Into the Shadows - ACOTAR / ACOMAF - Azriel x OC

Chapter VI - Night II

— Azriel —

I had to hold my breath to smother the bubbling anger because of that smug Princess. She's absolutely insufferable. She's kicked me in the groin and face after I saved her life from a Naga and then when I give her my cloak in the fucking freezing cold, she just looked at me like I've gravely insulted her. Not even a thanks. For either of those things.

Fuck it. The Naga can have her next time.

I leaned my back against the cave and enjoyed the warmth of the fire. My eyes felt heavy, they were trying to coax me to sleep. It would be good to try and rest for an hour or two. If Lexa would just sleep as well. I wasn't about to risk making that suggestion though. Who knows how she would react. 

I sighed and waited for her to fall asleep but she remained dutifully awake, still choosing to remain close to the cave entrance rather than be in the back near the fire. Near me. I doubted she was afraid of me though... she had clearly proved again that she was a capable fighter. Quick too. That's what... three times she's now successfully hit me? Once when she punched me in the face when I got us out of the castle, the second was the kick, then the third another kick to my jaw. 

Insufferable.

"What will it take for you to sleep?" I asked her, my tiredness and frustration at having my ass handed to me finally getting the better of my emotions. She went to open her mouth but I stopped her before she could form her sentence "I'm not speaking about the Night Court." I informed her, rather bitterly.

Her mouth shut and she pursed her lips. I sent a shadow towards her, using the darkness cast by the fire's own shadows to reach her discretely.

She's more hungry than she is tired.

I sighed. I pulled out a canteen of water and the remaining dried food. "What will it take for you to eat?" I asked, not hiding my defeated tone that I know she'll revel in.

I couldn't exactly explain to Rhysand why our only chance of defeating Hybern was now nothing more but a corpse if she continued to deny food and sleep. The rest of our inner circle were still waiting for the Human Queens to deliver their side of the book... I had attained the Truth Orb from the cellar in the Hewn City, but the Queens were yet to respond to our invitation to meet again.

So I was sent here for 12 long, gruelling days. To bring Lexa to the Court of Nightmares and use her to our advantage. Powers or not, she would be an invaluable source of knowledge.

"What's your name?" She suddenly asked.

I almost choked. And in my hesitation, her expression grew to a taunt as she raised her eyebrows "you do you have a name, don't you?"

"Yes," I replied, matching her taunting tone. I hesitated. There's nothing she could do if she knew my name and yet, I felt like I was giving her something by telling her. Maybe it's because a part of me felt insulted that she didn't already know my name... I guess being a famous Spymaster would be rather pointless.

"Well?" She asked again.

"Azriel" I finally replied. "My name is Azriel" she nodded and her expression relaxed as a small smile tweaked at her lips, not the mocking ones she had thrown at me before. But a softer one. I felt my throat bob at her reaction. 

Her green eyes looked around my moving shadows and when they returned to me, I once again felt like I needed to fill the silence. Before I could blurt out something astonishingly stupid, she stood and walked towards the fire. Towards me.

She unclasped the hook of the cloak I had given her and awkwardly shifted it off her shoulders with her two bound hands. She held it out to me and when I took it, she turned and sat down on the other side of the fire.