"Forget about it!"

Elain quietly hissed at herself as she was elbow deep in her garden, weeding a particularly nasty area of Shasta daisies that had spread farther than she had anticipated.

Elain couldn't get Azriel's earthy scent of fresh rainwater and pine out of her nose since their encounter on Winter Solstice. She hadn't been so close to him before as she had been awaiting his possible kiss when Rhysand showed up and ended the possibility of anything happening between them. Az's scarred but beautiful hands on her neck had made her unable to stop longing for his touch again.

She grasped another weed right at it's base above the roots and began pulling in order to distract herself but the image of his kind hazel eyes on hers was burned into her memory and refused to leave. This daisy was particularly stubborn and held as she gritted her teeth and kept yanking with her all of her strength. It finally loosed out of the soil and she fell right on her rump, blowing out a huff as she hit the dirt. She wiped her sweaty brow with her forearm, pushing wet strands of golden brown hair out of her face. She hadn't noticed the tall, red haired male standing behind her, watching her.

"Hello, Elain. Do you need a hand?"

Elain jolted at the surprise and twisted around to look at Lucien. She frowned up at her supposed "mate," a traitor who had allowed her to be taken and turned fae against her will. Realizing that she wanted to at least put on a civil face, she contorted her mouth into a mild smile, attempting to lift the corners to at least appear kind as she turned him down.

"Thank you for the offer. I don't need any help though," she said, turning back to the weeds in front of her.

Elain had no interest in Lucien, regardless of how fae mating worked. She didn't feel any connection to him aside from the tight feeling of displeasure she felt in her gut when he was near.

She still hadn't had the heart to tell him to leave her alone forever. Elain had always been called the pleasant, kind sister. She just didn't find herself with an aggressive disposition like Nesta, nor did she have Feyre's assertive gentleness. She had always just kept the peace, which she felt like she was doing in regards to Lucien.

"Well, if you change your mind, I am always available to assist you," Lucien offered, disappointment staining his words. He continued, "I am about to leave to go back to Vassa and Jurian so I guess goodbyes are in order. Have a grand time with your garden."

Elain didn't turn around as she said goodbye to Lucien. To be honest, she didn't want to look him in the eyes for fear that he would see how insincere she was being towards him, despite the cheerful tone of voice she utilized.

She had to think of how to tell him she didn't accept him as a mate, and soon. She was uncomfortable with lying and pretending she was still contemplating it when she felt so strongly about someone else. Honestly, she had the same feeling since she first sat at the dinner table with Azriel.

Elain had been so fearful on that initial meeting at her family home, not only from finding out Feyre had been turned fae, but to see the males that she brought with her. They were all so tall and hulking. But Az had a contrasting and strangely comforting demeanor to him; he was soft and gentle despite his weapons and leather armor. She had tried not to stare at his scarred hands because she didn't want to be rude. She had noticed her stomach dropping as she imagined what or who could have done that to him. He had clearly experienced immense pain.

Over the years they had slowly gotten closer and Elain had only felt a stronger pull towards the shadowsinger. She could never keep her eyes off him, although she had tried with all her might. Whether they were in the same room together or separated when he stayed in Rhysand's other residence, she longed just to sidle to him and twine her fingers in his.

Now after last night, she knew he would keep his distance from her for fear of experiencing Rhysand's wrath. She wondered if she would ever get the chance to finally feel his full lips pressed upon hers, his fingers once again making their way into her hair in order to pull her closer to him. Just thinking about it made her cheeks burn. Or maybe it was from being directly in the sun situated above her garden. Either way she knew she needed a cold bath to not only get the dirt caked onto her limbs and face off but also chill the heat that thinking about Az instilled throughout her entire body, once again electrifying her until goosebumps raised.

Elain pushed herself up to her feet, throwing her gloves off onto the small worktable next to the door of the river house. She entered and was relieved not to run into anyone on her way to her room. She passed her dark four poster bed with its plush white bedspread and fluffy fur blankets tossed atop it, wanting to jump in and sleep off her desire and exhaustion from, but instead entered the bathroom and turned on the water to fill the large bathtub. It quickly filled and she slipped in, cringing at the feeling of the icy water violently caressing her body.

Azriel trained, pushing harder than he had since the war with Hybern. He knew he couldn't stop moving, lest the thought of Elain's long, creamy neck inches away from his mouth flood his mind for what felt like the millionth time since last night. He huffed as he finally had to take a break, storming over to the table and yanking the jug up to fill his mouth with cool water. He set the jug down hard and pressed his eyes shut, harshly raking his fingers through his black hair. Not even the sear of his muscles from an especially painful set of exercises could get him out of his head.

