What if I lived? ✔️

Escort

A bell dinged when Azriel entered and suddenly I was very aware of my looks. I'd gone for a black leggings and a wide, crème-colored Pullover. My hair was pulled back, but thankfully I'd been able to go into the colorful antechamber to clean up. Ressina was still sitting working or better being absorbed by her painting. A Red Sparrow, with it's mouth wide open and a green, very detailed background were already beginning to form on the white canvas.

Once I'd liked to play with light like Feyre and Ressina play with colors. I'd stand in my room for hours on end, watching my hair flicker from red to white to the deepest night black until no one could tell what my real hair color actually was. But now? My power had been perverted so badly the day were I wouldn't have to use it anymore couldn't come soon enough.

"Ready to go?" Azriel's voice snapped me out of my trance.

He was sporting black fighting Leathers, which made him look like the god of shadows himself, and I had been staring. Great, this isn't gonna be awkward at all. Shadows were pooling off him like ink, spilling into the world-

Addy! Enough, he's your brother's best friend, drool over by-passers and not a guy that has already rejected you.

"Yup" I blew out some air, "Let's walk home, my escort."

He frowned at me, but then waved a hand at Feyre the hint of a smile on his lips. For a moment I could've sworn there was irritation in his eyes, but when I looked back Feyre was just grinning and waving at me.

I raised an eyebrow at Az, who just held open the door, ignored the quiet question. Well, he'd always been secretive, but I could swear there was something strange going on here.

"I haven't seen Velaris in a while and it's most beautiful at night anyway, mind if we take the scenic route?" I tried to keep my voice passive, but I wanted to see how far his patience goes and I'd need time for that.

He weighed his head, but takes a turn left nonetheless.

After a while of silence I asked: "Is there a reason you wanted to take me home?"

Az had kept his eyes on the road, but now those hazelnut orbs turned on me. Damn me if these aren't a beautiful set of eyes. So deep, caring, a male that felt real emotion and wasn't scared of it. Would you stop that, Addy? I'm trying to work here!

"Feyre had the idea" he watched me purse my lips, but I refrained from commenting, "You won't bite my head off, like with Cass?"

"Nope. Learned my lesson there, no biting into that general direction" beside us the Rainbow of Velaris was glowing like a prism in the cold light of the moon.

All colors, shops of every size. The palaces were already closed, I knew that, but the places were now being used by all kinds of street musicians.

Azriel weighed his head.

When he didn't say anything I asked: "So you heard, huh?"

He nodded, the black of his shadows darkening, just the slightest bit.

"See? I can ruin everything even without being an imposter. But that's just a specialty of mine, I guess. Pissing people of, I mean" the floor seemed suddenly very interesting, or at least more interesting than Azriel's judging gaze.

He needed a while, but then he said: "He knows you didn't mean it and he forgave you. There's nothing you still need to worry about."

I clicked my tongue, but then decided to take a leap: "That means you're the only person in that house that still hates me."

Azriel's eyebrows shot in the air: "Addy, I don't hate you."

"So that's the reason you've been keeping far away, avoiding me at every single dinner, etc. Because you don't hate me."