Azriel lay awake in bed, Perce tucked into his side, one hand on his chest, her leg draped over both of his, his arm behind his head, the other over the flat plane of his stomach.
Her crown sat beside the bed, her dress hung in the wardrobe, while she wore nothing but one of his shirts again. He wore some undershorts, despite the night's chill.
Perce shivered slightly, and he tucked his wing tighter around her, pulling the blanket up a little bit further.
"Why aren't you asleep?" She asked softly, eyes glowing like stars in the darkness.
"I couldn't," he admitted.
She traced his pectoral bone, up his shoulder then down his arm, back again. "Do you want to talk?"
"About what?"
"Anything."
He shook his head. "No."
She played with his hair, and he could feel her frown. "Are you okay?" She asked after a while.
"I'm not sure," he sighed, turning to face her. Then- "It's just… Strange. I always thought Mor would be my only love, but then," he chuckled, cupping her face. "You come along, crashing into my life, and all my shadows can whisper about is you, you, you. I can't think, can't sleep. All I want is to hold you, protect you, love you."
She kissed him gently. "That does sound like a bit of a problem," she teased, running her knuckles up his chest and resting her hand on his heart. "For me… I loved the concept of mates, not just in Prythian, but all worlds. Different names, sometimes different stories, but… the same concept. I've longed of finding my mate, and here you are. Azriel, the male I always wanted to meet. It feels like I've known you forever."
"Ditto," he smiled, and she looked touched he remembered that night on the bridge.
"I love you, Azzie," she said.
"Not as much as I love you, Percy."
She hooked her legs around his waist, stroking his wings, and sleep finally found him, blissful and taunted by her touches.

When the soft, cold morning arrived, she was gone, her side of the bed cool, her crown gone. A part of him liked the thought of her wearing it.
That part, the one that longed for her touch, her laugh, to be the centre of her world, grew every day, thoughts of his mate gnawing at his mind.
He dressed and ran hands through his hair to tame it, flapping his wings once to wake them up.
He'd slept well, after she'd soothed him. It was almost like he was a youngling again, and she was the song that calmed him to sleep, caring for him and giving him warmth and love that he'd craved for so long. They brought out the best in each other.
He made his way downstairs, finding no trace of his mate, only Rhys and Mor, lounging casually.
"Sparring," Rhys grunted, by way of explanation.
His dark eyes and blunt answer revealed how much of a mood he was in.
Azriel dared to raise a brow, and Rhys sighed.
"Couldn't sleep, and I've just received word Keir wants to see me."
Azriel gave his brother a pat on the shoulder as he passed, flying to the training ring where he and Cassian usually sparred, now seeing the general fighting against Perce.
She was great, able to dodge his attacks and get several hits in, and she was extremely skilled with a sword and bow. Her wings had finally healed, and she took to the sky, Cassian having to dodge the quick rounds of arrows she sent at him, rolling mid-air to avoid his blasts of magic.
"I think that's enough for now," Cassian grinned, and she glided right into Azriel's arms, beaming with the satisfaction of hard training.
"Look at you go, you never told me you could fight," he smiled, folding his wings around them to block them from sight of Cassian, his shadows hiding them further.
"I can fight as well as I can do other things," she quipped, pecking his nose.
"I fully agree."
He'd made sure to pick a shirt that showed off a bit of his tattoos, ink that she now spotted.
"You did that on purpose," she smiled, kissing the markings.
He swallowed a gasp, then smiled back. "Well, if you're going to be mated to a bastard like me, I might as well do everything I can to make sure you won't get sick of me."
"Azzie… Bastards just like you are the only male for me," she breathed, kissing him deeply and passionately.
Every time he thought he couldn't be more in love, she surprised him, making him fall harder and deeper each time.
She hissed, shifting her weight and wincing.
Azriel carefully took her weight in his arms. "Are you alright?"
"I don't know, I think something popped or something, it hurts like hell," she sighed, gently touching her knee and wincing.
Azriel's shadows scattered, his wings unfolding, Cassian long gone. He gently sat her down on a nearby stone bench, rolling up her pant leg to inspect her knee. "You've definitely busted it," he muttered, noting the bruises and the way it bent funny. "Broken, dislocated too… I'm gonna have to… no, we might leave it to Madja."
