Sidra

by aestanley0909

Azriel meets his mate. She is his equal in brutality, power, beauty, and kindness. She doesn't, however, feel his same loyalty to the Night Court.

6. Chapter 3

THREE: Heat

Mates

The next morning, both siphons shining brightly, Azriel rose and bathed. He shaved carefully and brushed his hair into a neat ponytail, which he tied with a leather thong. He chose another fashionable but understated pair of navy pants and a pale blue shirt that buttoned down the front. He left it open at the collar and his tattoos peeked out when he moved. He packed a few things, including the tonic to prevent pregnancy. He took the morning dose that was required of males and went downstairs to the kitchen where he quickly ate a light breakfast of some fruit and coffee. He learned that Feyre had instructed the staff to prepare several days worth of meals, and Rhys had already sent them to the cabin. He was overwhelmed at their thoughtfulness of him when they had such a burden on their own minds. Rhys sauntered into the kitchen and offered to magic Azriel's own pack up to the cabin. Azriel accepted gratefully, after which it promptly disappeared. Rhys walked with him out to the lawn, and watched him leap into the sky toward the House of Wind.

Azriel landed on the balcony where Sidra was standing, sipping some coffee. She, too, had already eaten. He explained the logistics and she agreed. When they were ready to winnow out, he held out his hand to her. She stepped to it and put her hand in his.

"Want to kiss me?" he teased. She leaned in closer to him, putting her other hand on his chest as before. He leaned down as before and waited for her to meet him. She lifted her face to him and kissed him softly. Fear-scent wafted around them, but barely. She was anxious and nervous, but not terrified. The other scents coming from her reassured him that she wanted to do this. He put his arms around her waist under her wings and wrapped his wings around hers. "Hold on." When he sensed she was ready, he winnowed them to the perimeter of the cabin protections. He stepped back from her, then held out his hand for her. She took it and they walked up to the cabin.

It was neat and tidy as always. Feyre's paintings on every open surface fascinated Sidra. She walked around the main room and studied them briefly. When she got to the hallway, she looked a bit uncertain. He said, "You have to prepare a meal for me first. I mean, we can do what we like in the bedroom, but the meal is what solidifies the bond." She knew this, but nodded, allowing his explanation to give her time to think and relax. "They sent up plenty of food. Feyre just heated up a bowl of soup for Rhys. Nothing fancy. It's up to you."

He could tell she was going to say something she didn't expect him to like. He waited. "I feel like I need to hunt for you."

"Hunt?"

"Don't ask me why. I've been hunting all my life. It feels proper."

"All right. Lead the way." She had worn her rough pants and shirt with the boots from the first night they met. She carried a satchel but he saw no weapons. She took off the satchel and set it on the table, which appeared to have something heavy and metallic in it. She reached in and pulled out four metal balls. Two were about one inch in diameter and two were about half an inch in diameter. He peered into the satchel. There were four larger metal balls, about two inches in diameter. He picked one up.

"What do you hunt with these?" he asked.

"Humans and fae at close range." she answered. Brutal. Effective.

"Is this what you hit him with before you took out his heart?"

"Oh no. I was pissed. I picked up some shitty rocks and stoned him first." Impressive. She was brutal. No wonder she hadn't flinched from Azriel's day job. "As much as I feel like you'll appreciate this story and have plenty like it to share, this isn't really what we're here for," she said.

"Of course." he agreed. He motioned for her to lead the way.

They walked out into the bright sunshine and she headed immediately to the cover of the forest. She walked silently, and he had no trouble following her in the same manner. It didn't take her long to blend into the forest, he used his shadows to hide completely. She could tell he was there and was unafraid. It didn't take her long to spot some squirrels running along the branches of the trees. They were so fast. Surely she wasn't planning to hit one?

She was. She waited for one to stop, sprawled and nearly camouflaged along the tree trunk. It flicked its tail a few times, deciding where to go next when it fell from the tree to the ground with soft thunk. She had thrown one of the smaller balls hard and fast and with deadly accuracy. He was watching the squirrels and missed her kill throw.

