A Court of Golden Shadow || Elain x Azriel

Chapter 26 - Forest Friends

Following close behind his wings, her mind drifting in and out of deep thought, Elain smiled as his shadows curled from behind his feet toward her toes, checking in on her occasionally.

ﾟ☆: *.☽ ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─── ☽ .* :☆ﾟ

What the fuck Rhys?

Why in the hells... why in the goddamn hells would he send Az out into the middle of the Mother-forsaken forest with Elain Archeron?

Rhys had stuck him with the embodiment of female perfection, the same female who happened to have him wrapped around her little rabbit-tattooed pinky finger, and now they were here, alone on a mission. She was mated, and he was going out of his godsdamned mind.

Azriel sometimes wondered if the Cauldron was fucking with him. And while that bit of information remained unclear, it was a damn certainty that the High Lord of the Night Court was fucking with him.

Azriel's angry rant flooded his mind as he stomped through the rocky terrain, the roots and mossy ground cushioning his steps, concealing his anger from Elain as he held his breath from the scent of honey and jasmine floating behind him. He felt a headache blooming behind his forehead, the frustration leaking from his very soul. It was one thing to keep his distance from her in Patras with Vanserra breathing down her neck. But here? Alone together for three days? Azriel could not imagine a worse form of torture at the moment.

Mercifully, there had been two rooms available at the inn closest to the forest, the local humans rather friendly to visiting fae and not surprised by Azriel's sudden presence in their establishment. He had decided to get into this mission and get out, preferably without so much as a handshake passing between him and the female, the three days stretching out before him feeling impossibly long.

She had not had any sense of Koschei yet, and Azriel was wary of bringing her too close to the lake itself. The fucker had apparently set his sights on Elain as "the most beautiful female he had seen in twenty thousand years," and Azriel was not going to risk her capture, although he had to agree with the sentiment from the Death God. She was gods-damned beautiful. Frowning again, he ventured a glance behind him just in time to see her catch herself on a tree branch after stumbling on a bit of lifted moss.

Darting toward her, he caught Elain at her waist, steadying her, though he avoided her gaze. He felt her smile and ducked his head in acknowledgement before returning to the helm of their hike, his hand stretching uncomfortably, nearly burning from the heat of simply touching her soft skin.

Fucking hells Rhysand.

This was going to be a long three days.

ﾟ☆: *.☽ ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─── ☽ .* :☆ﾟ

Elain looked around the quiet lobby of the old inn.

The cedar framed walls had been carved with ornate depictions of squirrels, chipmunks, and acorns, and the owner had arranged quaint signs illuminated by lanterns, pointing to the breakfast area, the adjoining pub, and the front desk manned by a surprisingly calm human man, despite the fact that he was craning his neck to look up at the Spymaster of the Night Court.

Azriel was discussing something in a low voice, sparring back and forth with the man, his frustration blooming and shadows curling against the entire length of the cozy lobby. He was nearly as tall as the ceiling, and Elain struggled to conceal a smile at the dark fae male surrounded in happy carved images of squirrels and forest friends.

They had finished their hike for the day and eaten a silent dinner in the attached pub before deciding to check into their rooms. Elain had seen no visions, and felt quite defeated. She was supposed to be the lynchpin of the entire operation, yet she had nothing to offer. She was beginning to stress that it was going to be completely unfruitful.