He scooped her up in his arms, careful of her knee, and flew to the townhouse. Setting her in his preferred chair, he called for Madja, his shadows racing to find her.
Perce hissed every time her knee twitched or moved, and Az brought her some of her favourite chocolate. "You don't need to fuss, Azzie, it's not that bad," she groaned, shifting slightly.
"I want to fuss, you stubborn thing, and it is quite bad. I'm not sure what you've done to it. What happened?"
She sighed, smiling sheepishly. "I've never actually flown before, not properly, and landed funny, at the same time Cassian's sword pommel hit it. I heard a crack, but didn't think much of it. I mean, I'm the next Death, for crying out loud."
Azriel rubbed her shoulders, his scars seeming completely at home among the bone. She sighed and made small noises every time his fingers brushed her bones.
Madja entered the room, clucking her tongue. "I swear I'm seeing you all a lot more, now," she sighed.
Percy grinned, not at all sorry. "I'm accident-prone. Besides, I need excuses to see my favourite characters."
If Madja was confused, she didn't show it. "I see," she muttered, studying Perce's leg. "If you don't wish to feel the pain, I can sedate you," she told Perce. Az's mate shook her head. "No. It's fine, thank you, Madja."
"All right," the healer nodded, and got to work repositioning and setting Perce's knee, Azriel playing with her wings and the talons at the apexes to keep her distracted. After binding her knee and giving Azriel a knowing look, Madja gave Perce a stern one. "Don't let me come back here for a fair while, be careful." "It's only because he fusses," Perce smiled, pinching the back of Az's scarred hand.
Madja smiled, then laughed. "Well, I suppose it isn't a bad thing. Best stay off it for a few days, two weeks at most. Keep the strain to a minimum." Azriel nodded, and Madja left, muttering something about that she hoped it was the last time she dealt with them for at least a century.
When she was gone, Perce's hands rested on Az's on her shoulders, as he kissed her forehead. "You're going to be the death of me," he sighed. "If you don't kill me first, Madja will."
She laughed. "And you were worried about me getting sick of you. Poor, poor Azzie."
He growled, then sighed. "Poor me? You're ruining me, Percy."
Rhysand wandered in, hands in his pockets, eyes filled with love. "Feyre's wondering if we can take Melanie. She thinks that Nyx and Melanie get along so well they might as well be siblings."
Perce chewed her lip. "Az?"
"I mean... I don't see why not," the spymaster shrugged. "Don't think we're ready for a kid just yet."
Perce hummed her agreement. "Look at me, falling apart already. I've already lost two fingers."
Azriel's eyes wandered back to his mate, chewing on one of those bones, though she seemed reluctant to let Melanie go.
"We'll take care of her, and you can see her whenever. We do live in the same house, after all," the High Lord reminded them.
"Not for long," Az grinned. "We're going to look at some places as soon as Percy's healed."
Rhysand chuckled. "I quite like the new you, brother. It suits you."
He left the pair alone, humming happily, and Azriel rolled his eyes. "I admit, I like what you do to me," he smiled. "Though I can't think for the life of me why you'd want such a scarred and broken male."
She turned to sit backwards in her spot, stroked his scars, then the tattoos peeking out from under his shirt, and smiled. "Azriel, for such a beautiful male, you really give yourself a tough time."
He growled, but could never be mad. She thought he was beautiful. Not just handsome, but beautiful.
"Scars and all," she whispered, as though she could hear his thoughts, eyes closing. "They make you the most amazing male I know. Our scars make us brave, Azzie." She drifted into sleep, and he carefully carried her to bed, making sure she was as comfortable as possible before raising her hand to his lips and kissing the bones, since there were no knuckles.
He breathed in her honey-and-cocoa scent, laced with rain and fresh grass and mint, her bones shining like pearls in the sunlight. It couldn't have been much later than early morning, and she was thoroughly exhausted, from staying up so late last night with him and sparring with Cassian. But tomorrow they'd go to a priestess, then look at some houses. He had his own little wish list, though he'd be sure to try accommodate her personal ideas too. Perhaps they could even build.
Rhysand, gripping two bottles of liquor, grinned from the doorway, throwing a bottle to Az and popping open his own. "Thought you might need it," the High Lord shrugged, taking a swig. He groaned. "Those kids…"
Az chuckled, taking a deep swig of his own drink, an idea forming. Well, not so much an idea as hope and excitement. "Starfall is soon."
