The Four Protectors

Twenty Three

1st Person POV

I woke up with a mind-numbing headache followed by an, oh-so-wonderful, urge to puke. I stumbled off the bed, barely making it to trashcan. When I was done, I slid myself across the floor, as far away as possible from the stench.

I hadn't gotten this hammered in years.

"You don't look too good sweetheart."

I looked up to find Azriel in my room glancing at me with pity. My headache had now turned into a pulsating beat that felt like it was about to split my skull in two. I pulled myself into a tiny ball in an effort to contain the pain.

I heard his footsteps as he crossed the room and crouched before me.

"You know I can help with that," Azriel said softly.

I almost cried as he waved his hands and the pain in my head reduced to a dull ache. I peeked up at him and gave him a wide smile before letting him pull me up to my feet. Using him as my crutch, I dragged myself on to the bed and back under the warm covers.

Azriel snapped his fingers and a steaming hot plate of eggs and bacon appeared on my lap, followed by a cup of coffee on the nightstand.

I shoveled down the food like I hadn't seen eaten in days before chugging the steaming hot coffee and burning my tongue in the process. Azriel just looked amused as he crawled under the covers next to me with his own cup of coffee in hand. Once I was done, he snapped his fingers once again and the plates and mug were gone.

I snuggled up next to him, shoulder to shoulder.

"Why do you do it the mundane way sometimes? Going out to get the food when you could just snap your fingers," I asked.

"There's a joy in doing things the mundane way you know. In fact, under my dad's roof he always said don't use your magic unless you need it," Azriel replied.

He was playing with my fingers without even noticing it and I let him.

"Why," I asked curiously.

"He says that it distances us from humans, makes us feel superior when we aren't. Doing things the ordinary way sometimes keeps us in touch with the part of ourselves that's still completely human," Azriel explained.

There was a look of complete adoration on his face as he spoke of his father.

"He seems like a wise man," I commented.

"You can tell that to him in person one day," Azriel said.

I glanced up at him, pleasantly surprised. I could tell his family meant a lot to him and he idolized his father in particular. This was special to him and therefore it was even more special for me. Before I could think twice about it, I leaned up and pressed a feather light kiss to his lips.

When I drew back, he was smiling as I rested my head on his shoulder.

I was forced out of my blissful thoughts when my door slammed open and Desmond and Cassius walked in. Cassius looked completely out of it, hair sticking up all over the place, wearing different colored socks on each foot, but he gave me a mischievous grin as he came to sit on the bed. Desmond on the other hand seemed like a bomb ready to explode as he began to pace around the room agitatedly.

"We need to talk about last night," Desmond said.

"Look it was a one time thing. I don't get that hammered that often," I began to explain.