Of Love and Shadows

The Flight

Thalia

"Teach me how to fly." I told Azriel right when we were going to take off from the Day Court back to Summer.

After our session of rolling in the sheets this morning, I seemed more energetic than usual. I found that my wounds were fully healed, even my wings. And my light wanted to play.

"Right now?" Azriel asked me, a constellation of stars in his hazel eyes.

"I know I said until this war is over and we have more time," I told him. "But right now, the wings really are just in the way. Plus, it's kind of boring having you fly me everywhere when I can be doing it myself."

Azriel chuckled, kissing my temple, before taking a step back from me. "Alright, spread your wings. If there isn't any pain in your back muscles and you've been doing those exercises I recommended, it should be easy."

"And then you'll push me over the cliff?" I said, trying --and failing--to hold in a smirk.

"No," Azriel chuckled, a gorgeous smile reserved only for me on his deathly handsome face.

I didn't miss the mischievous glint in his eyes, his cobalt siphons gleaming in the late morning sun.

I huffed, knowing he wouldn't tell me anything and lifted my wings, spreading them to their full span. The sun felt nice and warm on the sensitive membrane; I dreaded going back to Illyria and back to the cold.

Ever since I was thrown in the cauldron, and came out with wings, Az told me to start loosening and tightening my back muscles, lifting and dropping my wings, until it was a sixth sense to hold them off the ground and control them how I needed to.

Azriel circled me, and I tried not to focus on his heated gaze as he did.

When he was standing back in front of me, the look on his face confused me.

"What?" I said.

"Do you trust me, my love?"

"Of cour-" my reply was cut off by my scream when he grabbed my waist and launched us into the sky so fast I felt my heart drop to my feet.

The wind whooshed past my ears, blowing my hair into my face, and I clung to my mate like my life depended on it.

"Fucking bastard!" I screamed at my mate as we came to a steady hover above the clouds.

We were so high up, that the air here was slightly thinner, but it was beautiful. The clouds and the sun created so many beautiful colors, that I wanted Feyre to paint this sight for me.

It would look even more beautiful if my heart wasn't trying to beat its way out of my chest.

"Why did you do that?!" I screamed, my light and darkness swirling around both of us, as if to protect us from falling.
I knew Azriel would catch me before I could.

Hopefully.

“I'm going to drop you.” Azriel said, loosening his grip on me.

“”W-what! Don't you dare.” I exclaimed, grabbing a tighter hold of my mate. I shouldn't have looked down, I couldn't even see the ground below the clouds.

“I'll catch you before you hit the ground.” Azriel tried to reason.

“That is not reassuring at all!”

What the hell is he doing? I thought he would push me off a cliff, and even so, that was supposed to be a joke.

He kissed my forehead, then I was free falling.

My scream was muffled by the harsh ringing of the wind in my ears. My hair whipped in front of my face, creating black wisps in the blue of the sky. My heart lodged itself in my throat. I was going to die all because I don't know how to fly.

Through all the panic, I heard my mate shout down the bond.

Calm down and look up!

There. Beyond my hair, I could see Azriel. A beautiful shadow against the brightness of the sun.

FLAP! NOW! Backstroke! I've got you. This time, he sounded reassuring.

With every ounce of my being, I clenched my teeth as I stretched and flapped my wings back, and then up.

Good. Again.

I flapped again and again.

Before I knew it, I was steady and not plummeting.

The muscles in my back roared in pain, but I pushed that aside as I angled them so I could see straight ahead.

A hysterical laugh bubbled up my throat when I realized that I was flying and not plummeting to my death.

I had freedom.