i n t h e s h a d o w s - a z r i e l (slow updates)

Chapter 12

It's been a week since the fight with Mor. Eileánóir had finally accepted to go to the cottage. She'd been staying there for three days, reading, walking in the sunflowers fields or speaking with Azriel. They spent a lot of time together, Azriel leaving her only to sleep or because Rhys asked him to come back. What he didn't know is that Eileánóir couldn't sleep at night without him. She spent her nights in the living room reading or outside painting because she was scared of sleeping alone. Her nightmares were awful and her fear of the dark was coming again. She had not been scared when she had slept in Azriel's arms in that very bed in the cottage but now that she was alone, seeing the sun setting was terrifying. 

That night, alone in the dark outside, she hadn't wanted to paint nor read. Instead, she tried to use her powers, see what kind of power she had. She had been surprised when she accidentally created wings on her back. Not Illyrian wings, but white wings with feathers, like an angel. They had a bluish glow to it but they were mostly white. She could, like Rhysand and Feyre, make them appear and disappear willingly. So when Azriel appeared in the field of sunflower in front of the house, she immediately asked him to teach her how to fly. 

"With what?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Eileánóir just smiled and her wings appeared on her back, the sun making them glow with that blueish color more than yesterday. 

Azriel's mouth was open. He clearly wasn't expecting that. "How d-"

"They appeared last night," she said, omitting the fact that it was in the middle of the night and that she was awake like every night for a week. 

"I've never seen wings like that," he admitted looking at her wings with admiration. "Soldiers from the Dawn Court have white wings but they're bigger and they don't have that glow," he tilted his head, still looking at Eileánóir's wings, intrigued. 

"So," Eileánóir said, trying to capt Azriel's attention. "Are you going to teach me of not? I can ask Cass-"

"No!" Azriel stopped her. "I'll do it," he finally said his jaw clenched, clearly pissed thinking about Cassian teaching her how to fly. Eileánóir smiled as the thought of Azriel being jealous crossed her mind but then she lost it when she remembered how Mor acted when she was around him. She really doesn't want me to be in Azriel's life, she thought. 

"Come outside, you can practice here," he said, taking her hand. A chill ran through her as his skin touch hers. He didn't seem to notice. 

When they were outside, Azriel turned to her. "Try to raise them," he said, looking at her. He knew it would be easier than for Feyre as Eileánóir's wings seemed to be lighter than Illyrian wings. He wondered what they would feel like under his touch, his fingers itching to touch her feathers. He was completely in his thoughts when he heard Eileánóir coughing lightly to have his attention. He looked at her and saw that she had succeeded in raising her wings but she was a bit struggling to keep them up as she was not used to having that weight on her back. 

"Good, you'll see, it will be easier with time to keep them up," he said, smiling. She smiled back and let them fall back into place lower. 

"Are they sensitive?" He couldn't keep back his question but his eyes widen a bit when he realized what he just asked and pressed his lips hard together to keep out another stupid question. Eileánóir blushed at his question and lower a bit her head. 

"Umh... I-I don't know," she said, at last, finally looking at him. 

He couldn't control his body anymore. He approached her and lower his stare to look at her, silently asking if he could touch her wings. He didn't look away as she nodded and he delicately approached his scarred hand from her wing. His stare was still locked with hers as he gently touched a feather of her left-wing, searching for a reaction on her face. 

His touch sent an electric shock through her body and she had to bite her lower lip not to actually moan. God these wings were sensitive. She saw a little smile curving on his face as he saw her reaction. She saw his eyes looking at her lips then back at her eyes and back at her lips. She wanted to kiss him, that was a statement but it wasn't right.  Why does she have an attraction for him that strong? She hadn't known him for long, it's not her type to fall head over heels for someone like that so quickly. And as she doesn't believe in love at first sight, she doesn't know what's happening to her. 

"Eileánóir?" she blinked at him. He was smiling. Was she gone for that long? "We should go back inside, it's going to rain," he showed her the sky, grey, with big clouds. Indeed, as he said that, rain began pouring on them, soaking them immediately. Azriel ran to the house but Eileánóir stayed there. She just made disappear her wings and enjoyed the rain. Actually -, she really liked to go outside when it's raining, it's relaxing and the smell is just wonderful even if she had to be soaked to enjoy that. 

"Eileánóir? What are you doing ?!" Azriel shouted. "You'll catch death there," he said, running back to her. 

"Go back inside if you want," she told him smiling. "But I'm staying here. I love the rain," she closed her eyes and sat on the ground of sunflowers. She heard the Illyrian grunt but he sat beside her anyway. He didn't like his wings to be wet but he'll light a fire in the cottage to dry them quicker. He was only scared for Eileánóir. It was cold and the rain was icy cold but she didn't seem to care.

"Eil... You're sure abo..."

"Shhh," she only answered him, keeping her eyes closed. 

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I like the fact that Eil's wings are different from the Illyrians even if I really love bat wings :) 

Feel free to vote and comment, I'll be glad to talk to you about the story or just the characters ;)