She trotted to the squirrel and picked it up. He followed. Within moments she had skinned it and cleaned it with a knife she'd had in the pocket of her pants. She deftly reached up and broke a thin branch from the tree, and efficiently peeled the thin bark off the branch and sharpened one end. She skewered the squirrel and then rose, motioning Azriel to follow her. She trotted back into the clearing. "Hold this." She handed him the skewered raw squirrel. She then crouched and made a small circle of rocks, which she then filled with kindling and a few thicker sticks. She pulled a flint out of her pocket and easily made a small fire, which she coaxed to life. She took the squirrel back from Azriel and sat down on the ground, holding the squirrel out over the flame. He sat beside her.

"It's such a small animal, it won't take long to cook. I'm afraid it may not taste spectacular though." She said apologetically.

"You think I'm going to complain? At this point I'm just pleased I'm not on the skewer," he teased. She smiled. He watched her turn the skewer regularly. The meat was starting to warm up. It would be brown soon. "It may be stupid of me to ask this now," he paused. She waited. "Has a male hurt you?" She balked. "I'm asking because I don't want to do anything inadvertently that brings up bad memories or fear."

She considered his question. "Not in the way you are asking. I've seen almost nothing but brutality from males, but haven't experienced any of it personally. Not it a bedroom"

"Your first time didn't even hurt you? Scare you?" he asked gently.

"My first time was with a female," she said. He blinked in surprise. She shrugged. "Of course she understood the fear of being hurt. She was also new to this. So we figured it out together. From what I've seen, this is how all females should experience sex. For the first time, at least." He felt like she wanted to continue, so he let her. She turned the skewer again and pursed her lips, debating if she should say what she was thinking. "I decided when I was very young that I would not let a male hurt me in the bedroom, and the best way to ensure that happened, was to never take a male into my bedroom. So to speak. I've spent a lot of time living in the open. So I never have."

"Never have what?" he asked, making sure he understood what she was saying.

"I've never taken a male to my bed." She looked at him. He was stunned. And even more impressed that she had agreed to this. "Before you get the wrong idea, I'm no stranger to sex. I've just always had females."

"Are you attracted to males?" he asked, terrified of the answer. It seemed to be a common emotion when asking her questions.

"Maybe. The fear of them has always outweighed any attraction. In this case, the bond is a pretty heavy weight against it." He sat there, blinking at the revelations. She stood up, deciding that the squirrel was cooked. He stood up too. She brushed some dirt over the fire and stomped it out. When she was satisfied it was out she looked up at him. She held his gaze, looked down at her squirrel, and back up at him. With some reverence, she offered it to him. Her breath was fast. So was his. Gingerly, he reached up and took it from her hand. Without breaking eye contact he put it to his lips and took a bite from the leg, where there seemed to be the most meat. He pulled the meat into his mouth, which was way too hot and burned his tongue and cheeks.

"Ho ho oooh ow" he raised his head and bounced it around in his mouth, trying to let it cool and not have to spit it out. Finally he took it out of his mouth and held it. He looked at her, mortified. She had the grace not to laugh too hard at him but she'd covered her mouth with her hand and was silently laughing, her shoulders and wings shaking with the effort to stay quiet.

She recovered herself and said, "I'm so sorry. I should have warned you. But I was distracted and not exactly thinking about the practicalities involved here."

He blew on the meat again and tested it with his tongue. "Clearly my mind is on other things as well," he said, trying not to look ridiculous. He was sure he was failing. He popped the meat back into his mouth and chewed. It wasn't bad. It definitely had the gaminess of squirrel, but the meat was perfectly cooked and as juicy as one could expect.

"Want to walk?" he asked. She nodded and they walked back up to the cabin as he ate the rest of his meal, similar to how they had done just the day before when she ate the food on a stick from the street vendor. By the time they reached the cabin he had eaten most of what meat was on the small creature. They walked into the kitchen. Just to be safe, he used his fingers to pick the last few strings of meat off of the carcass and then dropped it into the trash.

They washed their hands at the kitchen sink. Azriel dried his on a towel and then handed it to Sidra to dry hers. She did and then deliberately sat the towel in a pile next to the sink. Azriel leaned his hip against the sink and crossed his arms. He held his wings loose and cocked his head, studying her as her eyes lingered on the towel far longer than the towel warranted. She laid her hand on the end of the counter and adjusted to lean her hip against it, mimicking Azriel's stance and the way he held his wings. She crossed her arms slowly in the same manner as he was holding his. Slowly she seemed to gather the nerve and looked him in the eye. The fear-scent bloomed faintly from her. She was anxious.

