I paced a small square around my office as I waited for news. I was supposed to be planning the schedule for classes at the gallery for the next few weeks, but Azriel was expected home today and I was antsy. He had been gone for a month, gathering intel on rebel war bands in the Illyrian Mountains and mostly out of contact, and with only Elain, Lucien, Rhys and me the large River House felt achingly empty. Even if Az wasn't the loudest member of our family, his silence was that of quiet companionship, his unflappable presence a steady, soothing counterpoint to the chaos of our lives.

I was also, I admit, a little worried about him. Since he started sharing our bed, he had come out of his shell a bit, becoming more conversational and less prone to disappearing into the shadows right after dinner. I feared that a month on his own would give him an opportunity to dwell on his still-recent heartbreak with no one to pull him out of his thoughts, and that he would push everyone away when he returned.

Thus preoccupied, I didn't notice Rhys enter the room and lean against the door frame, his voice catching me off guard as he spoke. "You'll wear right through that rug if you keep it up."

"Have you heard anything?" I asked, my head snapping around to meet his gaze.

"Careful," Rhys warned, raising an eyebrow playfully, "I'll start wondering whether I'm really your favorite Illyrian if you keep this up."

I rolled my eyes but strode over to him, where he folded me into his arms. "It feels like little pieces of my heart are scattered across Prythian," I whispered into his chest. "I miss all of us being together."

"I know, darling," Rhys said soothingly, running a hand gently down my hair. "If Azriel had told me where he was, I would have winnowed him home immediately. But as much as you like to call us big babies, he is fully capable of taking care of himself."

I sighed, nuzzling into his neck. "I know," I murmured, "I'm just worried that after being alone for so long he might not want to be with us anymore."

"By 'be with us,' do you mean…?" Rhys began with a suggestive roll of his hips. I swatted his arm, giving him my best attempt at an indignant glare as I pulled away from him.

"What I mean," I interjected, crossing my arms, "is that I like being around laughing, teasing, cocky Azriel a lot more than cold, distant, sad Azriel, and I'm worried about which one is coming home."

All traces of mirth left Rhys's face as he gently gripped my shoulders. "Feyre, you and I, more than anyone, know that it is possible to come back from a dark place." I felt a lump rise in my throat as he continued. "And even if it takes weeks, or months, until Azriel feels comfortable around people again, we can be patient for him, yes?"

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak as I blinked furiously. Rhys wrapped his arms around me again, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. "I love how much you love my family," he breathed, and I sniffled a bit as I fisted my hands in his shirt to draw him closer to me. We stood there for a long moment, entwined together, before I got my emotions back under control.

When I was certain my eyes were dry, I pulled back and met Rhys's gaze. "You're right, of course," I said. "But," I added, a mischievous grin tugging at my lips, "I do also hope he still wants to be with us."

Rhys laughed as I raised my eyebrows and shot him a wink. "There's the Feyre I adore," he purred, his voice dropping as his eyes darkened. "Maybe you should walk around in some of those delicious lacy underthings for a few days so he gets the message."

"And you wouldn't enjoy that at all, would you?" I scoffed, crossing my arms again.

"I never said I wouldn't, Darling," Rhys replied, his violet eyes glittering. He glanced at the clock on my desk before dropping another kiss on my head with a heavy sigh. "Unfortunately, I need to get going. I have a meeting with the Governors in a few minutes." He ran a hand through his hair. "Do you want to come?"

I thought for a moment before shaking my head. "I really do need to get this schedule finished," I explained, "and I also want to be here when Az gets back."

Rhys nodded and turned toward the door. "Do me a favor?" he called over his shoulder. "If he gets back before I do, at least wait until I'm on my way home to get him in bed?" I heard the grin in his voice, so I stuck my tongue out at his retreating form and dropped my mental shields for a moment.

"Prick," I thought loudly, and his answering chuckle echoed in my mind like a caress as he winnowed away.

With a sigh, I turned back to my desk, plopped down, and determinedly picked up the document I had abandoned before. With the increasing demand for classes at the gallery, we were now open every day of the week, and I had a small army of volunteer teachers to organize. Even with Ressina helping, I thought that we might have to hire a full-time manager to help alleviate some of the strain of keeping track of so many schedules. We could certainly afford to do so, and I made a note at the bottom of the finished calendar to discuss the idea with Ressina the next time I saw her.

With that assignment completed, I stood and stretched, glancing around for other urgent tasks that needed to be done. Finding nothing particularly pressing, I decided that I would take the rest of the afternoon off and headed out of the office back to our bedroom. I grabbed my latest book as I passed the bedside table and strode out to the balcony, intent on enjoying the balmy weather while trying to finally make it through more than a handful of pages in one sitting.

