𝒲𝒶𝓇 𝑜𝒻 𝐻𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓉𝓈 || Azriel (ACOTAR)

𝘛𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦

"Drink this. It'll help with the hangover."

Rhys is playing a dangerous game. Every night, he has Feyre dressed in the most revealing outfits I've ever seen, painted head to toe and drugged for most of the night.

The drug is for her to not remember the Faes Amarantha tortures each night after dinner and the paint to bring her peace of mind.

"I'm not taking anything from you." Feyre said, trying to cover her body. I sighed and removed the cloak around me and stepped inside the cell.

"Then at least take this. You look like you're one day away from freezing to death." I crouched down and did my best to cover her with the cloak. "Rumor has it your final trial is soon. You need to have full strength because it might be the last thing you ever do."

"Do you have-"

"A clue as to what it is? No. And I can't help you with the riddle either. She'll kill me before I even get a word out." I shrugged and sat across from her, setting down the glass of water and tonic between us. "If it brings you peace of mind, the paint is mostly for you."

"Sorry?"

"So you know where he touches you. My brother may be an asshole, but he'd never take advantage of a woman. Our mother raised him to be respectful... and it helps hide the tattoo."

"So why the bargain?" She asked, trying to discreetly grab the tonic and I pretended to not see anything.

"The ways of our Court." I shrugged and showed her my left arm. "I have a bargain hanging over my head as well with one of Rhysand's closest friends. It's tradition in the Night Court so the one with the tattoo actually follows through if they wish for the tattoo to be removed."

"And that's possible?"

"For my kind, tattoos are sacred just as much as the wings on my back. Some represent important milestones in our lives, others represent bargains like the ones you and I have on our hands... these ones are bound by magic. There's a theory they can be removed, but I've never seen it done."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Feyre mumbled, wrapping the cloak tighter.

"I've been in your position before. I know how it feels to lose all hope and beg every night to be reunited with the one you love... I've been feeling the way you're feeling for fifty years." I smiled sadly and handed her the water. "I'm not as evil as everyone here paints me to be, Feyre. I just want to be reunited with the man I've loved for two hundred years."

"Can I... ask you a few more questions?" Feyre hesitated and I nodded.

"I come as a friend, not a threat... ask away and I'll do my best to answer if I can."

"You seemed scared when you said Tamlin touched your wings... why?"

"My kind is brutal, being raised in war camps and all that. Most, if not all females have their wings clipped after they first bleed. I was blessed to have people who fought and literally killed for me to be able to keep my wings. After that, I learned how to hide them like my brother does... when I came here, I made the mistake of leaving them exposed when I was stripped from my powers so I can't hide them anymore. Which is why I take extra precautions when I'm around people."

"You have powers? I thought only High Lords-"

"I'm High Princess of the Night Court. I was Cauldron blessed to have the abilities I have. I protect when I need to and inflict fear when it's necessary. It actually helped tip the scales of the War all those years ago." I proudly stated and let Azriel's shadows swirl around the cell before they hid on my tattoos. "I was called Lady of Darkness and was one of the most feared warriors in Prythian."