"Yes, I'm aware of that," Rhys grinned, finishing his drink. "We'll all head to the cabin after, for a bit of fun."
"As long as I don't have to hear any of you," Cassian grinned. "What? Didn't think I'd come find you both? Having a little party here on your own without your dear brother? Pity."
He had his own drink, and Azriel narrowed his eyes. He was fine with Rhys here, even with Perce injured and asleep, but both of them, and even just Cassian… It was tugging at his instincts.
Cassian noticed his sour expression and held up his hands. "Fine, fine. Come on, Rhys, let's get out of here."

When Starfall arrived, and Perce was almost fully healed, Azriel didn't see her all day, since Mor and Feyre stole her, locked in his room. They'd decided to move into a house a little bit away from the townhouse, a bit smaller and with a lovely aesthetic. All they needed to sort out were the finishing touches, and they'd move in.
The males, Amren, and the Archeron sisters, excluding Feyre, made their way to the House of Wind, the party about to start. Drinks in hand, the Illyrian males drank and chatted with their friends and with strangers, High Fae and lesser Fae alike.
There was a collective gasp, after about a half hour, and Azriel turned, his drink slipping out of his hand and shattering on the ground by his boot.
There stood a goddess herself, flanked by Feyre and Mor, wearing her marigold crown, teardrop-diamond earrings in her ears, her face unadorned save for red lipstick and some eye shadow. Her dress clung to her frame, and was the colour of pale blue snow, with snowflake patterns covering the thin fabric, a black cloak shining with glowing white stars. Her bones had been painted with swirls of midnight ink, intricate patterns on every bit of pearl bone visible, from her fingertips to the bones of her spine, and along her chest. It was an extension of the tattoo on her arm, the ink sitting on her bone like it had always been there, and the white had been brushed away to reveal the beautiful patterns, skulls and flowers occasionally appearing from the patterns if you looked hard enough.
Azriel walked to Persephone, kissing the back of her hand and bowing. "You look like a goddess," he breathed, lifting his head to look at her.
She blushed deeply. "And you look stunning, too, my shadowsinger."
She laced her arms with his, gripping the muscle there.
Rhys, with a wink, had vanished the shattered glass and spilled alcohol, as Azriel and his breathtaking mate made their way to join their family.
"What do you think?" She asked, stepping back and spinning on the spot, the hem of her dress flaring slightly and catching the faelights that illuminated the room.
Azriel smiled, pulling her to his chest. "I think I can never imagine being more in love with you, and then you pull something like this."
She smiled, trying to bite back a giggle. She failed, beginning to laugh, and he cupped her face, brushing his thumb over her cheek bone.
"I got you something," she smiled. She handed him a pair of new blades, the Illyrian steel he favoured, like Truth-Teller, perfect for inflicting deep wounds. She kissed his temple, bouncing on her toes, her face so innocent as she passed over the lethal weapons it was like a puppy standing over a bear carcass.
She looked for his reaction, face slowly falling. "Do you not like it?"
He surprised her, in a single move his shadows taking the blades to their room in the townhouse, vanishing as he gripped her waist and spun her.
She laughed, hitting his shoulder. "Put me down! I'm dizzy," she beamed.
"I love them," he smiled.
"Can't be as much as I love you," she smiled back.
Azriel gifted her a new book he knew she'd love, and the group shared their gifts, before Azriel took his mate's hand and led her to the balcony.
"Look," he said, lifting two fingers to her chin to gently turn her head to the sky.
Starfall had begun, streaks of light zipping across the sky.
Perce looked at it in awe, eyes reflecting the thousands of shooting stars as they rocketed across the blackness. Something slammed into the side of her face, and she staggered, Azriel bursting into a fit of laughter. Her whole left side, her shoulder and face and upper arm, were covered in starlight, shimmering and glowing with golden-green light. She paused, stunned, then her eyes caught his and she laughed too.
Something hit Azriel full-force next, right in the face.
"Are you okay?" Perce laughed, cupping his face and drawing something around his eye.
He stilled, their laughter fading into sweet smiles, as her bones ran over his skin, and she finished her drawing.
"Beautiful," she murmured, hands rubbing his shoulders and pectorals. "What are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking how I wish I could have you, right here and now, and devour you until neither of us can walk."
