A Court of Shadows and Stars; Azriel

XIX

Closing the front door with my elbow, I sighed as I set a bag of groceries onto the kitchen counter.

I raised a brow in suspicion at the light leaking into my dark apartment from beneath my bedroom door.

Stealthily, I grabbed the dagger that I had strapped under the granite and silently made my way upstairs.

Twisting the knob, I continued into my empty bedroom.

I looked around in confusion.

Faint music could be heard and I cautiously opened the door out to my balcony.

My mouth gaped open and the dagger made a satisfying *clink* as it fell from my grasp.

My usually quaint balcony with just two chairs and a small table, was now brightly lit due to fairy lights hanging from the roof. A comfortable hammock took place of my previous furniture in the corner. On the table, sat a platter of my favorite foods and sweets and a music player.

A melancholy tune made its way out of the speaker and as I turned, my eyes caught a glimpse of a winged-form appearing out of the shadows.

Azriel shyly dropped his eyes before looking up, his head tilted to one side and a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.

My eyes widened as he stepped forward and handed me a small bouquet made up of lavender, olive-leaves, eucalyptus, a variety of wildflowers, and lilies- all of my favorite scents and flowers.

"Elain helped me," he mumbled, looking around.

"Thanks, Az," I stood on my tippy-toes and kissed his cheek.

Azriel flapped his wings in surprise and turned away, his face becoming pink.

I laughed at his shyness and his eyes snapped to mine, a smile forming on his lips.

He pulled me into a hug and whispered in my ear, "I would give anything to hear you laugh for the rest of my life."

His warm breath caused the skin around my ear to tingle and I pulled back slightly so that our faces were only inches apart.

We both tensed as I rested my forehead against his. I felt Azriel's eyelashes brush my cheek as he closed his eyes. I took the opportunity to study his angelic features before closing my own eyes.

Azriel's breath hitched as I slowly leaned closer and lightly brushed my lips over his. I smirked as a sound similar to a whimper released from Azriel's throat at the lack of contact.

Ignoring the unfamiliar feeling of nervousness and excitement bubbling in my stomach, I wrapped my arms around the Illyrian's neck and tangled my hands into the raven hair at the nape of his neck.

The world seemed to fall away as I gently placed my lips onto his.

It was light and soft- comforting in ways that words would never be.

His hand moved to rest below my ear, his thumb caressing my cheek. I ran one hand down his spine, pulling him closer until their was no space left in between us and I could feel his heart beating against my chest.

He inhaled sharply and I felt him repress a groan as one of my hands lightly tugged at a tuft of his hair and the other traveled dangerously close to his wings.

I smirked to myself as I teasingly pulled back unexpectedly. Azriel's confused expression closely resembled a pout and I couldn't help but smile at him.

'Cute', I internally gushed.

He tensed in my arms as I began nuzzling the crook of his neck with delicate kisses. So faint, they were whispers. I made my way up his neck from his collar bone to his jaw, pressing lingering kisses the entire way.

"Thank you," I whispered once I reached his ear lobe.

He simply nodded and pulled me into another tight hug.

I chuckled, "You really like hugs, don't you."

I felt him mumble 'only with you' against my shoulder, causing me to laugh even more while I wrapped my arms around his torso and sank deeper into his embrace.

After a while, we both pulled away.

"Okay!," I exclaimed. "I think I saw cheesecake over there..."

Azriel laughed and handed me a plate, which I happily piled food and sweets onto.

After eating, we retold old stories and memories to the point where my stomach was hurting because of how hard I was laughing, and we both moved to lie on the hammock.

I moved so that my head was resting on Azriel's chest and wrapped my arms around his torso.

He pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead and we watched the night sky above us.

"I understand if you don't want to rush into anything," Azriel spoke softly. "Just know that I am very serious about you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, whenever you're ready."

Guilt flooded me as I thought over his words.

Was my reservation really that obvious?

"No, Az," I said, giving him a serious look. "It's not that, and it's definitely not because of you. It's just- all of this is new for me. There's a lot of things that I'm not sure about, but you're not one of them," I smiled at him.

The corner of his lips quirked upwards and he pressed another kiss to my forehead.

"I love you so, so much," he whispered, the moonlight casting an ethereal glow on the Illyrian's face

I raked my hand through his dark hair, getting a good handful and pulling Azriel closer. Our lips hovered inches from each other for a few seconds before barely brushing.

Unlike earlier, our lips moved against each other long, slow, and passionate.

Each time I kissed him I craved more.

Eventually, we both pulled back and smiled at each other. Azriel kissed my forehead tenderly and scooped me up bridal-style.

He placed me down under the covers of my bed and crawled in next to me.

Cuddled up to the warmth of his side, we both fell asleep with smiles still present on our lips.