A Court of Horizon and Shadows

30.

Once Azriel brought Auriella back to the House of Wind, they both went in, heading down to the dining room.

Cassian and Emerie were there, eating dinner beside each other, candlelights illuminating in the darkness.

"I didn't know you were the romantic type, brother," Azriel said, making their presence known to the pair. Cassian chucked a roll of bread at the Spymaster, but he caught it just in time, handing it to Perseus, who gladly gobbled it down.

"Well, since you two went off to who knows where... Emerie and I believed we had the whole house to ourselves. It's good that you interrupted us now, or else you would have seen us fuc-" Emerie stuffs a roll of bread into his mouth.

The Illyrian female gestures to the table, "What Cassian means to say is, why don't you both join us? There is plenty of food." She says.

Auriella sits down in her usual seat, starting to prepare food for Perseus. The wolf sits beside her, licking his teeth and staring at the food. She chuckles, making sure to put a whole chicken breast. Perseus licked her cheek, showing her that he appreciated it.

Once her wolf was eating, Auriella prepared her plate of chicken and mashed potatoes. It smelled delightful, her mouth watering at the sight of it.

"How was The Choosing, Auriella? I heard that Aiko was the one who was picked out." Emerie says, drinking her water.

Auriella nods, "Yes, she was. I trained her in the morning. Hopefully, by the end of this month, she will be able to complete the movements. I just wished we had more time." She says.

Emerie nods, "Devlon will do anything to dismantle the sisterhood. It was part of an agreement that Morrigan and Nesta had to accept. There would be one month of training for the chosen sister and brother, then they would have to fight in the Arena of Nightmares.

"Morrigan and Nesta argued for more time, but Devlon refused. It was either one month or the sisterhood is no more. So, they had to agree. When Olrun lost in the first tournament, the sisterhood had to beg for one more chance. It wasn't easy, but eventually, Devlon agreed, but he still wouldn't give us more time." She explains.

Cassian shakes his head, "That man will train the brotherhood to kill not defeat. In this tournament, Aiko and Byron will fight to the death with swords. Byron has more training than Aiko, given that he was there before the brotherhood was formed. Aiko must train day and night with little rest to make her stand a chance against Byron." He says.

Azriel nods, "You will have to help train her, Cassian. Mor wants you there with Auriella. With the both of you helping her, she could gain enough knowledge to kill or defeat Byron." He tells his brother.

Cassian briefly stares at his lover. Emerie doesn't look at him, but judging by the look on her face, it seems that she was not fond of the idea of him going to the sisterhood.

Auriella remembered Morrigan's words to Cassian when Nesta had walked away after the duel between her and the Daughter of Dawn. The general was protective of the Archeron sister, his body trembling with rage the moment he laid eyes upon Auriella.

Cassian and Nesta were mates. But Nesta rejected the bond.

It seemed that Emerie knew that.

The general grabbed his lover's hand, bringing it to his lips. The small gesture was a reassuring one, silently telling Emerie that his heart belonged to her.

Will they be okay? Auriella asks Azriel.

I hope so. He loves Emerie with everything he has, but the bond with Nesta affects their relationship. The male will never stop protecting his mate. Cassian will always want to make sure Nesta is okay, even when his heart fully belongs to Emerie. He explains.