To the Shadowsinger | Azriel

Chapter 29: Go get her

 Five years had passed since Azriel had last seen Rai. Some days he felt like dying and some days he was hopeful. Wylla had shown up in his life four years ago, giving him something else to focus on; she was an orphan and needed him just as much as he needed the distraction from his mate's absence.

Rai. He thought her name with a twinge of pain as Wylla asked him "who's your mate? And why did a monster tell me you have to go get her?"

No one ever mentions Rai around him. It was an unspoken rule in the Inner Circle. He remembered the night the mating bond snapped into place and they made love until they both grew tired, falling asleep in each other's arms. The best night of his life was overshadowed by him waking up alone.

"Rai," He had sat up that morning, looking around the room. He already knew she wasn't there‒ the bond felt different. It was no longer warm and close but cold and very far away. He didn't believe it at first; how could she leave after the night they had? She had warned him but he would have thought that at the least she would have stayed and told him what she decided.

There wasn't even a note.

He refused to believe she was gone. He told himself that maybe she was picking up breakfast or even knocking on Mor's door to convince her to be her friend. Anything but back in Vallahan. The thought of her anywhere near that bastard king made his insides twist. She was his mate and if Caius even dared to lay a finger on her— well, he already had plans to blast him into oblivion.

Azriel had slipped on some clothes and made his way through the eerily silent house. The only other people there were the servants. His face was slack as he stepped out onto the balcony and let his shadows search the city below.

Nothing, absolutely nothing.

She wasn't in the city. Wasn't in the woods. He had even checked the Court of Nightmares. He told himself over and over again that she didn't leave, but she wasn't anywhere to be found. When his shadows failed, he reached down the bond and found only a dark void.

It took him a full day of searching and tugging on the bond before he was beginning to accept that she was gone. She had left him. He wouldn't get that confirmation until he arrived at the training camp Rhys and Feyre were staying at while their son Orpheus trained.

"The mirror. Where were you taking it?" He didn't start with a formal greeting.

Feyre met his eyes with a worried gaze. He was interrupting their dinner. She set down her fork and gave a glance to Rhys before saying to Azriel, "It was taken to the Prison last night."

Last night. There was no way she could have taken it last night —she had a solid alibi— then it hit him. Bryaxis. She wasn't leaving without the mirror and Bryaxis had been helping her.

"What is it?" Rhys asked.

The words struggled out of Azriel's mouth. He thought he was going to be sick. "Rai's gone."

Rhys' face softened at the sound of Azriel's voice shaking. He stood up from his chair and placed a hand on the shadowsinger's shoulder. Azriel held himself together but Rhys could see straight through the cracks, "You cared for the Queen?"

Azriel couldn't meet his eyes. He swallowed a lump in his throat and said the words, "She's my mate."

Rhys' face sagged. Azriel finally looked up to see a side of Rhys he rarely saw. His violet eyes were serious, "Then go get her."

Azriel looked to Feyre; there was pride on her face as she gave him a strong nod that told him she was happy for him and that she supported what Rhys said. That was all it took for Azriel to make up his mind.

"Go get her," Wylla's words brought him back to the present. He slowly blinked at the little girl which only seemed to irritate her. She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, "I think your mate is the fae lady I keep dreaming of. I think someone is hurting her so go get her."

Go get her. If he was reliving his past, he prayed to the cauldron, that this time wouldn't be like the last.