"Want to kiss me?" he teased. It worked to break the tension. She chuckled.

"Yes," she said. "May I?" she asked as she raised her hand to his chest.

"Yes," he answered. Not moving. She stepped closer to him and laid her hand on his chest, staring at her own hand. She raised her eyes and then leaned up to kiss him. He leaned down to meet her. She kissed him softly, and then with more pressure. She leaned into him and inhaled deeply through her nose. Pleasure exploded in him. He felt the bond snap into place with a jolt. He put one hand on her lower back and the other around the back of her neck, and pulled her closer to him, moaning as she pressed against him. She moved her hips against him harder and he moaned again. She pulled back a bit and started quickly unbuttoning his shirt. He reached back and deftly unbuttoned the ones under his wings. She made to pull his shirt off. His arms got caught in the sleeves ungracefully but he untangled himself, then tossed the shirt away and pulled her back to him. She undid his belt and started unbuttoning his pants while continuing a long, urgent kiss. When the pants fell to the floor he pushed her back a bit with his lips, then with his hands pushed her back at the hips. He bent down to remove his boots and socks and then kicked off his pants. While he was crouched on the floor, he reached out to her foot.

"May I?" he asked. She moved her foot for him. Then she watched as he united her laces and took off her boots. He hooked a finger in the top of one of her socks and she lifted, pulling her sock off. He repeated the same motion with the other sock. Then he put his hands on the outside of each ankle and moved them up the outside of her legs. When his hands reached her hips he paused and looked up at her. She was breathing heavily and her eyes were half closed. He moved his hands to the center of her pants and asked again, "May I?" She nodded. He unbuttoned her pants and slid them down her legs. He again ran his hands along the outside of her thighs and stood up, this time his hands moved up under her shirt, which she unbuttoned and removed. She then removed the material she wore that covered her breasts. He took one in each hand and cupped them. He leaned down and sucked each nipple she moaned and pushed them toward his mouth.

He broke away from her nipples and then kissed her on the mouth, holding her breasts in his hands and pinching her nipples. She kissed him back hungrily as she moved her hands down to hook her fingers in his underpants and pull them down. He reached down to free himself from the underpants and dropped them. Then he took her hand and led her down the hallway to the bedroom he had always used. He turned to face her. He interlaced his fingers with hers and put his free hand around her neck, pulling her closer. Her free hand moved down to touch him. He moaned at the touch. She ran the back of her fingers up his length and back down, then she closed her hand around him and pressed. She pulled up, making him gasp softly. She moved her hand down to the base and back up. His eyes closed with pleasure and he laid his hand lightly on hers. "Show me," she said.

He opened his eyes and looked down into hers. He adjusted her grip slightly and then closed his hand around hers. He began moving her hand to a slow rhythm, his breath getting heavier. "Keep going," she said and moved her hand a bit more urgently. He tilted his head to the side and inhaled deeply, slowing her hand. "I'm going to need to take my time." She said. "Let's take care of your urgency. Just let it go." She continued moving her hand under his urgently. He didn't want to finish so early, but recognized the practicality of her suggestion. He let go of his pride and leaned back into the wall. He rested his head back against the wall and sighed as he began moving his hand with hers faster. Faster, he closed his hand tighter around hers as the pressure built. Faster.

It didn't take long for him to release, groaning deeply and wetting their hands. He pumped twice, then once slower, then stopped. He held his hand over hers and rested for a moment. Breathing deeply. His breath returned to normal although his heart was still beating fast. He opened his eyes and looked into hers. She was looking at his face, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. She leaned up and kissed him gently, which he returned. Not moving his hand from hers, he moved his other hand from where it had been laying lightly on her hips to the base of her head. He held her face close to his for a moment and kissed her deeply. She hummed with pleasure. He pulled back, looked her in the eyes and kissed her once more, quickly on the lips.

