1. Seraphic

𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒊𝒙. a guardian angel

a z r i e l

☽ ☾

Azriel hadn't kept his word. Six months on, and he had told. That one day kept playing on his mind, keeping him distracted when it was dangerous to be-which was always. He had told his conscience of those events time and time again, repeating what had happened.

But it was never the moments he spent consumed in Seraphina, wrapped in her arms and surrounded by her aura. No, it was the glimpse of her personality that he'd caught onto, that refused to let go: giddiness and genuine, admirable kindness and a rare sort of excitement to her; she clearly loved learning things, and was wholeheartedly respectful.

She knew he was Orphim, and she never once pressed on it outside of her stating the truth, almost as if she had simply intended it for it to be just that: a statement.

But in his life, in his line of work, nothing was just something. There was always some sort of motive behind every action, and it was the motive that was what mattered, not the action, no matter how deceitfully sweet it came in its tempting form.

And yet, he lay awake every night in the dark, facing the ceiling as his mind tried to tempt her smile back into his imagination, until it was riddled with her presence, the loss of which felt hollow.

He had been wrong.

He hadn't purged her from his system. He had done the exact opposite.

Any thoughts of her went into the back of his mind when Kol walked into the war room, wearing torn clothing with faint scratches over his skin. He closed the doors behind him.

His eyes widened. "What the hell happened to you?" he demanded, approaching him.

"That king found me," he explained. "Decided to make an example out of me and beat me to death." Azriel's fists clenched. "And then he decided he would rather his council join in, so he took me into their meeting room."

"They did this to you?" he asked through gritted teeth, shaking with rage.

Someone had dared lay hands on one of his own: they would pay.

"I was much worse," he said. "But then this girl helped me get out and she took me to get healed by another. They could actually... They liked me. They could stand me."

Azriel's jaw clenched. "What are their names?"

"The Council people?"

"No." He shook his head, taking in a deep breath to calm the fire raging within him. "The girls who helped you."

"Oh. Seraphina and Diana." His heart thumped with recognition. "I think... I think she might be royalty, the first one. Okay, she is. Her sister had come into the room and screamed murder at her for helping me, and she said she is her future queen."

He understood what he was trying to say.

"They will remain unharmed," he said. As if she wasn't going to, anyway. "No matter what might happen to any of the royalty, I will ensure they both are untouched."

"Thank you," he said, sighing a quiet breath of relief. "I know this is a lot to ask and I do not want to make it seem like I want to exempt everyone who is nice to me but when you are faced with hatred for so long, you are able to recognise true kindness and that was them. I know I am asking a lot of you-"

"You are my brother, Kol." He placed his hands on his shoulders. "It is not too much to ask. These women saved your lives and helped you. The least they deserve is for the same to happen to them. So stop thanking me and go get yourself cleaned up."