Nightfully ;Azriel

21

Azriel has never been so miserable.

What happened that night was all his fault, the information he gathered was tempered with and he never noticed, he sent his family into an ambush waiting to happen, they almost died because of him. And now his brother lost his mate once again leaving with that bastard of a high lord. Cassian lay in the room across from his still unconscious, all because of him. But that wasn't what made him miserable, even though it should've.

He found his mate, just for her to disappear a second later. Azriel was too weak to do anything, too injured, all he could do was watch as she vanished in a flash of light leaving behind dazed soldiers and high fae. He remembered last night clearly. How she looked around in a daze after the cauldron let her go yet when their eyes met even for a brief second he felt the bond that was left untouched for centuries snap into place.

Althea. He wanted to find her. He needed to. 

His shadows urged him to get up tugging at his wrist and ankles pulling him from the position he was in since last night. Azriel pushed himself upwards the blanket which he was covered in slipped off his chest and fell onto his lap. He didn't have time to lay around and do nothing. 

"You should stay resting." 

He felt the familiar touch of Mor on his shoulder pushing him down yet it felt foreign to him.  He would usually do anything to have her near him, his one sided crush being his only source of entertainment for years. But that morning he didn't have it in him to play along. His hazel eyes met hers. "I'm fine."

He shrugged her hand off his shoulder and a pang of hurt flashed across her face. "No you're not you almost died." 

He ignored her as he slipped out of the bed and onto the floor, he ignored the pang of pain that hit him instantly and straightened his posture, stretching his wings. "You should check on Cass." was all he said as he limped towards his dresser pulling out a clean shirt to wear. 

"Az-" 

He was already out the door and off to do who knows what. He should check on the eldest Acheron sisters, he owed Feyre and Althea that much. Azriel didn't know what went wrong, why the sentries they had watching the house suddenly went missing, how the wards they put up were broken through. He had so much to do with little time. 

"Where do you think you're going."

Azriel didn't expect to see Rhysand so soon. But there he was leaning against the kitchen counter having an early morning drink. His hazel eyes flickered towards him and the half drunk bottle of alcohol.

He straightened his posture again. "Work."

Rhys observed him for a second his purple eyes clouded with something he couldn't place before he finally let out a sigh. "No you're not." He finally said. "Rest until the healer says otherwise." 

Azriel clenched his jaw. "I'm fine-"

"That was an order, Azriel." Ryhsand barely ever used his Highlord status against any one in the inner circle but in times like this, when the situation is dire he understood why. 

But Azriel lost all rationality of his. "I have to find her." He urged, desperation evident. Rhysand was the only person he'd ever let see this vulnerable. 

Rhys looked at him with pity mixed with understanding. "We will." When he woke the first time after being half dragged back to Velaris Rhysand told him what he said during his unconsciousness, how he kept muttering the word mate over and over again until he wasn't. "But you won't be any good while you're injured." 

Azriel sighed. "At least allow me to visit the Acheron sisters." 

Rhysand complied but under the condition that he can tag along. So they flew quietly over to the house of wind, landing on the balcony silently, their eyes searching for any movement in the dimly lit house.