With Obsidian missing, Zeldris has brought together his strongest and most trusted allies to assist him on his hunt for both his beloved girlfriend and traitor sibling. With both friends and foes joining his noble cause, the prince leads his valiant...
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Raging tides crashed against the outcropping of rocks bursting from the black sea far below the cave. The falling rain returned in full force and crescendoed with the bursts of thunder booming through the gray sky to create a deafening symphony. Such a dreadful and depressing day it turned out to be, and things only looked worse from here.
Obsidian shivered, soaking wet from the rain and leaning against the cold wall of the cavern. She coughed and a small puff of smoke escaped her mouth making her groan, too tired to swear or do anything at this point. She only wished to be some place drier and far from her reeling mind. Everything was far too much and she was still trying to take it all in. The lies fed to her had shaken her to her very core and she could no longer discern truth from fiction.
Azrael rubbed her shoulders to help get her body heat back up, his touches light as his fingers feathered down her arms. Even such a simple action was enough to make him giddy. He finally had Obsidian all alone and he could never be happier. Though, he quickly found the sentiment wasn't shared as the warm goofy smile he was giving her was met with a murderous gaze.
"Home sweet home for now, I guess," Azrael muttered as he watched the weather. There was no way he could take her back out there until it calmed down. "Come sit with me," he instructed, and sat on the ground, once again holding a smile and patting the space beside him. He seemed sincere enough that she wasn't skeptical and decided to abide by his wish. She sat down silently, directly across from him, gazing into his soul with a small edge of distrust. She was unsure of how to start when there was so much she wanted to say. There were a million questions that needed answers.
Azrael's heart hammered in his chest. He'd been so concerned with finding his Obsidian that he never stopped to think about what he was going to say when he'd found her. "I—erm—don't know what to say." He awkwardly drummed his fingers on his lap. Obsidian's glare refused to waver and she didn't bother with a response. Sensing her moodiness, Azrael sighed. "I know you must be very shocked at this revelation."
"Understatement of the century." Obsidian rolled her eyes.
"Aw, you're cute when you're mad." Azrael rubbed her cheek fondly until a pair of teeth clamped down on his flesh. Now with her teeth imprinted into his hand, the gravity of the situation finally became clear. "I should've seen that coming."
"How is this possible? How are you here? Phoenix told us you died." Obsidian was trying to understand.
"Honestly, it felt like I had—and maybe I did—but when I came to, he was the only one there and I decided that maybe it was best that I stayed dead. The goddesses were relentless in their pursuit of me, and when they began to threaten you, I couldn't keep protecting you like I wanted.
"I could've protected you."
"O, as a man, it's my job to protect you, not the other way around. You had no business being anywhere near that fight, or any fight of mine for that matter, and I should've done a better job to keep you out of my problems and far away from Ludociel. It was bad enough that—" Azrael gritted his teeth, unable to finish his thought aloud and gripped Obsidian's leg out of frustration. He opted to finish off differently before he lost his cool again. "I was too weak back then, but not anymore. I'm going to protect you with one hundred and ten percent of my being. No one will ever again lay a single hand on you."
