A Court so Cruel and Lovely

Chapter Twenty Eight

I stilled.

Did I hear that right? Am I hallucinating?

"Your.. what?"

"You're my mate," he repeated.

"No, I heard you," I said. "I just wasn't sure I heard you correctly."

"Well, you did hear me right."

"Clearly," I snorted.

"Is that a problem?" Azriel asked.

"No, it's not," I said. "I've loved you since we were kids."

"Really?"

"Yes. Probably since we met, actually," I admitted. "There was just something about you that appealed to me. I never quite understood it."

He laughed. "If it makes you feel any better, I've loved you since we met, too."

I smiled and kissed him gently. "Here's to childhood crushes."

"Indeed," he murmured.

The truth glowed inside me so brightly I wondered how I'd missed it for so long. I loved his intensity. I loved how one's strengths complemented the other's weaknesses. I loved the way he looked at me, and the way he melted for me alone. I loved his protective nature and his unwavering determination to live his best life and help lead the Illyrians, even if he hated them.

I fell asleep wrapped in the circle of his arms.

***

When I woke, Azriel seemed to have disappeared. I frowned until the door opened revealing Azriel with a tray of food. That's when I grinned.

"You missed breakfast so I brought you some," Azriel said.

"You're the best," I said, taking the tray.

He'd brought me pancakes, bacon, sausage and hash browns.

"I know you're not fond of eggs so I didn't bring any," he added.

I melted. "You remembered?"

"Of course I did."

I ate breakfast and drank orange juice. He took the now empty tray back to the kitchens, departing with a kiss. I clambered out of bed and straight to the bathroom. I hate being dirty. That's one of the things Rhys and I have in common. Being dirty or feeling dirty made me want to gag.

At times I can be a little hyper-sensitive. Some times I won't mind wearing certain fabrics, other times I hated wearing the same fabric. It drove me nuts. The only fabric that I didn't hate wearing was silk. I loved wearing silk. It was so comfortable.

I scrubbed my skin and washed my hair. Az walked in as I was getting out of the bath.

"I was hoping you would wait for me," he said.

"If I would have known, I would've waited," I retorted.

"So much for 'slow and steady wins the race'," Azriel sighed.

I snorted. He can be funny when he lets himself be. We didn't have any plans for the day so we mostly just walked around Velaris for a while.

I liked walking with Azriel. We talked for a while and then lapsed into a comfortable silence. That's what I loved about him. If he noticed I wanted to just walk in silence, he would walk in silence with me. He noted my mannerisms and memorized them.

I came to the conclusion that I would accept our mating bond. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him.