I lost track of time as I dove into the story, but it must have been almost an hour before a shadow swept across the balcony. I would have ignored it if a second hadn't joined it, followed by the unmistakable sound of Illyrian wings beating overhead. I looked up to see Azriel circling the house, far enough off to see it in its entirety but clearly close enough to notice me. I shoved my bookmark between the pages and jumped to my feet, waving at the winged male who angled down to land on the far side of the balcony.

"Azriel!" I exclaimed, tossing my book carelessly on the chair and rushing over to embrace him. "You're back!"

He stiffened as I threw my arms around him, and a flash of sadness hit me as I realized he perhaps wasn't as glad to see me as I was to see him. Before I could withdraw, however, his hands gently found their way around my shoulders, and my knees nearly gave out with relief as he tucked my head under his chin. "Hi Feyre," he said quietly, and I felt one of the small, missing pieces of my heart find its way back into my chest at the sound of his voice.

I squeezed him tightly before releasing him to look up at his face. Despite his best efforts to hide it, exhaustion lurked in the dullness of his hazel eyes and the dark circles beneath them, and a thin sheen of sweat covered every bit of skin his flying leathers left exposed. "You look like shit," I told him, and was rewarded with a quick chuckle.

"A month without a regular sleeping schedule or access to a bath will do that to you," he replied, his small smile shining through the weariness and the shadows that lingered around his person.

"Well, we'll have to fix that immediately," I said, abruptly grabbing his hand and pulling him back toward the house. Neither of us spoke as we entered the bedroom, but Azriel gave me a questioning glance when I shoved him gently toward the bathroom.

"I do have my own room I can bathe in, Feyre," he said softly, stopping at the threshold.

I gave him a thorough once-over, my heart wrenching as I noticed the discomfort that radiated from him. "If you'd prefer to be alone, I understand," I began, and an expression I didn't quite comprehend flickered over his face so quickly I might have imagined it. "But I'd like to fuss over you, if you'll let me."

Azriel's face softened and he looked away for a moment, a muscle in his jaw twitching, before he gave me a sharp nod and walked into the bathroom. I trailed after him, turning on the taps in the bathtub and dumping in a few scented oils that created a sudsy foam as the water hit them. Azriel unbuckled his leather jacket, dropping it on the floor with a rustle before he sat on the edge of the tub to untie his shoes. "Have you eaten?" I asked as he tossed one boot aside.

"Not since yesterday," he replied, pulling off his other boot.

"I'll be right back," I told him, and rushed out of the room and down the stairs to the kitchens. It took a few minutes, but I was able to locate Nuala and ask her to send up a platter of food. "Enough for a hungry Illyrian," I specified, and her smile told me she had probably already known of the shadowsinger's return.

When I got back to the bathroom, I found Azriel already submerged in the hot water, his wings folded beneath him and only his head and neck visible. I wandered back over to him, bringing a basket of soaps with me. I brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes as I sat on the side of the tub, and he leaned into my touch as I ran my hands through his hair, scratching and massaging at his scalp. He made a noise low in his throat that I took as encouragement, so I grabbed a sweet-smelling tonic and rubbed it into his dark locks. His eyes fluttered closed as he let out a long breath, and the tightness in my chest eased as his lips curled up ever so slightly.

"I think I can take it from here," he said, opening his eyes, so I left him to his own devices as I walked back into the bedroom. Sitting in my favorite comfortable chair, I reached down the bond to Rhys and tapped on his mental shields until he opened them a crack for me.

"Az is home," I said by way of greeting, and felt a small rush of relief from my mate at the news.

"How is he?" he replied, and I knew he was thinking of our earlier conversation.

"Well," I replied, my lips curling up even though he couldn't see me, "I already got him naked, so I think he's doing just fine."

Rhys gasped in mock outrage. "I ask you for one favor, Darling," he complained.

"Oh stop it, you big baby," I interjected. "He's in the bath. Alone," I clarified.

Rhys laughed and sent a reassuring stroke down the bond. "I'm almost done here," he said. "I should be home within half an hour. Think you can keep your hands to yourself that long?"

I pretended to consider. "As long as it isn't a moment longer," I finally replied, and he chuckled again as I withdrew from his mind. At the same moment, there was a soft knock on the door and Nuala walked in holding a tray piled high with food. She set it down on the table next to me and I thanked her with a smile as she disappeared into the shadows. Splashing sounds from the direction of the bathroom told me that Azriel was nearly finished cleaning up, so I retrieved my book from where I had left it on the balcony and settled into my chair while I waited for him.

