AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Turn around, Az.” I demanded. He froze in the doorway, his steps faltered before he could leave completely, because we both knew his leather pants were very unforgiving.
The flesh under his wings tensed against a large breath. “Why do you want me to turn around?”
“Is there a reason you cannot?” I asked innocently.
He shot me another look over his shoulder, this time both curious and maddening. He slowly turned and leaned casually against the doorframe, crossing a leg over the other as his arms mirrored his lower half. He assessed my reaction to his figure with a close eye.
I cocked an eyebrow at the outline growing there, my hips returned to their previous temperature at the sight. But my intuition had been correct.
“Impressive,” I said indifferently, sliding a hand over my wet hair to wring the water from its length. “You should go take care of that.”
He shook his head, defeated, but couldn’t conceal the twitch in his lips as he left and shut the door behind him, his steps a bit tighter than before.
I sat atop covers of velvet as I stuffed my face with the arrangement of food Azriel had thrown together. I had tossed on his clean shirt he’d pulled from one of the dressers, the room his own, apparently, and felt the air skim my back as it pierced the holes made for his wings. But the shirt was long and comfortable, not to mention it smelled like smoke and ash—like Azriel.
I coated a soft piece of bread in a generous amount of butter, watching Azriel lounge across a chaise in front of the fire. His eyes were heavy under the weight of his exhaustion, but he wouldn’t leave until I was settled for the evening. He really was too polite for his own good.
“Az, go to bed. You don’t have to wait for me to finish stuffing my face,” I said through a mouthful of deliciousness. “It might take a while.” He rolled to his side to watch me eat on his sheets, and I waved a free hand to send him off.
“Fine,” he said as he stood. “I’ll be across the hall if you need anything.”
I nodded, not knowing what else I possibly needed in this moment. I was more comfortable than I ever had been in my life. If these beautiful creatures wanted to kill me, at least they treated their victims well before offing them—I always appreciated decency. He opened my door to leave, but I stopped him before he stepped out the room.
“Azriel?”
“Yes, my damsel?”
I ignored his irritating remark. “I wanted to say thank you, for everything. I know you just want the information in my head, and perhaps that’s the only reason for it, but no one’s ever been so kind to me or cared for me the way you have. I really do appreciate it.” It was true. I had come from a place where kindness was too limited to share. Runners were given little and gave away even less.
His sleepy eyes transformed into their usual intensity from the doorway, an arm braced against the frame. “I’m not treating you well because I want your information, Arya. You took a huge risk meeting me yesterday, and I don’t take your faith in me lightly. I will always strive to be worthy of your confidence.”
I tore my stare from the warmth in his eyes and focused instead on the remaining crumbs on the tray in front of me. “Pretty words from a pretty bird. Goodnight, Az.” I teased to break the moment growing too warmly for my comfort.
“Sleep well, Arya.”
I swore I heard him whistle like a songbird as he closed my door.
I fell into a deep sleep shortly after he left, stomach full and muscles warm. Every inch of my body caressed in soft blankets underneath the weight of true safety. The very idea of feeling safe created a peace in my mind I’d never felt before. The easiness of falling into this new role, into this new world, was as effortless and dangerous as slipping off a cliffside. But I trusted my intuition, and my intuition told me I was safe. He was safe. This room, this place, this path was safe.
The blanket of security I wrapped myself in made me vulnerable. I eased into a dark abyss, like I was free falling into the familiar realm of my unconsciousness. There was nothing but black in existence, nothing but the eternal night and my soul left in the world.
Arya.
A voice whispered somewhere beyond the void, but the source was unknown.
Arya, what have you done?
My mouth fell open to speak in defense, but my voice had been stolen. My skull was scourged with a splintering ache.
You’ve betrayed me. You’ve betrayed us all.
I shook my head violently in protest, because I had betrayed no one—not yet.
I can still see you. I see you in his bed and in his clothes. I smell his foulness ruining you. I took care of you for twenty years, and this is how you repay me?
The voice grew from a whisper into a growl. I knew this voice, it was familiar and feminine, even in its roughest tone.
I’m going to tear you apart. I will break open your skull and find the secrets you discovered myself. You chose the wrong side, little one.
