Of Love and Shadows

The Mother

Thalia

"What the hell are you doing here?" I laughed as I stood up, helping Luke to his feet.

I had not talked to Luke ever since Azriel and Cassian had taken me into the House a month ago. It was strange to see him here because I had not thought of him ever since the mating bond had clicked into place with Azriel. I felt slightly guilty for not contacting him.

"Well, I'm part of the Summer Court recruits." Luke laughed as he pulled me into a hug.

"Well, you never told me that." I said as he let me go.

"You never asked." Luke snorted. "Did you get a tattoo?"

"Oh," I held out my hands and smiled at the markings on my hands. "No, my mate and I made a bargain."

"Mate?" A look crossed his face but it was gone before I could read it.

"Yeah, I and Azriel are mates." I nodded.

"Azriel, as in the Spymaster, Azriel?" He asked.

I couldn't read Luke's body language. "Why, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing," Luke scratched his head.

I gave him a look. "Nothing my ass."

I felt his presence before Azriel wrapped his arm around me from behind me.

"Hello," Azriel said to Luke and I rolled my eyes at the possessive look on his face. Azriel was usually stoic, but now he was acting like a possessive Illyrian baby.

"You must be, Azriel, the High Lord's Spymaster." Luke held out his hand and they gripped forearms.

"Azriel, this is Luke. He was the one who found me and took me in when I had nowhere else to go," I said before they could start bumping fists.

The look on my mate's face seemed to dim when he heard Luke had helped me.

"Nice to meet you," Azriel said. I didn't miss the hidden tone in his voice and pinched his side.

"Pleasure," Luke nodded.

Azriel turned to look at me and I raised an eyebrow. "Rhys said to meet him in his war tent," Azriel said and I nodded.

"We'll talk later, Luke," I said to Luke and gave Azriel a kiss on the cheek. That seemed to calm his Illyrian possessiveness.

I walked through the camp and went into the tent. I knew it might be a bad idea to leave them back there together, but Luke was like a brother to me so there shouldn't be a problem.

Only Rhys was there. I had thought he wanted me to meet the High Lord of Summer but it was only him and no one else. So I stepped into the spacious tent reluctantly.

"You called?" I said as a way of greeting.

"Yes," Rhys said as he stood from his seat at the war table. "We need to talk."

==================

I had my father pinned to the wall with a dagger to his throat. More like the man who was pretending to be my father.

"Who are you and where is my father?" I snarled in his face.

I blanched when his skin and hair changed into that of a monster with sharp teeth that made his jaw protrude out of his mouth, sunken eyes that stared at me with humor, and his ears pointed to a sharper point.

I screamed when he suddenly began to shake and quiver until I had fallen to the ground. I stood on my feet, standing in a defensive stance as the monster began to quiver and shook madly until his legs began to morph together.

I wanted to throw up as a snake's tail formed in the place of his legs.

I absolutely loathe snakes.

"You are to come with me to the King of Hybern," the thing hissed, a forked tongue slithering out of his mouth, drool dripping from its mouth as he took in my scent.

I didn't know what it was, but the second I charged at the thing to cut out its heart, his snake's tail wrapped around my body in a bone-crushing hold. The sound of my dagger hitting the floor filled my ears.

The creature laughed as he licked my face and I shrieked as pain sliced though where the creature had licked. Immediately I felt sick.

I pulled hard on my and Azriel's bond, pulled so hard I was scared it might snap.

Then everything went dark.

====================

I awoke with a gasp and tried to reach for Synthiax when I realized my hands and feet were tied.

"Shit," I cursed at the headache that bloomed at my temples.

"Shit indeed," chuckled a voice behind me.

I opened my eyes to see that I was in what looked to be a room of torture. Weapons of torture of every variety were pinned to the walls, and I began to pull and thrash against my holdings.

The voice clicked its tongue and I tensed as a shadowy figure stepped into the light.

"Now that's not a very nice way to say thank you."

It was the King of Hybern.

=====================

I screamed as the blade slashed through the skin of my stomach, pulling apart my skin and drawing blood.

They weren't asking questions, this wasn't a plan to get information, this was a plan to kill me slowly.

I had already been beaten until both of my eyes were swollen shut and I had a gash on my cheeks that would surely scar.

I had pleaded and pleaded for them to stop, that I'll give them answers. I would never betray my father and tell them the truth, but anything was better than the torture the male was causing.

I sobbed as the King stabbed daggers through my wings, screamed as he cut my wrists until blood puddled on the floors, pleaded as he sliced a deep gash down my thighs, and cried when he made me wish I was dead.

I was already close to death and everything was beginning to blur.

I would welcome this death, if it meant it could just stop.

I was a coward. A damned coward.

I still had yet to learn to fly, and had yet to build my and Azriel's family. Had yet to spend time with Rhysand and laugh with Feyre and Mor. Had yet to understand Nesta and Elain. I had yet to live, to have my freedom.

But as the darkness took me under, I prayed to the Mother I would see them again.

======================

Darkness was a friend as it covered my body in a soft blanket. It caressed my body as I slept and floated along the river of silence.

Until a voice spoke gently into the darkness. "Thalia," it was a voice soft and sweet as it floated closer and closer, almost motherly in a horrifying way.

I couldnt move my body.

Wake up, the motherly voice said softly into my ears. It was all around me, surrounding me until the echo quieted down.

My heart lodged itself in my throat as I floated in the never-ending darkness.

I tried to move but my body wouldnt let me.

Wake up, wake up, wake up,

I heard screaming in the distance, the sound reverberating against my ears. I wanted badly to cover my ears, but i couldnt move, couldnt think, as the screaming grew louder.

I realized it was me screaming when my throat began to hurt.

WAKE UP, WAKE, UP, WAKE UP!

I woke up.