He pushed her back gently and they broke apart. He walked to the bathroom and grabbed a hand towel, which he wetted quickly and then walked back into the bedroom and took her hand, wiping it clean. She watched him with a curious expression, but said nothing. When her hand was clean, he went back to the bathroom and finished cleaning himself. When he came out, she was sitting on the side of the bed with her feet on the floor. Her wings were splayed open so they rested comfortably on the bed, but she was sitting rather stiff, her hands clasped in her lap and legs together. She had removed her underpants. She pursed her lips to the side in a "what now?" expression and looked at him. The fear-scent was back, but he was pleased to realize this was entirely within what he might expect for any female who was taking a new male to her bed for the first time.

He paused in the doorway for a second, studying her. She was beautiful. Powerful. Strong. Nervous. And she was choosing to trust him. Emotion bloomed inside him. He crossed the room to the opposite side of the large bed and crawled on his hands and knees to the center of it. He laid on his back, wings spread across the entire bed. She turned and watched him as he did so, that nervous smile coming back to her lips and a question in her eyes. He held up both hands and motioned for her to come to him. She shifted, put a knee on the bed and crawled slowly to the center of the bed. He guided one leg over him and put his hand gently on the back of her upper thigh, pulling her gently to him. "You're in control. Do what you like. I'm not going to move anything until you ask me to."

She straddled him, her hands on his stomach for balance and considered him for a moment. Then she relaxed a bit and rested her weight fully across his hips. She moved her hands up the center of his stomach, chest and then to either side of his head. She rested her weight on her hands, careful to avoid his wings and leaned down to kiss him. He kissed her back, first gently, then she kissed him with more force and he responded, his tongue mingling with hers. She tilted her head back pulling away from the kiss and exposing her neck to him. He kissed down her neck and along her shoulder. "May I?" he asked as he moved his hand lightly across her butt and up along her spine, close to where her wings met her back.

"Yes," she breathed. He moved his hand the length of her back along the crook of her wing and then back lightly down to the soft flesh of her rear, judging where along her spine she responded most. He repeated the motion, lingering and playing lightly in a few places as he went. Higher pitched noises escaped from her as she held her head back and her wings up and open, encouraging him to brush his hands along all the sensitive areas along her back and inside of her wings.

She leaned down and kissed him again. Hard. Open and wanting. The fear-scent had faded. The mating bond was finally winning out. She shifted her weight slightly so that she no longer was supporting her weight with her right hand and slid it down his chest. Oh gods, he thought. She's ready. She shifted her knees back a bit so that she was resting lower across him. She stroked him a few times, feeling the hardness in her hand, then she shifted her hips and guided him to the soft, wet, and very warm place he had been waiting for. She moved her hips a bit, so that just his tip sunk into her. They both moaned. She held steady for a moment and rested her forehead on his chest. "Take your time," he said softly. One hand was still fingering a sensitive spot on the inside of her wing, up near her shoulder blade and the other was resting on her hip, applying no pressure whatsoever. She took a breath and moved to take him deeper. They both moaned again. Without waiting, she moved again, this time pushing him completely inside of her. If he hadn't had the quick release a few minutes before, he would have totally lost it then. She held him for a moment, not moving. She opened her eyes and looked at him, her mouth open and breath ragged. "Take your time," he said again. "Find an angle you like." She held his gaze and moved up against him, then back down. Her eyes closed as she inhaled deeply and a high noise escaped her throat. She moved against him more, establishing a rhythm. She then adjusted her hips and continued, pressing him against her in a different spot inside her. He moved both of his hands to her hips, pulling on her hips with her motions but following her lead. She'd adjust to a new movement and he would adjust his accordingly. At times she lay flat against him and kissed his neck while she moved at times she arched her back away from him or sat completely straight while she moved her hips on him. At one point she put both of her hands on his chest and held her body not quite upright against him. She moaned deeper and moved with more force against him. He slid his hand around to her front and pressed his thumb against the sensitive spot just above where he entered her. She inhaled quickly and pressed against him. He increased the pressure and held his hand steady for her to rub against his thumb while she rocked her hips on him. He could feel the tension building in her hips and thighs and against him inside her. "Yes," he breathed. She continued, tension building. "Yes, yes yes," he breathed in rhythm with her movement. "Oh, oh oh," she said, with him, her voice getting higher with each one.

