The tang of the blood hit his nose before he even saw it. His heart sped up at the smell, the fear coating his mouth and pulling in the shadows. He had to protect her. Without Feyre, they failed. And Rhysand… he did not want to think of what his brother would do without his mate.
Azriel stalked forward, more of that horrid scent of blood filling his nose as he took hold of Feyre's arm. He felt it as soon as he touched her, that hollowing darkness, life, chaos, ruin. He wanted to rip his hand away, to run from it, but he had to help her. He needed to stop this. He needed-
The blood flowed, dribbling down her pale lips. She would die. This would kill her.
There was a tug, pulling on him, between his ribs and he was sure the Cauldron was going to kill him. It pulled, yanking so hard he was sure it was going to rip his insides out. And then, just as quickly as it had started, it was done.
He ripped Feyre back, away from that damned thing. She stumbled back, her whole body shuddering as she finally broke away from that overwhelming power. He shook her, calling her name, praying to the Mother that it had not broken her. Her eyes finally cleared, her mind seeming to come back to her body. He could see her, reality coming crashing down on her.
He felt that tug again, low and deep within his chest, drawing his attention back to the Cauldron. To those black, bottomless depths that held both the beginning and the ending. He stared, confusion and fear flickering in his chest as he saw that water ripple, shift. Had Feyre done it?
Dark, horrible power shot out then, blasting them all back. Azriel slammed into the wall behind him, a roar of pain erupting from him when he felt part of his left wing snap as it hit the stone at the wrong angle. His head cracked against the bricks, disorienting him for a moment before he was able to pull himself back. It was a horrible, awful pain, but if there was one thing he knew how to handle, it was pain. He had learned that from an early age.
The door slid open behind then, casting him and the others in pale fae light. A figure stood against the light and even though he was cast in shadow, only his silhouette, Azriel recognized that figure. That cocky, horrible human that he had seen on the battle field all those years ago. Jurian.
Jurian smiled, swaggering down the stairs, but he wasn't looking at them. He stared only at the Cauldron, those dark, angry eyes staring hungrily at the depths within. "What have you done?" He whispered, drawing closer to it.
There was a gasp and the water of the Cauldron splattered, splashing over the edge as a figure emerged from the depths, flailing and grasping for the edges. Azriel felt that tug again as she rose, pale and wild. Jurian laughed as she fell from the edge of the Cauldron, her breathe rasping as she struggled on the ground, naked and scared.
"Well," Jurian purred, stopping as he stood before the small, sputtering female, his eyes lit with dark delight. She stared back, dazed and confused, her terror coating Azriel's mouth with a nasty taste. "Would you look at that?"
"Are you sure you don't need a ride?"
Lyra shouldered her purse, glancing back to find Margret watching her, that familiar look of motherly worry etched into her face as she twisted the rag in her hands nervously. Lyra gave her a reassuring smile, that familiar feeling of warmth flickering in her chest at her coworkers concern. "I'm fine, I swear. It's just a couple blocks."
"It's freezing, sweetheart. If you just wait a bit-"
"I swear Margret, I'll be fine." She assured her, fishing her phone from her purse before she inched closer to the door. "I gotta get back and study. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Have a good night, then. And te-"
"Text you when I get home." She finished, flashing another amused smile toward her before waving and opening the door. "See you later, Margret."
The cold hit her, seeping into her bones and she pulled her coat tighter around her. It was dark, quiet as she headed toward her apartment. The night was clear and the sky open, revealing those twinkling stars above her. It was the perfect night to star gaze, to just sit and watch the night sky if it wasn't freezing and she didn't have so much studying to do. So much studying.
She sighed, picking up her pace a bit. She had far to much to do to be admiring the night.
She reached her apartment complex, quickly unlocking the front door and sighing in relief when the warm air hit her. She rubbed her hands together, trying to get some feeling back into her fingers as she headed toward her apartment.
Her apartment door was in sight, just a couple of feet in front of her when the world slanted and she stumbled, knocking into the wall as her head spun. She gasped, her hand pressing against her stomach as she felt a horrible tug that made her queasy. Closing her eyes, she shook, fear threading its way into her veins. This sensation, the pull and the spinning of her head, it felt like nothing she had ever experienced.
Just as quickly as it had started, it was over and left her shaking and scared. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking as her head slowly stopped spinning and the familiar sight of her apartment hallway sat before her. She took a steadying breathe, pushing herself up from the wall on unsteady legs. It was so quick, so sudden that for a moment she wondered if she had imagined the odd sensations.
"Lyra?"
She let out a breathe, turning to see Amara, the sweet, young girl from a couple doors down, watching her with worried eyes. She took a tentative step forward, her head tilting and her bright red hair falling over her shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"I…" Lyra muttered, taking a deep breath and running her fingers over her stomach. There was an odd, hollow feeling there, like that tug had taken something from her. "I just… got dizzy." She muttered, hoping the smile she put on her face was convincing. Amara continued to watch her, that worry still in her brown eyes as she pushed up her glasses. "I'm fine. Promise."
She was talking more to herself then Amara. She had to be alright, she could afford or have the time to go to the emergency room.
"Are you sure? I can get my dad." Amara offered, looking back a bit toward her door. Lyra quickly shook her head, putting on a brighter smile.
