The Whispers of Shadows - Azriel

61

Aurora noted the smile that slid from Gwyn's face. The tension she anticipated remained.

"Great! Aurora's here! Are we ready?" Nesta grinned, motioning to the door. Aurora dropped Gwyn's gaze and watched her feet as she followed the females outside.

"I'm Emerie, it's nice to finally meet you. Nesta has told us all about you," Emerie spoke as she nudged Aurora with an elbow. Aurora looked over at the female with a forced smile.

"It's nice to meet you, too. Nesta's told me about you two as well." Aurora did her best to sound as genuine as Emerie did, but her nerves were choking her. She could nearly feel Gwyn's presence to her left. Aurora thought of ways to engage with them, ways to ease the tension only she seemed to feel.

"So, how'd you both get to the estate? You're out in the mountains, right?" Aurora asked Emerie, who nodded with a smile.

"I live in Windhaven, the High Lord winnowed me here, he did the same for Gwyn," Emerie explained. Aurora nodded in acknowledgment and looked forward. Nesta was leading the group, being the only one that knew how to walk to Rita's from the estate. Aurora was nervous to be in a public place again; the last place she had nearly slit her brother's throat. Her thoughts wandered to Gwyn, who was always in the library and never seemed to leave. She wondered what had changed enough for Gwyn to agree to go to a tavern.

"It's just down here," Nesta called back as they rounded a corner. The shadows of dusk were dripping over the buildings and sending a cold shiver through Aurora. She took a quick glance to Gwyn, seeing that she was already looking over at her. Both females snapped their attention to the front as Nesta began falling back and starting conversation with Emerie. Aurora clenched and unclenched her fist, staring a the streets of buildings now coming into view. Gwyn slowed then rounded behind Aurora and joined in on the conversation with Nesta and Emerie. Aurora looked over at their smiling faces and then turned back to the approaching buildings.

Chatter and loud laughter with a hint of exciting music came from within Rita's as the four grew closer. Aurora couldn't rid herself of the shaking hands and fast pulse, her mouth watering for something to peel away her nerves. Nesta led them in, pushing through the crowd to get to the bar. Aurora watched Gwyn's reaction closely as she followed her. She noted the fingers curled into fists, most definitely leaving crescent shape marks in the palms just as she was. Aurora stepped closer to Gwyn to not allow anyone to slide in behind the priestess.

Aurora didn't even hear Nesta ordering until she had a glass of what looked to be the whiskey Cass and Az had been drinking before they left. Aurora's lip curled in a grimace as she sniffed the cup.

"Over here!" Nesta called out, waving a hand overtop her head towards a booth settled in a back corner. Aurora trailed behind the other three and quickly slid in beside Nesta. Her stomach dropped when she saw Gwyn sat straight across from her. Gwyn's eyes met hers for a mere moment before darting back to the cup, fingers tapping the glass mindlessly.

"So, what stories do you two have for us?" Nesta asked, leaning slightly over the table towards Emerie, who gave that bright smile again.

"Nothing exciting. Working in the shop, doing my own training after hours," Emerie trailed off. Nesta nodded with interest then turned to Gwyn.

"I've been working for Merrill still," she said softly. Aurora did her best to muffle her sigh; Even Gwyn's voice was as stunning as her.

"We've been doing a lot of reading and training," Nesta nudged an elbow towards Aurora, who forced a smile on her lips. Gwyn and Aurora seemed to sit in silence and sip their drinks. Emerie and Nesta matched the sound of the people around them, laughing and talking loudly. They had finished their drinks and Nesta snatched Aurora's empty glass before the two of them went to the bar for refills. Aurora folded her hands in her lap and looked down at them as she ran her nail along the skin of her thumb.

"How is Az?" Gwyn spoke up. The mention of her mate had Aurora snapping her head up. She swallowed harshly.

"He's good," she responded simply, not knowing where else to take the conversation. Gwyn nodded and sipped her wine again.

"It's been a while since I've seen him. Nesta told me that you two are mates." Aurora nodded. "Is he happy?" That question caught her off guard, too.

"I believe he is," Aurora spoke coolly. Her heart was pounding as loud as the music.

"I saw him a couple months ago. He came to the library," Gwyn continued. Aurora's throat felt dry. "I believe he said that he was going to the Winter Court again, that he'd be back to see me. He never came back." Aurora could feel the emotion in her words, taste the bitter sweetness of heartbreak. Had Gwyn's heartbreak been done at her hands?

"That was when I accepted the bond," Aurora breathed out, nervously waiting for Gwyn's reaction. Her perfect face contorted into confusion and hurt briefly, then fell back into the relaxed state.

"Well, I hope that he is enjoying his time with you," Gwyn responded in such a low tone, Aurora hardly heard it. She nodded again then looked back down at her hands. The skin around her thumb nail was now torn.

"Here you go," Nesta chirped, setting another glass of whiskey in front of Aurora. She and Emerie sat back in their seats, two glasses in front of either of them. Aurora gave a grateful hum before taking down half the glass. It was mixed with something, diluted with a sweet taste. The alcohol warmed her skin. Gwyn had a new glass of wine beside the nearly empty one, which she slid over to herself.

Nesta and Emerie talked for what seemed like hours, Gwyn and Aurora putting few words in as they continued to drink and replace their drinks. By the time Rita's was emptying out, Gwyn had five empty glasses in front of her, Aurora had finished nearly seven glasses of whiskey, and Nesta and Emerie had more than likely hit the double digits, but they had lost count. Aurora's head was spinning along with her stomach. She knew as soon as she'd stand up, it would get much worse. Nesta and Emerie stumbled from the booth with loud laughs, grasping each other's arms. Aurora sucked in a breath and slid out from the booth, her legs trembling as she stood. Gwyn seemed to be the most put together out of any of them.

"Come on," the priestess urged, throwing an arm over Emerie and Nesta's shoulders. She walked them to the front door, bidding the workers in the tavern a good night. Aurora trudged behind them, wincing dramatically, in her intoxicated state, when Gwyn didn't hold the door and it swung back toward her face. With a loud sigh, Aurora followed behind those three friends, watching as they laughed and shouted in the streets of Velaris. The cold enveloped her skin beneath the clear night sky, the moon lighting the path back to the estate.

Aurora couldn't help but feel entirely different from the trio she trailed behind. Where they were laughing, embracing, smiling, Aurora was swallowing the lump in her throat and blinking away the burning of tears as she watched them.