In Her Shadow (ACOTAR)

Chapter Thirty-Four: Beyond Attraction

The morning they had to leave dawned and Azriel found himself pacing back and forth in Rhys' office, the High Lord's eyes following him as he did.

"I don't like it,"

"So you've said,"

Azriel paused his pacing, "I don't want to take her back there... what if something happens again?"

"She's going back there as a member of my court now, my inner circle. No one will touch her," Rhys leaned forward. "She'll be with us the whole time, not chained up in the dungeon,"

"And if there is a spy? And they snatch her?"

"Then we get her back," Rhys sat back in his chair again.

Tiring of pacing and realising it was doing nothing to settle him, Azriel threw himself into a chair, "You make it sound so simple,"

"Azriel, I think you're forgetting that Isolde is... astonishing. Look at everything she is achieving in training. I don't even think we're anywhere close to finding the bottom of her magic source. If she's in danger, she knows how to protect herself,"

Azriel narrowed his eyes, "And you're sure this isn't just a ploy to get her to sleep with you and Feyre?"

Rhys gasped dramatically, "Oh no, you've caught onto my wicked schemes, I'm trying to steal your almost mate right out from under your nose,"

"Shut up," Azriel crossed his arms and the two males sat in silence for a while.

After a pause Rhys said, "Why do you think I told you not to sleep with her?"

"Because of our scents?"

"No, because I don't want you going into a frenzy at me and Feyre when we have our hands all over her,"

Shock rolled over Azriel, "The frenzy... like with mates?"

"Exactly like that,"

"But I'm not her mate,"

Rhys stood and started pacing, the same as he had been only moments ago, "Maybe you're not her mate, but... well she could be your mate?"

"Where is this coming from?"

"Since you met her, you've not been able to think of anything else, your instincts for her, your protectiveness for her, even before we brought her to Velaris... well they mirror a mating bond. And I've been mulling this over since we found out about the king. Could it not be possible that the cauldron let you find each other. And now it's simply just... waiting for you to make that choice?"

"You know you said that the night I found out she had a mate... I thought you were spouting nonsense like usual,"

"Maybe I was... but sometimes even my nonsense is true,"

"You really think she's my mate?"

Rhys nodded, "Why do you think we're protecting her like she's one of our own? Because she is... and I also care about her, there's that,"

It was like someone had thrown a bucket of ice cold water over Azriel. For months now he had been waiting and hoping that the mating bond would snap into place. And then, regardless of her being fated to another, she had chosen him instead. But now Rhys was saying that their bond was... Azriel shook his head.

"We just have strong feelings for one another, that's all,"

Rhys snorted, "We'll see how you behave after you sleep with her. Ooh let's tell her to offer you a meal,"

"I'm not tricking her into accepting an imaginary mating bond,"

Rhys clapped Azriel on the back, "And until then, Feyre and I will have some fun with her and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it,"