1. Seraphic

𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒚-𝒕𝒘𝒐. the king's summoning

a z r i e l

☽ ☾

What the hell was he thinking?

Letting himself hold her while they slept, asking her for another minute when they woke up?

Azriel shouldn't have enjoyed the feeling of her beneath him as much as he did, but there was nothing he could do to rid his mind of the feeling of Seraphina, of the warmth she radiated, of the way she'd held him as if they were lovers and not sworn enemies on two sides of a war.

He'd watched her carriage leave, caught her gaze from the window before she'd closed the curtain, then trudged back inside and locked himself in his chambers and poured himself a drink.

He needed her out of his mind, out of his system.

And he was the most fucking stupidest person in the world if he thought a kiss would have been enough to do so.

She had never left. No. Instead, Seraphina had made a home in the sorry semblance of a heart he had, finding her way through all the cages and walls he'd built as a child, when he'd realised he was the only person who could be there for himself.

But her... She made him feel as though she might have been there for him, too. Someone who truly cared.

But he couldn't focus when she was around. He was too busy warming up, that thing in his chest pounding drastically as if it desperately wanted to escape from his ribcages, his eyes glued to the white-haired girl who still found a way to smile with him and be amicable despite thinking he'd done something to her.

What did his heart think it was to make him unable to catch his breath around her?

But, at the same time, he had never been able to breathe more easily around her. Like she was a breath of fresh air after he'd been drowning in a sea of darkness.

The glass slammed on the table as Azriel set it down, a frown on his face aimed at nothing in particular and yet everything.

He was never like this. Never questioning himself and left uncertain about things.

Then again, Seraphina hadn't been in his life.

A knock sounded at the door.

"Fucking hell," he grumbled, storming towards his doors and pulling them open. "What the fuck do you want?" he spat at a startled Kol.

"I... Well... For you to calm down, first of all. What the hell happened? Why are you in such a miserable mood—again, might I add?" Azriel glowered at him, unable to keep his rage at bay. "Let me in."

Shaking his head, he opened the doors further, watching as his brother walked inside before he closed them.

"I meant... I meant emotionally, but okay."

Azriel rolled his eyes, turning to face Kol. "What do you want? I have things to do; I am busy."

"Yes, I can see just how busy you are," he said sardonically, "finishing your drink."

"How stupid do you think I have to be to bring my work into my chambers where it is less safe?" It was safe, but the war room was far more secure for secrets and information.