It was the sound of the sea that pulled Elain from her deep sleep. She wasn't used to hearing the gentle rhythm of the tide, yet it flowed in through the open window. Still between dreams and waking, she breathed in the scent of the salt air mingled with ... midnight chilled mist and cedar. So lovely, she thought.
A soft breeze caressed the skin of her exposed shoulder. Elain normally slept in a nightgown, yet she realized she wasn't cold. In fact, she felt warm and utterly safe, almost like she was in a cocoon of the softest leather.
Her eyes flew open.
Morning light was just beginning to flood the room and revealed Elain was nestled in the embrace of a huge, taloned wing. She felt a pleasant flush ripple through her as she grasped whose arms — and wings — she was in. This is real, she mused. After so many months of dreaming.
The strong arms around her tightened, and the evening before came rushing back in flashes of ripped lace, sweat-slicked bodies and breathless pleadings. She glanced around the bedroom, trying to find a place they hadn't been together. Elain would have to thank Feyre for the tip about fae male stamina. Indeed.
As gently as she could, Elain turned to face the still-sleeping male who held her.
Azriel's face was more relaxed than she'd ever seen it, and the beauty took her breath away. He'd told her before of his trouble sleeping given the demands of his occupation and horrors of his past, sharing some of his darkest moments that would haunt him at night. But here he was, completely at peace and more boyish than she'd ever seen the shadowsinger — whose shadows were nowhere in sight.
The sight made Elain's heart feel like it would burst. She smiled and curled into him, relishing the feel of his rising and falling chest beneath her. And with a contented sigh, she fell back asleep.
. . .
Late morning sunshine streamed through the windows. Azriel felt truly rested and couldn't remember the last time he'd slept this late.
Cassian would have his ass for missing training. His first time in centuries, likely ever.
He breathed deeply and was hit with the fragrance of rose water and honeysuckle. Glancing down, he saw a tumble of honeyed golden hair and a slender arm draped across his chest.
Azriel ran the previous night back in his mind, still not quite believing he'd gone from thinking he'd lost Elain completely to her now sleeping in his arms.
His thoughts wandered back those moments in between, from when her cloak hit the ground. Their first time was gentle, and he'd worshipped her body in the way it was meant to be praised. He'd taken his time and savored every stroke and caress, learning each curve and reaction to his touch. He'd never heard anything more beautiful than the sounds she made in response. While Azriel had gone to bed with other females over the centuries, he'd never once made love. Until her.
Despite her reserved nature, Elain had no inhibitions with him. She'd opened herself completely to his lead, trusting Azriel to explore desires she didn't even know were lying dormant — waiting for his touch to awaken. She'd turned ravenous and begged him over and over to take her over the edge. Azriel felt heat blooming in his core at the memory of leaving her for a moment to get them something to eat from the kitchen, only to turn around and find her in the doorway. He'd taken her on the counter ... and several other places on the way back to the bedroom, the food forgotten for another sort of hunger.
The seer stirred in his arms, and he stroked her impossibly soft hair. What had he ever done to deserve such a gift?
Elain looked up at him with her caramel-colored eyes, giving him one of the smiles that had gradually melted his hardened heart. "I've never seen your hair so tussled," she said, reaching up to push a lock of midnight hair from his forehead with her elegant fingers.
He barked a small laugh. "You had something to do with it," he said, smiling himself.
"I definitely did," she responded with pride. Elain shifted to fully face him and propped herself up against his chest. She began to trace the whorls of ink across his collarbone. "Az, when did you know? About me, I mean?" she asked.
"Aside from the fact that I've been completely charmed by you since seeing you clutch that fork on the day we first met?" He kissed her crinkling nose. "And that I've always admired your quiet strength that could take down a king? To embrace a life you didn't chose and a gift you didn't ask for."
His hazel eyes held hers, and she was struck that he meant every word. This Illyrian warrior truly believed she was strong.
"But the first time I realized I loved you, you weren't even with me. I was away on a mission to the continent, and everything reminded me of you. Gods, I missed you more than I was ready to admit — although Cass tried his best to get me to crack," he said, the skin around his eyes crinkling as he smiled. "And one night, there was a sunset that was so beautiful it made my heart ache because you weren't there to share it with me. You're all I think about, Ellie," he said as he tucked a curl behind her pointed ear.
