Winds of Fire [ACOTAR]

CHAPTER FORTY THREE

She used to dream such wonderous things. Whether it was the blooming flowers of spring or the starfall of night, they were unbelievingly beautiful. Each time her eyes fluttered shut she would be transported to a new world, a happier, brighter world than the one she had just left. She would dream of her mother, of Orion, of the future she was bound to one day reach. But as the war grew worse, her dreams disappeared. The light turned dark, and endless pictures turned into nothingness. She was yet to experience nightmares, but she knew they were not far from coming.

Primrose awoke to the sound of the front door closing, her eyes adjusting to the sudden light around her. Blinking and rubbing at her eyes, she saw Orion sat with Leo against his chest. The pair were stretched out at the other end of the sofa, Orion's feet in Prim's lap. Sliding out from beneath them, Prim picked up a blanket from the armchair, dropping it over them and being sure not to cover Leo completely, making sure he was comfortable against Orion. Smiling at her two favourite boys, Prim tiptoed out of the room, closing the door behind her and heading through the hall. Entering the kitchen, she found Lyra, Scarlet and Nova sat at the table.

Each person seemed tired, snacking at what appeared to be soup and fresh buttered bread. Nova looked up first, rushing from her chair and throwing herself around the redhead. Prim shivered at how cold Nova was, wrapping her arms around the younger girl as Nova's legs went up around Prim's waist, her arms knitting around her neck. "Prim!" she gasped, a grin on her cheeks.

Prim held her tightly, burying her head against Nova's shoulder and rubbing circles over her back. "Where have you been?" she asked, remembering that Nova wasn't with Scarlet, Lyra and Nesta earlier.

Nova pulled back, smiling at Prim, "I was with Uncle Cassian, but he's with Uncle Az and Daddy now. Where's Orion?"

Pressing a kiss to her forehead, Primrose set Nova back down onto the floor, "In the sitting room with Leo, they're both napping. We're going to have to take him back to your Aunt Elain soon."

Nodding, Nova skipped off down the hall, sneaking into the sitting room and closing the door behind her. Primrose turned to Lyra and Scarlet, the latter girl pressing a kiss to the other's lips before getting up and moving to the sink.

"How are they?" Prim whispered, not wanting Nova's innocent ears to overhear. Scarlet began to wash up her bowl and plate, Lyra turning on her chair to face Primrose. 

"They're in the infirmary cabin," Lyra shrugged, "I don't know much more than that, other than my parents and Orion's parents won't be leaving Azriel's side until he's out of there which means we have to take turns watching Nova."

"What about Leo? He's probably hungry so I need to take him to see Elain soon, but do you know if she'll want to keep him with her?" Prim asked, crossing her arms over her chest. As much as she adored her god-son, the best place for him right now was with his parents.

"If Azriel is awake I imagine he'll want to spend time with him, also Elain probably won't want to let Leo out of her sight again," Lyra suggested, not meeting Prim's eyes as she spoke. Grey bags filled the space under her eyes, and Prim could have sworn she had lost weight.

"Lyra? Are you okay? I know we haven't spoken since-"

"I don't want to talk about it," she hissed, head snapping up to look at Prim with a sneer. If there was one thing Prim knew, it was not to make an Illyrian angry.

Nodding, Prim moved to the doorway, "Right, of course. I'm just gonna go check on the others, it was nice seeing you again."

Without waiting for a response, Primrose walked back down the hallway, listening to Nova's giggles through the door before opening it and moving into the sitting room. Orion was awake, sat on the edge of the sofa, watching where Leo laid on the carpet, Nova leaning over the babe and pulling silly faces. Noticing his mate, Orion reached for Prim's hand, taking it in his palm and pressing kisses to her knuckles. Prim was about to move and sit on his lap when Leo's face screwed up unhappily and he began to cry. Nova jumped back, crawling to rest beside Orion's leg as Prim scooped Leo up.