A Court of Ice and Fire

Chapter 29

**Above is a picture of Dahlia's dress, I do not own the image shown**

By the end of the training session, I could feel my own energy and power surging through my blood-easily accessible and more importantly, easier to control. Roma was continuously impressed by my abilities to amplify the powers laden inside the stones, and I tried not to think about all the ways the Cauldron has changed and altered my body.

At the end of the day, Azriel walks me back to the palace, and I roll my eyes as he places a protective arm around me as we walk past the numerous guards and faculty. The bond between us flares to life at the contact, and I feel a rush of possessiveness and love flow through the bond.

The bracelet around my wrist pulses along with the bond, and my body warms with the overwhelming feel of him beside me. As we walk into the palace through the side door Titus brought us through this morning, we abruptly stop, and I instantly tighten my hold on Azriel's hand as I look between my meddling uncle and inquisitive father.

"Father...Titus...Is everything ok?" I look between the two with wary eyes, noticing the humorous look in Titus' eyes and the determined one in my father's.

Azriel's own wariness echoes my own, and he straightens his back under my father's crude gaze. I watch as his eyes fall to the matching bands around our wrists, and I fight off the urge to wince. "Yes, yes everything's fine. Titus told me that you went to training today-and I thought I would invite you to dinner tonight-we haven't truly gotten to know each other yet."

The prospect of Azriel and Titus being in the same room together for any length of time makes me want to hurl, and I instantly begin to think of ways to get out of it when Azriel steps forward. "We'll be there." He answers for me, and I send him an icy glare as my father smiles brightly, clapping his hands together.

"Wonderful, I'll see you both at seven." I force a tight-lipped smile on my face as Adrian and Titus move to walk away, my uncle giving me a knowing look before turning his head. As soon as the duo moves out of the room, I slap Azriel's arm, pushing myself out of his reach.

"What in the seven hells are you thinking? Dinner with my father? Do you remember the pissing match you had with Titus this morning? This is not a good idea." I groan, shaking my head. Azriel does not answer for a moment, and I sigh loudly, turning to walk down the hallway leading to our room.

Before I could take a single step, Azriel's hand grips onto my wrist, stopping me. "When I accepted the bond, I accepted every single piece of you." His voice begins to dip low, and I stand perfectly still as he moves in closer, his eyes darkening slightly. "I want to know everything there is to know about you Dahlia. And since your father is a part of you, I want to know him too. And so should you." The words strike me down to my core, and one minute we are in the hall, and the next I've grabbed him by the collar and winnowed him to our room.

My lips are on his before I can even take a breath-a fire rolling through my body as I capture his mouth in a passionate and lustful kiss. He reacts instantly, his arms circling around me and pulling me close to his chest.

"I love you." I say breathlessly when we break apart, the words coming out rushed and quiet. His eyes widen and he seems to falter for a moment, taking in the proclamation. I can sense the disbelief and surprise being pushed through the bond, and my heart aches as he slowly lifts a hand to brush a piece of hair off my face.

There's a moment of silence, and I watch as he swallows thickly, his eyes containing more emotions than I can discern. "I love you, Azriel. You can't hide from me anymore." I smile softly as he raises his eyes to meet mine, and when he places a feather soft, loving kiss on my lips, my entire body warms.