A Court of Shadows and Pain

Twenty-six

Valery couldn't stop the small smile from forming on her lips as she sat between the legs of the Shadowsinger. The pain in her stomach had worsened since entering the bathtub. But did she regret what they did? No.

He was tracing the scars on her back. She had been scared that he might be disgusted by them, but he wasn't.

Valery turned her head around, finding Azriel's eyes already on her. Their shadows had both disappeared, probably lingering somewhere in the room, making sure no one entered it.

She hated showing the scars on her back. They were the reminder of the many times she had been whipped and had her back carved open for the pleasure of others.

But Azriel made her feel so comfortable.

She snapped her eyes away from his, looking at his large wings instead. They were still bloodied and a bit dirty from the arrows. "Can I clean them?" she asked softly.

Azriel's eyes widened slightly. "You know that Illyrian wings are terribly sensitive." he said, not sounding sure.

Valery chuckled. "Yes, I know. But they have to be cleaned. I'll be careful." she said, slipping away from between his legs, turning to sit behind him instead.

She grabbed a washcloth from the side of the bathtub, dipping it into the water. She started on his left wing, softly pressing the washcloth against it.

Azriel visibly tensed at the feeling.

The blood and dirt wiped off easily to her luck. She didn't miss the few times Azriel winced or groaned. She decided to just continue and get it over with as quickly as possible. This probably felt like torture for him.

"You still okay?" Valery asked, putting one of her hands on his shoulder.

Azriel looked up at her, nodding. "If you weren't in so much pain, I would've taken you again right now." he said.

Valery blinked. "Who said that I was in pain?"

Azriel chuckled. "You just confirmed my thoughts. And you're not so good at hiding it as you think." he said, a soft smile on his face.

Or maybe she didn't need to hide around him. She could just be her true self. Valery didn't argue with him, because he was right. Of course he was.

She finished cleaning his right wing. A loud sigh escaped Azriel's lips as her touch left his wings. She turned back to the front of him, settling herself between his legs again, this time facing him.

She took his face in her hands, admiring his beauty. "You're really pretty, you know?" she said, looking straight into his eyes.

Azriel smiled shyly. "So I've been told." he said. He stared at her for a moment before. His gaze made her cheeks heat up. Just as she wanted to kiss him again, a shadow came rushing for them.

Cassian is nearing

Valery's eyes widened. Azriel looked at her again, confused this time.

They hadn't locked the door.

"Lock the fucking door." she hissed to her shadows. Azriel's shadows were no where to be found. The shadow rushed out. Soon a click echoed through the room.

"Cassian is coming straight for the door." she said to Azriel.

Now it was his turn to have his eyes widen. "Shit." he said as they both left the bathtub.

"Hide in the shadows or winnow or something. I'll send him away as soon as possible." and she was right as a soft knock sounded on her door.

"Go." she hissed at Azriel. He threw a towel around his waist and stayed in the corner of the room, his shadows finally coming back and consuming him.

"I can't exactly winnow without any clothes on. Someone might see me." he said.

Valery rolled her eyes. "Oh for fucks sake, you're a spy, act like one." she mumbled.

"Just a second!" Valery yelled at Cassian. She walked around the room, searching for anything to quickly cover herself.

Her shadows were actually helpful for once as they gave her a sweatshirt and a pair of shorts. Of course they belonged to Azriel. Valery rolled her eyes, but quickly put it on.

She walked straight for the door, not bothering to look around the room again. Big mistake.

She opened the door wide enough for her to reveal herself. "Cassian." she said as a greeting.

The general smiled at her. "Rhys asked me to check on you. Heard you got hit pretty good." his eyes shifted over her body.

"Yes, I'm doing fine. My body hurts a bit but it's nothing bad." she answered with a smile. It actually was pretty bad.

Cassian's eyes slowly wandered to the room behind her, his eyes widening. "Are those Azriel's clothes?" he asked, a small smirk forming on her lips.

Valery tried to brush the question off. "What, the clothes I'm wearing? Yes, obviously, this is-" she tried to answer before Cassian pointed behind her.

"No dumbass. Behind you. Those are definitely his pants." he said.

Valery's eyes widened as she closed the door a bit. "I don't know what you're talking about. Those are obviously my pants. And even if they were, this is his room." she stated.

Cassian then burst out in laughing. "Spymaster or not, you are a terrible liar." he said between the laughs.

She felt the heat rush on her cheeks. "It's not what it looks like."

"Yeah, tell yourself that." he said, laughing again. He poked his head inside, now finally smelling the room, scrunching his nose. "Azzie, come out!" he said.

Valery pushed him out of the room, pointing a finger at him. "You tell Rhys about this and you're dead." she said coldly. There was no way she was talking herself out of this one.

Cassian threw up his hands in defense. "I won't, I promise." he grinned at her. "At least tell me, was it good?"

Valery slapped him, shoving him further into the hallway. "None of your fucking business. Now get away and keep your mouth shut." she said.

Cassian laughed at her mad face, turning around to walk away. "Who would've thought that two spies were so horrible at hiding having sex."

Valery groaned in frustration as Cassian walked out of sight. She stepped back into the room, closing the door behind her.

She bumped against Azriel's hard chest, looking up at him. "Well, was it good?" he asked her, repeating Cassian's words.

She slapped his chest, a small grin forming on her face. "You know the answer to that."