Shadows Whisper | | Azriel

63

Astryn woke before sunrise the next morning to be ready for training with Cassian. They met in the dining room and had breakfast and it was the first time in over a month she had anything other than pancakes for breakfast but she didn't mind it as Cassian droned on about the importance of starting off the day with something nutritious. It was objectively quite boring but she missed listening to him talk, so she listened attentively as if it was the most interesting thing she had ever heard.

After breakfast, they went out to train.

"Show me how much you've practiced," Cassian requested, an easy grin on his face as he stood back to give her space.

She launched right into it, overly aware of his eyes on her in a way she hadn't really thought much of before. She was quickly discovering that she liked that assessing stare of his on her. She did everything perfectly and then looked to him, finding him beaming with pride.

"You did so good," he praised, and she tried to ignore the warm feeling it gave her inside, "that was perfect! I'm so proud of you."

She really couldn't ignore that feeling, or the guilt it left her with. Her face went slightly red and he was visibly surprised by the reaction.

"I—if we're done for the day, I'm going to go see if Azriel wants to make pancakes," she blurted out, and was heading off before he could even respond.

"We'll start practicing some new things tomorrow," he called out after her, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He had caught the scent of her arousal, but she had Azriel had barely returned from their getaway and he assumed it had to be leftover from the frenzy. Maybe they were wrong about the frenzy being over and she and Azriel needed a few more days in bed away from everyone.

She hurried off to find Azriel just barely finishing off getting dressed after bathing. He picked up on her guilt—and her arousal—immediately.

"Are you okay?" he asked, a bit alarmed at that particular mix of feelings.

"I—do you remember the thing...you know about having sex with more than one person at once," she brought up, her face almost entirely red.

"Yes," Azriel answered slowly, trying to put this all together. He knew she had just come back from training with Cassian, and she now reeled of arousal and was asking about threesomes. It really wasn't difficult to see where this was going. "Is it something you'd be interested in trying?"

"Would it be bad if I wanted to try?" she inquired softly, finding it entirely impossible to meet his eyes.

"Of course not," he assured her gently, "it's something I've done before, many times. When everyone involved is comfortable with each other and there's trust and respect, it can be very fun."

"What if...what if he didn't want to and I ruined our whole friendship by wanting it and he didn't want to talk to me anymore and it ruined everything?" she rambled, face somehow getting even more red. "What if he doesn't think I'm attractive or he thinks I'm bad for wanting it?"

"Slow down," he instructed calmly, and she took a deep breath to try to relax herself. "Anyone who thinks you're bad for having desires isn't worthy of you anyway. And...you sound like you have a specific person in mind here. Who are you thinking about?"

Azriel wasn't stupid. He knew there was only one person she could be considering. She knew two males other than him and one of them was her brother so he certainly wasn't an option. That just left one other person. He just wanted to hear her say it.

"I was just...you know," Astryn stammered, struggling to find words. "He's...I don't know."

"I think you do," Azriel spoke in that soft, sensual tone. "You can tell me, darling. I won't be upset, I promise."

"Cassian," she muttered, staring down at the floor instead of meeting Azriel's stare.

"Look at me, Astryn," Azriel ordered, still in that same tone that made her squirm. She finally looked at him, finding his eyes full of interest and a smile spread across his lips. "If you want this, and if Cassian agrees to it—which I have no doubt he will—then we'll do it."

"You really want to?" she asked, leaning into his touch when he brought his palm up to her cheek.

"I want you to have every experience you want," he told her, "and I'm not...like I said already, it's something I've done before and thoroughly enjoyed."

"Was it...who was it?" Astryn inquired, and Azriel grinned widely.

"Cassian and I have bedded a female together before," he informed her, and her eyes widened with interest.

"So, do you think he would want to? With...with us?" she prompted, violet eyes so bright.

"I think he would be very eager to join us," Azriel confirmed with a nod. "Why don't you ask him, darling? How about the three of us have dinner together and discuss it?"

She nodded, eyes still wide. Her eyes didn't close until he leaned down and kissed her. They fluttered shut then and she kissed him back. He pulled her close to him and she felt the tension drain away.

Azriel pulled back with a devilish grin as he tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Do you want to do it soon?" he asked, to which she nodded. "We can have dinner just the three of us tonight and discuss it then. You should go talk to him."

"Do you think—what if he doesn't want to?" she muttered, a bit of tension returning now.

"I have zero doubts that he'll want to but, if he didn't, you asking wouldn't change anything between any of us. He wouldn't think of you any differently for wanting it," he assured her, "he'd likely just be flattered you trust him enough to even ask."

With that extra boost of confidence from Azriel's assurance, Astryn left their room and went back to Cassian.