shadows don't lie

Chapter Twenty Pt.1

She was wearing the green dress, nervously bouncing her leg as Mor pinned up her hair in front of a large mirror.

“Stop doing that, you look fine.” Mor swatted at Inei’s arm and she grimaced.

“Who are the guests going to be? Do you know?” She asked and Mor raised a brow, not taking her eyes off of the intricate braids she was weaving.

“I thought you were Azriel’s apprentice. Did he not teach you how to use those things?” Mor gestured at the anxious-looking shadows that pinched around Inei’s shoulders.

“Yeah yeah, I just wanted to see if you knew.” Inei grumbled, and she pushed her shadows through the house to listen for the guests, but they quickly reported that there was nothing.

“They aren’t even here yet!” Inei whined, and Mor smiled, white teeth flashing.

“Well of course not. It is a surprise after all.”

Inei watched Mor curl a strand of her dark hair, setting it neatly around her face.

“Do you know who it is?” Inei could help herself as she asked again, the obvious nervousness entering her voice.

Mor rolled her eyes. “Maybe. You’ll just have to wait and find out.”

Inei scoffed, but stopped asking. It was obvious that she was going to get nowhere.

“Alright, all done. Now you have to go track down Azriel so he isn’t late.” Inei frowned. “He isn’t here?”

Mor shook her head and walked away, the red satin dress shimmering in the light. “I don’t know where he went off to, but he’s going to be late if somebody doesn’t go get him.”

“Ah.”

Inei stood up and stretched her arms out over her head.

It was beginning to get dark outside, so she figured she had better leave soon before it got much darker.

“I’ll see you there, then.” Inei huffed and she stepped out of Mor’s room, and back into the hall.

With a thoughtless flick of her shadow, she located Azriel through her shadow that stayed with him.

He was up at the House of Wind, somewhere out on one of the many balconies.

Inei grinned as an idea came to her, and she grabbed ahold of her skirts.

It was a dangerous idea but she trusted his reflexes.

She summoned up her shadows and whispered to Azriel with her shadows, “Look out!”

The chill met her as she appeared high above the barrier that prevented winnowing in the House of Wind, and she put her arms wildly out as she began to free fall.

She laughed at the wind in her face, and Azriel looked up, shock plain on his face, and immediatly spread his wings and leapt into the air aimed directly for her.

Inei admired the way he moved, elegant and smoothly, with that immense power behind him, and for a moment she almost forgot why he was flying. Why she was falling.

Her mouth split in a smile as he grabbed her around the waist, and he hoisted her up so she laid bridal-style in his arms.

“Having fun, are we?” He hummed quietly in her ear and she glanced back to find his eyes trained ahead with some unreadable expression.

Azriel set her down on the balcony first, and she winced as she remembered the work Mor had put into doing her hair, but something told her that it was still intact.

He leaned on the railing next to her and Inei just watched the way he stared out at the ocean past Valaris, the sun just hovering over the water.

He wore a pair of long black pants and a soft cream button-up, and a small chain around his neck with a single siphon attached.

“I guess that someone sent you up here to get me for dinner?” He asked, still not looking at her, and she stepped up beside him.

It was only when she brushed up next to him that he finally looked at her, his eyes quickly trailing over her body.

“Yeah, Mor sent me.” Inei replied and his lips tilted upwards at the edges. “Is she the one that did your hair?”

She smirked. “Maybe.”

He smiled right back, and said in a slightly quieter voice, “Well I think the style looks good on you.”

“Only ‘good’? I’m disappointed.”

Inei tilted her head to the side as she listened to what her shadow whispered softly in her ear.

“The guests have arrived at the Manor, and Feyre is looking for you both.”

She turned to Azriel. “Well, it looks like it’s time for us to go.” He dipped his head and Inei watched as he squared his shoulders and smoothed his face over in a mask of indifference. Even his wings rose slightly, the ivory talons flashing at the apex. 

“Are you ready now?” She muttered sarcastically, and Azriel smirked, but it seemed all the more dangerous now.

“Can’t be too soft around the others. They might start to suspect that you tamed me or something.”

She snorted amusedly.

Inei drew herself up, shifting her expression into something more indifferent.

“We would hate for that to happen.” She purred back, and something dangerous flashed in his golden-brown eyes.

He held out an arm formally, and Inei stepped into his grasp, delighting in the warmth he provided.

She sensed as he drew up his shadows, and they both winnowed down to the Manor.

A/N
So you might be confused at this short-ass chapter, but it's only setting up for the real show.
I'll be uploading Pt.2 today as well, so don't be too disappointed, but it still might be another hour or two.

Also, I love some of the names of the reading lists you guys add this series to. They make me laugh so hard sometimes.

Anyways, as always, Love you guys!
Vote and comment to support me!

Word count: 985