A Court of Shadows and Thunder // AzrielxOC SlowBurn Romance, ACOTAR FanFiction

Chapter XIX - Daemati

Azriel followed Brianna in absolute silence as she led him throughout the streets of Velaris. It didn't look like she had anywhere specific to go to, but was just walking around aimlessly.

It felt tense, yet not completely awkward, even if Brianna glanced back at him every now and then, as if to see if Azriel was still following her. And whenever she did look, he made sure he was looking at something else, at a building, or a passerby, or a plant in a windowsill.

"Are you ever going to tell me about the inner workings of the Day Court?" Brianna finally asked, breaking that silence between them.

"No," was all Azriel said. At this point, they had arrived on another bridge over the Sidra, and Brianna went to lean against one of the stone railing. She watched the city lights bounce off the river's surface, how it mirrored the night sky and all of its stars perfectly. Then she felt Azriel standing near her, and she turned to meet his eyes.

"Then why didn't you go dancing?"

"Why didn't you?" Azriel shot back, almost too quickly, like she had caught him off guard.

Brianna frowned at him, "I just wanted some air."

She had told him such an excuse twice before. Azriel could imagine that this was a habit of hers now, purely based on what had unfolded before to make her react as such. Even if she had hid it well in front of the rest of the Inner Circle, Azriel could somehow tell that whatever Brianna had told them, had irked her enough to want to be alone.

"That's what I thought," Azriel actually admitted, and when Brianna gave him a quizzical look, he fumbled to elaborate, "I just thought it would be better if you weren't alone."

That only made Brianna cross her arms.

"Funny," she said, though her tone was flat, "I was beginning to think you were ignoring me today."

Azriel felt that guilt wash over him, for she was exactly right, but he was quick to get over it, deciding to pretend like that wasn't true.

"Clearly I'm not," he replied, as plainly as he could. She just looked at him for a moment, and if possible, the warm colour of her eyes grew colder.

"I see how it is," Brianna said, those red eyes gleaming beneath furrowed brows, "You only speak to me when you need to make sure that I'm not as big of a threat to you or to your friends as you think I am."

While she had made an effort to sound menacing, somehow Azriel didn't buy into her words. Though, he had to admit he hadn't expected such harsh words, even if she had been right. She had revealed much over dinner, and that made Azriel's need of wanting to know more about her ignite in him. So many questions, so many things to understand about this one girl, about what sort of danger she was. And so Azriel was going to find out.

Brianna watched him gently tap one of his siphons on his hand, and although she couldn't see it, she could feel him casting a shield over them.

"Three questions?" Azriel asked her, and even went to lean next to her on the bridge's railing.

She was quiet for a moment, and they both just looked at the view in front of them.

"Ask away," Brianna finally said.

So Azriel dug through his mind, thinking back about what was said over dinner. She was banned from the army because she had an accident. She only went back to becoming a soldier to fight the ships from Rask, Vallahan and Montesere. Something in those statements didn't feel right to Azriel.

"That accident you spoke of," Azriel started to say, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw how she had gone tense again. But he was determined to know, "Was it when you triggered your curse?