The Prophecy - ACOTAR

Chapter 70

As Azriel and Astrid were beginning to get ready for the visit to the Hewn city, an order slid into Azriel's mind. It was a different order than he was used to from his former High Lord, it was normally full of authority and devoid of anything resembling a question. This time though, there was a note of hesitance, like Rhysand wasn't quite sure he could issue orders to the Shadowsinger anymore. He was still Rhys's spymaster, but his new court would always come first, his mate would come before all else. His friend was smart to question where his loyalties now lay, because everything had shifted, which was something Azriel had never thought possible.

He felt he owed his life to the Night Court, to Rhysand. He had pulled him from the darkness that was his mind, had introduced him to Cassian, they had treated him like a brother, they had never judged him. But he owed something more to Rhysand's mother, the mother of his mate. She had taken him in without a second thought and been the mother he never thought he could have or even deserved. She had told him a few stories about his birth mother, and while he was thankful to know something about her, it would never compare.

To that female, he owed everything, but she wasn't here for him to fulfill that debt. Two of her children were though and the daughter she had silently mourned for had returned home. She taught him to be respectful of the females in his life and she taught him to always stand by whatever female chose to stand with him. Rhysand has his mate to support him, it was Azriel's duty to support his own, something he was more than happy to do.

He hadn't mentioned to anyone the letters he watched her write at night before coming to their bed. He hadn't mentioned the strange conversation she had with Eris, not even to Mor who might see it as a betrayal, but he trusted Astrid with every fiber of his being. If she saw more in the autumn court male, he trusted her. All of his hatred for the Court and for Eris came from the story Mor had told them, and she had never quite met any of their eyes when she told it. Astrid was the closest thing to a third-party perspective of Eris that they could get, and he had seen the hurt in the males' eyes firsthand when it came to Wrenica's betrayal.

Feyre wants to move her sisters and Lucien to the townhouse.

Azriel's lips twitched up at the 'order' as he thought about how he would've replied before the plotting female next to him crashed into his life. He wouldn't have questioned it, he would have happily done what his High Lord and Lady wanted, what his two friends wanted. He might have even accepted Elain's advances, but with Astrid in his life, even if she wasn't his mate, nobody could compare. Nobody was as beautiful, as strong, or as smart as her. Elain was dull in comparison to his mate, not because she wasn't beautiful, but because she wasn't Astrid. He suspected the same thing was now true about Astrid when it came to Lucien. Everyone would be dull in comparison to Elain for that male.

Has Feyre cleared this with Astrid?

Technically if Azriel agreed right now, no lines would be crossed, he was technically the King of their court. But it had been Astrid who invited Lucien to join them, it was her who had claimed him. It was also Astrid who had extended an offer to Elain, something he needed to follow up with her about. It wasn't that his mate really kept secrets from him, sometimes it just slipped her mind to update him on things or she was so incredibly proud of herself she wanted to see everyone's reactions at the same time. She would always eventually tell him, and if she wanted to wait, she would tell him that as well.

No.

Azriel chuckled at the clipped tone that came from his friend. It wasn't entirely clear who he was irritated at, but if he had to take a guess it would have to be all three of them. Feyre for not checking with Astrid, Azriel for reminding him of how drastically everything had changed, and Astrid for being the cause of that change. He knew Rhysand would never be angry with his sister about this, if anything he was incredibly proud of her, but it would take him time to adjust to everything, and Azriel couldn't fault him for that.