A Court of Souls and Shadows

50. Epilogue

ONE MONTH LATER

RAVEN

"Is this really necessary?" I asked incredulously, staring down at the massive cake on the table before me. Azriel grinned beside me, his hazel eyes shining. "It's not every day you turn five hundred," he said, squeezing my hips beneath his hands affectionately. I rolled my eyes, leaning forward to blow out the five candles on top of the cake - one for every century. Just as quickly as the flames disappeared, they reappeared - burning as brightly as ever.

"You're getting weak in your old age," came an amused female voice from the back of the room. My friends parted and there stood Fang - Seraphina, in all her glory. I was still grappling with the fact that my very closest friend was indeed a dragon and not a bat - and also female. My head was still spinning from the events of the war. I rolled my eyes at her.

"You should know better than to play tricks on such an old lady," I said sarcastically, as she waved her hand and extinguished the flames once more. She beamed at me as she stopped behind Mor, wrapping her arms around her waist. There had been a reason Mor had grown so close to my pet bat, it had turned out. Who would have known that a bat would turn out to be a dragon shifter trapped in a curse by a witchy ex-girlfriend, and all she needed to break it was a quick blast from the Cauldron. I'd stopped questioning things these days. Seraphina's short, black curls tickled at Mor's neck, making her giggle as the dragon shifter placed an affectionate kiss to her cheek. The second they'd locked eyes when Seraphina had shifted back into her Fae form, the mating bond had snapped into place for the two of them. I was beyond happy for them.

I looked to Lucien and Elain next, who were happily snuggled on one of the couches, Lucien's hand affectionately stroking Elain's stomach. They were expecting a baby already - a happy accident - and we were all thrilled for them. Cassian and Nesta bickered at the edge of the group - as they always did - but I saw how brightly their Souls shone in each other's presence. When I'd told Nesta that her and Cassian were inevitable, she'd flipped me off and told me to stick to stealing Souls, not searching them. 

Feyre was batting Rhysand's hands away as she begun slicing the cake into even portions, the High Lord swiping a glob of icing from the top and popping it into his mouth with a smirk. Kallias ' booming laugh filled the room as Vivienne did the same, and Feyre scolded her. It was impossible to think of these people as anything other than family now. I couldn't fathom the thought of leaving them. This was where I was meant to be. With all of them.

Azriel leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to my temple. "Come with me," he whispered in my ear. "I have one more birthday surprise for you."

"I can't cut out of my own party," I said sarcastically. Azriel's eyes shone with amusement as he said "of course you can," and tugged me from the dining room of the House of Wind and into the hall. "Where are we going?" I laughed, quickening my pace to keep up with his long strides.

"If I told you, that would ruin the surprise, wouldn't it?" He replied, looking back at me over his shoulder with a smirk. I smiled and hurried after him, up the stairs and onto the rooftop. I gasped as we stepped through the doorway and saw what he'd done to the rooftop.

It was completely covered in jars of twinkling lights and wildflowers - hundreds of them. I recognised them immediately as the wildflowers from the field he'd taken me to on Starfall, what felt like so long ago. I walked into the sea of twinkling lights and flowers, completely mesmerised by the marvel of it all. I stopped in the centre, turning to search for my mate, who still hadn't said anything as I wandered through.

He was right behind me, down on one knee, his eyes shining with emotion as he looked up at me. "This rooftop is where you told me your name. Where you let me in for the first time. Where I fell in love with you. Even if I didn't know it at the time."

I smiled. "You were a bit slow," I said sarcastically, nudging his shoulder.

"Let me finish, woman," he said with a grin, reaching into his back pocket to pull out a small, velvet box. 

"I didn't think I would ever find my mate. And then I found you. And you threatened me with death upon our first meeting."

I laughed. "Sounds about right," I said, a tear spilling over and trailing down my cheek. Azriel opened the box, revealing the most gorgeous ring I'd ever seen, and took my left hand in his.

"It is not enough for me to be your mate," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I want to be your husband. Raven Dasserati, will you marry me?"

"Yes," I breathed. "Yes."

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AUTHOR NOTE:

Thank you so much for reading A Court of Souls and Shadows. It's been a wild ride! Did you expect the twist with Fang? God I have been planning that since the first chapter I introduced the lil' bat and couldn't wait to reveal it! Still craving some Azriel & Raven? An extended epilogue is still on the way - set during Winter Solstice in the Winter Court with our fav lil' bro Kallias. In the mean time, be sure to check out my newest story that I will be updating regularly now that this one has been completed. A Court of Lightning and Fire - a spicy enemies-to-lovers story featuring Eris Vanserra! Arranged marriage trope + more! It's shaping up to be fucking amazing! Read it here: https://www.wattpad.com/1197773435-a-court-of-lightning-fire-prologue