𝐀 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐒-𝙖𝙯𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙡

XIV

"What the hell was that?" Feyre ran towards the library, stopping when she saw Azriel and Lorelei. "What happened in there?"

"I was able to summon my shadows." Lorelei called out to her shadows and they instantly wrapped around her, assessing Feyre and finding no threat from her.

Feyre looked a little less concerned if not happy for Lorelei. "That was pretty strong."

Azriel turned to Lorelei, a question in his eyes. She dipped her chin. He turned back to Feyre. "Lorelei and I are mates."

Feyre's eyes widened and her mouth dropped. "How do you know?"

"Our shadows touched." Lorelei explained. "And I just saw it. I felt it." She extended her hand to Azriels and their shadows reached out to each other, when they touched, Lorelei felt like a piece of her she didn't know was missing, fell into place.

Feyre smiled at them. "Congratulations are in order. And it seems we have some planning to do."

+

There were multiple ways that they could go about the mating ritual. They could swear their vows in front of a priestess and friends and family, have a small party with just their friends, or have a private thing and consummate the mating bond.

Azriel left the choice up to Lorelei, who felt like she might pull her hair out from the stress of choosing. She wanted to pull Azriels hair out too for forcing this on her.

In the end she chose a ceremony with their friends and family. Now they just needed a date to do it.

"Starfall is in a couple days." Elain supplied the group of females in Lorelei's room. Even Amren had shown up to their slumber party, despite her protests.

"I couldn't do it on Starfall." Lorelei blushed.

"Why not?" Nesta asked.

Lorelei fidgeted with the pillow in her lap and didn't look up at them as she said, "It would be my first one."

"Ever?" Feyre asked. Lorelei nodded.

"How could this be your first one, aren't you twenty?" Amren asked, her voice a cold curiosity. Feyre pinched her arm and Amren hissed at her.

"It's okay." Lorelei looked up at them. "It isn't anything dramatic. I just wasn't ever allowed out to see them." Mor grabbed her hand and squeezed lightly. Lorelei gave her a small smile.

"So wouldn't that be a perfect day to do it on?" Elain asked. "Two beautiful things happening on one day."

"We can have the ceremony done before Starfall and then you guys...do what you must...afterwards." Feyre suggested.

Mor rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on Feyre, we're all big girls here. They're gonna fuck."

Lorelei and Elain blushed, and the others laughed at their embarrassment. "You sound like a child." Lorelei scolded Mor. Who only laughed harder.

"Wait, so you guys have not..." Nesta asked.

Lorelei blushed harder. "No we have not."

"That's not what Cassian told me." She said under her breath.

"What did Cassian tell you?" Lorelei exclaimed.

Nesta shrugged like she wasn't having this conversation. "Azriel's scent was all over you and it wasn't the kind you get from just hanging out."

Everyone turned to her, their eyes opened wide in curiosity. "We didn't do anything like that."

"Their clothes stay on." Mor 'whispered' mockingly.

Lorelei hit her cousin with her pillow. "It's not polite to spread others business." She looked at Nesta. "And expect Cassian to be in pain for a couple days."

Nesta shrugged. "He's been on my nerves lately. Do what you must."

They stayed up for a while longer, talking and planning. Mor suggested they go shopping tomorrow.

Once they were satisfied with their plans, they got ready for bed. Rhysand had magically put spare beds in her room so whoever didn't fit on the bed didn't have to sleep on the floor.

Lorelei listened as slowly each of her friends and cousin fell asleep, their breaths turning even and low. But she couldn't fall asleep. She called on one of her shadows and sent it towards Azriel's room, finding his shadows. They told her that he was sleeping. She smiled and got comfortable, curling closer to Mor, wishing that she was Azriel.

an: I am so sorry, I didn't even realize how short this chapter was :'((