Tension was building in him too. He inhaled deeply to control it, but she kept moving. Faster and faster. She was so close. "Yes!" he said louder. He couldn't help it, he released with a spasm inside her. She pumped twice more and convulsed around him with a yell. "Oh thank the gods," he said. Her fists clenched tightly on his chest, her hips spasming around him. Her wings fluttered and vibrated quickly in the unmistakable manner of a female in rapture. They continued moving together a few more times. He sat up to kiss her, she opened her eyes and met him. She moved her hands from his chest and put both of them around his neck, pulling him into a hard kiss. She put her tongue deep inside his mouth and he sucked. She moaned again with the intense kiss and the last movement of their hips together.

She pushed him back to the bed, kissed him again more gently, and then buried her head in his neck. She kept the opposite hand around the back of his neck with some pressure, to indicate she didn't want him to move away from her. She moved her other hand along his shoulder. He dragged his hand lightly from her hips, along the sensitive area under her wing. She shivered again and purred. He dragged his hand lightly farther along her shoulder to meet her hand at his shoulder, and then interlaced his fingers with hers. She sighed and relaxed completely into him. His other hand remained on her hips.

He took stock of what had just happened. How in the name of the Mother had he convinced a female he just met, who was terrified of males, to not only take him to bed, but become his mate? He shook his head mentally in disbelief.

She spoke and broke his thought process. "Why didn't anyone tell me about that?"

He smirked, amused.

"No. I mean the tingling feeling from your seed."

He chuckled again. "I'm sure there were plenty of males who tried to tell you. You just didn't listen or didn't believe them." he said. He stroked her hair.

"I'm pretty sure no one was quite specific enough. That's what pushed me to the edge. It's like I became much more sensitive and everything tingled when you came." She raised her head and looked him in the eye. She half-shrugged with a bit of shyness. "Clearly I appreciated the help." He laughed and kissed her.

"I could tell." He kissed her again. "It's not what I intended but I'm glad you approve." He kissed her again and then shifted. "Here," he said grunting. "Tuck in your wings and roll over." He tucked his wing in closely to his body and lifted her a bit to shift her off of him. He slid out of her.

"Eew," she said. He laughed again and shrugged, "It happens." She rolled off of him completely without grace and dug an elbow into the edge of his wing, near the bone. "Ouch" he said involuntarily.

"Oh gods. I'm sorry" she apologized. He shifted to pull his wing out from under her. She shifted at the same time but misjudged and dug her elbow into him again in the same spot. "Ouch!" he said louder.

"I'm sorry! By the Mother I certainly didn't expect to hurt you." she exclaimed, mortified. He laughed as he finally extricated himself out from under her.

"It's fine." He kissed her lips again quickly and firmly. "I'll survive." He kissed her again. "Although maybe you should pay special attention to my wings later to make sure you didn't damage them," he said teasingly, with another kiss. She laughed lightly and lay back on the bed as he got up and went to the bathroom. He cleaned himself with a warm wet rag and then wet another for her. When he came back into the bedroom she was lying on the bed with her wings splayed, one arm over her head and looking out the window. Her legs were crossed at the ankles and the other hand lay across her stomach. By the gods she was beautiful.

He crossed the room and walked on his knees across the foot of the bed to her thighs and sat back on his feet. "May I?" he asked and touched the inside of her thigh, just above the knee. She looked at him questioningly. He held up the cloth in answer. She didn't understand but bent her knee to open her legs. She watched as he guided her leg wider and then gently wiped her thighs, starting farther down and working up on each leg. He then gently parted the wet flesh between her legs and wiped the seed and excess slickness off her. He folded the rag once and then pressed along her opening, barely pressing the cloth between the sensitive opening. "Squeeze," he said.

"What?"

"Well. Push. It'll reduce the need to do this again when you stand up." She pushed. He gathered the seed in the cloth, folded it again and wiped again gently. He then pulled back his hand and wadded up the cloth. He stood up off the end of the bed.

"That," she said emphatically, "was the sexiest thing you've done all day." He laughed.

"Thanks," he said dryly. "That was definitely not what I intended you to take away from this." She laughed heartily but didn't take back the comment.

