Shadowsinger

Chapter 42

Azriel faltered. He couldn't have heard her correctly, Azriel Berdara,

"What?" He breathed, losing sight of everything in the face of those two words,

"Surely you could take my name, right?"

"I don't know, it's never been done that I know of, but yeah, I guess, Rhys could, he could make that actually happen." His chest was heaving now, "You sure?"

"Absolutely, I've been thinking about it since you asked, and why not?"

"Berdara it is," Azriel said, his beautiful mate grinning up at him as she lifted her head to press her lips against his cheek. He swerved in the sky, sending Gwyn into fits of giggles, "Don't do that!" He hissed, the moment of distraction having cost him, but at least no one else had seen. 

"You sure you can make it home?" She teased, and Azriel narrowed his eyes at her, brushing a kiss just beneath her ear. When she shuddered and closed her eyes, he pretended to drop her, laughing at her slow reaction. She buried her face in his chest, her arms tightening around him to an almost painful degree as she mumbled something indiscernible, probably a threat knowing her.

She was a genius, Azriel realized as he landed on the lawn outside the River House, the scent of roses and bread permeating the air, they must be in time for lunch. Gwyn stumbled once as he set her down, then noted the scent and grinned, 

"Nuala must be cooking today, that saves me the embarrassment of trying to,"

"I was thinking I've never seen you cook,"

"I can't, I burned toast last time I tried. Catrin was brilliant, she got all the culinary skill," she smiled to herself, the smile tinged with sadness, but no longer the soul-crushing grief that she'd still felt when Azriel had first met her. 

"Come on, let's go see what she's making,"

"And steal something before she's done?"

"Tradition demands it."

Spymaster indeed, Gwyn shook her head at Azriel and the fresh loaf he'd snatched before Nuala had chased them out of the kitchen, brandishing a rather dangerous looking copper ladle. Azriel grinned, and tore a chunk of bread off, offering it to her, and it was almost enough for Gwyn to forgive him for getting them caught, because it had been Azriel's furtive giggle that had drawn Nuala's attention and ire. Not even the shadows had been able to hide them, not that they'd even tried to hide Azriel, but Gwyn had been forced to run as well, the half-wraith more than wise to their tricks. She shot him a glare, but the scent of the bread won over her annoyance at getting caught, and mumbled a string of incoherent insults as she took it, most of them involving the phrase 'ham-fisted buffoon'. Azriel tossed back his head as he laughed, his eyes bright when he looked back to Gwyn. She quickly finished her mouthful bread, prepared to launch into a verbal sparring match again, but he took he by surprise, stepping towards so that she had to look upwards to meet his gaze, the door at her back, Azriel at her front. 

Her mind emptied when he leaned one hand on the doorframe beside her head, the other curling under her chin. She forgot why she'd even been slightly annoyed in the first place when he kissed her, pulling away just as she started to melt into him. He winked at her  and she realized he'd stolen the remainder of the bread and she cursed, but it was too late. 

"That's cheating," she announced, and, not giving him a chance to argue, darted sideways to claim the first bath as Azriel started after her, a smile gracing his lips. She glanced back at him as she tugged her shirt over her head to bathe, laughing when he fumbled the clasp he was trying to undo on his leathers, his soft curse making Gwyn grin to herself. She was looking forward to a forever of this, of him, and now she was so close to securing that future.