A Court of Dusk and Shadows

BONUS: Ileana and Eris

I was really torn about sharing this chapter because like, Azriel is suffering atm. But...I also didn't want to be a tease so...this are for all my Eris Vanserra girlies out there . Enjoy 🔥

Ileana's world narrowed.

She didn't see anything. Not the grand room, not the paintings... just him. Eris Vanserra, flame incarnate, eyes simmering with an intensity that mirrored her own.

The room fell silent, save for the rasp of her breath – a fragile symphony in the stillness. Each step he took seemed deliberate, calculated, the hunter closing in.

Ileana's gaze traced the lines of his powerful form, the courtly mask barely disguising the raw force simmering beneath. A thrill shivered along her spine – fear or excitement, she couldn't say.

They didn't speak, letting their eyes do the talking. And then, Eris was standing before her, only a sliver of space separating them. Ileana looked up at him, that defiance shining in her eyes.

And he sprung.

His hands found her waist and pushed her against the door, rattling the wood.

Ileana didn't care. Before the pain even registered, the sweetness of his lips was on hers once more. Gone was the gentle yearning from the bridge. This kiss held only hunger. It was demanding. It was challenging. It ignited a fire inside of her that had nothing to do with magic.

As if sensing this, Eris pulled his lips away, tracing kisses along her jaw. Then, he was turning her, exposing the back of her white dress to himself. Ileana's breath hitched as he kissed her shoulder. "This is a beautiful dress. Too bad I have to ruin it."

She didn't miss the smirk in his voice, and before she could protest, she heard the sound of fabric ripping. She gasped, not from the cold air now trailing along her skin, but the fire inside of her that seemed to intensify. Eris slowly slid the dress off her, gently caressing her spine. Ileana leaned her head against him, and Eris found her lips once more.

He fisted a tangle of that defiant red hair, pulling it back to expose her neck and leaving a bruising kiss on her lips. She wanted more. There was only this hunger, this echo of his relentless wildfire within her.

When he pulled away, Ileana was already turning back to face him, sliding the rest of her dress off.

For a moment, the heir of Autumn seemed to be struck speechless. He pulled away, staring at her in the faint moonlight. Starlight shimmered across her skin, as if awoken by their fiery passion. She was literally glowing before him, and she was so achingly beautiful that he found himself straining against his trousers.

Her wild red hair was tousled, falling around her in messy waves. Her pink lips were swollen from his kisses, slightly parted as she stared at him with the same desire swirling in her eyes. And her body, by the Cauldron—her body seemed to be sculpted by the gods themselves. Ileana noticed his growing arousal, and her smirk was almost enough to undo him.

"You're still wearing too many clothes," she pointed out, strutting toward him.

Ileana didn't wait for his answer. Each step echoed against the stone floor, a counterpoint to the rumble of his low growl as she stalked towards him. No hint of maidenly shyness now, reveling in the way Eris watched her every movement.

Eris ripped at his clothes, the sound echoing the earlier tear of her dress. Every frantic yank revealed the tightly honed physique beneath - not just power, but the battle scars tracing pathways across his tanned skin. Ileana didn't flinch but savored the sight, each mark a story, mirroring the unseen ones she carried.