❝ Sometimes I feel like I have changed into something unrecognizable, but then I see you, and the love I feel tethers me back to this earth ❞
Maiya was walking a fine line. On one side was safety; her brother and mother and love, but the other was c...
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𝔐oments after arriving at the Hewn City, I had managed to give my guard the slip. Now, Azriel was in an unfamiliar place and didn't know where to find me which gave me multiple hours without his infuriating presence hovering like a bug. It had been a quick meeting with my second, Firoh, as I gave him the commands that my father had told me and warned him that if Mendax came around, he was not to listen to a word that the man said.
Firoh had merely laughed at the thought that he would ever listen to Mendax, who was a controversial figure in our home. Then, he had handed me a thick stack of paperwork that I had to get through and I had made my way back to the obsidian palace without Azriel.
Maybe, deep down, I felt a little guilty about leaving Azriel in the Hewn City, which was hard to get out of, but he deserved it. He had been getting on my nerves with his possessiveness and teasing and it was only fair that I got to reciprocate my annoyance to him. I had told myself that during the day as I did my work, before getting ready for the dinner that was bound to test my patience. The dress that I pulled on seemed to be made with stars woven into the fabric, clinging to my body like a second skin. My dagger was sheathed in the slit of my thighs and I pulled on heels to elevate me further than I already was.
The mate bond inside of me was still protesting as I finished adding my jewellery to the outfit, screaming in my mind that I shouldn't have done that, that I should have kept Azriel safe. He was a shadowsinger, so I sort of assumed that he could do that himself and that the mate bond was being a little irrational. I beat my mate bond and soul back down again, though it caused me a splitting headache.
Throwing the door open to leave, it took me a moment to process who was standing in front of me, before a string of curses left my mouth. My headache was now only going to get worse.
"Should I feel offended that you left me all alone in the Hewn City?" Azriel sent me an innocent grin, as I reminded myself that murdering my own mate was not something that would go down well and it would hurt me too. "But I am glad you did. I was able to get some sightseeing in."
"How are you back here?" I growled, glaring at him as he shrugged, and looked me up and down.
"You weren't that difficult to find, and I simply followed you all the way back." A shadow curled around my wrist, and I slapped it away quickly before brushing past him. "Princess..."
"Go away." I spat back, before finding him standing next to me once more. "What do you want?"
"Nothing, it's just your father told me to guard you so if we don't show up together, it will look suspicious." He sent me a warm smile as my scowl deepened. "My lady."
