A Court of Shadows and Lies / ACOTAR FF

Chapter 83

I plopped on Azriel's bed in Velaris, snuggling into the sheets and taking a deep breath in. The Shadowsinger quietly moved towards the desk, undoing his belt and dagger sheath. It had felt like an eternity had passed since I was last in this city, let alone in Az's bed. Now that I was laying here, I didn't want to move.

I was fucking exhausted.

So much had happened since Starfall and I couldn't recall a moment where I had a moment to myself, or with Azriel. There was always something going on, or a reason to be in each other presence. It wasn't like how it was before when I'd just waltz into his room, or he'd meet me in the lounge and sit with me while I read.

"Rhysand's trying to set up a meeting with the High Lords," Azriel murmured and I sat up in bed, frowning at him. He didn't seem particularly out of the ordinary but the way he said those words was different.

"That's good," I said. "We need to see them."

Az grunted in response.

"What's up?" I asked him, shuffling to the edge of the bed.

"Nothing."

"You can't say that, that's my line," I joked but he didn't find it funny. Instead he turned to look at me. Something was toying with him. "Tell me."

He sat on the edge of the table, now looking ahead at the door opposite – one that hadn't been opened or explored while I had been here. I had never seen the male look exhausted, mentally or physically, but he looked how I felt. His normally fresh-faced look was gaunt and dark, and his hair seemed to have grown out rather quickly as he had tied it up into a small ponytail.

My heart skipped a beat and my hands began to sweat.

I had seen that look before, and been in this situation several times before. Instead of Azriel, it was Vel.

I was sat on his guest bed while he was leaning against the bedroom bay window. It had been a heavy conversation, discussing the future and what it entailed, how we'd support each other. In fact, it wasn't an out-of-the-ordinary conversation, but it felt like we were putting to bed a lot of things that had been left open-ended since he had found his mate.

I couldn't foresee anything like that with Azriel. I wouldn't put him in that situation in the first place.

"I want to show you something," he said finally, taking me by surprise. He held out his hand and I took it, letting him drag me off the bed. We silently padded over to the door and Az reached out, turning the door knob with his free hand. It clicked open and the Shadowsinger pulled it open.

It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dark room but I was shocked to find a whole stargazing set-up in front of me. Tables were strewn with maps of the sky, drawings of stars and outlines of their animals, and a telescope that was sat pointed up at the ceiling.

I turned to look at him, shocked. "This was here the entire time?"

"What were you expecting?" he bounced back.

I blinked. Not this. "A sex room?"

Azriel chuckled and kissed the top of my head. "We can use a dungeon for that," he murmured and I instantly felt my body light up with electricity. My mind instantly began to wander to what he would do to me, what he could do, and if he could get his bloody dagger included in the activities.

Gods, it surely hadn't been that long since we'd had sex, had it?

The Shadowsinger pulled me into the room, and flickering flames began to light the minimal number of wall lamps. It was cosy, intimate, and I suppose it wasn't something I wouldn't expect from Azriel. The whole set-up was personal and private, something that Azriel was down to his last living cell.