Her heart stuttered, and she leaned forward to brush his lips with hers. They shared a gentle kiss, and she twined her fingers through his hair at the back of his neck.
"You were actually the distraction on my mind when I ran into you outside the shop across the Sidra," he said with a wry smile.
Elain gave a playful moan and tucked her face into the crook of his neck, covering her face. "Mother, the Velvet Violet," she said, laughing. "I was so mortified that day! I was sure you knew what was in that box."
"Oh I knew," he said, squeezing her closer, kissing the top of her hair. "But I drove myself crazy wondering who it could be for."
At that, Elain raised her head with a puzzled expression. "Whoever else could it have been for?" she asked. "Did you think I had," her voice lowered, "a lover?"
Azriel gave another laugh, one that showed off the dazzling smile that left Elain breathless. "Of course the thought crossed my mind, El," he confessed. "You're kind, fierce and devilishly funny. And not to mention the most gorgeous female I've ever seen," his thumb gently brushed her cheek. "I wouldn't be surprised if you had a line of suitors across Prythian."
He paused and grew quiet. "You also have a mate who was made for you. How can I come close to that?"
Emotion swirled in Elain's eyes. "You can't possibly believe that," she said, making sure he was truly healing her words, locking her fingers in his. "I've had every choice taken away from me, but I'll be damned if the Cauldron tells me who to love. I choose you, Azriel. With all of my heart."
He pulled her in tightly. "I love you, El," he said, his chin resting on the top of her head. They sat quietly together for some time, listening to the ocean and savoring their closeness. Finally he said, "I have something for you."
He slipped out of bed and Elain sat up, tucking the sheet up under her arms. She smiled and bit her lip as she admired the view of him leaving the room.
When Azriel returned, he'd managed to find his undershorts (Cauldron, how was it possible to look as good in them as out of them? she wondered) and had a small box in his hand. "What's this?" she asked.
He raised an eyebrow. "Oh now you know how it feels, wanting to know what's in the box." She giggled in response, and he sat on the bed beside her and held out the gift. She could have sworn she saw the shadowsinger's hand tremble ever so slightly.
Elain lifted the lid of the box to reveal the rose gold necklace with the morning glory charm. Her pink lips formed a surprised little "o," and her eyes searched his. "This is for me?" She'd once received jewelry from a man, but this delicate, lovely thing was the exact opposite of the cold, iron ring. "It's perfect," she breathed.
Azriel looked down, removing the rose gold chain from the box. It appeared even more delicate against his large, rough hands, which is how Elain looked in his arms.
In a flash of memory from the balcony, he watched as she turned away from him and swept her hair off her long neck. She looked back at him with invitation in her eyes. He leaned forward to slip the necklace on her and locked the tiny clasp, trailing his fingers down the length of her exposed back.
Azriel kissed her bare shoulder and reached his arms around her waist to pull her closer to his chest. He knew he could tell her anything, yet it felt even easier to share his deepest truth with this female in his embrace.
"I've never been sure where I belonged," he started. "My family didn't want me, and the Illyrians are a harsh people who never accepted my brothers or me." She leaned into him and reached back to stroke his hair. "And I spent far too many years longing after someone I knew would never return my affections because I thought I was protecting myself from being vulnerable to someone who actually would. Someone who could love all of me, even though I didn't think it possible."
At that she angled so she could see his face, and he kissed the tip of her ear. "I've been in the Court of Dreamers for a long time, but I'm not sure I ever allowed myself to truly hope. To foolishly wish or even dream for something like this." Azriel lowered his head, as if struggling with the idea this still might not be real — that he'd awake at any moment, or Elain would realize her mistake.
She turned the rest of the way and took his face in her palms, lifting his gaze to meet hers. "Az, we've allowed each other to see how broken we are. But we've also helped heal each other. It was through showing our imperfections yet still truly seeing each other that I knew. We aren't perfect, but we're perfect together."
And with Elain's declaration, her stomach made a rumbling pronouncement of its own. She laughed as she nuzzled her nose against his and said, "I suppose we didn't get around to eating last night." She looked up through her lashes. "Would you make me breakfast?"
Azriel reached over to grab his discarded tunic that had been tossed over the back of a chair, and helped her shrug into it. He stood and pulled Elain with him, taking her hand to lead her into the kitchen. "I want to make you breakfast every day for the rest of our long lives, Elain Archeron."