Lovely Demise

⊘⊘7

I have found that it was relatively easy to lose track of time in the city.

It's been almost three weeks since coming to Velaris, and I had quickly gotten into a routine that was proving to be more on the procrastination side than anything else. My mornings were generally spent in the library—where I had moved from stacking books to being a personal assistant to one of the Priestesses. Her name was Nadia, and thankfully she only had a few things for me to do in the day before she let me go.

Lydia has quickly become both a thorn in my side and a close 'friend'. I could tell that she was eager to finally have someone to be with after being alone for most of her time in the city, but she made it hard to sneak away and do some digging of my own.

The very few times I managed to sneak away never amounted to much anyways—it seems that even in his own city, Rhysand was a very reserved man. It was infuriating.

After that one night at Rita's, I haven't seen Azriel or his group of friends again, and I soon found myself becoming a regular at the place just to catch a glimpse of them. Their absence had been noticed by some of the patrons—and it ignited a sense of urgency in me to find out what they could be doing.

Their absence could mean a great many things—and not many of them were good.

I would often stew over my thoughts on the small hill that I had found—and the spot had quickly become some kind of sanctuary to me, and I found myself there more often than not. It was the one place that I felt like I could breathe, and it was the only time I let my thoughts flow freely.

I was there watching the sunset on the three-week mark of me leaving home. My mind was filled with a million ways to kill Rhysand—but none of them ended with me being alive, and all of them had a very very low chance of succeeding.

My best shot was getting close with Azriel—but he had been missing in action, and it annoyed me to no end. If my father could see me right now, he'd be furious, but I had to force him out of my mind, knowing that he was a distraction I didn't need.

I was so lost in my thoughts I didn't hear the first twig snap—but my instincts kicked in after hearing the second.

My hand was wrapped around the hilt of my dagger and my body sprung into the air, my entire body going tense upon hearing the intruding sound. "Fucking hell—You can put that down."

The voice cut through the air like a blade, and I instantly drop my hands when I see the male standing on the edge of the hill. I drop my dagger back into my boot, pursing my lips together tightly as I feel my mask slowly glide into place. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting company." I mumble, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

Bleh.

I hated how unsure I sounded, but with Azriel standing a mere four feet away in all his fucking glory, I couldn't afford any slip ups.

I watch with wary eyes as he shrugs his shoulders, his wings moving behind him as he cocked his head to the side. "Neither was I." He muses softly, and I go back to my seated position on the ground, ignoring him entirely as I stare once more at the setting sun.

"Well, I was here first, so I think you're the one interrupting." I point out, and I hear the male let out a low laugh as he sits down next to me, his large wings tucked in tightly behind him. I can see his shadows twirling around his body—and I wonder if he realizes that he hasn't hidden them from view this time.

I hear him sigh as he leans back, his hands digging into the soft earth behind him. "I've been coming here far longer than you have—so I think by default the spot is mine." He jokes, and I roll my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest.