A Court of Wildest Dreams

Chapter 40

The black stallion snorted. Neighing every now and then they changed course through the red forest.

Having absolutely zero experience with horses, Azriel didn't know what exactly it meant.

From the side way, Eris kept smirking at his attempts to calm his mount. Adding to the hissing sound escaping from his bared teeth and the burning in his knuckles, dying to make contact with the prick's pale jaw.

No voluntary comment from the too silent priestess riding at his left, who seemed quite at ease with her polite mare. Holding on to the reins in a way suggesting she could do much better without them.

Azriel silently wondered about her sheer skill, about the ways she probably had learnt how to befriend a horse with all her life summarized in a temple atop a hill.

Watching her prancing atop a horse just like any queen, Azriel knew that there were absolutely nothing that his perfect mate couldn't do.

She was fucking flawless. An uncut diamond. Wild and beautiful,

When he'd woken up this morning, dizzy and lost after days of restlessness, he'd needed a moment for the pictures of last night to surge in.

As predicted, he couldn't believe himself.

Apologizing to her at first, for the thing that had given birth to the dispute plaguing them for the last few days, and then shattering it by so unrightly claiming her. Both physically and emotionally.

He was an idiot.

How could he ruin everything again? After all he'd been through since that damned day Nesta had slapped him with that fucking necklace.

He'd gone through those days, hoping that one day, centuries later, he and Gwyn would crack up at the memory of their first fight. Dreaming that even the mention of that damned necklace would lose its weight through time.

A kind of wishful thinking that was wanning piece by piece, each day.

After wearing away the silken carpet of his room with his hysterical walking, he'd come to a decision. Which Rhys hadn't been the happiest to welcome.

It didn't matter how obnoxiously he'd behaved in front of Gwyn last night or how much she avoided his company. He wasn't letting her travel alone.

Of course, making Rhys to agree had been the easiest part. Breaking the news to Eris, informing him to reserve another seat at his father's table for the dinner tonight had been the actual deal.

They, particularly Lucien, hadn't been happy about it. But with a few well-placed jabs, their heads had been moving in agreement.

Despite his expectations, facing Gwyn with his pack hooked around his back hadn't been as catastrophic.

Azriel guessed he had Elain's presence to thank.

Of course in front of her, Gwyn had reserved her outburst for another time. Swallowing her screams only to vomit them all over him when they were alone. If they got to be alone.

Knowing what exactly he'd been interrupting, it'd taken him an effort to dismiss the pure longing and pain in Elain's eyes, while descending those stairs. Even though it had made his temples pound.

The first time he'd seen her since their afternoon conversation in the tea room which he'd left quite early and unexpectedly, and it'd had been with Gwyn there, stealing all the attention and air.

Azriel felt obliged to -one day- face Elain alone. There were things he needed to clarify, things he needed to apologize.

He owed her at least that.