Shadows Whisper | | Azriel

66

The next morning, Astryn had to lean on Azriel for support as they went to the dining room. He had offered to just bring breakfast to her, but she felt guilty enough for skipping out on training because of how sore she was and didn't want to miss breakfast too. Azriel had assured her that missing training wasn't an issue—Cassian didn't even end up doing his usual morning exercises after all they did last night.

Still, though, she felt the need to be out of bed.

Mor and Amren exchanged looks when Azriel and Astryn came in, Astryn limping slightly even with leaning against Azriel. The scent of them was still heavy. Rhys's face went red at that scent, at Astryn's telltale limp. Mor and Amren only grinned, eager to find ways to tease Rhys.

"Have the two of you been settling back in well?" Mor asked casually, though her eyes were already twinkling with amusement.

"We have, thank you," Astryn replied politely as Azriel sent Mor a warning look that he made certain his mate didn't notice.

Mor opened her mouth to say something that would undoubtedly piss of Azriel and horrify Rhys when Cassian finally sauntered into the dining room. Mor, Rhys, and even Amren all went entirely still as the scent hit them—Astryn's scent on Cassian. Azriel didn't look the least bit shocked and Astryn didn't seem to consider the idea that anyone would be shocked.

Cassian's eyes flicked to Astryn's plate and he grinned at what he saw.

"I thought you had enough pancakes last night," he commented, adding on a wink that earned an eye roll from Azriel but made Astryn blush. Rhysand choked on his breakfast and sputtered out a breath as he stared at his friend who reeked of his sister. Azriel—Azriel he could deal with because he was her mate. Cassian was...unexpected.

"Don't be ridiculous, Cassian," Astryn muttered, "I want real pancakes too. A threesome isn't good enough to make me not want pancakes."

Rhys thought he might actually collapse and die, and Azriel had the decency to look slightly embarrassed at the breakfast table conversation. Amren and Mor both laughed, and Cassian's wings bristled slightly.

"I'll just have to up my game next time then," Cassian replied, a grin now spread across his face.

"Next time," Rhys echoed incredulously, face gone red.

"We've learned that Astryn very much enjoys...how should I say it...sharing her pancakes," Cassian informed him with mock seriousness. The seriousness faded when he punctuated his statement by picking one of the cut up bits of pancake off of Astryn's plate and popping it into his mouth.

"Cass," Astryn mumbled with a pout, "you can't do that."

"Don't touch her breakfast," Azriel warned dryly, though he was slightly amused. He'd never admit how funny he found all of this. Embarrassing, but hilarious.

"Apologies, Ryn," Cassian replied dramatically before looking back to Rhys. "You shouldn't look so shocked—you were the one who informed her that threesomes even existed."

"He what?" Mor gasped, eyes wide.

"He was teaching her all about safe sex and well...she put the knowledge to good use. We were very safe together," Cassian informed her, and Azriel let out a quiet huff of laughter despite himself.

"This is not appropriate dining room talk," Rhys mumbled, eyes on his plate. He didn't think he would ever be able to have pancakes again.

"You only say that because she's your sister," Amren scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You've said far more lewd things in far less appropriate settings. And I'm fairly certain you fucked someone on this table in your younger days."

"Amren," Rhys exclaimed, eyes wide. She only shrugged in response.

"Rhys, would it make you feel better if I assured you we had a very detailed conversation beforehand?" Cassian offered up a comfort that he knew wasn't comforting at all. "We talked all about it before we did anything."

"Cassian," Azriel warned lowly, aware that this had suddenly become a bit too much for Astryn.

She wasn't embarrassed to talk about sex. She didn't know enough about social cues to know when it was appropriate to have these conversations. It wasn't even the sex and everyone now knowing about it that embarrassed her. It was just being looked at. She didn't like them all sneaking glances towards her as they talked and she quietly picked at her food.

Cassian was about to ignore Azriel's warning and continue on, but he picked up on Astryn's discomfort and changed the subject.

"I was thinking about going into the city today," he brought up, "I wanted to do a bit of shopping."

"What are you buying me?" Amren asked sweetly, and Cassian gave a feral grin.

"A muzzle," he offered, and she glared, "I'll get it diamond encrusted for you."

"You can't afford the good diamonds anyway," she quipped, "you waste all your money on alcohol."

"I'd hardly call it a waste. The alcohol brings me great joy. Why shouldn't I buy what brings me joy?" he reasoned with a shrug. "And it makes it far easier to tolerate you all."

"We're the intolerable ones? You came in and ruined a perfectly good breakfast with all your weird sex things," Mor fired back, her eyes drifting to Astryn when she saw her cousin shifting uncomfortably out of the corner of her eye. She felt a stab of guilt for calling it weird.
Azriel sent her a look that let her know they would be having words about that phrasing later.

Astryn looked to Azriel, face red with embarrassment and eyes full shame.

"I'm all finished," she mumbled, "you can...you should stay and finish."

She hurried back to their room and Azriel frowned as he watched her leave. He looked to Mor then, sadness in his eyes.

"Be careful with the way you talk about it," he requested, "she's still...she's still learning to accept that it's okay to want things, that she's not bad for having desires."

"I didn't mean to hurt her feelings," Mor spoke softly, "is she...did they tell her she wasn't supposed to want things?"

"That's not my story to share," Azriel responded sternly, but the non-answer was enough of an answer.

Rhys left the table without a word as the group fell into a more somber mood. He walked off down the hall in the direction Astryn had gone, and he hoped she might be willing to vent to him about what had her so upset she left the table.