Az stormed though the training pit, into the house and made his way to his room. Once in the bathroom, he threw off his leathers. He turned, catching himself in the mirror. The anger and sadness contorted at his usually calm face, as he gripped the sink before him, willing himself to take a few deep breaths to gain control over his mood.

Once he finally felt a bit better, he walked over to the tub, threw his legs over and settled himself into the frigid water. His teeth clenched at the icy water, a natural reaction to the cold, although that's how he liked his bath; cold and unfeeling, as he longed to be.

Suddenly the water began to warm quickly, and Az stiffened as Elain's scent of warm, inviting vanilla and lavender wafted out of the tub. His body felt as it did when he was near her and when he opened his eyes he gasped as he saw Elain sitting across from him, her grimace turning into a look of delight as the heat of the water increased almost lovingly.

Elain smiled as she felt the water in her tub suddenly become warm and toasty. She opened her eyes as the earlier imagined scent of Azriel became very real. He somehow sat across from her in the tub. Around her and Azriel, their own bathrooms blurred into a starry void that they both were suspended in.

Az looked as surprised as she did as he exclaimed softly, "I swear I don't know how I got into your tub, I'll get out now."

Elain reached out and grabbed his hand as he turned to get out of his tub and end this strange situation that they were somehow in, together.

"No, I want you to stay. I don't know what's happening but I don't care," she said shyly.

She smiled softly up at him as she added, "Please just stay with me."

Azriel's brow furrowed as he thought about how his shadows must have somehow brought them together to this place in a strange void of space and time. He sank back down into the tub, letting Elain's small, delicate hand stay wrapped around his huge scarred monstrosity of a hand.

"I shouldn't be around you anymore, you're mated to Lucien and Rhysand told me last night in less words that he would rip me to shreds, if Lucien didn't duel me to the death first."

Both Elain's smile and hand dropped at once.

"Lucien might have found me to be his mate but he is not mine and he doesn't own me; I feel nothing except disdain towards him," Elain almost shouted, adding, "how I feel when I'm near you is different."

Tears began to form in her eyes as she imagined disappointing not only Feyre and her mate but also Lucien, for all her dislike of him. She had always been expected to make the people around her happy and feel good, regardless of how it made her feel. She longed to be assertive enough to set boundaries but the tearing at her caused by feeling as if she hurt someone induced a terrible fear of honesty.

Azriel's heart broke as he beheld Elain's tearstained face, dripping into the warm bath water. It broke all of his carefully crafted self control to move closer to her in the bathtub and pull her sad, quaking body into his arms. Her skin was so soft and warm wrapped against him, with his wings tucking around her like a cocoon. Az cuddled into Elain, pressing his cheek onto the top of her head, her hair damp. He breathed her in and finally felt the wholeness that he had always dreamed of. It was strange to him since he wasn't even sure if she was just an illusion but he fell into the feeling and a hum sounded in the back of his throat in contentment.

A few minutes passed until Elain, wrapped deeply in Az, began to cry tears of not sadness but joy. She had been waiting to be so near to him for so long and the feelings she began to let wash over her were overwhelming. She pulled back, placed her hand to his jaw and gently turned his face to hers. Elain gazed up at Azreil's tan face, his cheekbones cut even more harshly against the light in the starry void they were surrounded by; he looked more beautiful than she had ever seen him and she felt an almost chemical pull toward his full lips.

Luckily for Elain, Azriel felt the pull too and they met in the middle, lips pressed together as mental shields shattered towards each other into a jumble of sparks. Azriel's shadows danced around both of their heads as their mouths moved together. Elain had never felt something so gentle but strong as Azriel sweetly pulled her bottom lip into his warm mouth. She giggled and pulled her lips from his, unable to hold back her smile as she beheld the look on his face. He wasn't one to smile widely or provide any strong show of emotion, but Az's hazel eyes were beaming as he looked down at Elain.

Almost as quickly as the water warmed and Elain and Azriel came together in the void, a loud snap rang out as they each sat alone in their own bathrooms once again.

Elain audibly laughed as she pulled her arms around herself in a hug, giddy about the strangest bath she had ever taken. She hoped that it wasn't just a living dream and Az had felt the magic between them too.

"Fuck," was Azriel could manage to say as he realized he was alone once again. He knew regardless of whatever bullshit that he was could possibly get into because of it, he had to see Elain again.