𝒜 𝒞𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝑅𝑒𝓈𝒾𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒮𝒸𝒶𝓇𝓈 | ᴀᴢʀɪᴇʟ

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Cassian's mouth rounded, taking a step of action forward as the coloured water made a waterfall down Rhysand's front, soaking the loose, black collared shirt. "Whoa, sweetheart," he said, taking the glass from Arwen's hand. "That's Rhys, not Azriel."

She didn't relent her glare. "I know damn well who he is. And he knows damn well what he did."

Cassian considered then that he might take back his musing about the siblings never bringing out true anger in each other. His eyes flooded with uncertainty, then turned on Rhysand with accusation. The High Lord gaped at his sister, wiping a hand down his open mouth. "Me?"

Arwen took a step forward as Cassian placed the glass safely on the bench. "Yes, you." There was a fire burning in her eyes in a way that made her eyes no longer look like a gleaming jewel, but molten. "You know exactly what you did."

Cassian stepped even closer, moving to grip both her arms from behind. Not to restrain, but to offer something to gravitate to. "Arwen, Azriel is fine. They both are." It was the only reason he could guess she'd be this upset. But how she knew what had happened through the night was a mystery, unless she hadn't been as unconscious as he thought.

Rhysand collected himself, not taking a step away, seeming to confidently believe that she would do little else to him—physically, at least. And Cassian believed it too, which was why his grip was firm but gentle. "Arwen—what he said to you... You expect me to ignore that?"

What had Azriel said to her, was the question reeling through Cassian's mind. His lips parted as he debated butting in to ask.

But Arwen's, "I don't care about that," stopped him. And Rhysand. She stood stiffly under the warrior's grasp, not even acknowledging that it was there. "Of course I don't want him hurt, but that's not why I'm upset. You're my brother and I know you would defend me to your last breath just as I would for you, so I am not upset that you acted in my defence. I'm not upset that you were angry on my behalf." Her chest lifted in a heaved breath. It sounded as though she was pushing herself to get those words out whilst she remained composed. He wasn't sure if it was so that Rhysand understood, or if she wanted to clarify it with herself first. "But I didn't need your anger, Rhysand. I didn't need you to do anything."

Rhysand rolled his jaw. "It wasn't your anger I was acting on. It was mine. It was my own anger and I have a right to do with it as I will."

"It wasn't your memory to be angry about!"

This time, Cassian did tighten his grip as she moved forward, but moved the step with her so he didn't hold her trapped in one place. "This would be a lot easier to keep up with if I understood what was going on," he groused, not really expecting to be heard, let alone acknowledge.

Arwen lifted her chin and leant back slightly until her shoulder lightly tapped against his breast. "My dear brother," she sang lowly, "decided to get me drunk all in the efforts of making me talk about things I didn't want to."

Cassian's eyes managed to dull yet sharpen at the same time as they moved from the side of the female's head across the Rhysand who had the face of a guilty male caught red-handed in the act. Not in the regret of being caught, the general did note, but with distress at what it had come to. Still, he said, "I had to, Arwen. You wouldn't tell me what he said to you, and I could see that it was hurting you."

"You shouldn't have pried."

"He hurt you!"

"Ten years ago!" Arwen screamed, her voice rasping at the end. Rhysand was panting slightly now and Cassian's gaze was determinedly flickering between them both. "He hurt me ten years ago. But he had never done anything like that since. I don't know what was going through his head when he said those things and I never asked. Most days I forget about it but there are other times that yes, it does hurt and yesterday happened to be one of them."