A Court of Fire and Shadows -ON BREAK!!!-

Azriel

No. 

She's my mate.

She's his mate.

This isn't possible. The cauldron is just playing some cruel trick, right?

But no. I could feel the bond, I reached down and ran a mental hand against it as Nesta turned on Lucien.

She shoved him again, "She is no such thing." Lucien didn't move, he just started at Elain, even as she said nothing.

I lightly tugged on the bond and her eyes widened and shifted in my direction almost imperceptibly.

"Interesting," the King of Hybern murmured, "So very interesting"

He was talking to the queens now and then suddenly Feyre exploded.

Light burst through the room, white-hot, blinding light.

"Tamlin?" she said, "Tamlin? Tamlin, where-" she looked at Rhys, "What did you do to me? What did you do?" she backed towards Tamlin. 

I was stunned. What happened to Feyre? Why would she-

I heard Rhys use that voice, the asshole High Lord voice, "How did you get free?" 

Then it all became clear. She was playing them. 

Then their bond snapped. Rhys was on the ground, he was roaring, he called Feyre's name as she thrashed and sobbed.

Then Mor was dragging him away and Tamlin ripped off Feyre's glove and saw the tattoo, gone.

Rhys crawled -crawled- back to where Cass and I were laying on the floor. Feyre looked over at us one last time as Mor winnowed to Lucien. She shoved him back with a palm to the chest and his roar of fury made the halls shake as Mor grabbed Nesta and Elain, and vanished. Rhys lunged to us, gripping our arms and winnowed us to the town house. 

Instantly Amren was there with her hands on Cassian's wings, swearing at the damage, then at the hole in my chest.

I knew that even her healing couldn't fix both of us, we'd need a real healer for each of us, and fast. If Cassian lost his wings,

He would prefer death.

Any Illyrian would.

"Where is she" Amren demanded.

Rhys dumped the pieces of the Book on the ground, "Get the Book out of here"

"Where is she?" Amren pressed a hand to Cassian shredded back.

Mor suddenly appeared panting. She dropped down beside me, her hands shaking as she tore the arrow out of my chest, a new kind of pain dragged it claws over me, finally taking me into the sweet oblivion.

_____LINE BREAK_____

I woke up in a panic. I had no idea how much time had passed, where my mate was, where Feyre was. 

I looked around the room and saw Cassian lying on the bed next to me. His wings looked almost healed but they looked weak. 

Then I saw Rhys. He was sitting -no sleeping- in a chair. It looked like he hadn't left us since- whatever happened in Hybern.

As if my thoughts had summoned him, he jolted awake and saw me watching him.

"Az" He dragged himself out of the chair and stumbled over to my bedside.

"What....happened" I managed to croak out.

His face crumpled.

"Where's Feyre?" He looked away, "Rhys, where is Feyre."

"She- The Spring Court" His voice was strained.

I shot up, ignored the stab of pain that shot through my chest, "We have to go get her,"

"No," he said and started explaining what had happened in Hybern, "-and she pretended to free herself from the control Tamlin thought I'd kept on her mind. Pretended that she... hated us. And told him she'd go home- but only if the killing stopped if we went free."

His throat bobbed once. Twice.

"She asked the king to break the bond. He did"

My mind was spinning, "That's impossible, that sort of bond cannot be broken like that"

My brother finally looked at me, "No, it can't. The king broke the bargain between us, it was hard to do, but he couldn't tell that it wasn't the mating bond. She-"

I interrupted him, "Go get her Rhys" I said softly, but not weakly.

Rhys closed his eyes and tilted his head up towards the ceiling, "No"

"Rhys-"

He looked me in the eye again and the pain and despair that I saw threatened to destroy me. "I can't Az. I can't. She is going to destroy him. Take down the Spring Court from the inside. She is now a spy, with a direct line to me. What the king does, where he goes, what his plans are, she will know. And report back."

"Rhys, if something happens to her," I shook my head, "She's your mate, not a spy. Rhys, I-"

"She is my mate." He said too quietly, "And my spy. And she is the High Lady of the Night Court."

"What" I whispered.

"If they removed her other glove they would've seen a second tattoo on her right arm. The twin to the other. Inked the night before, when we crept out, found a priestess, and I swore her in as my High Lady."

I was in shock. Rhys must've seen it on my face because he just nodded mutely. He looked more broken then I had ever seen him.

"Az I- I don't know what to do" He whispered, "Anything could go wrong, what if they find out. I can't lose her. Not now, not ever"

I looked at him for a moment longer, then I stood up and faced him. I gripped him by the shoulders. "Rhys, she is strong, she will get through this and so will you" He nodded again and I pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. As he gripped me back his body started shaking with sobs. 

We stood like that for a while until Rhys pulled himself together and stepped back. 

"Thank you Az" 

"Anytime, brother" I said before he stepped out of the room, closing the door softly behind him.

I slipped back into the bed and fell asleep.

April 5, 2021 - I will continue

(I know that the ending was super sappy, but I just always picture Az as a big softy so I had to add it in)