AZRIEL

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

JULIAN

Having to remain behind while Azriel, Celeste and Adeline took to duties was not something Julian was not used to. In fact, he enjoyed his moments of solitude - opting to offer a helping-hand in the estate stables or looking to silly little errands around the home.

Today he had decided to head to the library. It had been a while since he'd picked up a book - by a while, perhaps four days, and he was beginning to feel the withdrawals. Soon enough he found himself walking through the corridors towards the family library, and just before he was about to enter through the sliding glass doors he had heard the sound of a book page flipping .

His heart sank.

He had managed to catch the gleam of her reddish-brown hair before he had quickly pressed himself around the corner of the wall in hopes she hadn't seen him. Leave, a part of him screamed, you embarrassed yourself the last time you saw her when you spoke to her drunk.

Stay, another half hushed at him, you know how badly you want to speak to her.

And so he obliged, taking a solid deep breath before slipping through the glass doors and into the library.

"Hello," he murmured softly, and shut the door carefully behind him.

Cirse was reading in one of the lounging chairs, hair fallen in front of her face and a book spread across her lap. Julian's abrupt arrival had taken her by surprise, and she quickly glanced up to meet his gaze. The young male read her expression - she was taken aback, but somewhat glad to see him.

"Hi," She replied, and the sweetness of her voice was like hot honey being poured into Julian's ears. He hadn't heard it in so long, "I thought you had gone out on the errand today?"

"Not me," Julian let out a nervous laugh as he took a hesitant seat across from her, "I think Azriel thinks I'm a bit incompetent when it comes to speaking to other Arch Angels."

Cirse shut her book, leaning forward with an amused yet interested expression upon her fairy-like features, "And why is that?"

So Julian proceeded to tell her about the incident with the Arch Angel of Zybern and steak, to which he had Cirse laughing so much she almost fell out of her chair. It was a sight he knew he could never bore of.

"How has it been - living at the estate with Adeline?" Julian had asked her after the two had finished exchanging laughs back and forth.

Cirse nodded, a gentle and fluid motion. "It's been wonderful so far. I really do like Miss Adeline, and caring for her too. Although, one thing I will say is caring for her means I'm barely able to wander freely around the estate. When she is at training it is usually just a visit to the house library and back for me - I would love to go for a stroll within the gardens without feeling like I have to rush back inside."

Julian blinked a couple times - taking in what the pretty female across from him had said. He didn't think he had heard her speak so much, and in one go, to him ever before.

Smiling faintly, Julian asked, "Well, would you like to take a walk within the garden, my fair lady?"

She seemed so small before him, so fragile compared to the scales of his fighting leathers, the breadth of his shoulders. The wings peeking over them. But Cirse, to his surprise, did not back from him nor shy away as she nodded.

The silver-haired male, graceful as any courtier, offered her his arm and she obliged - and for the first time he felt her soft milk skin come into contact with his. Heat radiated from Julian's face and when he looked down to the lady by his arm he noticed colour bloomed high on her milky-and-honey cheeks.