In The Mist of Shadows

Chpt. 20

When Adela woke the sun was shining through her floor to ceiling window. It was midday by the position of it. But she didn't get up, she couldn't. She felt the heaviness pressing down on her, no. It was in her, spreading and making her body as heavy as led. This was a familiar darkness, but much more painful. It stung and tasted foul.

The bed shifted as Azriel sat on it. He was here all night and morning, even while asleep she felt his presence. He took a deep breath, looking over her and seeing what she was feeling before dropping on his knees in front of her. She didn't bother to look away, she didn't even have it in her.

He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, but he didn't kiss it. "Do you want something to eat?" He asked against it instead, his lips warm and inviting. As if they had something else on them, another question. 'Are you okay?'

She didn't even want to speak, the action feeling to heavy and tiresome to do. So she just sighed, knowing he knew what it meant. He ran a hand down her arm and back up again. He tried to give her comfort but all she felt was nothing. And he knew that because he soon stopped.

Azriel was scared, scared for her life that she wasn't even talking. She was just a numb sack of flesh. "I have to go but I'll be back tonight. Maybe we can walk down to the library and see Thea."

He didn't wait for an answer before walking out the door and flying to Rhysand and Feyre's townhouse. Everyone was waiting for him, all wondering what they should do. If her grief was that strong, able to blind her like that and hurt others... They were a little bit scared.

He sat down in the empty spot next to Feyre. She placed a hand on his shoulders lovingly before Rhysand spoke. "How is she?"

"Like an empty shell, but from what I got from her she feels heavy, like she could sink to the bottom of the ocean. Her mind is open and leaking out what she's feeling, she's not even trying to stop it."

"How is her head wound?"

"She wouldn't get up, I'm sure it'll feel like her head is splitting when she does." Cassian looked ashamed when Azriel looked at him. But he couldn't be angry, he was defending himself. But it still hurt that he hurt her.

"How do we know this male is dead?" Amren asked.

"She astral projected to her father. He had his guards kill him in front of her." Rhysand explained. "However..."

"Rhys?" Feyre asked.

"Adela is daemati, she didn't get that from our mother so she must have gotten it from-" Rhysand stopped speaking, calculating something in his mind.

"Spit it out." Mor spoke irritated, frankly they all were. Adela was hurt and they didn't know how to help.

"Illyrians cannot be daemati, so it must have come from her father's line. Her father could be daemati and have forced her to see something that wasn't there."

"How do we find out?" Nesta asked, running a hand over her abdomen. Feyre and Azriel noticed this immediately.

"Her necklace." Cassian spoke, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"She won't part with it now, and I am not being the one to explain to her why we want it and get her hopes up." Azriel said.

"Besides what about how she's feeling now?" Elain spoke up. "Whether or not Roen is alive, right now she's slipping."

They all fell silent. Elain was right, she was slipping, and fast. "The mountains." Cassian added.

"Mother save us, I barely made it out of the mountains. Let alone someone who has just been broken." Nesta snapped. "What about the cabin? Maybe being close to your mother's kind will help her but it's secluded enough."