Shadows like mine

20

Azriel brought her back to the mansion. She had taken off her high heels and was now walking on her bare feet. Apparently she didn't care about the cold weather. Luckily it was a very soft winter this year.
    She didn't seem to care. Turning in pirouettes and jumping over stones they walked back.
    He could only admire the fact that she felt so... at home. Like herself. And she was singing. She didn't stop singing for one second. Birds of the nights seemed to join her, stars were dancing to her songs and Azriel's heart fluttered with every beat.
    She sang any song, written by herself or heard somewhere in town.
    He didn't want her to stop. He wanted to be able to freeze time, so he could always look at this version of Aurora. Azriel couldn't imagine that this very woman, now dancing in the night, one with her voice and shadows, was once afraid of everything. Afraid of hurting them, killing them.
    It seemed like it never happened.
    "It was such a thrill!" she then exclaimed as soon as they entered the mansion. He wouldn't stay long. He wanted to go to bed early.
    Azriel smiled at her. "You have an extraordinary voice, Aurora." She gave him a toothy grin.
    "I should sing more often." He took her hand and spun her around.
    "And dance." He winked at her and she giggled. Then she stood on the tip of her toes to press a kiss on his cheek.
    The world seemed to stop, slow down until time barely moved. Azriel closed his eyes when he felt her soft and warm lips against his skin. He begged the Mother that Aurora wouldn't notice his craving for her.
    "Thank you, Azriel," she whispered, still with her lips against his cheek. He could barely breathe. "Without you I never would've felt like this."
    "Like what?" he was able to ask and Aurora pulled back to look at him. Gods, he wanted her. He wanted to take her upstairs and show her how much he needed her, respected her, adored her. There was no one here. They wouldn't have audience when he would worship her in every way possible.
    When Aurora blinked he was in the real world, looking at her. "Like I am truly alive."

Azriel barely slept. Up in the House of the Wind he stared at his ceiling. And yes, he had masturbated again and again, and still the pressure in his body didn't seem to lessen.
    He knew what would help him.
   But his solution was asleep, and he was turning in his bed.
   Swallowing heavily, Azriel tried to sleep again. It seemed impossible. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw hers. Smelled her scent, heard her sing and could recall the feeling when they had danced on the bridge.
    Gods, he wanted her.
   Oh gods, he was in love.

The next day, again they were all in Rhys and Feyre's house. Elain was showing Aurora how to plant certain plants. The ground was a little frozen, but the ladies didn't seem to care.
    Azriel couldn't stop looking at her. She had her hair in a messy bun on her head and was wearing a thin sweater. It was a little bit too cold for short sleeves.
    Nesta was trying to beat Rhys with chess. Amren wasn't here—she was in the library, determined find a solution. Feyre was upstairs, taking care of Nyx. He had to get his afternoon sleep. Cassian tried to keep up with Nesta and Rhys.
    "You're cheating, Rhys"
    "I am certainly not."
    "Then I don't understand that move."
    "Cassian," said Nesta, "you don't understand chess. Big difference."
    "Here," said Elain. "Now you try."
   Aurora took the little spade Elain handed her over. She carefully watched out that she didn't touch Elain's skin.
    Aurora smiled. "Tell me if I am doing it wrong," she said as she dug a little hole.
    Elain smiled back. "Don't worry, I will..."
    She couldn't finish her sentence
   As soon as Aurora grabbed the plant, she started screaming. The plant died in her hands. The grass she was touching and everything that was planted in the ground, turned grey.
    The garden died.
    Azriel immediately got up on his feet, ready to run over to her. Was she okay? What happened? He needed to protect her. All these thoughts were like a hurricane in his mind.
   But he stopped dead in his tracks when she turned to him.
    Her eyes were pitch black.
   The shadows around her were like the legs of a spider and Rhys was trying to cast a shield over her, made out the black nights and filled with red stars.
    Death broke the shield in a thousand sparkling pieces.
    Elain rushed over to Nesta, who covered her sister with her body. Cassian used his red magic, but nothing seemed to help. Instead, his magic was bend towards him and held his body. The warrior, Azriel's brother, was so powerful that he could misshape the Illyrian magic against its owner.
    "You can't take her from me!" Death screamed, his voice old and raspy. "I won't allow the things you do to my property. You are ruining it!"
    Azriel was disgusted by the way Death talked. It gave him chills and his instincts told him to run.
    He stayed.
    "We never took Aurora," he said. "She's happy!"
    He would probably not care. And Azriel's thoughts were right.
    Death snorted. "She is my promised bride, shadowsinger. And not yours."
    Azriel was taken aback by that comment, just like everyone else. He could swear that he heard Elain held in a sob. Nesta pushed herself and her sister inside, probably to look for Feyre and make sure she wouldn't leave Nyx's bedroom.
   "You all can't free her," Death said and pointed with Aurora's finger at them. "She belongs to me, and me alone! She says yes to me, agreed with being mine."
    Azriel stepped closer.
    Death hissed like a wounded animal.
    "You!" The finger was pointing at him. Next to the rage on the face of Death, of Aurora, pure fear flashed by for just a second. Why? What was he afraid of?
"Shadowsinger, born in the tower. You stay away. Far away from us!"
Azriel was the only one that got close to Aurora.
Was that the reason Death was scared of him?
    "I have never been a danger to her!" screamed Azriel and Rhys tried to get closer as well. Death used its power to push his High Lord away. Shadows as sharp as the thorns of a rose pushed him down. He tried to get up, but Death his claws were stronger than Rhys's.
Not even Rhys was able to help Azriel out right now. He was delivered to Death's mercy. He could take Azriel if he wanted.
His instincts told him to run, to fight. He didn't to neither.
    Azriel decided that it would be better to talk with Death right now. He needed to distract him, so that Death would not take his life. He wasn't ready to leave yet. Not like this.
"I am not dangerous."
But Death didn't agree and showed Aurora's teeth. His harsh voice boomed over the field, making the ground shake.
    "Yes, you are a danger. To me!"
    Death growled at all of them. "Leave us alone."
    And in a cloud of shadows and wind, Aurora disappeared to a place that was unknown.