A Court of Dreams and Promise

Chapter Fifty-Four

Azriel

Pain sliced through the bond, overwhelming every feeling, every thought that Azriel had.

Velaria's body collapsed into his, her dull violet eyes staring up at the ceiling. He caught her instantly.

Azriel scanned her face, running an anxious hand through her hair. "Vel, Vel, please," he whispered, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Vel, no. I won't lose you again."

Rhysand stared at the scene, unmoving.

Velaria's eyelids started to close, her body beginning to go limp.

"Hey, Vel, no, no," Azriel said frantically. "Vel, stay with me. Keep your eyes open for me, love, please. Vel."

Velaria blinked long and slow, reaching a trembling hand to Azriel's, interlacing their fingers. "I...love you," she said hoarsely.

"I love you, too," Azriel said as a tear fell off his cheek and onto hers. "So stay with me."

Then Velaria closed her eyes.

And didn't reopen them.

"Vel. Velaria. Come back to me." Ignoring his own pain, Azriel began to shake Velaria's shoulders. "Velaria. Velaria. No." He pressed his ear to his mate's chest, feeling her heartbeat slower and slower.

And then–

Piercing pain roared its way down the bond, slicing and tearing its way through their connection.

No–

Azriel couldn't think, the silence in his ears deafening. Velaria's presence was getting fainter and fainter on the other side of the bond. He looked around, panicked, as he brought Velaria to his chest.

He pulled the bond and pulled. Hard.

Stay with me. Stay with me. Stay with me, he begged, over and over again, rocking back and forth on the floor with his mate in his arms.

But no response came.

And Azriel began to scream.

✿ ↬ - - - ↫ ✿

Feyre

She stood, trembling in the corner. She stood there and watched as Velaria's eyes closed, as her body went limp, as Azriel, the emotionless shadowsinger she had known, began to scream.

His screams were horrid, ragged sobs of pain. A sound like she had wished never to hear again.

She needed to do something, stop standing in this fucking corner and watching as the world fell to pieces.

Before she could even think, Feyre jumped onto Rhysand's back and let that golden power flow.

Rhysand jerked at the sudden touch, but she held strong, desperately shoving all of the power she could through the connection between her and her mate. She pushed the power further and further.

Rhysand began to fight back, clawing at Feyre on his back, spinning around every which way as he tried to get her off.

But still Feyre held on. For the broken shadowsinger sobbing on the floor. For her mate's sister who had fought when no one felt like fighting anymore. For the broken court of dreams she had left behind in Velaris. For her son.

Shadows attacked her out of every corner, swarming her vision. Feyre only gritted her teeth, pressing her hands harder on Rhysand's neck, even as the shadows began to slam into her arms and legs.