A Court of Wings and Fate

44. Spread the News

Mikael woke before Estelle did. Sunlight streamed through his balcony doors, cold and brilliant. Judging from the brightness, they'd slept in rather late. That wasn't surprising. They hadn't fallen asleep until the moon dipped out of sight.

When they finally came inside the night before, faces tear streaked and hearts near busting, they decided to talk things out at once. There had been a lot to discuss. Mikael's largest concern had been what they would do next. Estelle decided she didn't want to have an official mating ceremony or stay with him in the Dawn Court yet. Not until she'd finished what she had to do in the Night Court.

She still wanted to complete the Blood Rite and become a Carynthian warrior, Estelle had explained, so that she could take her place amongst her people in times of war. Mikael understood her sentiment. He needed to complete his own Rite at some point too.

They'd discussed who they would tell and how they would announce their Mating Bond. As Mikael had pointed out, it didn't matter who they told. Their already changing scents would give them away long before words did.

In the end, they'd decided to tell Thesan and Ameer first. Estelle would tell her brother and cousins when they returned to the training grounds. Mikael wouldn't accompany her, in case they didn't take the news well, or his own instincts flared up when she was around three other males. He would tell Calden, Celeste, and Sienna while she spoke with her family.

When they returned to the Night Court, they would tell Estelle's parents, then speak with Rhys and Feyre. They weren't sure if the High Lord and Lady would continue to allow Estelle to be part of their Inner Circle if she was going to one day leave it to be High Lady of the Dawn Court.

And Mikael had promised that she would be. She would be his equal in every way, always. That included sharing his power, his throne, and his crown. When Estelle reminded him of her apparent lack of diplomatic skills, Mikael had simply told her that one of them had to be intimidating. Who better to fit the role than a half blooded Illyrian Shadowsinger?

After that discussion was complete, Mikael had spent a little over an hour with his head in between Estelle's legs. He could still feel her hand, fisted in his hair, as he worked his tongue inside her sensitive and heated core. He recalled her gasps of pleasure. Her moans as she begged for more, crying his name.

He remembered how she had writhed until he pressed his hands on her thighs, holding them down and spreading her legs further apart. His shoulder blades were scored by light scratches, made by her torturous nails, and there were bruises and bite marks on his neck.

Mikael drew in a steadying breath, trying to quell the instincts that flooded him, even just remembering such an intimate moment with her. Estelle shifted in her sleep, making a small sound. He brushed his finger across her cheek. Shadows wrapped around it and tickled his arm as they drifted over to him.

Stars, he loved her. He loved her more than he thought possible. He loved her shadows, her wings, her body... He loved her heart, her soul, her passion. He loved every inch of her very being. He loved her until he thought it would break his heart.

Mikael wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to his chest. He buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply. Smoke and snowdrops, and above that, his own scent...and the scent of a Mating Bond.

Estelle slipped her arms around him, blinking her eyes open. "Good morning," she mumbled.

"Good morning." Mikael kissed her forehead. "Ready for today?"

She stretched with a nod, a smile blooming across her lips. "I want to shout to the world that you are mine."

"Me too." Mikael nuzzled her neck, then slid out of bed. The floor was cold beneath his feet. He made his way to his closet and retrieved a set of Illyrian leathers. He glanced back over his shoulder.