𝒜 𝒞𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝑅𝑒𝓈𝒾𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒮𝒸𝒶𝓇𝓈 | ᴀᴢʀɪᴇʟ

Chapter 107

Chapter 107

*Two warnings
1. NSFW
2. I am not good at NSFW so please take this then forget it ever exists. 

The dress she had chosen for the night was a tight, black thing. But with Rhysand's warning of what the night would entail ringing through her head of what the night beheld for her, she changed into a deep, river-blue dress with a skirt that flowed like water. Clearing the expanse of her vanity, Arwen sat perched on it, feet propped on the chair as she fiddled with her bracelet, waiting for Azriel to return from downstairs.

When he did, she was met with a smile. "This is one of my favourites," he said. At the tilt of her head, he clarified, "The colour. It's not a match, but it makes your eyes look alive."

"As opposed to when I look dead?"

The humour the tease was supposed to bring fell short on them both. Swallowing away the sudden dryness in her throat, Arwen rested her head on the side of his shoulder, finding comfort in the way his rested atop hers. He let her stay there for a while, let the moment be shed and forgotten.

His fingers ghosted her spine. "Here."

He placed something wrapped in thin paper into her lap. Arwen quietly peeled the tissue away, revealing the sea of diamonds inside. At first, she thought he was literally giving her a pile of them, perhaps to do as she pleased with, but realised as she picked one up that they all came with it. It was almost a ladder of some sort. Diamonds hung across thin silver chains from side to side—around ten lines of them. They were all connected by another chain that weaved through the middle of them like a spine. On the ends of each row were small slip-clips that would snag onto even the thinnest of material.

Azriel picked an end up. "You can wear it on your dresses. The backless ones." He idly traced shapes on her back.

Arwen delicately folded the gift back into the wrappings. "Thank you." She loved the gift, and more importantly, she loved him. But she did not love her scars and the story they told. Decorating them would not hide what she felt. "Are we ready to go?"

Placing the gift aside, she planted her hands on the lip of the vanity and began to push until hands on her face kept her still. Azriel kissed her, soft and only once. She lifted her hand, fingers skimming his jaw but he leant away before anything else. "Ready."

~

"Come on!"

Cassian shook his head, resisting her eager tug. "Can't sweetheart, hurt my ankle yesterday."

The music thrummed through the Rainbow, lanterns with glass coverings of all colours painting the plaza in a way that matched its namesake. "You are such a liar!" But in good nature, she laughed. "I want to dance with you. You danced with me on your birthday."

It was hot. The back of her neck was clammy and she was sure if it weren't for her new perfume, she would have smelt horrid by now, but the night felt... Right. Having gotten over the shock of the day.

Cassian nodded to his side where Rhys had hobbled to, sinking down into the metal seat moments before Cassian returned with his drink. "Dance with Rhys."

"I just did," she whined. "Now he's complaining about his feet hurting." Rhys winced through a smile. Cassian looked at him, then back at her, the widening of his eyes saying And now you want to do that to me? "It's my birthday, Cass."

"I gave you more than enough presents," he proclaimed, twisting their hands around so he gripped hers instead—putting himself in control. "Where's Az?"

Arwen grinned to herself. "Said he was getting something to drink but he's going back for that painting I liked." For a spymaster, he was a terrible liar. She let it slide for both their sakes—his face when he would give it to her would be worth the pretend. "Dance with me, please."