A Court of Stars and Shadows

chapter three

"all of your friends have been here for too long, they must be waiting for you to move on, but i'm not with it i'm way too far gone, not ready eyes heavy now." - friends

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After dinner, the Inner Circle members, plus Gwyn and Emerie sat down in the living area by the crackling fire. Gwyn shot a worried look to Nesta, who looked unbothered by the fire as she smiled at Nyx, who was babbling in her arms.

She noticed Azriel by the door, his shadows formed around him as he watched from the back serenely. She raised an eyebrow when his gaze shot to hers.

He shrugged. "Azriel, get over here." She said to him, and before he could protest she mustered the most heartbreaking puppydog eyes look she could, and he groaned. Everyone watched the exchange in amusement, and watched how Azriel relented and walked over to the group, his shadows dancing around him and flying away from him to get to Gwyn.

Her puppydog look wore away as she giggled with the shadows, and Feyre watched with a fond smile as Azriel sat down next to Gwyn.

Feyre looked at Rhys, and gently brushed against his mental shields as he let her in.

They're quite adorable. She said to him, and Rhys chuckled in her mind.

Yes they are, Feyre darling.

Rhys' violet eyes looked over to them, and he saw the happiness in their eyes as the conversed with one another, and he felt warmth bloom in his chest.

Not just for Azriel, but towards the priestess who made Azriel act in a way he had never seen in his over 500 years long friendship with the shadowsinger.

He tuned into their conversation.

"I cannot believe they don't know you sing!" Gwyn muttered to him, and Azriel shrugged.

"It never came up," he said and Rhys tried to cover his snort because of it.

"Oh come on!" Gwyn groaned. "I wanna hear some singing shadowsinger."

"If you want to hear singing, you should sing." he said, and her eyes widened. The shadowsinger smirked deviously.

"Hey guys!" he said, causing everyones attention to fall on him. He was pointedly ignoring Gwyn's glare and her mouthing frantically to him. "Gwyneth wants to sing."

Everyone agreed eagerly, the most of all was Nesta, who's normally cold eyes lit up in happiness and she perked up.

"I am going to kill you," Gwyn seethed to Azriel, who only smirked at her, and moved his face closer to hers teasingly.

"I'd like to see you try, Priestess."

She snorted, and pushed his face away jokingly. "Shadowsinger, I can read you like a book when we fight."

He narrowed his eyes. "Is that a challenge, Berdara?"

"If you want it to be...whatever your last name is." She sniffed.

"Are you going to sing or not?" Mor heckled, and Gwyn sighed.

"What would you like me to sing?" She asked, shooting a pointed glare to Azriel who only smirked in satisfaction.