Not just mortal and Fae book I (Azriel x Suree)

CHAPTER 11

I felt a sharp tap on my shoulder and opened one eye to see, Azriel looking down at me, a concerned expression on his face.

"Suree, wake up."

I sat up and rubbed my eye's.

"What is it?"

"I heard something, coming from further in the mountains."

I looked around from side to side and strained my ears to hear for any sounds but heard none.

"Are your Fae ears hearing stuff I'm not?"

I got to my feet and saw Azriel staring down into the mountains as I followed his gaze, but saw nothing but fog and mist.

"Azriel are you sure you heard something, because I don't-"

That's when I heard it, a rustling echoing off the walls of the mountains. In no time I had whipped out my knives and was ready to attack. Azriel had done the same bringing out the one dagger though it was long and looked as if it could cut through stone, and I did not miss the shift of his wings as they seemed to envelop me ever so slightly. I strained my eye's, not daring to blink when suddenly a dark shape zipped past, and for a moment I swore I heard laughter. As if Azriel had heard it to, he seemed to have relaxed and when I looked at him, he looked...relieved? With a hint of pissed off.

"You really are a prick, you know that?" He called out to no one in particular.

I looked at him as if he was insane, which he might have been from the lack of sleep. I was just contemplating weather or not to make a run for it or knock him unconscious when a voice spoke back.

"Takes one to know one."

Not a moment later a shadow landed in front of us with a loud thump. I yelped and held my knife up ready to throw when Azriel put his arm in front of me, a gesture to stand down. When the figure straightened up his eye's landed on me immediately and I realised he to was an Illyrian. He had shoulder length black hair and tanned skin with hazel eye's. He looked like Azriel, even wore the same armour with the orb on his middle finger, only his was red. The male sized me up before turning his attention back to Azriel.

"Gonna introduce me to your friend Az?"

Azriel half turned his body to face me and the Illyrian as he said, "this is Suree, Suree this is Cassian."

I sheathed my knives back into my coat as Cassian extended his hand.

"Pleasure to meet you, Suree."

I hesitated for a millisecond before shaking his hand. Dam what was it with Illyrian's and having fricking strong hands.

"Same to you, Azriel has told me a lot about you."

"Well he has said nothing about you."

When he released my hand I rubbed it slightly and he smirked at me.

"Come to think of it, nobody has heard anything from him for the past two weeks."

He was smiling, but anger and concern intertwined his every word.

"There was a mishap when we where traveling back, a storm, but it's fine."

"This is fine," he gestured to me and to the environment around us, "Azriel, no one knew where you where, we thought you had been kidnapped or worse, and now I find you here, in the fucking Dawn court, with a mortal!"

I put my hand up before saying, "I'm standing right here."

Azriel put a hand on his friends shoulder and said, "I'm sorry." Cassian's anger seemed to fade almost instantly and he took a deep breath.

"Did Rhysand winnow you here?"

He nodded slowly before replying, "We tried to winnow to you earlier but you where too far away and it was too blurry, we started to worry, especially Elain."

He glanced at me a brief moment before turning back to Azriel. What was that about, and who was Elain, he had never mentioned her, was she his sister? his wife? was Cassian worried she would find out about me and dump Azriel because she would mistake us for being romantically involved? There was most certainly nothing romantic between us, we had only just stopped trying to kill each other.

"I'm fine, just let them know that I'm not dead."

Cassian cocked his head to the side, confused.

"You can tell them yourself, their waiting for us to come back, so your gonna have to morph us there."

It was in that moment that I realised what Cassian's arrival meant. Azriel would be going home, back to the Night court and I would be on my own again. Two day's ago I would have been happy to be rid of the brute, but now I've sort of gotten used to his company and the idea of going through the Fae world alone again hit me.

Azriel paused a moment, not making eye contact with Cassian as he looked at me briefly before he said, "I'm not coming back to the Night court yet, I have some business I need to finish first."

The disbelief on Cassian's face matched my own. He wasn't going back, but why, surely not for my benefit, not when he had his family waiting back home for him. Realisation hit me like a ton of bricks, he could have morphed away from me whenever he wanted, he could have left and forgotten about me completely but he stuck around, out of guilt? sympathy? to pay me back for saving his life? I had so many questions but Cassian beat me to it.

"Azriel, Rhys is already pissed that you didn't try to contact us or let us know you where alive earlier, he's not going to happy to know your putting aside your duties for your court for..."

He looked back at me again before continuing, "look he just really needs you back."

"I won't be long I just need to do something first." His face was calm but his words seemed to be harsh and forewarning. The two seemed to be having a quiet conversation as frustration grew on either one of their faces. Eventually Cassian spoke up breaking the silence only I could hear, "Az, you know exactly what Rhys will do if you don't come back with me now." Colour seemed to have drained from Azriel as he went still and his hands clenched into fist. Eventually Azriel sighed and nodded slowly.

"Fine." He said in a raspy voice, "give me a minute." Cassian looked between us and nodded before walking away. Azriel turned to me, a look of regret on his face.

"I have to go."

A cold feeling crawled through my body as I nodded.

"It's okay, it's probably for the best."

He shook his head before speaking, "I know I can't force you, and I know I can't convince you to leave, but I have to try. You can come with us, I can take you to the Night court then get you on a ship back to your home."

I smiled at him before saying, "I can't, not without my brother, he'd do the same for me and I can't give up on him."

He sighed as if saw this coming and nodded slowly.

"Well, thanks, for everything, I know we didn't always get along and now that we're starting to become friends we have to say goodbye but, I've enjoyed hanging out with you, well when we weren't trying to kill each other."

He chuckled and shook his head. Not knowing what else to say I extended my hand out to him in farewell.

"Goodbye Az."

For a moment he just stood there, silent, before he reached his hand up, not to shake my hand but to cup my cheek. I felt his scarred thumb caress my skin and I realised this was the first form of affection I had ever received from a male that wasn't Zander. Sure many men tried to touch me, because they where either drunk or wanted a good time, but never like this, and I found myself enjoying it. We stayed like that for a moment before he brought his hand down and slowly turned away from me. As he made his way over to Cassian I wanted to say something, anything, but I didn't know what. Before I could open my mouth he vanished along with Cassian, as they morphed into shadows, and I realised I was alone again. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. I could not let myself get distracted now, not when I was so close. I shouldered the bag Azriel had taken from the hut back at the icy region and wrapped my fur blanket around me. I took one last look at the place Azriel had been standing and began walking in the opposite direction into the mountains. I'm coming Zander.