The Prophecy - ACOTAR

Chapter 41

Azriel fought to keep his face impartial, but the sight of the most dangerous court in Prythian dropping into the lowest bow, made it one of the most difficult things he has ever done. It wouldn't have been a look of surprise like Mor, Cass, and Feyre or a look of smugness like Rhys. No, it would have been a look of overwhelming pride. Pride in the female that he had been calling his future mate, but he was wrong in that designation, because she was his mate now and forever. He didn't need a ceremony or the traditional serving of food, the formalities would come later when the fierce female beside him was ready, but she has shown him time and time again that she was his.

Each time he came home brooding, frustrated, and angry at himself, she was there, ready to pull him back. Somehow, she always knew exactly what would help him best, which was never the sweet things that Mor would have tried in the past. He needed Astrid's brand of crazy, it was the only thing that could breach his walls.

He hadn't admitted it out loud, he didn't feel she was ready for it yet, but each annoying and creative way she brought him back, made him fall even harder for her. And seeing her step out of the hoard of shadows, his shadows? That sealed the deal for him, watching her move confidently towards the room full of fae, her shoulders back and her chin high, her stunning violet eyes shimmering with power.

Azriel offered his mate his arm, the warmth from her hand seeping through the leather of the tunic he wore under his armor. Rose and the faint smell of leather carried off of her, a smile tugging at his lips. As her hand wrapped around his arm, the stones on her hilt began to glow, and the shadows worked their way up to her headpiece, twining themselves around it, before more twined themselves around their connected arms. Something most wouldn't notice, but he did.

For Azriel, this felt like the shadows approved, which cemented her standing as the Warrior. The shadows would welcome her just as they do her master... He never would have thought that meant his story would be entwined with hers, not in the many times he had heard that prophecy. Nobody had ever known what that line meant, which made it even more confusing when she inevitably became, he.

Azriel escorted Astrid towards the dais, his skin prickling as he felt someone staring at them, it almost felt like glaring. But he held his face forward, only turning it to glance down at the gorgeous female beside him. He wanted to stop and pull her towards him, to kiss her till there was no one else but them in the room, but he couldn't.

Rhys had instructed him specifically; he was to be Astrid's escort tonight and nothing else. Azriel couldn't show the court who he was to her until things became official. It was the first time he had seen Rhys truly step into the protective big brother role he had been stamping down. Rhys doesn't want to see Astrid hurt again, and if she chose to ignore their mating bond, Rhys worried how the court would treat her after. Even though Astrid had all but told him she was going to accept the bond, Rhys still wanted her to have her entire choice, to not have to worry about any consequences of rejecting the bond.

Azriel had questioned why he continued to use the Queen of Shadows title then, thinking it made it more than obvious who he and Astrid were to each other. But Rhys had insisted, stating that many would take it that she was another Shadowsinger, that they wouldn't question it because nobody knew anything about what It meant to become one.

Rhys moved Feyre off of his lap as the pair reached the dais, standing up and making his way down to them. Rhys took Astrid's hand and led her up the stairs to the throne. He turned them so they were able to look out at the court, that was still pressing their foreheads against the floor, as Azriel moved to stand on the opposite side from Cassian, where he would normally go when Rhys returned to the court.

"Rise." Rhys's voice boomed through the room. "If you make her feel anything less than welcome, it is not only me that you will need to fear. Now, go play." The crowd dispersed, music floating out from a distant corner. "Keir," Rhys called out.