Let You Down |Azriel|

.10.

Rhys, Mor, Az, Cass and I all sat around the dining room table in the House of Wind. Feyre had left that morning, back to Tamlin's custody. The hurt held in Rhys's eyes when he returned before winnowing me back to Velaris. Dinner was mostly silent. Just the sound of silverware clinking and glasses being picked up and put back down. As I sipped on my wine, I glanced at Azriel and a pang of guilt radiated in my core. It created a sense of nausea which caused me to put my wine glass back on the table and cross my fork and knife.

He seemed to be entirely interested in his chicken that night. Taking forever to cut one piece off and bring his fork to his lips. I looked anywhere else to try to ease the nauseas feeling. There was no real reason for me to feel guilty. I'd felt enamored when I'd looked at him the first time I'd ever met him. That feeling remained and may have even become stronger, but he didn't seem to have any interest in me in a romantic sense. It wasn't like I'd done something wrong by sleeping with Mor.

She was the first to leave the table. Her body disappeared down the hall and I couldn't help but watch until she turned the corner toward her room. When I looked back at the table, Rhys was simply picking at his food. Cassian had devoured his plate and was on his third or fourth glass of wine. And Azriel, he seemed to be doing everything he could to remain completely focused on his dinner. I stood from my place and trailed after Mor. When I reached her door, I knocked lightly. She stepped aside so that I could walk in and then shut the door behind me.

I walked closer to her and went to place my hands on her waist. She stepped back and shook her head with a very light smile, "No, Lia."

I dropped my arms and slightly scrunched my brows. "Did I do something wrong?"

She shook her head again, "You didn't do anything wrong."

The corners of my mouth turned down and I stepped to the wall, "Okay."

"Azriel is your mate, Cecelia."

"What?" The shock and confusion was displayed on my face like a neon sign.

"I could smell it on you the moment you locked eyes with him that first day. It's not fair for me to steal you away from him."

"You're not stealing me away. I'm pretty sure he doesn't feel it," I tangled my fingers together and looked at my feet.

"Lia, why do you think he was looking at his food like it was the only thing to have ever existed? He feels it."

"What does food have anything to do with it?" My voice was light and curious.

"He's trying not to look at you. He's trying to figure it all out for himself. He always isolates whenever he's going through something big."

I sat down in the chair by her vanity and stared intently at the carpet. "What do I do now?"

"Well, how do you feel about him?" She questioned, taking a seat on the edge of her bed.

My brain felt like mush, "Well, I only know just a bit about him. But I did feel the pull when I first saw him that day in the townhouse."

"Then get to know him, that's your next step," our voices were both barely over a whisper.

"How do I do that?" I felt stupid, "I mean... I didn't have a whole lot of social interaction as a kid. The most I got when I got older was at the tavern and I was just a server there. Same with Under the Mountain."

She smiled lightly, "ask him to go on a walk with you, ask for a tour of the city."

I hesitated for a moment. "We haven't spoken since he found me panicking in the hallway."

"A time will present itself, just go with the flow," she offered another smile and walked toward the door. "Come on, lets go drink with them."

My feet carried me along with her and she shut the door behind her before making her way down the hallway once more. We took seats on the couch that time, and wine appeared on the side tables for us to enjoy. Mor propped her feet in my lap and crossed her ankles as she made herself comfortable, wiggling into the cushions further. I kicked my feet up on the ottoman and we made an L shape as we relaxed. Cassian and Azriel joined us on the couch across from us, carrying wine with them as well.

"What do you guys want to do tonight?" Cass questioned as he crossed one leg over one knee.

"We should go on a walk," Mor suggested, it sent a flutter through my chest.

"Good idea," he responded and downed the rest of his wine.

I chugged the last bit of my own. We all stood and the wine glasses disappeared from the table. The magic that flowed through the house was truly remarkable. We walked out to the veranda and Cassian swooped Mor up, shot up in the sky, and started to soar down toward the city. I stared up at the sky; the moon and the stars that decorated the velvet tapestry. Azriel walked up behind me and gently wrapped one arm around my shoulders and another under my knees before sweeping me off of my feet. A small yelp slipped from my lips before I laughed.

"Are you ready?" He asked me, looking into my eyes.

I nodded lightly, not daring to break the eye contact. He shot up into the sky, up and up and up, before he turned and began to set us sailing for the city. It stole the breath from my chest. I let my head drop back over his right arm and rested my arms so that the wind could wrap through my fingers. A deep inhale gave me such a satisfying scent, both of Azriel and the air. He smelled like... like cedar and the night itself. I treasured the moments I spent with his warmth wrapping around me. When he touched to the ground, I didn't move. I was completely relaxed in his arms, my eyes still closed. He waited a moment.

"We made it, Lia," he whispered.

I opened my eyes slowly so that they could adjust to the light that the city provided. Once my vision was set, he carefully lowered my legs to the ground and kept his arm behind my back until I proved stable.

"Thank you," I bit the inside of my cheek.

"Of course," he smiled.

I shook my head, "I mean for it all. For that and for bringing me back to reality when I had broken down in the hallway, thank you."

He ran his hand down my back and stopped just above the line of my pants, "of course." His hand came away and tucked into his pocket. "Now, let's figure out where Cassian and Mor ended up."

I nodded, my heart still holding on to the touch, not wanting to let it go.