𝙎𝙃𝘼𝘿𝙊𝙒𝙎 (𝙖𝙯𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙡 )

𝑆𝐼𝑋

Chapter Six
Fall Line

I had spent one week waiting. Every night I swung down the ladder to wait for Azriel. Every sunrise without him felt unbearable.

Not because I cared for him. It would have been outrageous if I decided to go and let myself get swept off my feet by some Night Court male, let alone one so close to it's High Lord. It was the guilt that gnawed away at my insides, and threatened to swallow me whole. That I couldn't protect him from the arrows or the strange man. When he needed me, I had failed.

I took this failure to heart, as I tossed and turned late one night. My head swam with thoughts as a foggy haze blanketed me. Slowly, my eyelids drooped and the weight became too much. I let the darkness back in for rest.

🌓

Another strange man, almost identical to Azriel except he seemed more...brutal in a way. His long black hair and reddish hazel eyes portrayed him as a beast, yet his concern as he hovered over said otherwise. A cool damp cloth was pressed to my forehead, and inaudible words were spoken.

My head was craned upwards, and the blonde girl from the night before rushed in, wearing a revealing red dress that flowed behind her. She tackled me in an embrace while the other man stood up and awkwardly dusted off his leathers. I felt my hand reach around her waist and pull her in to return the hug.

I closed my eyes, inhaling her scent, like deep jasmine mixed with ash. She was gorgeous but strong, and had a burning passion inside her.

When I woke up the next morning, I could still smell her scent on me.

🌓

Ione hadn't spoken to me yet. She worked in silence, avoiding eye contact. I decided against confronting her, assuming she needed time to process what had happened.

Yet as she prepared me for dinner later that night, I couldn't help but ask. "Ione, why haven't you told Tamlin yet?"

She bit her lip and furrowed her brows, focused on ignoring me. I sighed and rolled my shoulders as she placed the last pin in my hair. I was wearing a soft lavender dress, with a braided crown resting on top of my hair and a small flower pin weaved in. Staring at my reflection in the golden encrusted mirror, I couldn't help but smile at Ione's work.

Turning around to thank her, she was already gone. Heaving a sigh, I made my way downstairs for yet another dinner.

The manor gallery was full of exquisite art. When I was a young Fae, I remembered spending all of my mealtime inspecting and admiring these paintings and statues. Now having lived here for fifty years, I breezed by them without a second thought.

Opening the door, it revealed Tamlin sitting at the head of the table with Feyre on his right and Lucien on his left. I took my place beside Feyre and offered her a small smile. To my surprise, she actually returned it.

"The sentries claimed it was a winged man they shot down," Tamlin told Lucien, "But they never found him."

I took a bite of the roast beef in front of me, but it felt dry in my throat. "Must have been a bird," I murmured.

Three pairs of eyes all looked on me, Lucien's usual mechanical whirring following. I stared down at my food, poking it with my silverware.

"Must have been one hell of a bird," Tamlin mused, sipping his wine. Lucien nodded, and Feyre just focused on the food in front of her.

To say this was awkward would be an understatement.

"What do you think it is?" I mused, reaching for my own cup.