Stavanger Bay They say that no one dies from love

Only when the blood had been cleaned from Lestan as fully as she could manage did Reverie try to speak. But there was a price to her healing, one she had never imagined. Reverie's voice faltered as soon as it had begun, and she coughed slightly in the wake of her attempt to speak.
The panic began to settle in rather quickly. She tried again, and again, and grew more alarmed with each attempt. Finally, she gave up, and tucked herself closely against Lestan. Would he still love her, even like this? She could not give him comfort, could not tell him that she loved him, and maybe — maybe it would be this way forever. She fought the threat of tears that accompanied this thought, and told herself that Lestan needed her now. She could no longer afford to be lost in her own head, her own crises.
She kissed his cheek gently, and hoped that he had not noticed her failed attempts at speech.