A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened and Azriel emerged, wearing only a towel around his waist. "I don't have any clothes in here," he explained, completely misinterpreting my stare at his broad bare chest.

"I can fetch some for you, if you like," I said, "But Rhys is on his way back and we'd like to welcome you home properly."

Azriel flushed, his eyes darting around the room, and I worried that perhaps this was too much for him all at once. He seemed to be waging some internal battle, so I added, "But no pressure, of course," and turned my attention back to my book. I must have read the same sentence six times before I heard him settle into the chair next to me and reach over to inspect the platter of food. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding as I was suddenly able to focus on the page in front of me.

I continued reading as Azriel ate, knowing that he would break the silence if and when he felt ready, but the feeling between us was the ease of companionship rather than any awkwardness of not knowing what to say. I was bursting to ask him about his trip: what intelligence he had gathered, who he had seen, and whether the rogue Illyrians were really looking for a conflict, but I held my tongue. No doubt he had already prepared an extensive report, and besides, Rhys would need to hear everything too, so I dove back into the story I was reading with the clink of fork on plate as background noise.

I felt Rhys's presence approaching just as Azriel finished eating, and no sooner had he set the now-empty dishes aside than my mate strode into the bedroom, looking between both of us with an eager grin. Azriel rose to greet the High Lord, blushing when Rhys looked at his towel, but the two males clasped forearms before Rhys dropped a kiss on my head. "My report is already on both of your desks," Azriel began, but cut off as Rhys raised a hand.

"How are you, Azriel?" he asked, and I looked anxiously at the shadowsinger as we awaited his answer.

"I'm fine, Rhys," Azriel insisted as Rhys gave him a long, searching look. I did the same, and noticed that after the bath and meal some of the warmth had reentered his eyes, the worry lines of his forehead smoothed out even if he still looked like he could use a good night's sleep. I rose from my chair and walked over to his, cupping his face in my hands.

"We were worried about you, Az," I told him, rubbing my thumbs along his cheekbones.

Azriel brought his hands up to grasp my wrists, an odd look on his face. "You were worried about me?" he asked incredulously. I opened my mouth to reply, but he suddenly grabbed my waist and pulled me to him, resting his head on my chest. I held him as he let out a long breath, stroking his hair in a way I hoped was comforting. I looked back over my shoulder to Rhys, who shrugged. So softly that I almost missed it, Azriel whispered, "No one has ever said that to me before."

My heart cracked as he looked up at me with adoration, his expression so open and unguarded it took my breath away. I swallowed hard, blinking back my own emotion, as Azriel's fingers began tracing small circles on my waist. Managing a small grin, I raised my eyebrows. "Wouldn't you like to see how happy we are that you're home safe?"

His eyes darkened as I felt Rhys move to stand next to me, and I slipped one hand out of his hair to run down his neck, brushing gently against the top ridge of his wing. His breath hitched as Rhys did the same to his other wing, the towel around his waist doing nothing to hide the effect we were having on him. I stepped back and gave his shoulder a gentle pull, indicating for him to stand. He followed my direction willingly, rising gracefully to his feet, and my smile widened as I met his gaze and tugged his towel free.

I ran my hands over his chest as Rhys pressed into my back, sandwiching me between them as my mate captured Azriel's mouth with his own. I pressed soft kisses over the tattoos at the shadowsinger's collarbones, drawing a low groan from his throat as he maintained his grip on my waist with one hand and grabbed the back of Rhys's head with the other.

I wrapped my arms around him fully, stroking every part of his wings I could reach, relishing every gasp and twitch of his hard length between us as he reacted to my touch. Against my back, I could feel Rhys beginning to be affected as well, so I slipped out from between them to survey my two males. They turned to face me, Azriel completely bare and Rhys fully dressed, but both of them beautiful with matching hungry expressions on their faces. I grabbed both of their hands, leading the way over to the bed and pulling them down to sit next to me, my hands finding their way into their laps.

"Rhys," I said, looking over at him, "I think you and I are overdressed." With a wicked smirk and a wave of his hand, all of our clothes disappeared, the shadowsinger no longer the only one in just his skin. Azriel wasted no time, running his fingers from my neck all the way down to my thigh and back again, and when I turned back to him he crushed his lips against mine.

My body responded instantly, especially once I felt Rhys's mouth on my shoulder and his hand gripping my other thigh, pulling my legs apart gently. "Not that I'm complaining," I said to him down the bond, "but this isn't exactly what I had in mind."

