i n t h e s h a d o w s - a z r i e l (slow updates)

Chapter 27

"So, when were you going to tell us that you have black shadows like Azriel?" Rhysand had called a meeting at the house. He needed to know what powers Eileánóir had, it was obsessing him. Not knowing how powerful she might be, whether or not she could be a thread at some point. 

"Why do you care?" Eileánóir arched a brow. "Are you scared that I might be more powerful than you?" She laughed. "C'mon Rhys, I'm 21 and supposed to be a human."

"Yeah but you're not," Rhys said, tensed. "Humans don't have powers." 

"Well then, tell me what I am cause I'm as clueless as you right now," Eileánóir said, sitting on the couch beside Mor. Everyone was here as she had observed and based on the looks Rhysand is giving to the door, he's waiting for someone else. 

"That's why I called for this meeting," Rhys said and as soon as he finished the sentence, someone had arrived at the front door. 

"Why did you bring Helion and Eris?" Eileánóir didn't know how she knew but it was like she could feel their powers and recognize them. Rhysand looked even more clueless than before at the red-headed before opening the door to let the two High Lords in.  

"Rhysand, my friend, why did you want us to come so quickly, is there new information on Hybern?" Helion entered the room, brightening the room as if he brought the sun with him. 

Eileánóir smiled and ran to Eris to greet him. They had grown so much closer since she got here, not that Azriel was happy about it but she was glad that he didn't show it. 

"And what do we have to do to get this greeting?" Helion laughed at the human who hugged Eris. 

Eileánóir laughed and hugged Helion too. "Happy?" 

"Okay now that everyone is here, there's something important we have to discuss," Rhysand said, gesturing to the table he prepared with stacks of books, asking silently everyone to sit around it. 

"Do you want to create a book club? You didn't have to send an urgent note for that," Helion arched a brow, sitting beside his friend.

"Helion, I appreciate your humour, but I'm really not in the mood for that right now," The High Lord of the Night Court massaged his temples. He had clearly not slept for a long time and had probably read those books on the table multiple times. 

Eris frowned and sat too, beside Helion. "So what is it?"

Eileánóir sat beside her mate and held his hand, stressed about what could possibly stress Rhysand out. 

"I asked you all to be here because we need to know what you are," He looked at the only supposed human around the table. 

"You won't give up on this won't you?" Azriel stood up. "I told you to give up on this and leave her alone." He seemed angry like Rhys had bothered him a lot about his mate and what she could be. 

"Sit down Az' please," his mate's sweet voice calmed him down and made him sit beside her again. "It's okay," she smiled softly, brushing his hand with her thumb. 

"I understand Azriel," Rhys began. "But with the battle coming up, we need to know the extend of her powers and what else she could do. 

"So you're already asking her to sacrifice herself and now you want her to spend the last days before the battle trying to figure out her powers?" It was Eris' turn to look angry. He had heard about what Rhysand had asked Eileánóir to do for Prythian. He knew it was one of the only solutions to get out of this war without getting thousands killed but still, it was his friend they were talking about. 

"First of all, she had already thought about that before I asked her and second of all, it's our only solution," Rhys said. 

"She is right here and can talk for herself," Eileánóir said, standing up. We could feel the tension building up in the room. Everyone was on edge because of Hybern and even if they'd tried to spend the last days trying to forget about it and just enjoying their days, it was difficult. 

"Look," She continued. "Y'all talk like I'm going to die on that field and you don't even know that." It was true, they were talking about a sacrifice like she's going to die for them which she would if it meant to protect her mate, but she planned otherwise. Only she knew how powerful she was and was quiet about it because she knew Rhysand wasn't only passionate about her powers to know if she would have enough powers to beat Hybern or to survive after that. She could feel, deep down, that he was scared. Scared of how powerful she could be, what she could do against his family, even if she was his shadowsinger's mate. 

"But you might," Eris began. Only Helion was quiet. And by the look Eileánóir and he exchanged, she knew that he knew. He had the knowledge at his court. There could be something in his library speaking about someone like her. He knew something for sure. 

"And I might not, you don't know that," she smiled at him. "What I'm trying to say is," she turned to Rhysand. "Even if you did know how powerful I was, what would it change ?" She wanted him to say it. Say that he was scared for his own ass. As she asked that, she felt how uncomfortable he was, how he realized that she knew the real reason why he was doing all that fuss. 

"I just want to know if my court and my family will be safe," he finally said, both of them staring at each other. Not a lie but not the whole truth. 

Eileánóir smiled, knowing that the High Lord knew the truth about that answer. "They're my family too now, it feels like you're forgetting that," she looked at him then at the books scattered on the table. "Then again, I'm not against putting a word on what I am but I doubt there's something interesting in those."

"I think I know someone who might help figure you out if you really want it," It was Eris who spoke. Since he had become the High Lord, he had learnt even more about his Court and discovered a person his dad hid for all of those years. 

"I don't think we'll have time for that," Azriel's voice broke the silence after his shadows reported back to him and with one look at her mate, Eileánóir understood.

The great battle was starting. 

_____

I'm SO sorry for the delay of this chapter and the non-existence of the Halloween chapter I was talking about. Life has been rough for everyone and my mind wasn't exactly on writing these last months. 

Hope you enjoyed that chapter either way!