"Go get those healed," Azriel murmurs as soon as we step into the light of day with fingers grazing over my wounds.
"It's barely anything—"
"Get it healed before helping out. For me." He asks again and I can't resist doing anything that might lighten the heaviness in his eyes.
"For you." I nod and his hand skims mine before he strides towards the commander's tent while I find a passing healer. Turns out, healing feels like someone pouring bugs onto your wounds as their little, creepy legs stitch you up. The experience is enough to make me never to wish that I'll need a level of healing like Cassian's. When I see Rhys and Azriel carrying Cassian towards Feyre's tent, I follow behind with an exhausted shake of my head.
"You should be resting." I scold from behind him as we enter the tent and the males sit him down in a chair in front of a paper-strewn desk as the others file in. Rhys musses his hair as the male looks at me.
"And you shouldn't have been in the battle. See? I can do it too." Cassian retorts. I stick out my tongue at him and he returns the gesture before we both pay attention to Feyre and Amren. They present the Book to all of us and my nose wrinkles at the power that emanates from it. Amren instructs Nesta on how to find the Cauldron while I remain near the edge of the tent simply observing. I'm close to tying Cassian to his chair when he gets up and it's clear the same thought is in Azriel's mind, but we allow him to comfort Nesta before she reaches out her hand.
The next thing I know, Feyre is yelling with glazed eyes and I can feel the power of the Cauldron leaking over them. I reach over and pinch Nesta's fist, drawing blood, and she gasps before releasing the items in her hand. She sways and Cassian instantly catches her, hissing with pain at the movement. "What the hell—"
"Look." Amren breathes and we all look at what Nesta had thrown. A perfect circle lies over the map and I'd guess that's where the Hybern army lies with that accursed piece of cooking ware. My breath leaves my body when I realize where exactly they are; right on the western edge of human territory. I sag and put a hand on the arm of Cassian's vacated chair, frozen there even as Helion and Tarquin come in to be made aware of the knowledge we'd gleaned. The only thing that makes me look up is when the energy changes and I instantly see why.
Varian falls to his knees before a smiling Amren before planting a deep kiss right onto her lips. The next moment, her legs are wrapped around him and they're walking out of the tent without breaking from one another for a second. I'm almost impressed. Then I look to Azriel and hold out my hand as an unspoken question and invitation. He takes it, then we've vanished and reappeared inside his tent. For a moment, we just stare into one another's eyes.
"Food, bath, or bed?" He asks and I reach up to slide a hand over his gore-flecked hair.
"Wash first," I tell him and he nods, pulling away to bring a bucket of water along with a cloth over to me. But when he turns to walk out of the tent, I grab his arm. His brows furrow as I tug him back in front of me and begin shedding each layer of my clothes. Our eyes are locked together the whole time, even when I'm completely bare before him. I reach down and wet the cloth before offering it to him. He blinks and it feels good to feel his surprise after feeling such negative emotions for most of today.
"Are you sure?" He asks softly and if I wasn't already, then that question would have cinched it.
"Yes," I affirm and smile when the first place he cleans is my face. The water is cold, but it feels good against my aching muscles and hot skin. Azriel's hand is steady and light as he caresses my skin with the soft towel. His hands never touch my skin and I relish the feeling of being bathed. Well, as much as I can be in these circumstances. He even takes the time to slide the cloth over my palms to cleanse them of Cassian's blood. For my lower half, he goes down on his knees and I swallow at the sight. An image drifts across the bond that has my thighs clenching and my teeth raking over my bottom lip.
YOU ARE READING
Shadowsinger
Fanfiction"Perhaps this is death and it's playing a game with me. Maybe that's all death is, reliving the moment it took those that you most loved." Kaira's life ends with her family in the cold snow on the edge of the wall dividing fae and human lands. She's...
