A Court of Light and Fire

Chapter 4

POV: Azriel

Azriel stood like a statue as he watched Alina soar farther and farther away, soon becoming a small speck in the blue late afternoon sky. Part of him wanted to go after her, but to say what? Apologize? Recite one of Cassian's horrible pickup lines? He had felt the tug of the bond so profoundly in his chest, but had she felt the same? If she had, she gave no indication. In fact, Azriel thought almost bitterly, she hadn't seemed very surprised at all. He hadn't meant to use his shadows against her, but the shock he felt when the bond tugged on him and then again when she grounded him while sparring was not something he had been prepared for. He was known as a lethal, hardened, unreadable warrior for a reason. The whole experience, the whole feeling of her, her power, the way her stare bored into him, it had rattled him. And yet, there was also a sense of familiarity when her light met his shadows, as if the feel of them hadn't been wholly foreign. The whole time she was around him, his shadows had been going crazy, chanting that she was his mate. It was like they wanted to be closer to her, and it took much more focus than he was willing to admit to keep them from breaking free. That is, until they did break free. Azriel chalked it up to the fact that she was the only person he'd ever met with powers similar to his, even though they were in essence his exact opposite.

It was long after she had disappeared into the clouds when the silence in the camp was broken. Cassian was the first to approach the shadowsinger, announcing to the other women as he did that the class was over for the day and yelling to the onlookers that the show was over. Cassian placed a hand on Azriel's shoulder and followed his gaze back to where she had been in the sky.

"Care to explain what the hell just happened?"

"She's my mate." Azriel didn't need to look at Cassian to see his surprise; he could feel it.

"I see. So using your shadows against her in combat was your idea of... wooing her?" Cassian thought of how they stared at each other when they were introduced. Maybe it was just him, but he felt like he could cut the sexual tension in the air with a damn knife.

Azriel turned to Cassian, brow arched and a smirk forming. "I don't woo."

Cassian laughed, his seven red siphons glowing. "Clearly. Her wings – "

"I know."

Azriel thought again about her wings, the long white feathers that stretched out in a serrated pattern at the edges. He'd noticed before she'd sent his ass to the ground that her wings also had dense layer of down feathers that faded from white to rich auburn brown towards the bottom. Azriel had been wondering how she'd flown in so close to the training ring without his shadows detecting her or his heightened hearing picking her wingbeats up, but maybe those feathers are the answer. He found himself wanting very badly to see her again and to know what those feathers feel like on his skin.

"Well I'm outraged. Her wingspan looks twice as big as mine." Azriel couldn't help but chuckle at that. No wonder Feyre always called them Illyrian babies. But perhaps Cassian was right; compared to their Illyrian wings, hers were absolutely massive. As he and Cassian began their walk back through the camp, her piercing blue eyes flashed in his memory over and over again. This time, Azriel barely even noticed the glares and curious looks from the soldiers and villagers as they walked.

"We should tell Rhys."

Cassian snorted. "Right, let's tell him that your mate and the only lightbringer in all of Prythian has been sitting right under all our noses this whole time. I'll let you handle that while Feyre and I start planning the wedding."

"Hmm." Azriel's mind was reeling with so many questions as he and Cassian winnowed back to Velaris. How long had she been in the Night Court? And how had his shadows not detected her? He had spies all over, not only in the Night Court but also along the coasts, court borders, and even in the other courts in Prythian. Usually if anyone crossed into the Night Court, he was the first to know about it. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration and pushed the thoughts from his mind as he and Cassian flew from where they'd winnowed in the middle of the sky onto one of the balconies at the House of Wind. Rhys and Mor were planted in chairs across from each other at the long balcony table and were seemingly finishing up a long discussion about the tensions between the lords in the Court of Nightmares. They paused when the Illyrian warriors touched down, Cassian immediately heading inside in search for a drink. Azriel sunk down into one of the chairs at the table across from them, thankful for the wing-friendly design.