Asena POV

I didn't spare him another glance as I studied the maps on the table. Flooding the tunnels wasn't a terrible idea, but it wasn't the smartest either.

Ret sighed from beside me loudly enough for me to spare her an annoyed glance.

She leaned forward, her elbows resting on the table, "Tell me you're not actually considering the other location."

Jasper interjected quickly, always the strategist, "It's not the worst plan."

"You're insane. It's one of the worst plans I've ever heard of!" Ret stood quickly enough that her chair hit the wall behind us as she slammed her palms into the table.

Lucas shook his head, "As much as I hate the Illyrian brutes, Cassian is right about the location."

It was my turn to shake my head, "No, he's not. Your location is perfect if we use the tunnels."

Lucas groaned and threw his head back, "We don't need to use the tunnels."

Jasper went over to the chair that The Morrigan had departed from and poured himself a drink. He muttered under his breath before the glass met his thin lips, "Here we go."

Ret was already shaking her head at Lucas, "The tunnels are equipped to handle a portion of our elite soldiers. We send them in, have the enemy trail them back our way, and flood the tunnels on both sides."

"You're asking for something to go wrong," Lucas countered her, shaking his head.

I groaned and sat back in my chair. A massive headache started between my eyes and ricocheted towards the sides. It was always a battle with these two. They could never agree on anything except how much alcohol to ingest.

I barely heard them arguing over the pounding in my head. With the foundling this morning and seeing him in this room, the headache turned unbearable quickly.

They didn't spare me a word as I pushed to my feet and made for the fresh air.

A brisk wind met me as I pushed through the tent flap. I rubbed my hands together, cupping them to breathe in the hot air from my mouth. My ears chilled in the cold air, but my heart warmed. Winter was one of my favorite times of the year.

I walked through the Safeguard, nodding at the soldiers as I passed. They all nodded back; some going as far as to bow in my presence. Each of their scents shifted in the direction of pure respect as they met my eyes. The eyes of the darkest night.

Born and raised in the shadows, my eyes mirrored the very power that sifted through my blood. A power greater than any in our lands.

My boots squelched in the mud once more before I was met with the colored cobblestones of the walkway. The road ran from the barrier of our land all the way to the castle. Each cobblestone was painted a different color. A small smile lined my lips as I noted which color belonged to which foundling. I had watched each of them paint their stone, going as far as to make sure some of them were able to paint more than just one. I chuckled to myself as I passed over a mud colored one, knowing that it had been Jasper's little brother who painted that one.

I sighed, remembering the parents of some of these foundlings who didn't return after the war with Hybern. And the many more that wouldn't return from this one either.

A cascade of anger overwhelmed my senses. Just when we thought we had found peace, another power craving madness infected the very people we sought to protect. I saw it every day. In the hungry stares of a few of the soldiers. In the glares from the very families that lost everything to the battles we faced.

I felt the anger rise to rage as I veered off the path quickly. It took three powerful flaps before I was in the tree line. I took off at a sprint, feeling nothing but the cold numbing my very soul.

The trees groaned in response to my presence. They pushed themselves towards me, wanting to calm my raging heart. I only pushed my legs harder and longer as my boots crunched through the fallen leaves.

I wanted nothing more than to wipe the entire Mountainous men race from history. But it wasn't just them. It was the Illyrians too.

And Seraphim.

The secret that we had kept from the Night Court. At the heart of this discourse was Seraphim. One that was more trusted than the greatest of bonds.

I let another's face filter in and out of my head as my eyes welled with tears once more. The sting of betrayal threatened to drown me in sorrow as I ran and ran and ran.

Only after my breathing became uncontrollable did I let myself stop. I hunched over, needing to feel something.

I let the emotions rake through me as I let loose that power inside of me. Somewhere off in the distance, I heard my knees hit the forest floor. I didn't even register the pain as that power inside of me escaped. I felt the trees recoil as a great wave of smoke and shadow engulfed the forest.

I felt the tension in my chest release as I bathed the world in darkness. Not the sort of darkness that the High Lord of the Night Court could conjure, but something of… Otherness.

