A Court of Shifting Realities

Chapter eight

I jolt up in bed, the morning light seeping through the curtains. I rub the sleep from my eyes, my memory foggy. I had gone to sleep in my clothes from yesterday after shopping with Mor, too exhausted to change.

As the sleep clears from my head, my dream from the night comes back to me and I'm left speechless and disappointed. It had been a dream.

My cheeks heat with embarrassment as I realize I had just had a wet dream about Azriel. I mean, I've had dreams about him before. But then, he wasn't a real person. Now he is, and I have to see him today. Look him in the eyes and try not to think about his lips on mine, his hands on my waist.

If I don't leave my room now, I'll be late for training. But my nerves won't let me reach for the door. I take another deep in hail, letting it out slowly before throwing the door open and marching out, ignoring my shaking hands.

I walk up the stairs, taking a little longer then usual to delay the embarrassment that will be today. But the stairs end eventually and I've run out of excuses to take more time.

As soon as I step onto the roof my eyes lock onto him. His back is to me as he swings a sword around his head, his back muscles shifting around his wings in the most delicious way. He's shirtless today, his black sweatpants hanging low on his hips. Of coarse he's shirtless, because the universe hates me and has to put me through as much torture as possible.

My foot steps get his attention and he turns to me, stopping the movement of his sword. His wings fold in tight and I immediately regret not taking them in when they were expanded. They look strong and soft at the same time and the light of the morning sun catches on them as if they attract light.

His shadows are already seeping towards me as I come closer. My heart fluttering as his eyes travel down my body and back up to my eyes, making my skin tingle.

"I started to think you slept in." He said, looking down at me from his height. I didn't tell him I had thought about staying in bed with last night's dream instead of dragging my ass up here.

"Took my time on the stairs today. My legs are extremely sore." Not a complete lie, just a withholding of the truth on me stalling to see him. His eyes shift down to my legs and my heart rate picks up three notches.

"Well then lets stretch before we start." He says, throwing his sword to the side and sitting on the ground. I follow him to the floor and start to stretch like we normally do. After doing all the stretches that require sitting, I stand to do the others.

I usually face Azriel when I do these stretches, not wanting to bend down with my back towards him, but today I had decided to wear a pair of legging that really showed off my butt. I turn away from him, leaning down to touch my toes and whimper at the pull in my thighs. They really were sore.

After a moment of silence I hear a low hum from Azriel and smile to myself, knowing exactly what he was looking at. I switch positions, spreading my legs and leaning down to one side to touch my foot.

"Fuck." I don't think I was supposed to hear that, but Azriel defiantly just mumbled a curse under his breath. My heart rate is erratic now, and I finish up my stretches quickly. I was already breathing hard from him just looking at me, so my laps weren't going to be fun today.

I turn to him, meeting his eyes with as much innocence as I could muster. His eyes were dark and filled with lust that made me want to jump on him right now. But by some miracle, I keep myself planted to my spot.

"Three miles today. When you get done we're skipping conditioning and going straight into hand to hand technique." Well fuck me with a stick. He really just wants to embarrass me today doesn't he.