TASTE OF FREEDOM - AZRIEL'S MATE (ACOTAR)

Chapter 5: Too much wine...

"Hope you're not planning on drinking too much and miss training tomorrow, huh?", Cassian said as he let his body fall beside Raven on the sofa after they had just finished a second round of desserts.

Raven's eyebrows raised and she kept looking at him with a grin on her face. Nesta laughed while sitting next to her mate. "There's more chances it happens with you, Cas. Raven never failed a session".

The black haired female waved her hand like it was nothing. "Well, I've never failed too!", Cas answered.

"You're the tutor...", Rhys replied while entering the room again after putting baby Nyx in bed. "Details...", the general said to his brother and they soon started a heated conversation about the sparring sessions they were having at the Wind House.

Still sipping her red wine, Raven's eyes were between them and laughing at their comebacks. She felt a light touch at her ankles and looked down quietly, she almost choked when saw one of Azriel's shadows.

The Shadowsinger noticed one of his pets was near Raven when it was too late. She had already noticed it rolled around her ankle and smiled at it, not even looking his way. He's caught her looking at him a few times during the night, but after they had dinner, she never looked again.

Azriel bit his lips trying to get the desire to have her eyes on him off his head. It was her first night with them and she looked like she was having fun. So much that his shadows kept trying to move and be near her.

This feeling and the concentration he had to keep so the others wouldn't notice what was going on with him because of her were overwhelming. When Feyre asked if Raven wanted to return to her accommodation and she accepted, he was torn between feeling relieved and disappointed.

It was when Rhys looked at him that Azriel knew he was screwed. His brother's grin grew when he saw the Shadowsinger's posture.

"Azriel's gonna take you back, right Az?", was all Rhysand said and he knew it wasn't a question.

"Oh, it's okay... I can wait until Nesta and Cas go...", Raven answered and looked at her side where the couple was. Cassian was drunk and he wouldn't be able to carry himself anywhere. It would be a risk.

"Whenever you're ready, I'm here", it was the first thing he ever said to her all night. Azriel saw her cheeks get warm from where he was standing.

Raven took a deep breath and put her glass down the center table and smiled at Feyre and Rhysand. She hugged them and they started a brief conversation that Azriel couldn't hear.

She turned to everyone and thanked them for the amazing night she had. Feyre and Rhys guided her to the house entrance and Azriel followed them, almost hiding in his shadows to give them privacy.

"... and we also have a music room, but it's not all done yet. When it is, we'll show you if you want...", Feyre was mumbling by this point, still excited for her friend's visit, that she didn't catch Raven's eyes after the music room mention. Was it sadness?, Azriel asked himself. Even his shadows talked about the change on her face.

While the females were talking and they were already outside, Rhysand turned to Azriel.

"Are you okay?", his voice was heard in Azriel's mind. He simply just nodded, not trusting himself to think of a better answer while Rhys was in his mind. The High Lord let it go, knowing it was no help pushing his brother to talk.

They went silent and that was the signal for him to approach. Rhys told him to fly instead of winnowing them, just to make sure it all wouldn't be too much for Raven.

Azriel felt his shadow's dislikes about it, they wanted to touch Raven so badly that made him feel ashamed. They acted crazy whenever she was around, almost not obeying. Always bothering him with their constant whispers about her reactions and looks.

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When the conversation ended, Azriel got nervous. He's heard about her past, Rhys had told them when he came back from Under the Mountain and it kept the Shadowsinger awake all night when he met her at the sparring area.

He didn't need to smell her scent or his shadows whispers to notice she was nervous about flying with him.

"Why won't you fly her yourself?", Azriel mind asked his brother, who tried to look innocent beside the girls. He pushed aside the part of him who actually wanted to do it himself.

"Too much wine", Rhys voice echoed and freeing the air on Azriel's chest.

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Raven wanted to disappear when Azriel turned to her and excused himself so he could get her in his arms. His wings opened and with only one movement, they were already in the sky.

While her arms were around his neck, she closed her eyes, not knowing what to do or where to put them... Her hair went everywhere and then stopped. The wind softened and Raven dared to look at him... His cobalt siphons blinked and lit up her face.

His eyes were at the path in front of them and his face was so close to her that she couldn't help the red in her cheeks. She hated the way she felt like a teenager around him... she could never understand why.

Azriel felt the warmth in her cheeks right in his face and it was hard to concentrate from there... His shadows made sure he knew that the colors of his siphons had the same color of Raven's eyes.

Even though the flight was short, the silence started to bother him. He never got bothered by the silence and there he was, trying to think about something to ask her.

"So...", he said very quietly. Azriel only knew she heard because her body tensed by the surprise. "Do you play instruments?"

He'd heard what Feyre said about the music room and couldn't stop himself from being curious. Now, he regretted even opening his mouth.

Raven's face turned to the side, so he couldn't look at her expressions. It was a difficult subject for her...

"I used to, it's been a really long time since I've played anything". It wasn't a lie, she thought to herself, but it wasn't all the truth either. Her love for music was what used to make accept that deal in the first place.

One of his shadows brushed her cheek and her breath got stuck in her throat. She turned her head in his direction and Azriel was already looking at her. There was so much sadness in her eyes that he felt sad as well.

"I'm sorry I asked that...", his voice was still low and she opened a fragile smile for him. A small light already on her face, like she's just pushed every bad thought away just to not make him worry.

"It's okay, don't apologize." Raven's face was so close he could see his siphon reflection in her eyes. Velaris lights were like fireflies down there and his warmth didn't let the cold get through her.

Azriel didn't want to risk and say another thing that could bring that sadness back in her face, so he stayed silent for the rest of the ride.