I heard my own harsh breathing echo in my ears as I felt the shadows float back towards me on a silent wind. They embraced me, warming the deepest parts of my soul. I heard their whispers resound in my head once more before falling silent. I sighed, feeling better than I had in weeks.

I lounged in a nearby tree, cradling a book in my hand as my shadows floated around me. If only I could stay out here longer, but I knew they would come looking for me eventually. Drakon had already mentioned that tonight the armies would be dining together. I rolled my eyes when I remembered that he had demanded I dress in accordance with our guests.

The trees groaned from around me, swaying hard on a soft breeze. Every hair on my arms rose as the forest quieted. I stood on the branch, bracing myself against the trunk.

I heard the faintest step of a male as the bond flickered alive inside of me.

I looked down to find Azriel wandering the forest as night fell.

It must have been the shock or the bond overwhelming my senses because I stepped off the branch, freefalling all the way down. My wings flared wide, flapping once before I slammed into the ground.

I landed hard in front of him as he yanked his dagger, Truthteller.

He rolled his eyes at my crossed arms and slightly widened feet but kept his dagger out. I watched his hand clench around Truthteller. His knuckles were prominent against the handle. I was so close to him that every fiber of my being strained to touch him. I clenched my fists, refraining from reaching out for him again.

My eyes traced the lacing of his leathers all the way to his throat. I focused on the bob of it as he swallowed. The breeze picked up, shifting a few strands of his hair across his forehead.

Every muscle in my body tensed as his scent hit me.

A hint of wood smoke intertwined with a rustic book smell. It reminded me of the forest.

I sighed, memorizing the scent. It uncoiled every tensed part of me. All the anger and hurt and stress I felt suddenly vanished.

I watched his beautifully hazel eyes narrow on my relaxed posture. Gold with a hint of blue around the iris. And right there, in the middle, was a shade of green so stunning that it made my lands look plain.

He cleared his throat and took a healthy step back.

Remembering my place, I scoffed at him, "Why are you out here?"

"I could ask you the same," his eyes narrowing on me once more. He sheathed his dagger and crossed his arms over his sculpted chest.

I shook my head at him, "These are my lands. I go where I wish."

He nodded at me, "Of course, Princess."

The snarl slipped past my lips before I could stop it, "Do not call me that."

A taunting smile laced his lips as he said, "You failed to mention that."

"You were too busy trying to slice my head off."

He reached behind him and withdrew his sword from his back. An elegant, wicked blade that had to have been forged by the Cauldron itself. It fit well in his hands as the tip cut through the fallen leaves on the forest floor.

He took a step to the side, making a circle around me as he paced. I followed him but didn't turn when he stopped at my back.

"What do you want, Azriel?" I said breathlessly. His name on my tongue was like poison and the antidote all in one.

Everyone thought it was Cassian or Rhysand they should be afraid of, but it was always Azriel. The calm façade made for a lethal amount of power.

He was quiet for long enough that I thought about leaving, and as I forced myself to take a step, he said, "A part of me wishes I had killed you that day."

I closed my eyes at the sound of his voice. That alone kept the tears at bay as I felt my heart drop into the dark abyss. I don't know why I had expected any different. I shook my head, not wanting to hear anymore.

As I took a step away from him, I heard him whisper, "Another part of me wonders why I didn't."

His voice stopped me from moving any farther. It was… soft and gentle. As if we hadn't met on a battlefield with our swords clashing against each other. Almost as if we had met across our worlds and actually had a chance for a future.

I turned slightly and sucked in a breath at the sight. His sword was still out and still pointed at the ground in front of him. But it was the way his shoulders curved inward with his chin dropped to his chest.

It took everything in me not to clear the space between us. To grab onto his hands and kiss every scar on them. Every scar on every portion of his body.

So, I whispered back, "A part of me is glad that you didn't."

He lifted his head, settling those piercing eyes on me, "Why?"

I shrugged my shoulders, unable to feel anything but the unending love I had for him as I said, "So I may have this time with you."

With a strong beat of my wings, I was airborne. Two more and I was above the tree line, flying hard for the city. I knew then that I would tear myself to pieces to keep him safe. I'd known it for centuries, but now, I'd kill anyone who threatened him. And take a long time doing so.