Fire On Fire - Azriel's story - acotar

Chapter 2.

Azriel barely managed to hide the surprise when Fallon revealed her ears. They were Fae ears, not Illyrian ears. But how? Even the shadows whispering into his ear proved futile, not being able to provide any useful information.

Before he could hear an explanation, the side of the tent rustled and Fallon's hands flew to her hair with incredible speed, struggling to cover her ears before the intruder.

But the male who entered was no intruder. The High Lord of the Night Court nodded in Azriel's direction as he passed him to inform him the conversation with the General had ended in a deal. Azriel returned Rhys's gesture with a slight tilt of his chin before his High Lord focused his attention on Fallon who was staring back at him, wide-eyed. Azriel, causing much irate to himself, couldn't get a read if her bewilderment meant fear or admiration.

"Don't worry," Rhys said as he came closer and flaunted his own pointed ears.

"Your highness," Fallon bowed, a smile tugging on her lips. Perhaps this creature wasn't scared of his High Lord, pondered Azriel as his eyes tracked every movement of the possible threat standing before Rhys.

Rhys returned the small smile, "Mind telling me how it came to be?"

That earned him a punch in the shoulder by Cass. "What?" Rhys looked with fake innocence that almost made Azriel snort, "I'm curious to find one of my kind."

Cassian didn't object any longer when Fallon beckoned them to sit down. Azriel took the seat next to Rhys, as always, and opposite of Fallon who was seated next to Cassian.

As he studied her further, Azriel couldn't help but notice the Fae features on her face. The sharpness of her cheekbones, the thin circle of green in her eyes and the sensual curve of her lips. Combined with dark Illyrian hair, tan skin from all the hours spent flying in the sun, and the leather on her, Azriel had to admit she looked all bit like a soldier as him.

What he also didn't fail to notice was the ease of her voice now that she had seemed to relax, the silkiness her words were coated in and how his eyes kept being drawn to her.

---

Fallon took a deep, calming breath that didn't end up doing much calming. Cassian knew about her story because she'd shared it with him on one particularly bad day for him. She didn't regret it, but the wariness persisted in the back of her mind. Because the more who knew about it, the easier it was for it to slip out.

Cassian gave her another reassuring look, and Fallon relaxed a bit more, "Like you," she looked at Rhysand, unsure how to address him. As if he could read her mind, Fallon thought, he said, "Rhys."

"Like you, Rhys," it felt strange talking to the Lord of the Night Court so casually for her, "I am a child of Fae and Illyrian," Fallon swallowed. Taking about her parents always brought painful memories. "My father was Illyrian and my mother was Fae. After my father died in a battle, my mother and I were left alone in a Camp. We were treated like dirt," Fallon paused for a second in order to gather her muddled thoughts, "before she died, my mother gave me this," she raised her left arm with the bracelet," she spelled it to glamour my ears, the only feature that is distinctively Fae on me."

Fallon glanced at Rhys who seemed to be lost in his own memories, just like Azriel and Cassian.

"I buried my mother alone, the Commander not allowing me to bury her on Illyrian ground, despite her having fought in battles alongside them. I left that Camp as she'd begged me to and I've been here ever since." Fallon opened her eyes to find Cassian holding her hand and Rhys looking at her sympathetically. Azriel still seemed to be in his own world, his features haunted. And yet somehow, she couldn't stop stealing glances at his stone-carved face.