A Court of Horizon and Shadows

52.

! {WARNING: EXPLICIT CONTENT} !

Auriella walked through the woods alone, the moonlight beaming down upon her.

She kept her steady pace, her heart was beating out of her chest, feeling that it might burst at any moment. She wondered if she was getting ahead of herself if she should winnow back to the House of Wind and confine herself in her room.

Her mind urged her to turn back, but her heart yearned for her to keep moving forward, to head to the Spymaster's cabin.

Auriella didn't even know what she would say to him once she saw him. Her body was filled with too much nervousness to let her think straight. She felt the sweat build upon the palms of her hands, rubbing them on the fabric of her cardigan.

Mate. Mate. Mate. Her shadows whispered.

They danced all around her, brightening in the darkness. She smiled at them, feeling accomplished at improving her shadowsinger abilities. Doing it all without Azriel was a challenge, but she did it nonetheless, knowing that war was coming soon.

Auriella didn't know how she could be heading to her mate at a time like this, seeing all the havoc The Being had caused in the courts. For three months, her priority had been to find answers and seek the truth, and to fight off the creatures that tried to get into the courts. But now...

Everything had changed.

Auriella could see the cabin only a few feet away from her. Her heart hammered against her chest, mixed with anxiousness and excitement. She could hear the soothing sounds of the waterfall, but it did not make her heartbeat any slower.

As she stepped onto the wooden porch, Auriella wasn't able to hear any movement from inside. When she moved to the window, she could only see two candles burning on the nightstands.

It illuminated the cabin enough for her to see how minimal her mate lived. Everything inside was... simple. The entire space was his room, kitchen, and bathroom at the same time. It seemed that he didn't mind it, as long as it was his own.

Auriella smiled. She didn't know how the Spymaster of the Night Court could be so boring when it came to his home. She wished she could joke with him about it, teasing him until he kissed her to shut up. But she had no idea where their relationship stood.

Through the bond, she knew that he wasn't near. She wondered if he was in Velaris, visiting his companions or if he was off somewhere else; somewhere where he didn't have to see her face.

Auriella's heart tightened at the thought. She didn't want him to be avoiding her, even though she definitely deserved it. She wanted him to be near her, to speak with her, to kiss her or hold her tight. And if he wanted nothing but silence, she would give it to him for as long as he needed.

She never wanted to be without him again.

As she started walking away from her mate's home, Auriella couldn't help but glance at the waterfall. It gleamed upon the moon's reflection, making it more beautiful than it already was. She remembered feeling the cool water against her fingers the day before she left for the Dawn Court; the day that changed her forever.

Auriella walked towards it, stopping right before the water touched her feet.

She wondered how cool the water would feel against her body. It was as if it tempted her to submerge herself into it, to be at peace for a while and forget about everything that burdened her. She didn't want to think about her family, The Being, or about anything at all.

She only wanted a moment of peace.

Auriella shrugged off her cardigan, tossing it onto the grass. Before she took off the rest of her clothing, she looked behind her, hoping that there were no lingering eyes that spied upon her, but she knew that she was alone.