A Court of Shadows And Lights

CHAPTER 19

I did work the next day. I started later than usual because for some reason I had managed to sleep all day and even through the beginning of the night. Only that I had barely even started when Azriel came inside, his wings tucked in tight and every single conversation in the bar going dead.

I didn't pay him any special attention, turning back to Fred, "What were you saying?"

He hesitated, his eyes flicking over to Azriel, worriedly, "That I seen Feyre..."

Tom interrupted him, "You can't say that now"

"Why the hell not?" He asked.

Tom leaned in to him and whispered, more loudly than intended, "Because there's one of them here"

"He works for the High Lord"

"Exactly"

"So he already knows. The High Lord knows everything"

"You talk about him like he's a god," I interrupted their praising of someone undeserving.

"He might as well be," Fred muttered.

"Trust me," I said, meaning every word of it, "Rhysand is hardly a god"

"You seem to know a lot about that," Azriel churned in.

"I do"

"I said you weren't working today"

"Well I don't care what you said, Azriel. I need money and this pays, so I'm working," I defended.

He looked like he would continue talking, and I really didn't want that, so I waved my hand around, "If you want something, sit down and act like everybody else"

Azriel wanted to say something, that's for sure, but he turned around marched to the closest booth.

And just to put him on edge, I made him wait. Deliberately pulling the conversation with Fred and Tom nice and long until they were urging me to go and see him before they got into trouble. Of course I would never let them get into trouble, but I wanted to know what they were doing here anyways.

So I stood up and went to his booth, lazily leaning against the opposite seat, "Do you want a drink?"

"Sit down"

"That's not very nice. And I only sit with nice people," I smiled sweetly.

I knew I was pushing him and I didn't know where all this pushing would lead, but it was fun to try it out. It couldn't be worse than whatever was between us now.

"I'm nice right now," Azirel said, keeping his anger in check clearly.

"You know I'm working, right? I'm not here to have conversations. I don't have time for that"

I did have time for that. It was part of my job, and right now the bar wasn't filled with people. So I would definitely have time for a conversation, but I really didn't want to have one.

"You just made time for them, and made me wait Marlie," he said, his voice going dangerously low.

"Does that make you mad? That nobody ever makes you wait because you're Rhysand's best friend and that I am now?" I mocked. "Does being his friend come with great privileges, when in fact he shouldn't have any because he doesn't deserve to have people here that think so highly of him?"

He stood up in a smooth movement and had a hand wrapped around my elbow, pulling me to the stairs in the back of the bar.

I didn't complain and I didn't fight him, because I didn't want to start a scene, but mostly because this was what I had wanted. I wanted to see how he would react when I pushed him.