𝙎𝙃𝘼𝘿𝙊𝙒𝙎 (𝙖𝙯𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙡 )

𝐸𝐼𝐺𝐻𝑇

Chapter Eight
Wildfire

A slow river, drifting through a forest. It's streams ran over rocks before fading off a drop, the waterfall's mist creating a rainbow. A beautiful illusion, yet deceiving all the same. I couldn't breathe, move, feel, sense, or do anything. I just drifted alongside the flowing water, making my way through the creek.

Then I saw him. His bare muscled back, tattooed arm to cover his scars. His torso was practically glowing in the sunlight as I waded closer to him, reaching my own pale hand out. When he heard me, he turned around, those burning hazel eyes wide.

"Where are you?" I asked, my voice muffled yet echoing throughout the mirage. Those burning golden eyes flickered with recognition, and I knew he had seen me.

I pressed further, daring to take another step. "You don't show up anymore. I can fight on my own now, but you don't come to our lessons."

He frowned, ruffling his midnight black hair as he raised a hand to reach out to me. I found myself moving towards him, drawn towards him. His hand was only inches from my face, when a slight snap burst into the silence.

Those hazel eyes turned to a pale ice blue as azure stones appeared along his body. His lips curled into a feral snarl as his gaze shifted to my throat. A scarred hand wrapped around my neck as I was slammed underwater. Struggling and gasping for air, I felt him to continuously wrench me up and down, letting the water consume me before giving me the smallest amount of breath. He was making my death slow, painful. Soon, the water rushed along my ears with such ferocity that my entire body turned hot.

I woke up in a pool of my own sweat, drenched within what I only assumed to be the river of my nightmare.

🌗

"Are you excited for tonight?" Ione asked me, her hands threading and weaving my hair. I nearly fell off the stool in shock. The first words she had spoken to me in months, that familiar eery silence vanishing. As sunlight and warmth filled the room, I sighed and tried for as much normalcy as I could muster.

"Of course," I responded, "Calanmai has always marked a great period of time for us." Ione nodded her head in what I assumed to be agreement before prodding in small flowers, styling them with my intricate braids.

I bit my lip, trying to hold my question in. Curiosity got the better of me, and I spoke before I thought. "Ione, I understand why you were upset with me, but are you still?"

She paused only for a moment. Perhaps my bluntness had caught her off guard. Yet Ione straightened her back and maintained her posture, focusing on my hair. "No, my lady," she whispered, adding in a lemon colored primrose to adorn the top of my braid, "I trust your judgement. You always have had good intentions, and as your friend, I would never question them."

Before she could continue, I had wrapped her in my embrace. Ione stumbled back a bit, but returned it. We stayed like that for a few moments, before a soft chuckle rang from my doorway. Tamlin, with a bare chest and a wreath atop his golden hair leaned casually against my bed frame.

Ione's face flushed a deep red as she mumbled something about informality, but Tamlin gave her a warm smile. "Don't bother with an apology, there is no need for one," he explained before turning to me, "But we will need an apology if we are late for the Fire Night festivities." He offered a hand to me and I took it, glancing back to Ione.

She waved her hand, ushering me along, as I glimpsed back at her once more before disappearing down the hallway.

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To call Calanmai a festivity felt like an understatement. My presence there was required, so it was a relief to have on revel to enjoy. Tamlin rarely allowed me to join him and Lucien at these parties, yet the beginning of Spring was always an exception. As masked and unmasked figures alike, with horns, sharp teeth, or scales all danced around a large bonfire, their energy felt contagious.

In my soft pink lace dress, I noticed a few females out of the corner of my eye primping themselves. I shuddered at the thought of Tamlin trying to find his Maiden tonight, yet quietly reminded myself that Feyre was safely hidden away in her room. Feyre and I had gotten along nicely these past few weeks, from strolls in the garden to playing pranks on Tamlin, she had found her place within the Spring Court. While her and Tamlin grew closer, I felt the pressure of my knowledge on fighting skills lighten. Perhaps I never had anything to worry about.

Lucien stayed by my side, glancing at the sentries flanking me. While it was a damper in my mood, being reminded I couldn't join the fun, I was still happy to watch it from afar. He nodded to my guards, allowing them to join in the dancing while he watched me. A mischievous glint in his eye told me he had other ideas.

Barely moments after they had left, he slipped a glass into my hand. The Faerie wine bubbled in my hands, and I gulped it down in two sips. I turned to Lucien, a quizzical look on my face. He merely shrugged and said, "I hate seeing you not able to join in the fun. I doubt Tamlin would be too upset if you joined in a dance or two."

With that, Lucien extended an arm. I took him up on the offer and joined the dance. The second the music began, I was swept up into a tornado of movement. My legs skipped and arms waved while a contagious smile crept into my expression. I felt my face flush from alcohol, something I had never been exposed too before, as the dances blurred together. Time became irrelevant as cheering and music became my only motive. My bare feet kissed the cool grass as I felt the bottom of my dress got soaked with mud. I couldn't have cared less, as I stumbled away from the dancing to take a break.

While massaging my sore ankles, I stood up to go rejoin the fun. A cool gust blew by me and I finally noticed Lucien's absence from my side. The sentries were drunk and clearly more occupied with the Faerie twin women who were flirting with them than protecting me.

As the I felt the wind prickle my arms with energy, I doubted I needed much protection. That was, until I felt a hand clamp over my arm. Pure instinct and adrenaline flowed through my body as in one swift movement, my attacker was laying flat on their back with my body pinning them down.

He was wearing a dark mask, with jewels to mimic a starry sky. I would have mistaken him as a Spring Court member and taken him in for punishment if that quiet and calm smile didn't trigger my memory. If those ochre eyes hadn't been the ones I had seen in my dreams. If those scars and tattoos peeking out from his beige disguise of a shirt didn't remind me of all those nights in the garden. My breath hitched in my throat as I realized he had come all this way because I wanted to see him. "Azriel," I breathed.

He swept me into a kiss, his warm lips pressing to mine. Maybe he had been the one wanting to see me.

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A/N: WOWWWWW 1k READS???!! Thank you all so much, it means the world to me! I'm sorry I haven't been able to update recently, but I'm currently in bed still sick and tired so I'm sure when I recover from this I'll be able to update a bit more often. Anyways, I'm also going to be starting another two books! Look out for:

FULGURITE- JASON GRACE

LOVERBOY- CEDRIC DIGGORY

(I am rewriting Loverboy because my old account got deleted so I have to start over. Since it was really popular and a lot of you guys miss it, I'm going to give it a little revamp!)

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter my lovelies! Leave a like and I hope you have a great day! :)