Winds of Fire [ACOTAR]

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

After the meeting, Orion stayed behind to discuss things with his parents while Prim spent time with Nova. Even finishing the puzzle, drinking hot chocolate and eating cookies did not brighten Prim's cloudy mood. A part of her wanted to go to Orion, to seek comfort in him, or offer comfort of her own. It was a foreign part of her that longed for him, she did not understand it. She blamed it on the headache that pounded in her temples, blamed it on the fact she had hardly gotten any sleep the night before. She was delusional, surely.

Primrose was now sat upon the roof of the townhouse, the wind whipping around her. She had pulled on a nightgown over her naked body when she had finally given up on sleep, opening the hatch to the rooftop beyond. The horizon was cloudy but Prim could still see the moon breaking through, could still see stars scattered here and there. She would do this back home. Not this, exactly, but something similar. Rosehall did not have an accessible roof, and so Prim would take to the grounds. The feel of the dewy grass beneath her bare feet was as soothing as the wind was upon the House of Wind. She would go to the gardens and smell the flowers, here she was counting the stars. The titles beneath her were uncomfortable, but they kept her from completely relaxing and slipping down. She hung her head back, her hair caressing her back, and looked up to the sky above. The wind was singing to her, leaving goosebumps along her skin. She could see most of Velaris from here, the bright buildings, the Sidra, the river estate. If she stood, she was sure she could see even further. Could see more of the mountains and the Illyrian war camps that hid behind them. The Night Court was a mystery to most people, but to her, it was a puzzle. And slowly, ever so slowly, she was fitting the pieces together.

Orion did not startle her as he made his ascent onto the roof. She could smell him, the scent of coffee mixed with cologne. She could hear him, his gentle breathing, his creaking steps on the stairs. Primrose turned in time to watch his head pop up from the hatch, scanning the roof until his eyes fell onto her. "I thought I heard you come up here," he whispered, pulling himself up onto the titles.

Orion went to bed in a pair of plaid trousers, his top half completely bare as he moved to sit beside her. His golden chest was toned and muscular, just as she had expected. What she had not expected was the tattoo that she had seen peeks of when he wore low neck shirts. His tattoo was much like her's in design, a black spirally pattern. It decorated his spine, coming up and curling around his shoulders and upper arms. It was breathtaking.

"I like your tattoo," she smirked, her eyes lingering for too long on his chest.

Orion blushed, but smiled, "Thank you."

They both turned to look out over the city, Prim looking to the corner of her eye as Orion shifted and put his hand down beside her thigh. She was aware that she was wearing nothing beneath her nightgown, the breeze tickling her inner thighs, her stomach. She almost wanted to lean into Orion, to feel the warmth of his bare skin seep into her. She was very clearly losing her mind. Or perhaps she was just... wanting the attention of someone.

"What are you doing up here?" Orion asked, yawning gently. His hair was extremely messy and looked rather cute all curly and tangled.

Prim sighed, "I couldn't sleep, that meeting today was a lot."

Orion nodded, pulling his knees up and resting his arms upon them, "Yeah, I wasn't expecting it. Is it cowardly to say that I'm scared?"

Prim turned to him, reaching forward to brush his hair from his eyes, "No, I think it's rather brave actually."

"I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me," Orion laughed, a cheeky grin spreading across his face.

Prim pushed his shoulder playfully, rolling her eyes, "I'm not that mean."

"No," he chuckled, his laugh slowly dying, "You're not."

He was too good for her. This whole time, she had thought it was the other way around. But Orion, he was like a fallen angel. Too precious for this world, too venomous for any other.

"I want to start over." She confirmed, "I want to start again, with you."

Orion's smile reached his eyes, sparkling blue shinning at her against the darkness of the night, "Really? You're sure?"

Prim slowly nodded, "I'm sure, and I'd like to start by apologizing for my behaviour last night, it wasn't fair and I-"

"Apology accepted." Orion smiled, resting his chin on his arms. He was watching the city - watching his home. Prim could see the stars reflected in his eyes. She turned to look over the city, sitting contentedly beside her husband and watching as he did. It was a weird feeling, something that pulled on her, telling her that she could feel at home here.

The wind whipped around them and Prim shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. She was still not used to the cold. The breeze was blowing Orion's hair, brushing it back from his face. He seemed happy up here, the corners of his lips gently curved upwards.

Prim yawned, rubbing her arm with her hand to attempt to warm up a little, "I'm going to head back in, it's getting a bit too cold for me."

Orion lifted his head, turning to her, "Okay, did you need some company?"

He was utterly serious, a small smile on his lips. Prim felt her eyes go wide as she looked at him. She blinked, "What?"

Orion, seemingly realising what he had said and how it had sounded, covered his mouth with his hand. "Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that!" He babbled, "I just meant- you know, if you didn't want to be alone, I could sleep on the floor or something."

Prim chuckled, shaking her head, "Thank you, but no, I think I'll be okay."

Orion nodded his head, his cheeks bright pink as he turned away from her. She crawled across the roof, Orion offering his hand for support. She took it, feeling his fingers wrap around her palm as she stepped down through the hatch, her bare feet against the steps. Orion let go, offering her a smile as he did so, "Sleep well, Prim."

She found herself smiling back, leaning against the hatch, "I will, goodnight."

Climbing down the steps, Prim couldn't shake the smile upon her lips. She had made up with Orion, and despite the possibilities of war, she found herself able to breathe contentedly.