Wind Wielder

Chapter 47 - Estranged Lifelines

The morning was warm.

Zara woke to a warmth pressed against her spine, a wing curled protectively over her head, and the kind of fullness in her chest she hadn't experienced since girlhood. 

The morning light melted soft golden streams into her bedroom. And Zara was content to ignore it all.

That bond between them, the ether, glowed soft and golden this morning. That beautiful, sacred thing. Zara could see it whenever she closed her eyes. She could feel it thrumming beneath her bare skin pressed against his. It was a miracle that she could feel it. That the Mother would bestow such a precious thing upon her.

Lust thrummed beneath her skin. The mating frenzy. Zara had heard of it, but never before had she experienced something so intense. Even now, moments after waking, it threatened to steal her breath away.

For a small moment, Zara wanted to be selfish.

A glimpse into her future, Zara could see it.

A house in the middle of the woods, the scent of cedar and smoke enveloping her like a blanket. Soft amber eyes and dimples and a gentle smile that screamed 'I love you I love you I love you' until she felt it embedded into her soul.

A waterfall a few miles away. A tiny winged baby wrapped in her arms. A warm feeling in her chest and the scent of timber and hope and fresh baking filling her nostrils.

No one would know.

Between Azriels shadows and her winds, they'd be invincible. Untraceable.

They could have everything. They could have it all. And no one would know where they were. Not even Rhysand would be able to find them.

They could escape. To their own, special world.

Zara could see a flannel blanket next to a warm fireplace. A cabin filled with light and love and hope. A tranquil space to rest. To restore, to hide.

Zara's eyes opened.

To hide.

To keep hiding.

Zara closed her eyes.

She'd have a bath tub big enough for Azriel and her both. And a garden large enough to contain every herb for cooking she'd ever need. Perhaps even some room for some medicinal herbs too. The cabin would be small. But the yard would be huge. Enough to contain her garden and his workout space and a playground for their children. And beyond the yard, the forest. So that their children would never wonder what it felt like to feel the wind beneath their wings, or the bare ground brushing against their toes. They would never question freedom.

Freedom.

Dreams like this weren't freedom. They were fear. They were running away. And wasn't she finished with running away?

Zara's eyes opened again.

The sun was rising just barely over the horizon. Zara guessed she had minutes. Mere minutes, until she was expected to present herself before Rhys and Feyre. Before she had to submit to the real world again.

But Cauldron. She craved it. She wanted it.

Azriels shadows clung around her face. As if they had sensed her train of thought and wanted to keep her there. As if they wanted what she did, too.

But what was a life worth, if it was filled with running and hiding?

Zara had seen what it had done to her mother. Zara had felt her cold absence trailing her all her life.