"Oh?" he responded, nibbling my earlobe and making my back arch, "And what did you have in mind, Feyre darling?"

I sent him an image of me lying on my back, Azriel atop me with Rhys behind him, both of us showing the shadowsinger how much we enjoyed sharing our bed with him. Rhys hummed with pleasure, his hand spreading my legs further before slipping between them and running through my already-slick folds. "I think we can make that happen," he replied, and I whimpered as he slipped a finger inside me.

At the sound, Azriel broke our kiss, pressing our foreheads together as he looked down and saw Rhys's hand at work. I moaned as Rhys added a second finger and Azriel's hand came to my breast, pinching and rolling my nipple in a way designed to drive me crazy. I turned back toward Rhys again, capturing his mouth in a desperate kiss as Azriel latched onto my neck, sucking hard enough that I knew he would leave a mark. I groped around blindly until I found both of their hard lengths, giving them simultaneous firm strokes at the same pace Rhys was using with his hand inside me. The sensation of having these two powerful males groaning at my touch was intoxicating, nearly pushing me over the edge.

Suddenly desperate for more, I moved my hands to their faces and pushed gently, making them pause so I could scoot back on the bed and lie flat. I reached for Azriel, who moved as if to settle down beside me, but I swung a leg underneath him to indicate I wanted him on top of me. He gently settled between my legs, his wings spread wide across the bed giving my fingers easy access to the sensitive top edges. I felt the bed shift as Rhys rose, his near-silent footsteps moving around the room as Azriel tenderly brushed my hair out of the way and buried his face in my neck.

"I missed you," he murmured. "Both of you. I didn't think I would, but going from two lovers to zero was quite an adjustment." I felt him stiffen, then relax with a breathy moan that I interpreted as Rhys getting to work behind him. I reached between us to position him at my entrance, my other hand lightly trailing around the claw of one wing, and his arms trembled on either side of me.

"Let's hope the transition back to two lovers is a little bit smoother," I said, and bucked my hips up to meet his, the movement driving his erect member into my waiting core. He groaned again as I clenched my muscles around him, his breathing already ragged as his hips rocked forward involuntarily. "Look at me," I pleaded, and with a seemingly Herculean effort Azriel lifted his head to meet my gaze.

If I hadn't been able to pinpoint the exact moment Rhys entered him by the sudden rock of his hips, I would have known it by the way his eyes rolled back in his head and the sudden euphoria that spread over his features. Rhys set a slow, languid pace that transferred to Azriel and then to me, and I braced my feet on the bed in order to meet their combined thrusts as best as possible. None of us spoke, the slap of skin on skin and three different voices moaning melding into a symphony of pleasure that needed no commentary.

I could tell Azriel was already close from the way his face scrunched up in concentration, fighting desperately to hold back his release. I wrapped my arms around him and sunk my teeth into the junction of his neck and shoulder, not hard enough to break skin but enough to leave an imprint. That little spark of pain triggered his climax, which was accompanied by a hiss of breath through his teeth as he squeezed his eyes shut, his head falling forward again into my neck.

I made eye contact with Rhys over his shoulder as I felt my own release building, noticing the intense concentration on my mate's face as well. "Rhys," I panted, "I need -" I was unable to get out anything else, but he seemed to understand, somehow sliding a hand around Azriel and between my legs. His thumb made small, tight circles at the apex of my thighs, and moments later I followed Azriel over the edge. Stars danced across my vision as I heard Rhys grunt, his movements momentarily stilling as he found his climax as well.

The three of us lay there for a long minute, breathing heavily, before Rhys collapsed on one side of me and Azriel rolled off to the other. I gave my mate a long, passionate kiss as he gathered me in his arms, twining our legs together. When we finally broke apart he looked over my shoulder and let out a soft snort.

I rolled over to see that Azriel had fallen fast asleep, curled on his side with his wings spread out behind him. "I'm not sure whether we should take that as a compliment of our combined sexual prowess, or if we should be offended that we aren't interesting enough to stay awake for," Rhys joked down the bond, and I elbowed him gently as I gazed at the shadowsinger's peaceful face.

"Can you winnow those copies of his report in here?" I replied. "We can let him sleep until dinner while we review everything." A slight rustling over at the seating area signaled the arrival of said reports, and Rhys pressed a last kiss below my ear before disentangling himself from the bed and striding over to peruse the documents. I pulled the sheets up gently around Azriel, and with a last look at his relaxed form I got up to join Rhys in finding out exactly what our Spymaster had been up to for the last month.