A Court of Shadows and Thunder // AzrielxOC SlowBurn Romance, ACOTAR FanFiction

Chapter V - Curse

The waves were crashing into one another in a grand and terrible cacophony. Water splayed in the air, striking Azriel as he fought his way through, his wings flapping as hard as he could. He was drenched, the seawater having soaked him to the bone, weighing down on his clothes, his wings.

The storm above raged on, lightning struck in parts, the water shining bright at the impact, before another few waves crashed upon themselves again.

Azriel tried to fly up, feeling the muscles in his back strain with his every movement, burning as he attempted to soar, to go higher, to touch the clouds, to reach the storm.

He could hear screams far and wide, some that he recognized, some that he didn't know. He was terrified, so much so that he fought against the pain he felt, fighting to climb higher within the skies.

But it was like the waves were calling him, beckoning him, like a sweet, soft lullaby, ushering him to the sea.

The water licked at his feet, then at his legs, his body, until he found himself submerged, until he was dragged deep into the depths of the ocean...

Azriel shot up in his bed. His breath was sparse, heart pounding in his chest at the vivid images of his nightmare still played in his mind. He ran a hand through his hair, finding that it was coated in sweat, and pushed himself of his bed.

Like the other members of the Inner Circle, they all had their own temporary chambers within the Mountain Palace, and Azriel stared blankly at the wall in front of him. He tried taking deep breaths, but could feel that same thumping in his chest, right between his ribs. Azriel frowned. He needed to breath, walk, anything to distract himself, or tire himself enough that he'd fall right back to sleep.

When morning came, there was to be another meeting with the High Lords and the Syrens, for there were still burning questions that needed to be answered. Azriel knew that if he didn't get some sleep soon, he'd not only have a hard time staying awake at the meeting, but that Cassian would surely tease him about it until the end of time.

And Cassian was no stranger to teasing, calling it one of his many passions, in fact, so much so that, after having confessed to believing that Brianna was his mate, Azriel wanted to make himself invisible for a little while, during the party his High Lord had thrown for his guests. Azriel just wanted to get a little peace and quiet, enough time to clear his head and get over the fact that he had out right admitted that he found his mate to be a complete stranger who had come to the Night Court for purely diplomatic reasons. He knew very well that there would consequences to those words, that the teasing and probing would have no end; especially with the friends he kept.

But when Cassian did eventually find him, perched on a rock somewhere in the icy peaks beyond the Mountain Palace, he didn't tease or laugh at Azriel at all. He only told him that he could have chosen a warmer spot to mope in, and that he ought to go back with him because Rhys had gotten the chefs to make Azriel's favorite lemon tarts for the party, and that he should probably snag some before the greedy High Lords ate them all. And although Azriel wanted to question this sudden sensitivity toward him, he chose not to. Instead, they flew off the mountain together, heading into the party. As they made their way into the crowd, to look for Rhys and the lemon tarts, Cassian had said, their search was cut short when they saw Brianna soaring into the sky, her impressive wings outstretched beyond her.

And he stared at those wings, at those fiery eyes, at everything that she was in that moment, and Azriel could just feel it, deep within him, and even his shadows felt it, for they had also stilled, also quieted, questioning him, whispering to him. He knew that eventually, he'd have to actually speak to her, to ask her if maybe, just maybe, she felt it too - that it wasn't all in his head. He knew far too well how desire and love had already wounded him deeply for centuries, and how now, guilt was lingering there too.