Dance of Fate

Chapter Ten

-Velaris-

I had been standing outside of the Town House for at least an hour.

I was hidden- both visually, and my smell. I stared at the house, trying to gather the courage to go inside. I knew they were in there. I knew he was in there. I could feel him, just as I could feel the overwhelming power stirring under my skin, eager to be put to use now that it was back to its full force.

I closed my eyes, trying to force myself to walk to the door. I wished Rhysand was here. Maybe if he was by my side, I would be able to do this. What was taking him so long?

My heart was pounding so furiously it was giving me a headache. I didn't even know what I was so scared of. I had been waiting over forty nine years to see his face, to see all of them. Even just being in Velaris was unbelievable.

And yet, a part of me, the part that had always been present in me and had only grown more predominant the last years, echoed in my mind, telling me I didn't deserve to be here. I deserved to die, like so many had at my hand. I deserved to suffer, like I made them suffer.

The tugging in my chest was the only thing that stopped me from turning around and leaving the city. My entire body ached with need, begging me to go to him. It was like my heart and my mind were at war. Like my desire to see him was fighting to beat my self loathing.

Every second, it got stronger, until it became difficult to draw air. My mind was invaded with the memories of his voice, of his smell, of his touch. Knowing that he was only feet away from me... it was torture.

I took a breath, the tightness in my chest making it difficult. And I removed all of my glamours.

...

She was here, in Velaris. It was undeniable- the wave of desire and longing and agony that crashed into him, it was a feeling that only Asteria could ever evoke in him.

Azriel could do nothing but stand perfectly still, his eyes on the door.

And then it opened, and he was met with eyes the color of amethyst, and his entire world suddenly crumbled down and was born again.

...

The moment I saw him, I almost fell to my knees.

Everything about him was perfect. Although I had dreamt of him nearly every night, my memories had never done his beauty justice. His hazel eyes were all I would ever wish to see. They held everything I thirsted for, everything I longed and lived for. His lips- the lips I used to know better than I knew myself, the lips I used to call home. They made my soul ache, made my heart scream. I then knew that there was no getting over him. No, I would be getting over him my whole life.

Neither of us moved an inch. Even his shadows stilled, clinging onto his silhouette. Everything else faded away, like the rest of the world turned to black and white, and we remained in screaming color. I took in every inch of his face, as if this was the last time I would ever see him. The look in his eyes was absolutely devastating. He was staring at me as if I was the stars and the moon, as if I was the only thing left in the world that was worth looking at. Sparks danced in his glistening eyes, pinned onto mine, neither of us able to look away, like our souls were latched onto one another.

I blinked, wondering if I was dreaming. Could this be real? Could he really be standing right in front of me, as my thoughts echoed his name?

"Asteria..." He whispered, his voice as soft as a song. It was enough to undo me completely. My body gave out, and I would have collapsed onto the floor, had Azriel's arms not wrapped around me before I could collide with the ground. A broken sob escaped my lips, tears streaming down my face after years of supressin them.