A Court of Shadows and Pain

Fifty

Azriel reached for his mate next to him, missing the warmth of her body. As he tried to pull her against him, he noticed she wasn't there.

His eyes snapped open as he shot upright. "Val?" he said. Maybe she was in the bathroom, or at least somewhere close. He could feel the bond, so that definitely eased his worries.

She isn't here, a shadow told him by curling around his ear.

"Where is she?" he asked them.

Not here, they answered.

Azriel sighed as he got out of bed, leaving Valery's room and walking over to his own.

Just fucking tell me where she is, he thought.

We can't

Azriel grew frustrated with them. Why the hell couldn't they tell him? He was a Shadowsinger, the shadows were supposed to listen to him.

But she was a Shadowsinger too. Maybe she had ordered them to stay silent or maybe she had hidden herself. Azriel couldn't think of a reason why she would do that. Especially after last night.

He got ready for the day with a sickening feeling in his stomach. Maybe Rhys would know where she was.

His shadows immediately searched for Rhys, finding the High Lord in his study. Azriel made his way over to him.

Azriel opened the door without so much as knocking. Rhys looked at him with confusion.

"Have you seen Valery?" he asked, trying to cover the worry in his voice.

Rhys shook his head. "No. Maybe she's out in Velaris?"

Even Rhys didn't know where she was. Maybe he was being paranoid, but something felt wrong. "No. She's not. My shadows can't find her, I..." he stopped himself before he could expose their mating bond.

The door to Rhys's study barched open again, this time revealing Cassian. "Rhys, someone's here to talk to you."

Rhys followed his brother outside, Azriel close behind. He came to a quick halt as he took in who stood before him.

"Can I help you?" Rhys asked Eris.

Eris immediately looked over to Azriel. "She needs your help." he said.

Azriel froze. Anger and fear filled his body as he took a few steps towards the High Lord's son. "What do you mean by that." he questioned him coldly.

"She went to go look for them." Eris told him, an apologetic look on his face.

Azriel face fell, but he soon turned it to stone again. Rhys shoved him aside, trying to talk to Eris. "Where is she?"

Azriel didn't hear Eris's response as he stumbled backward, pressing his hand to his chest. Pain and more fear filled his entire body.

Rhys and Cassian turned back around to look at their brother. Azriel's face was scrunched into pain.

"Are you alright Az?" Cassian asked, walking over to his brothers side. Rhys was looking over him with concern while Eris stared at him blankly.

Help her. Help her. Help her. Help her. His shadows started screaming at him.

"It's Valery." he told them. The pain lessened after a few seconds. But it didn't stop there. The bond started fading. "No, no, no." Azriel said to himself.

Rhys grabbed his shoulders, making Azriel look at him. "What do you mean it's Valery?"

He swallowed. He wasn't going to keep hiding it now. They needed to know. To save her. "I felt her pain. Her fear. The bond keeps fading." he confessed.

Rhys's eyes widened. "She is your mate?"

"Shit." Cassian cursed.

Azriel nodded slowly, turning his attention back to Eris. This was much more important than his family just finding out about the bond. "Where is she and how do you know this?"

"I had my spies on them for weeks, keeping an eye on every move. They detected Valery tracking them down an hour ago. I came as soon as I heard. And seeing your reaction, I can assure you that they have captured her." Eris told him. There was regret in his eyes. He didn't know whether it was regret for telling her about the males whereabouts or that it was because of everything he had done to her, even if it was for the better.

"Take me to that place." Azriel demanded. Rhys put a hand on his shoulders, making him turn around.

"Don't you dare tell me not to Rhys. I'm going to anyway." he said with a pointed look. "If this was Feyre you would've done the same."

Rhys gave him a sad smile. "I know. And I wasn't going to stop you. I was going to offer to come along. I'm not failing her again."

Azriel looked at his brother before nodding. "Let's go now." he told him, turning back to Eris.