Shadows Whisper | | Azriel

72

Tense silence hung over the room as Rhys narrowed his eyes at Azriel.

"What about the things you don't tell her then?" Rhys challenged, his voice quiet and cold. "I know you didn't tell her where we went today. Or any of the times you leave."

"That is not the same," Azriel snapped, glaring at Rhys. "And this isn't about that."

"Hit a nerve there, did I?" Rhys mocked, earning a growl from Azriel. "Don't be such a hypocrite, Azriel. We both lie to protect her, don't we? You can't think it's only okay when you're the one doing it. She's my sister. I only have her best interests in mind with anything I do."

"Could've fooled me," the shadowsinger scoffed, finally releasing his hold on the High Lord. "I'm taking her away from here. Have fun fixing your house."

"You're not taking her anywhere until she wakes up and says she wants to go," Rhys argued, "she stays here until she says where she wants to go."

"She wants to go with him," Cassian chimed in hesitantly, "she already said it earlier. She wants to go back to...wherever it was that they were before."

"I'm killing her uncle and then I'm taking her from this place," Azriel said simply, his face shifting into an expression that warned of death when Rhys grabbed him the arm to stop him.

"Do not touch Vyn," Rhys told him, "she gets a chance to meet him properly and then can decide whether or not she wants him dead. He's her only family outside of us. He lives until she says otherwise. Is that understood?"

"Get your hand off me," Azriel demanded, his voice dangerously soft.

"Is that understood, Azriel?" Rhys repeated his question, his grip on Azriel's arm tightening.

"I'll allow him to live," Azriel said, "but if any harm comes to her at his hands, you die for it by mine."

"Azriel," Cassian warned lowly, taking a step closer to the pair—to his brothers, his High Lord and the master of torture. Cassian didn't know what he would do if Azriel made a move against Rhys. Azriel was his brother as much as Rhys was, but Rhys was High Lord. This entire court depended on him. Azriel couldn't be allowed to kill him.

Mor and Amren both moved closer as well, seeming to be having the same thoughts Cassian was. Azriel couldn't kill Rhys. That couldn't happen. But, right now, they believed he might try. They believed they might have to do something to stop him.

"If I failed to protect her," Rhys started off, entirely calm even with that threat hanging over him, "do you think I'd stop you?"

"They might try," Azriel pointed out, "they would not succeed. If my mate gets hurt because of you, they will not be able to stop me."

"You want to test that theory, shadowsinger?" Amren asked, her voice cold and her silver eyes swirling as she leveled an icy glare at her friend.

"No," Azriel replied, "I don't, but I will if I have to. If my mate is hurt by the male he is choosing to keep alive, I'll go through whoever I have to go give him the repayment he deserves."

"You're not taking her anywhere until you calm down," Cassian spoke up suddenly, "calm down and stop threatening people. Until then, you're not getting near her."

Azriel whirled on his brother, eyes alight with fury.

"Don't you dare," Azriel hissed, "it is not your place and you know damn well my anger would never turn on her."

"It doesn't matter if it's her you're angry at or not," Mor reminded him, "it's the anger at all that will scare her. We all just saw what happens when she's scared. Do you want to be the reason for a repeat of that?"

It was somehow only then that Azriel realized Cassian had positioned himself between him and his sleeping mate. And Cassian looked ready for a fight, ready to go down kicking and punching if Azriel made any move to take Astryn right now while he was so wild with anger.

"Calm down," Cassian repeated sternly, "or you do not get near her."

Much to everyone's surprise, Azriel took in a deep breath. He tried to calm himself. He tried, but he couldn't rid himself of the anger and panic he felt. He was too far away to get to her, and she didn't know where he was. All she knew was that he wasn't there, that it was Cassian and not him who showed up.

Azriel almost thought about how odd it was that he didn't feel an ounce of jealousy when he learned that Astryn was attracted to Cassian, but he was feeling something close to jealous now. Because Cassian was there for her, there when Azriel was in another court entirely, when he couldn't arrive fast enough. Cassian was there and Azriel wasn't and now Cassian stood between him and Astryn to protect her from him.

"She shouldn't wake up here," Azriel said, his voice much more gentle now, "she shouldn't see..." What she did. She shouldn't see what she did. He couldn't manage to get those words out though. "She shouldn't see the house like this."

"Calm down and you can take her," Cassian assured him, "I don't want her to see this either but you know you can't go anywhere alone with her like this. She'll panic if you're still angry and it's just the two of you."

"Come with us," Azriel requested, surprising even himself, "she would...I think she would want you there."

"Are you sure?" Cassian asked, trying not to show how shocked he was at that.

"Yes," he answered with a nod, "she'll...she'll want to know that you're okay, to see that you're okay."

"Let's go then," he muttered with a nod before pausing and looking to Rhys. "When will she wake?"

"When she's ready," Rhys responded, staring at his sleeping sister, "when she's calm enough that she doesn't start shaking everything again the moment she wakes up."

Azriel didn't speak to Rhys as he stepped around Cassian and lifted Astryn into his arms, using his wings to block her from his view.

He gave Cassian a short nod, and then the three of them left.