He tossed the dirty rag in the bathing room and came back to the bedroom. She was still lying as he'd left her, with her legs parted. He made a show of cocking his head and taking in the view. He smiled and waggled his eyebrows at her. She smiled back, comfortable in his gaze. "Lying there open to me like that. Comfortable...it's the sexiest thing you've done all day," he said. She laughed. She tucked her wing close to her body so that he could lay next to her. He lay on his side and propped his head on one hand while he placed the other on her stomach. He leaned over and kissed her gently on the mouth. She returned the kiss and sighed contentedly.

"So that's it?" she asked.

"You are killing my self-esteem," he said with a smirk.

"I mean. We're mates? It's done? Forever?"

He nodded. "As far as I understand, yes. What might we be missing?"

She shrugged. "Nothing I guess. It's just. For something so serious I expected...that was...fun." she said a bit shyly.

"That's better," he said. "I'm glad you think so. And I'm glad I didn't hurt you." He moved his hand in the center of her chest. His thumb moved against the bottom of her breast.

"Well. I didn't expect you to. Not in that way." she said. It was his turn to look at her, completely baffled. She elaborated. "I've been with females. We need props. You think your self-esteem is injured now, then you need to stay out of a particular drawer in my room." He tilted his head back and roared a laugh, then groaned in mock pain. "You are such a pain in the ass," he said with a laugh.

"Again. If you're opposed to that, then..." she started laughing again. He roared in laughter again, putting his arm around her hips and pulling her closer to him. He buried his head in her neck and laughed. The comments were funny, but he was laughing with relief that she was trusting him. He held her as their laughter stopped.

She put her hand up to run through his hair. It was the first time she'd done such a casually intimate touch. Her hand explored the texture of his hair, the curves of his ear, and the shape of the back of his neck. A question bubbled inside her. He waited.

"I haven't slept much since we came to the Night Court. Before that we were sleeping hard in the open country in short shifts. Do you mind if..."

He raised his head and looked at her incredulously. "Are you asking a male if - after sex - he minds taking a nap? You really haven't done this with a male before, have you?" He laughed again. He rolled over and got up. He motioned for her to shift over as he pulled the bedding back and and then arranged the pillows. He tossed the heavy top quilts to the foot of the bed and pulled up the sheet, then crawled under it. He lay on his side with his wings out behind him and extended his arm, motioning for her to lay her head on his shoulder. She eyed him suspiciously.

"Now what?" he asked. A coy smile played on her lips.

"Your arm looks a bit too thick. I'm wondering if I'll have a crick in my neck if I sleep there," she laughed.

"Unbelievable." he said laughing. "My arm is not what I was worried about being too thick. Another few hours alone with you and any self-esteem I have left will be completely wiped out."

"I'll make it work," she said with pretend seriousness. She snuggled into his arm, resting on her own so that her head rested comfortably. She stretched her wings straight out behind her and shook them with effort. Then she relaxed them onto the bed. He reached down and pulled the sheet up to their waists. They intertwined their legs. He put his hand on the base of her spine under her wings and held her to him as he tented his wing over them. She took three deliberate deep breaths, then settled. Within a few more breaths she was asleep. He lay there listening to her sleeping, contented breathing. After a few minutes, he too, fell asleep, impossibly happy.

Another Hunt

They spent the rest of the day in full mating frenzy, barely taking time to eat finger foods from the kitchen, bathe and nap. The next morning after sex Sidra suggested they go for another hunt. When they were dressed and in the dining room she opened her satchel that was still sitting on the dining table. She rummaged a bit with her hands and pulled out three small, oblong metal objects that she slipped into her pocket. She also pulled out what appeared to be a slingshot and a smaller bag that was empty, which she put into a different pocket. She motioned that she was ready to go. He cocked his head in question. She pulled out the metal objects.

"Humans make such things and call them bullets. They have crude metal weapons that shoot them at great speed, but they are not very accurate. I've learned from years of experience that if you want an object to fly straight, you need to put some spin on it. I've experimented for a while and found this shape works best, and the grooves spinning along the edges add to the spin and the accuracy."

"How far is your range?" he asked.

"Far," she smiled.

