Mastermind | | Azriel

4

"You invited her to Velaris," Rhys said the words slowly, as if Azriel needed them to be drawn out to process them. "Do you even know her name?"

Azriel had left her apartment after she had calmed down enough to be alone and he went straight to Rhys, told him everything. And he got exactly the reaction he had been anticipating. Though Rhys did make a good point about her name. He had forgotten to ask.

"She was attacked in the street and terrified to even be in her own home by herself after that," Azriel decided against admitting he didn't yet know her name. "I won't leave her here."

Rhys stared at him for a few very long moments before finally speaking again, "I will speak to her. Then we'll decide whether or not she can come to Velaris."

"She already knows about it," Azriel countered, "at this point, what option do we have besides taking her with us?"

"She can forget," Rhys pointed out, though he clearly did not want to have to make her forget. "Velaris has been kept secret far too long, Az. We can't risk it. If I think she's no risk, we can take her. If not, she'll forget she ever heard of it."

Azriel nodded stiffly. He took Rhys back to the female's apartment and made him wait outside until he got her permission to be let in. She gave permission, though she was clearly terrified. By now, she had bathed the blood off of herself and changed into a fresh, clean dress, but her eyes were still red from crying. She looked like she might cry again at any moment.

"I understand Azriel shared some information with you," Rhys began, gentle because she seemed on the edge of breaking. His power snaked out as he spoke though, slipping unnoticed into her unguarded mind.

"It was just—he said there's somewhere safe and lovely I can go," she stammered, "I want to go there. Please."

"What's your name?" Rhys asked despite the fact that he knew it by now.

"Elysia," she answered quietly. He hadn't expected her to lie about that, but the confirmation was the slightest bit comforting somehow. He sifted through her memories as they talked. She grew up in the Autumn Court, the child of an arranged marriage. Her childhood memories were more crisp and clear than he had expected.

Newer memories were foggy though, clouded with a haze of misery. Her mother dying. Her father growing more distant and cold than he had already been. The cruelty of the Autumn Court. And then her running, leaving in the dead of night with nothing but the coins she had spent years hiding away. It all seemed real, the emotions genuine.

"You need to understand," Rhys started, "no one can know about this place we're taking you. It has been kept secret for longer than any of us have been alive. I won't tolerate any threat to it."

"I'm no threat, I promise," she assures him pleadingly, "I have no one to tell anyway. And I won't ever leave it. If it's safe, why would I leave?"

"We leave at dawn," Rhys told her after a few moments of contemplation, "be ready."

She nodded eagerly and thanked him, though it was Azriel she looked at when she said it.

Rhys left shortly after that, confident in his decision. Azriel stayed because Elysia asked him to. She asked him about Velaris as she packed, and he told her all the wonderful things about the city.

She made dinner for herself and Azriel despite him insisting she didn't have to. The food was wonderful, and she smiled so brightly when he complimented her.

"I'll clean," he offered, "then I should probably..." he trailed off. He should probably go. That was what he was going to say, what he should say. But he didn't want to say it.

"Stay," she blurted out, her cheeks going pink. "Please, stay. I don't want to be here alone."

"I'll stay," he agreed without argument, "it's okay. Finish packing, I'll get dinner cleaned up."

She was finished packing before he finished cleaning, and she sat and watched him. He could feel her eyes on him, but he didn't mind it.

After finishing, he spent the rest of the night telling her about Velaris until she fell asleep with her head on his shoulder. He slept not long after, comfortable next to her.

When morning came, she was already awake, breakfast made and a smile lighting up her face, hope shining in her eyes. They ate and he insisted on cleaning again. She left most things behind. Taking her clothes and some other things but leaving the furniture and most of the decor. She took some flowers, and it made Azriel smile.

Cassian introduced himself to her with some oddly distant politeness, like he wasn't quite sure about this yet. Rhys greeted her kindly, so certain he made the right choice.

Azriel watched her reactions when they got to Velaris, watched how her eyes lit up so brightly and her smile grew and she seemed almost radiant in her joy as she realized it was as lovely here as he promised.

"I'll have a place arranged for you to stay," Rhys told her, "for now, we can leave your things at my home and Azriel will show you around."

Cassian raised his eyebrows at Rhys and Azriel. Bringing her to Velaris was already one thing, but the town house too? Rhys gave him a subtle shake of his head, dismissing the concern. Azriel didn't notice any of it because he was staring at Elysia.

Mor was eager to meet her when they got to the town house. Amren showed little interest besides a cursory glance with which she deemed Elysia of little threat or interest.

"You'll love it here," Mor promised, "it's the most beautiful city in all the world."

"It is," Elysia agreed, already seeming thoroughly enchanted by it all.

"Let's set your things down so you can see more," Azriel said quietly, guiding her towards the stairs. He let her leave her bags in what was normally his room.

He spent the night showing her his favorite places in Velaris. The places he went with his family, even the places he went alone. For some reason, he wanted her to see it all. And she wanted to. She wanted to see everything, so mesmerized by it all. By him.

He forgot he was supposed to be looking over his shoulder, waiting for a monster to come from a dark corner and kill him. He forgot a lot of things as he could think of only the here and now.

"Everything is so beautiful here," Elysia said with so much joy in her voice, but she was looking at him and not the city when she said it.

"You'll be happy here," he told her, "happy and safe."