She tilted her head slightly, smiling. "Later, my love. In the new house, where no-one will interrupt us."
He growled in agreement.
She kissed the space over his heart, looking back to the stars.
"Come on," Azriel whispered, leading her to a lounge chair and laying comfortably, Perce half laying on him, half beside him, folded in her wings.
They watched the stars, entwined together, and Azriel felt calm, safe, in her arms.
"Tell me something," Percy whispered. "Something you've never told anyone." Her eyes were still fixed on the stars, reflecting the lights like two pools of silver water, infinitely deep.
"I… when I'm alone… sometimes I sing." He blushed, but she looked genuinely interested.
"Really? That's amazing. Before I came here… I used to sleep with my pillows lined in a way if I imagined hard enough… I could think it was a person. You. Is that weird?"
He brushed the hair off her face. "Only in the best way."

Cassian

Cassian went outside for some air, finding Azriel and Perce on a chair, looking at each other with such love and desire and whispering to each other. He felt like he'd stumbled on such an intimate moment. He couldn't have been intruding more than if he'd found them-
"Should we go back inside?" Perce asked, voice carried to him on the chill breeze, leading his scent away from them. "I know you don't want to miss this." Azriel chuckled. "Do you know how many of these I've been to? I'd prefer to share this just with my mate. There'll be plenty more Starfall celebrations to go to."
She smiled, head on his chest, his arm around her waist and other hand playing with her hair, and Cassian rushed off. He had a strange feeling about what he'd seen.

Perce and Azriel flew across Velaris, diving and chasing each other like younglings.
But he loved what she did to him, how he felt so much different when she was around.
He led her to their new house, which they'd just begun working on. A project, he said, to keep them busy for a while. He wanted to see the styles of Mexico, and she agreed to let him add some personal touches of his own. The perfect place, to spend eternity with his perfect mate. Mor had talked to him a while ago, telling him how she loved him the way everyone else in their family did- As a brother and friend. It had been much easier to accept and cherish the bond after her confirmation. When they walked inside, Perce jumped on the spot, spinning to take in everything at once. It was still half-built, in a unique style that the pair loved, and the interior was blank and empty, ready to be painted and furnished and decorated.
Azriel draped a wing over Perce's shoulders, brushing scarred knuckles over her abdomen. "For our family," he breathed. "Someday."
Her face fell slowly, and she chewed her lip. "Az… I have to tell you something. I can't."
"Can't what?" He murmured, beginning to worry.
"I can't. Have children, that is. When I was young, a group of boys attacked me for who I was, and one's blades went right through me. I had to have those organs removed, or I would have died." She pulled up her shirt a bit, revealing the ugly scars.
Pure fire ripped through Azriel. "Who."
Her eyes widened, and her hands reached for his, her shirt falling to hide the wounds, but Az's eyes fixed on where they lay. "No, Az, it's fine," she hurried. "Please, you can't find them"-
"If I can, I will," he growled. "It destroys me that you've had to deal with all of that. I'll hunt them until they take their last breaths."
She lowered her eyes, shoulders slackening. "That's already happened," she said slowly, an internal struggle waging inside her. "I- I killed them. It wasn't on purpose!" She added, as though he'd be mad. "It- I was so scared… they were hitting and stabbing me… my power just… erupted."
He hugged her gently, her cold, slim body against his warrior's build.
"The truth really does set you free," she breathed, burying her head into his shoulder. "I haven't felt this good… ever."
He lifted his head to look at her. "Well, I do believe I still made a promise."
"Can't kill if you can't move," she teased. Then her nose scrunched as she pulled a face. "But how about a bath first? You smell."
He laughed, carrying her up to their new room.

She ran him a bath, humming to herself, brushing the stardust into a small box.
"Come on, you," she smiled. "I want to show you how annoying it is that you're the only one that can fuss."
He undressed, sinking into the tub and groaning at the lovely heat. He felt her smile as she gently rubbed oil onto his wings, the touches light and wonderful. When she got to the bases of his wings, he could hardly breathe from the sheer feel of it.
She giggled. "You poor thing! Every time someone so much as looks at your wings, it's like a wonderful agony. I can feel it through the bond."
"Only with you," he breathed. "The most wonderful feeling in the world."
She gently rubbed the muscles around his wings, and a moan slipped out of him, mixed with another small noise.