"It may be stupid of me to ask this now," he paused. She waited. "What convinced you? Was it the stories they told you last night? Or had you already decided and just asked for the stories to torture me?" She chuckled.

"It was Rhys's story. About Under the Mountain." He was surprised. That was by far the worst story, and possibly the thing that most tied his stomach in knots every time he thought about it to this day. "You are loyal to him but you aren't a sycophant. Also he is powerful but I think he truly loves his people and his family more than power." Smart, he thought. And practical. They had left the cabin and were walking in no particular direction he could tell. He followed her lead.

"I've told you I'm most afraid of a cage," she continued. "Cages from small males come in the form of being tied to making babies and having your wings clipped, along with all of the petty abuse such males dish out. This is clearly not you. I had come to that realization on my own already. Although Feyre's story about you feeling up her wings helped." She smiled at him.

"Cages from powerful males come from their lust for more power or fear of losing what they have. Any powerful person they know is either an enemy to be vanquished, or an ally to be roped into their service. I didn't get this impression from Rhys, but his story last night convinced me of this. Your bonds to him are stronger than an oath of fealty. They are a bond of love. That I can accept.

"Cages from males in between are much harder to spot. I've nearly been caught a few times. With you I was trying to figure out what form it might take."

"And have you figured out how I might cage you?" he asked quietly. He was thinking back to her statement on the bridge that she wasn't afraid of him. It dawned on him that she was afraid of Rhys. This explained her challenges to him and nearly open hostility. It also explained the blooms of fear when Azriel got close to her.

"I don't think you will." She looked as if she was going to add to this, but didn't.

"I hoped it might have been the whorehouse story." He made the joke to lighten the mood.

"Oh yeah? By the way, exactly what were you doing with those females?" Her eyes twinkled as she joked with him. His heart leapt.

"That is information that will definitely be traded for something of equal value. Maybe some similar stories about previous females and this mysterious drawer." She threw her head back and laughed heartily. "Deal." she said as she continued up the side of the mountain. He followed, taking in her movements.

She was completely in her element. Her scent even changed to blend in with the forest. She walked silently, even as she deftly sprang over rocks or low spots. Her hair was loose in the breeze and her wings were held open to maintain her balance. At one point she stopped, deciding which direction to go. She said to him, "Let's go this way," motioning to the left and up the mountain, "over the hot spring."

"How do you know there is a hot spring?" he asked.

"I've been living here for a long time. I've been to it before." she said. He knew it was a lie but didn't say anything. His spirits fell.

"I'm sorry. Wait. Old habits." She took a deep breath and continued speaking. "I have been to it before but that isn't how I know it is there. I can feel it there."

"Feel it?" he asked. He was pleased she had decided to confess this to him.

"The way you can tell that the patch of carpet on the floor next to your feet has been warmed in the sun, before you actually move your foot to touch it." He thought she was going to expand on this, but didn't, so he changed the subject

"Where do you prefer your hunting companion to go?" he asked.

"I usually hunt alone. Even when there are others available. People talk too much." she said roughly. She looked at him to soften the statement, meaning she wasn't complaining about him. He pointed to his head and cocked his head in question. She balked in surprise, but nodded. He reached into her mind and encountered a sheer granite wall. He tapped gently. The granite opened into a small cave open at the top with a sky that mimicked their current sky, which was a clear bright blue with a few long clouds stretching lazily across. It was the first time he had attempted to enter her mind and speak to her.

In her mind, she was sitting comfortably on a roughly cut granite stone that allowed her to lean back and stretch her legs. As a top she was wearing only a narrow, rough-spun cloth that was looped behind her neck, crossed at her throat and covered each breast - barely - and then continued around down behind her back under her wings, where it crossed again over her spine and then was tied in a knot above her navel. She was wearing loose pants that were also tied with a drawstring, except they were short. Very short. They covered her rear as she sat down but exposed all of her long, muscled legs. They were made of the same cloth as her makeshift halter top. Boots were sitting next to her chair, but her feet were bare and soaking in the shallow water before her. She was showing him herself, as she was most comfortable. He was pleased with the view and the trust.

