Light and Shadow✔️

Eye to eye

My room at the Riverfront Manor was beautiful. It was on the first floor, opposite from Mors, whoever had thought that would be a good idea.

A hazel, four-poster bed was standing prominently in the middle, a chimney on its opposite. In front of the ivory, marble fireplace stood two hazel colored couches with ivory throw pillows, two armchairs on either side as well as an ivory coffee table in front. The wall was clad in hazel bookshelves, with only a few exceptions, two being the bathroom and hallway door, the third a hazel desk with writing paper and a quill next to it and the last an ancient hazel drawer. In short, I couldn't look anywhere without thinking about his eyes. 

The bath was even more beautiful, dominated by an enormous bathtub, or more bath-pool, that was dug into the ground right in the middle of the room. Everything in the bathroom was white, the sink next to the door, the cabinets with an endless amount of fluffy, white towels, the tiles, the walls, everything. The only thing irking me a bit were the windows on the left wall of the room. There were no curtains to be drawn, no drapes, nothing. Of course, no one could see me when I was in the pool, but standing up in the bathroom I could see the whole garden. I would have to have a towel near me next every time I would take a bath. 

Anyway. The day we came here I had fallen into bed sleeping the remainder of the day and the night. The next day I had eaten breakfast in bed, a shadow wraith named Nuala had brought me eggs, toast, and bacon. Then I had read the whole day. Feyre had come to bring me afternoon tea, then stayed for, in her words, far too long (an hour and a half, but her court needed her to govern about a farmer that had lost his chickens), Mor flitting in and out, bringing pastries and other sweets. The next day had been mostly the same, but in the afternoon Mor's girlfriend Luciana joined us. She was the polar opposite of my friend. Quiet and composed, but sweet and gentle. I could see why she and Mor worked together. 

The third day was similar, at least until the evening. I was wearing a wide, cream-colored pullover, with a cute, a bit too low V cut Mor had given me as well as wide, cream-colored pants. My feet were propped up on the sofa, holding a brown, leather-bound book up in my lap. My wings were hanging off the back. They hadn't healed completely yet, so I couldn't fly, but in a few days, everything would be good.

My hand reached for the tea, my eyes never leaving the lines of text.

"You'll spill it" a deep voice came from behind me.

Startled my hand jerked and what a surprise, knocked over the mug. I tried to minimize the damage by using the tablecloth to soak it in, behind me someone snickered. I threw a glare over my shoulder, already well aware who stood behind me. That voice was hunting me! I woke up in the middle of the night convinced I had heard him whisper in my ear, but my room was empty the moment I opened my eyes.

Gentle hands took the tablecloth from me, it vanished into thin air, then he made a gesture and the tea was gone too. 

I looked into Azriel's still amused face. Like always, his beauty hit me like a brick. His strong jaw, high cheekbones and those blasted, hazelnut eyes full of emotions. He was wearing a black tunic with silver embroidery that he had rolled up to his elbows. His beautiful, smooth olive skin, ending in scars over scars. Again anger and sadness flooded me. I didn't dare look lower, my upbringing keeping me. But when I looked back, I noticed something else. There were dark circles under his eyes, his skin was white, altogether he looked very tired.

He must've seen the question on my face, because he shook his almost unnotably, then asked: "What are you reading?"

I glance at my book: "A novel, it's nothing much."

He looked at with quiet interest as if what I read meant said as much about me as my deepest fear did. 

"Well, you'll laugh..." still he said nothing, but leaned back into the armchair beside spreading his legs, I bit my lip, which was noted by a dart of his eyes to my lips, then back before I could blink, all the spymaster.

"It's about a girl, well more a woman, yes it's about a human. Her name is Bella. Bella lives in a cute little village and she's the only one that's reading there. An annoying guy, Gaston, proposes to her every day, but he's mean and only likes her for her looks, so she always says no. One day her father has to journey away, Belle waits for his return, but he doesn't come back, so she goes after him. She finds him at an old, creepy castle, where a beast lives. Belle strikes a trade with the beast; he will let her father go if she becomes his prisoner instead. So, Belle lives with the beast, that's where I am right now, well not really, there's this scene where she gets to know all enchanted kitchen stuff of the Beast. You see, they can all talk and they have different characters, there's this candlestick that's a big charmer and he tries to flirt with Belle all the time, then there's a Tea mug and his mother the teapot, they're so cute together... Anyway, while Belle is there she starts to talk with the beast and I think, or I hope, that she realizes that the' ugly', mean appearance is a normal being like everyone else..."

Azriel had started to press his jaw together, a smile plastered across his lips.

"See! You're laughing!" I put a bookmark into the book and slapped it shut.

Azriel's voice sounded through me: "I'm not laughing, believe me."

I glared at him suspiciously, now he grinned, I rolled my eyes: "I think it's a cute story."

"It is, you'll tell me how it ends?" he sounded somewhat serious.

I squinted at him, he smiled at me again, an almost invisible dimple coming out on the left of his lips: "Fine."

He nodded his head in thanks.

"Did you want something particular, or are you just here to keep me company?" I tried not to sound too obvious, but he probably still picked up that I very much hoped it was the last one.

"Can't I do both?" he cocked his beautiful head.

"I suppose..." a silence ensued, it wasn't uncomfortable, but he knew I wanted him to tell me why he had come.

I tried not to stare at him, which was very difficult, given that my eyes had apparently become magnetic to him. Azriel was watching me, very content with himself until his eyes suddenly slipped to the stain my tea had left on the table.

I looked there too when he shifted his weight, laying his upper arms on his knees, sighing and shifting in the armchair.

"The other's wanted you to come to dinner tonight" his voice sounded a bit strained.
I blinked, then pursed my lips: "The others... You don't want me there?"

His eyes shot to me, then my lips, then a bit lower and back to the table, I couldn't read the expression on his face when he said: "Why wouldn't I?"

I shrugged, leaning back into the couch. Azriel took a deep breath and went rigid.

"Is everything okay? You look uncomfortable" I reached out a hand to feel for a fever, but he stood up abruptly, turned and said, composed: "I have to go, I'll see you in the evening."

He left me very confused and half an hour later, Mor laughed herself stupid when I told her what had happened, genuinely concerned about Azriel's wellbeing. When she had finally stopped, falling into hysterical fits, she told me that Azriel would be fine after a cold bucket of water or alternatively an hour to himself. The both of them left me thoroughly confused, to bathe for dinner.

A/N: I dont know why but wattpad tells me that literally every word I write is wrong. If anyone knows how to fix this, please help me. As Always, I hope you liked the chapter if not please leave a comment why you didn't like it.

Love Chihirophie