shadows don't lie

Chapter Twenty-One

Inei knocked on the door, and could hear an exasperated groan as Mor shuffled towards the door on the other side.

The female yawned as the door creaked open, whining, “What is it now-”

Inei stood there, her face a mask of stone, and Mor immediately got serious as she took in Inei's demeanor.

“What happened?”

--

Inei was invited in and immediately started to cry silently, staring at the opposite wall blankly as Mor sat down beside her with a glass of water.

Inei could feel her questions, but she was only trying to figure out what to say without sounding crazy.

“I kissed him and saw something I shouldn’t have.”  She finally said, and Mor shifted beside her.

“You kissed him? Isn’t that a good thing? And what did you see?”

Inei shivered as she recalled the feeling of seeing herself through Az’s eyes.

It was an addicting feeling, one that made her want more, but that was what scared her the most.

“I think you and Feyre were right,” She whispered hoarsely. “I think Azriel is my mate.” 

Mor leaned back, her face set in deep contemplation, but her eyes flitted up to Inei, who jut kept her eyes trained on the wall.

“Why do you sound so afraid?”

Inei’s face crumpled and the tears began to fall more steadily.

“He deserves better.” She said, so quietly that the words seemed to hang in the air, and beside her, Mor grabbed her shoulder, pulling Inei so that she could only look at Mor.

“Inei, I can promise you that you deserve better, and I need you to know that you are just as important as any one of us.”

She closed her eyes, calming her breathing.

“I know that he’s suffered through. He may have never told me, but I can tell. Why would someone like him be mated to someone like me?”

Mor narrowed her eyes in what looked like disbelief.

“Inei. I have power in truth, so believe me when I say this; You are enough for anyone, and Azriel would be lucky to have you as his mate.”

Inei could feel the honesty in her words, and it washed over her, soothing some of the pain, but there was still some that remained.

“How am I even going to be able to look at him? I can’t bring myself to tell him.”

Mor hummed thoughtfully.

“Well, I can’t make the decision for you, but you don't necessarily have to tell him. Especially if the bond hasn’t set for you yet.”

Inei sighed. “Okay, so I won’t tell him then, but how long will it be before I cannot keep it a secret anymore? I can already feel it, the insanity that the bond brings.”

Mor squeezed Inei's shoulder and “We can figure that out when the time comes.”

We.

Inei looked at her dress, her scarred hands. 

She wouldn't be able to fix this tonight, in fact, she needed  some time alone to sort out her thoughts before she could face her mate.

“So this is why I chose to come to you.” Inei muttered, and Mor scoffed.