A Court of Ice and Fire

Chapter 38

Azriel was gone when I woke up the next morning, his side of the bed cold--telling me that he must have left early. I sigh, rubbing a hand across my face before looking at the time. I groan when I see the early hour, raking a hand through my now tangled hair before crawling out of bed.

I put on a leather vest that hugs my chest, pairing it with a long-sleeved black shirt and a pair of tight black leather pants. Pulling my hair into a high ponytail, I finish the look with a pair of knee high boots before walking out into the hallway outside.

I walk quickly to the dining room, hoping to grab a quick bite to eat before meeting Cassian for our daily training session, and I stop when I see the already full room. Feyre and Cassian both look up when I enter the room, and I stall at the front door, raising my brows. "Was there a party I wasn't invited to?" I ask, noticing my mate seated at the end of the dining room table next to Elain.

Nesta rolls her eyes, and Cassian grins, holding out a muffin. "We would never have a party without you." He says and I smile before taking the muffin.

"Getting some food before we train? You're not planning on killing me today right?" I ask, and I see Cassian wince, looking at Feyre.

"You're in luck. I was tasked with taking your lovely sisters to the House of Wind to find a book on the Cauldron and the wall—so no training today." I perk up at the words, taking a bite of the muffin in my hands before turning towards Feyre.

"Need help?" I ask, and she shakes her head, giving a sideways look towards Nesta. I understand the look, knowing that Feyre will use every second of alone time with Nesta to repair the seemingly permanent rift between them.

I shrug my shoulders in response, walking over to Azriel, giving Elain a smile as I sit down. Seeing her out of her room is progress that I was relieved to see, and I can tell that Feyre and Nesta both feel the same as they continuously send looks her way.

"You disappeared early this morning." I muse as I sit down, and Azriel shifts in his chair, his lips pursing.

"I have a lot of work to catch up on---I missed a shit ton of reports." He answers, a small bite in his voice as he takes another bite of the muffin in his hands.

I bite my lower lip, trying to ignore the tension rolling off of him in waves—trying to ignore what his sudden distance could mean. "I'm going to get some... unmentionables in town today, maybe I could try them on for you later." I whisper, my eyes flitting across the room towards Feyre and Cassian who are both too deep in a conversation to notice me.

I wait for Azriel's reaction—hoping to catch that mischievous gleam that usually enters his eyes when I talk about anything remotely close to sex, but he just stands up from his chair, the sound of the chair scraping across the floor stabbing me in the chest.

"I'll probably be in late tonight---so maybe we can tomorrow." He says it so nonchalantly, and all I can do is nod my head as I watch him leave the room, his steps stiff. I look down when he leaves the room, my hands shaking as I slowly put the muffin down on the table.

My heart hammers in my chest, and the bracelet wrapped so tightly around my wrist pulsed with the beat of my heart. A feeling of dread enters my stomach, and when I come up from the table, I can feel eyes on me.

I don't say a word as I leave the room, avoiding both Feyre's and Cassian's eyes as I walk out of the room. My mind is blank as I walk towards the nearest balcony, and I don't even think about where I'm going before winnowing out of the house.

My feet land a second later on hard pavement, and when I look around, I was semi pleased to see myself standing in the center of Velaris—no one paying me any heed as they walked past me.