"I'm okay. Thank you though." She assured her, reaching her shaking fingers into her purse, and digging out her keys. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Go to bed, its late."
"Okay, mom." Amara teased, rolling those brown eyes as she turned away from her. "Night, Lyra. Feel better."
"Night." Lyra echoed, getting her door open and heading into her small apartment. She closed the door, leaning into a bit and took a steadying breathe. She ran her fingers over her stomach again, a flicker of fear running through her. What had just happened? She had been dizzy before, disoriented, but that feeling she had out there… it was like nothing she had ever experienced. It had come and gone so quickly though, leaving her with just that hollowness in her stomach.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, bringing her out of her worry. She looked at the screen, smiling faintly as she read Margret's name across her screen. She opened the text and sure enough, just as she guessed, her coworker had asked her if she had gotten home alright. Texting back that she had just made it in and heading toward her room, she put away her purse and coat on her small kitchen table before heading toward her room. She knew she couldn't tell Margret about the sudden onset of dizziness, knew it would only worry the older woman further.
She was fine now, she assured herself. Just a weird dizzy spell, maybe from the cold or her walk home. It was fine.
Lyra headed toward her bedroom, toward her pile of studying material awaiting her on the small desk shoved into the corner of her room. She changed into more comfortable clothes before heading to work with a tired sigh.
After studying for hours, she finally was able to crawl into her bed and fall into a fitful sleep. She wasn't sure if it was her worry from school, the sudden dizziness from the night before or just general stress, but her sleep was filled with odd dreams. She didn't remember it all, only flashes and bits, but it left her waking with an unsettling feeling. She remembered most a figure in shadow, far in the distance, pulling her closer and closer, but she never could reach them. Something also followed her through the darkness, a horrible, powerful presence that made fear quake along her bones. She never looked back at it, to scared of the looming, terrible feeling.
She swore she could still feel it as she went throughout her day though, a whisper of something just behind her that disappeared just as she looked for it. If left her unsettled, jittery.
Between little sleep the night before and an exhausting day of being on edge, she all but passed out on her bed as soon as she entered her room the next night.
I see you. I found you.
She gasped, her eyes flying open as that voice crawled along her bones, along her skin, making her shiver at the darkness and chaos it held. It echoed in her head, the words clanging around and before she could fully process what was happening, she was suddenly pulled under.
She was drowning, alone and drowning in a never-ending darkness. Pain began burn beneath her skin, tearing at her as the black water seemed to seep into her. This pain was everywhere, setting her on fire and it was all going to kill her. She was sure of it and as that fire spread, she almost welcomed it.
Something new. I see you.
She screamed, but no sound came out, swallowed by those black depths. There was nothing in it but this pain and burning and that awful voice. Was this hell?
Light and dark. Made and unmade. We will Make you, Lady of Life.
Something pulled at her, pulled at her very soul and she felt as it led her upward, closer and closer to that voice. That awful voice, made of chaos and madness and delight. But it didn't matter, she was going to die. This pain was going to kill her before she made it out.
Something flickered in her vision, a tiny, little thread shimmering in front of her. She saw it glow brighter though her tear filled eyes and she reached for it, her pale hand shaking. It took everything in her, every bit of strength she had to grab onto it-
She was shoved through the surface of the water, sucking in air with a wild gasp as she tried to grasp at something, anything to pull herself out. She still burned, the fresh air like knives against her bare, naked skin. She reached blindly, her hand finding a cold, stone edge before she fell to the ground below her, that cold, horrible water splattering around her. She sucked in air, shaking as the fire cooled, leaving her raw and shivering as the icy air hit her.
Movement made her force her eyes open, staring at a figure looming above her. A man, his wild, unnerving eyes taking in every inch of her naked, shivering body.
"Well, would you look at that?"
His voice was harsh, amused, but it wasn't that voice that had called to her in the darkness. She thought for a moment he was the man from her dreams, the one cloaked in shadow, but somehow she knew, could feel it wasn't him. He had felt calm, like home and comfort. This man was madness and rage.
"And I thought he had failed." The man purred, drawing closer to her and as she coughed and tried to clear her vision, to come back to herself fully, he grabbed her hair yanking her head up.
She gasped, that pain seeming to fully settle her back into her body and before she knew what she was doing, she lashed out, kicking and hitting and snarling with a sudden, rewed strength. The man let out a cry as she connected with his chest, the metal of his armor stinging her hand.
Lyra panted, gasping as he yanked back and glared at her with those crazed eyes. She bared her teeth at him, an odd instinct that made her feel feral, wild. "Attacking women, 500 years really hasn't changed you much, Jurian." A smooth voice whispered, lined with darkness and power.
Her head spun as the man pulled away, adrenaline fading as he moved further away and the reality of what was happening seemed to hit her all at once. She was naked, an insane man before her in what looked to be a dank, small room. Panic began to spread through her as she tried to cover herself, to scramble away, get out. She had to get out.
Cold hands came to rest on her shoulders, making her flinch, but a black cloak was put around her and those hands pulled her back, away from the man. She turned, her head beginning to spin and that panic beginning to overwhelm her when she saw him with surprising clarity despite the mostly dark room.
He was beautiful, heartbreakingly beautiful and when his amber eyes met hers, she felt a sudden calm settle over her. Recognition flickered through her as shadows swirled around his neck and she smiled. "You." She whispered before the darkness completely overcame her.