A Court of Scars and Shadows

Epilogue

49 years later

Gwyn was waiting for Azriel to return home from a mission. His longest since their mating ceremony, which had been almost half a century ago. During his mission, Gwyn had found out news from Nesta earlier in the week that had left her nervous but elated and she was now desperately waiting for him. 

She was about to start baking, something she found to be a past-time in the past decade, when she wasn't working in the bookshop that Nesta and her had opened up. Emerie had moved out of Illyria and let an Illyrian female work out of her store as she opened up another on in Velaris. 

Nesta and Gwyn had both drawn up plans to create their dream bookshop in replacement of the one that Nesta had been working in after it had shut down. It took a couple of months to organize it but once it was up and running, it was beautiful. The workers consisted of priestesses that managed to overcome their fears. The lofts on top of where the bookshop was the priestesses' housing in Velaris. Rhysand had helped tremendously. 

Feyre had birthed another child when Nyx had been thirty-eight. The whole city celebrated the birth of the baby, who like her brother, was also born with wings. Nyx grew to be a magical prodigy who had his mother's powers from Day and Summer along with his father's court magic. Their daughter, Selene, proved to be even more powerful that Nyx, at just eleven years old. She had somehow inherited all of her mother's powers and her father's, including the ability of being a daemati. 

Gwyn tied the apron on her waist and set off to make her favorite dessert, pistachio cake. Using her shadows help, she moved around the kitchen gracefully while mixing the dry ingredients together. She hummed a soft tune as she baked and once the cake was in the oven, she turned on her record player to sing softly as she waited for the minutes to past. 

She had been so engrossed with singing and the music that she hadn't heard him enter the apartment. She spun around as she sang, heading towards the oven to take out the cake, when she yelled as she saw him and reacted defensively, throwing a punch towards his gut. 

Azriel's eyes blew up open as she landed the punch. He stumbled back and she immediately pulled back her fist. 

"Azriel!" She gasped. "You're back."

He didn't say anything. The surprise of her punch shook off him and his eyes were glued to her chest, the front of her apron. His body went stiff. She saw his eyes move over the words again, doing a double take. The words read, Mama in the making, with a little whisk design; she had thought it corny but decided to get it still. 

He shut his eyes tightly and nerves grew in her stomach as she tried to read what he felt through their bond. So many emotions were running through his mind. She fidgeted with her hands in front of her when he opened his eyes again. His hazel eyes were brimmed with tears and she felt her skin tingle. 

"Gwyn," his voice was shaky and disbelieving. A tentative smile bloomed on her face and she stepped to him. 

She wrapped her arms around his neck and he lowered his face to the crook of her neck, confirming what Nesta had told her when she had went to the House of Wind at the beginning of the week. 

Her mind went back to that moment. 

She had shifted out of her wings when she landed in the House of Wind. Nesta would arrive soon from the bookshop with Emerie to have their girls night. She had felt particularly drowsy that day and hadn't felt like eating.

When Nesta and Emerie arrived, they came with sweets from a bakery. The feeling of not wanting to eat went away as soon as she saw the pistachio cake. The first bite she took from the cake sent her to a bathing room. Her stomach immediately turned upset. Emerie and Nesta followed her, concerned, and Nesta held her hair back.