Elena wakes up with a groan, looking around the room, finding herself feeling rested. Sitting up slowly and seeing Azriel pulling on pants, the muscles in his back flexing rather nicely. Staring at him for a few seconds before realizing he was putting on pants. Clearing her throat and beginning to stand up, checking she still had her pants on, which she did, thank the gods.
"We didn't like- you know-" she mutters as he turns around, and he lets out a laugh, shaking his head.
"Cauldron no. We slept, that's it," he says, sounding as if doing something with her was the last thing he would ever want to do, and that thought made something unexpectedly twist in her chest.
"Yes, because fucking me is the worst thing that could possibly happen," she mutters, hating how she sounded. Azriel turned to face her, his brow furrowed, his shirt skew.
She just shakes her head slightly, standing up and walking towards him, straightening out his shirt. She could feel his eyes on her as she does up the last of the buttons, before turning and walking to the door.
But Azriel stops her, his hand pulling her back gently, so she was standing in front of him again, although she won't meet his eyes. Confused as to what he was doing, before he pulled her against his chest, his arms wrapping around her tightly, his nose buried into her hair. And she slowly wraps her own arms around his middle, although her's can't fit all the way around, listening his heartbeat, her cheek pressed up against his chest.
"You know I didn't mean it like that, princess," he whispers into her hair, and she slowly pulls back to look at him. And he looked at her, his one hand coming out to cup her cheek, his thumb rubbing over her cheekbone as she tilts her cheek into his hand, letting out a deep breath.
A knock sounded on the door, and they both sprung apart, cheeks blazing, Elena already moving to pick up all her things.
And she supposed it was only fitting that the woman knocking on the door was none other than the same woman she'd walked in on after the battle, the one who was tangled up in him, tasting him as if he was her favorite sweet. That idea alone made her feel nauseous.
But Azriel pushes past the other woman, gently, standing in his doorway, going after her.
"Elena-" he grinds out, his jaw clenched.
But she cuts him off, "Why is she here Azriel. Maybe a quick fuck before breakfast? I'm not mad at you, just angry I couldn't leave fast enough to give you two some alone time. Now seriously, I've got shit to do-" she turns on her heel, continuing to walk down the passage, Azriel's hand lashing out to close around her arm, pulling her back to him. "Don't touch me," she snarls, and surprisingly enough, he dropped her arm immediately, although his face didn't soften.
"Stop it. I have no idea why she's here, I broke everything off with her the day you saw us, I just hated the way you looked at me, even if it was just for a split second before that cool wall of yours went up. And I knew I had to, I needed to do anything I could to not make you look at me like that again. And then you did, that night at the bar. As soon as you turned your back on me I felt as though all the walls were closing in and I couldn't breathe, and I felt absolutely ridiculous because I didn't even know you! But I know you now, and I know you're not just going to hate me for whatever the fuck just happened."
Elena stared at him, at his ruffled hair and his chest that was rising and falling quicker than usual. "Can we talk after breakfast?" is all she says, before turning and striding back down the hall. Her mind was racing, thoughts of his confession swirling around and around and around. She didn't want to walk away. She wanted to kiss him until he forgot how to speak, how to breathe. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair and make it even more messy, wanted his hands to roam wherever they pleased. But everything was too much, too soon, too strong.
So we went to breakfast, and made polite conversation. Nobody asked about why she hadn't left her room till now, which she was grateful for. She'd stolen glances at Azriel throughout the meal, not caring whether he noticed or not. Because she'd already made up her mind.
***
When breakfast was over, and she had, despite Nuala's protests, helped cleared the table, she walked straight to her room, and begun the process of putting on her Illyrian leathers, leaving her hair lose around her shoulders.
Azriel was lying on his bed when she walked in, a book in his hand. He didn't notice her, and continued to read as Elena watched him, and there was something about his eyes that kept traveling left and right along the page, sometimes doubling back again, that made the girl curious. "Yes?"
He spoke without looking up from the page, still deep in concentration, lips still pressed together. "I said I'd come after breakfast," she says, moving to sit down on an armchair, his eyes finally looking up from the book, immediately zoning in on her in those leathers. Travelling up and down in a way he had been too polite to do before. Taking in the swoop of her breasts, every curve, the lack of space between her thighs that nearly did it for him. Nearly made him pull her closer so he could have his wicked ways.
He continued to watch her, even as she sat down putting one leg like over the other as if she was in a meeting and not his private rooms. She kept wriggling around, trying to find a comfortable position before he pats the spot on the bed next to him, putting her out of her misery.
When she was seated comfortably on the bed, he pulls her closer to him, so their shoulders were touching. "I don't know what to do. We just met. I don't know you, although I've told you more than I have a lot of people, some of which I've known my whole life, whilst I've only known you a few weeks. And I don't regret it, not one bit. Because you're one of the only people who haven't looked at me with pity in a very, very long time. It's quite refreshing."
He looks at her when she goes quiet, a small smile on his face. And gods is it beautiful when he smiles. "I may have not known you for very long either, princess, but I know that whatever gods are up there, I think they wanted us to find each other. If only to have peace, just for a little while," as he speaks, his hand comes up slowly, moving to her cheek. And she realizes she wanted nothing more than for this male to just kiss her already.
And when he finally, finally, moved forward, there was a knock on the door, Azriel falling back against the bed with a grumble like a disgruntled teenager. Feyre's head pops into the room, raising an eyebrow at how they were seated before continuing. "Oh- you have a visitor," she says with a big grin, and steps aside to show whoever was there, Elena slowly standing. Before running at the male standing in the doorway, all but launching herself at him.
Throwing her arms around the back of his neck, his arms moving around her middle just holding her there for a few seconds, his head buried in her hair. Standing there for at least thirty seconds before Elena hits him on the shoulder gently and he lets her down, but there's a rather large grin on her face as she looks up at him, his grin matching hers.
And now he could get a look at Azriel, who was currently standing up and walking over to them, but he quickly averts his gaze back to Elena. "By the Wyrd— you're making yourself at home arent you?" he says, taking in the leathers she was wearing.
"Oh shut up– Azriel, this is Noah Solace, Noah this is Azriel." Azriel holds out a hand for Noah to shake, and he does so with a grin, although it might've turned a bit feral. Territorial fae bastards. "He's my friend from Erilea— gods wait a second, why the hell are you here?" she asks, looking up at him with a confused expression.
"Could I not just miss my future queen?" he asks dramatically, his black curly hair falling in front of his bright, bright blue eyes. "Noah, spit it out-" she says, although a blush rises on her cheeks. Azriel's jaw was clenched as he watched the young man, his eyes calculating.
"Your mom sent me to check on you- they found a way to send notes. Short ones, but notes nonetheless. But I'm meant to stay with you until we return home, whenever that shall be." He'd emphasized the word home, and Elena fought to not roll her eyes again.
"Well, I was just about to ask Azriel here if we could go training in a bit. I'd like to see what new little tricks you've learnt while I've been away," Elena says, her eyes gleaming and her grin nothing short of wicked.
But Noah only grinned back, his teeth gleaming. "Lead the way."
—————
word count : 1617
hello! sorry i've been slow with updates, but just know i'm not abandoning this story or anything, i just haven't had a lot of motivation recently.
please vote, it actually helps this grow a lot and i'll be grateful, always. thank you all, ily
ev