A Court of Fanfictions: Azriel

Chapter 16

I tried to lift myself over the fence, but my body didn't allow it. Two firm hands and a familiar scent of cedar and night-chilled mist appeared before me. I smirked. I'd know that scent from anywhere.

"Hey, Az Baby," I spoke, or more so grunted, as he lifted me over the fence, my feet landing on the ground before his. My voice was hardly more than a grumble.

"Kortnee baby," he grunted back, wrapping an arm around my waist. His voice was tougher than usual, as if he was grateful to see me but strained as though he was not grateful it was like this. I could feel the stress in his muscles as they wrapped around me, the tenseness of them. Cassian came to my other side as I limped, his arm sliding around my waist as well. "He broke a rib," I muttered to them, spitting blood on the ground. "Rhys has Majda at the house already," Cassian assured me. I blinked, trying to see, but everything was a blur. It's crazy what your body can do when you're in danger, how it can shut off the unnecessary things and only focus on survival.

I heard Cassian kick open a door as Azriel held me up to haul me in. I let out a moan from the exploding pain in my chest. Once inside, he kicked the door closed and lifted me into his arms. I winced. "Where is she?" Azriel yelled. Everything was becoming fuzzy. Everything was...weaker. I felt...dizzy. "Az," I whispered, attempting to swallow down the nausea. But my mouth was so dry suddenly.

"This way," Rhys cooly answered. Azriel took me up some stairs and laid me on a bed. I tried to take a breath, but the pain in my torso was...unbearable. My dry mouth. The dizziness, the blurriness it was all too much. I leaned my head forward to compensate for the pain of my spine relaxing.

"It's not that bad," I lied to them as I watched the three Illyrians stand around my bed. Majda was over me in a second, placing her hand over my ribs. "No time for the powder. The bones have punctured her lung," Majda determined. That explained the pain then.

As her hand started glowing, I could feel my bone returning to its place. I screeched in pain, starting to thrash. I knew I shouldn't, I knew she was helping. But fuck it hurt. My arms and legs were uncontrollable as I fought.

Cassian held my legs down, while Rhys held one arm, Azriel at the other. "The next time you two fucking—" Azriel said behind gritted teeth.

"She wanted to!" Cassian yelled. I could feel the final bone wedging back into place. I screeched again. "And if Feyre or Nesta tried to get in the ring? And you weren't there?" Azriel yelled back at him, his voice dark and deeper than usual.

"They're our mates!" Rhys hissed. "Not to mention High Lady and our biggest weapon!" Cassian added.

Expendable. I was expendable.

"So Kortnee is expendable?" Azriel hissed, looking at Rhys now, as if reading my thoughts. Majda started on my lung. And the Cauldron. It hurt. It hurt so bad. The feeling of the blood seeping back into me, the tissue repairing itself slowly. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't scream. I tried. I tried to breathe. I couldn't.

"No!" Rhys hissed back. "Then why is she the one laying in this bed?" Azriel yelled. The anger in his voice was something I'd never experienced. Something I never thought I would. He's always so calm and cool.

"She volunteered!" Cassian screeched. "Feyre and Nesta have volunteered plenty," he added.

I screeched as air finally entered me. My body flexed as I tried to fight against the healing of my lung.