A Court of Fanfictions: Azriel

Chapter 11

Minutes later, Azriel had me climbing, or shall I say scaling, the rocks behind the waterfall with him. He wanted to show me a cavern behind the falls that led out to the other side of the mountain where you could see all of Velaris.

But right now, all I wanted to do was return to our previous position in the water and drink him like a fine wine.

"Can we get back in the water after this? I'm going to be sore all over again," I said, reaching for another rock. Azriel laughed and looked down at me. "If there's time."

I rolled my eyes.

I saw him climb into an opening about a foot or two above me. He reached out a hand for me to take, and I reached for it. He grabbed forearm and pulled me with ease to him. I grabbed onto the edge of the rock and hauled myself the rest of the way up as we entered the dark blue rock. I stood and turned to place my hands under the waterfall behind us to remove the sticky and grain from the rock off.

When I turned, Azriel snapped a small light into the cavern. "This way," he said, walking ahead of me. The waterfall splashed and crashed behind us with such intensity that it echoed through the cavern. I followed Azriel's footsteps, not entirely able to see everything. Then, he stopped at an opening in the rock. I could see the outline of his body and wings against the contrast of the light ahead.

I stepped next to him.

And gasped at what lay ahead.

Directly in front of us were hills and valleys of woods and meadows. But surrounding us were snow capped mountains, blue and indigo, and in the center was Velaris. I could hear the music from the Rainbow district playing.

"It's so..." I searched for a word, but nothing could describe it. "I know," Azriel agreed. I could feel his stare on me, but I couldn't look away from the view. This view. So...vast. So open and so calm yet alive.

"When I was a kid, Rhys and Cassian would sometimes try to swoon ladies with the view above us. I always came in here."

I chuckled. "Not swooning any ladies of your own?" I half-joked, looking at him now. A faint grin came across his lips.

"No, not here. I've never brought anyone here."

My heart smiled as he looked over at me. And I realized I was smiling, too.

"Well, thank you. For bringing me. I..needed it. Needed the open and the air."

He dipped his chin slightly before looking back out at the view. I wanted to confess something private to him. Expose myself in some way that he had been doing to me these past few weeks. But I couldn't. I couldn't make myself vulnerable. I just couldn't.

A hand, his hand, touched between my upper back, the water no longer guarding him against the feel of my scars. It made me cringe.

And he removed it.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"It's not–" I sighed, looking to the ground. "No. You're fine. It's not...you. I just don't like that you're feeling this weird...skin. It's not what I want you to think about when you think of me. If you think of me."

"Of course I think of you," he spoke. My heart jolted so hard I had to look up to make sure it came from him. It was his voice. There was no one else around.

Yup it was him.

He sighed this time. "And the last thing on my mind are the scars across your back," he added.

I grinned. "And the first?" I purred, my stomach tightening and core tingling. He thinks of me.

His face mused as he stepped towards me.