She laughed. "I love it when you do that."
"I love it when you make me do that."
She finished on his wings, brushing the stardust from his face and chest, tracing his tattoos with the glow. She watched the spot over his heart, as if she could see the thundering thing through his skin. "Rhysand wants me to be Prythian's Goddess of Death, but I don't think he knows that I don't get my powers until Dad leaves. I just have my spells, for now."
He nodded, stepping out of the bath and drying off, Perce blushing hard as he made his way to the bed. He grinned at her, smiling at the way the blush spread over her nose and cheeks, her ears reddening.
She stood in the middle of the room, carefully pulling off her dress and shoes, her underthings, revealing herself to him. She hadn't exaggerated about being half-skeleton. Chunks of flesh were missing from her body, not just her arm and neck, but one half of her chest, her ribs visible, leaving one barely-there breast over her pounding heart. Her right leg, from just below her knee down, too, was nothing but bone. Her skin was like fresh, powdered snow, her bones shining like smooth white river stones. Her wings unfolded, and curled forwards for a moment as though she considered covering herself again, but his shadows caressed the membrane, gently keeping them open.
"Come here," he breathed, and a shadow curled around his ear, hissing about a glamour. "You're using a spell. A glamour."
"I- It's just for my organs and things. It's kinda gross to look at all the time."
He shook his head. "Is that it? Don't be afraid. No part of you is gross, or hideous. Especially not to me."
She sighed. "Just for a minute, then." She pulled open her spell book, Azriel studying her. "Quita este glamur de mi piel, revélame a mí mismo y a lo que hay dentro."
The glamour lifted, revealing everything that lurked beneath her skin. She'd lied about 'just her organs', or maybe she hadn't known, judging by her face, as they watched the black blood and pitch-dark shadows swirl around her bones and organs. She muttered something embarrassedly, the glamour settling carefully back into place, and Azriel called his shadows, revealing his true self to her.
The male wrapped in darkness, and the true spymaster and Shadowsinger of the Night Court.
"You're not afraid of me?" They both asked, and shook their heads.
"Never," Azriel whispered. "I see you. I'm not afraid."
She settled, letting Azriel move as well, and kiss her jaw. "How should we start?"
She linked her hands behind his neck, her fingers brushing the tip of his spine. "You lead."
He growled in satisfaction, kissing her passionately as his cock twitched, and her legs wrapped around his waist, pressing her body against his. It wasn't that she was inexperienced, but he was her first, which made him curious where she'd learned. Her wings flared beneath her, so she was fully exposed to him, not a trace of fear in her eyes.
His mouth moved along her jaw and neck, as his tongue tasted every bone and inch of flesh, and he settled on top of her, letting her adjust as he shifted into her, inch by inch.
She let out a gasp of pleasure, and he lifted his head to study her face. "Are you okay?"
She nodded, breathless, and he began to move, gently and slowly, as his lips and tongue continued their journey along her body.
She ran her hands through his hair and along his wings, every trip making him see stars.
"Az," she moaned, grinding against him, as he reached her chest.
Neither would be going gentle. He made a promise, after all. He didn't want to be able to move when the morning came.
She made him forget his own name, only remembering when she said it, over and over, a plea and a praise at the same time. He wanted to taste her, plant his scent so deep in her, mark her so thoroughly, that even after they were long dead and gone, millennia from now, everyone would know who exactly she belonged to.
After a while, as he slid out of her, both panting, he hastily flipped them over so she lay atop him, her eyes taking in every inch of his warrior's body.
"Your turn," he breathed.
She didn't disappoint, her every movement purposeful and exploring, and after two long, hard rounds, they lay in each other's arms, Az moving gently, watching where they were joined.
"You are… something else," she groaned, running hands up and down his torso.
"I made you a promise," he purred. "I can't just break it."
She smiled. "I suppose. I guess that means neither of us is sleeping."
He stopped, eying her. "Not if I have anything to say about it."
Her arms and legs wrapped around him, he picked her up effortlessly and swiftly moved to the wall, lifting her leg over his shoulder.
Needless to say he'd learned a bit out of his years.
Her head lay on his shoulder as he feasted on her, her nails raking claws down his back and her bone-fingers in his hair. His breath in her elicited small noises, which only made him more determined, his shadows screaming for more, more, more. His mate. He'd never known anything like her.