his words. The Night Queen softened, ever so slightly. She met his sorrowful eyes with blue fire that began to cool into embers. She spoke again, regaining her coolness. "I will begin to forgive you if you tell me why you left."