The mind-Sidra spoke, I guess it shouldn't surprise me that the Shadowsinger can mind speak. But I hadn't really thought of it since you hadn't reached out. Even Rhys politely tapped my mind with a claw at dinner the first night. You are true to your word of always asking permission, she said with a smile. Jealousy bloomed inside him at the thought of Rhys attempting a private conversation with her, but he tamped it down.

Is this better? he asked. We can talk without making noise to disturb the hunt.

It is. They walked on. She decided it was easier to concentrate on what she was doing if she let him in on that too, so as they walked, their conversation was interspersed with her thoughts on the hunt - scents she identified on the air, names of plants, thoughts of direction. Occasionally she'd give him an instruction and point with her real hand while saying in her head, Don't step there, the rock is loose. Step there. She was extremely disciplined. Her mind space was strong and organized. Her thoughts were deliberate and flowed in a clear logic. She would question something she saw, answer herself, then make a decision what to do next. She kept in the shadows with very little effort or conscious decisions.

Several times she bent down, flicked a knife out of her pocket and cut some plants. Azriel held out his hand to carry them. She pulled a small bag out of another pocket and handed it to him. He filled it as she handed him things to carry. One time she said a plant's name but he knew it by another. He asked. She explained where she'd first heard the name and knew of a few other names used by people in different areas. Over the centuries the names of some plants had changed. Others not. Some she named herself, based on its function or where she first found it. He was surprised to recognize a few names that she had invented. She explained how she named it and began using the name with the local people. Because her name made more sense to them, they began calling it by her name, which eventually became the common one.

At one point she caught a scent in the air. He didn't notice it until she pointed it out. She leapt into the air and he followed silently. They made a long, low swooping arc and landed on a different side of a meadow. They walked silently some more. She spotted a few deer in the forest, out of range of arrow shot. She crouched and pulled out her slingshot. He crouched behind her and watched, fascinated. She gauged the distance, the height of a particular doe, and the wind. The ground between them and the prey was nearly flat, and the doe's shoulders were the height of the tall grass. Sidra watched for another moment, completely still.

She reached into her pocket and, without taking her eyes off the doe, fitted a bullet into the sling. She held her left arm straight and rested her right hand with the bullet and the sling on her mid forearm. Then in one fluid and silent motion she stood up, held the slingshot out straight, pulled the sling back to her chin and let loose. The bullet moved so fast even Azriel's fae eyes couldn't follow it. She waited. A second later the doe reared, took about two steps and fell, dead. The rest of the herd, along with birds and other animals in the area scattered with a racket. Without looking back, she trotted silently to the doe. Azriel followed. She crouched and touched it, conforming it was dead. She had made a clean shot through the heart and killed it almost instantly.

Azriel was thoroughly impressed. This was not a shot many other fae he knew could have made, certainly not so easily and without magic. As near as he could judge, the bullet flew so fast that it had dropped very little in flight, and hadn't curved to the side more than an inch before it found its mark. They field dressed the doe and were just getting ready to head back with the doe when he felt the familiar claw tap politely on his shield. A request. He left Sidra's mind and allowed Rhys to enter. Azriel then conveyed the update from Rhys. Since they were finished hunting and Rhys was continuing to complain in his head, Azriel spoke aloud to Sidra.

"Petra is awake and insisting to come see you. She is...having trouble believing you came up here willingly with a strange male." He skipped the exasperation and swearing in Rhys's continuing rant.

"Sure. Does Rhys want to winnow her up here? We'll meet at the cabin?"

"Manon and Petra are coming, along with Feyre and Cass." he said.

"Why all of them?" she asked.

"There has been some...negotiation. Petra refuses to travel alone with a strange male, but seems to assume he will be better-behaved if his pregnant mate comes with them," his wry look made her laugh. "If only she knew Feyre, she might feel safer with Rhys," he joked.

"All right but why is Cassian coming?" Azriel shrugged. "Entertainment value?" he offered. She laughed heartily.

"We are definitely related," she said. She picked up the doe by the back legs, stepped to him, and turned her back so he could wrap his hands along her waist to winnow to the cabin.

"Oh no," he said. "If I show up letting you carry that doe, Cass will never let me live it down. I don't care if you're stronger than me," he said as she started to argue. It was the first time he'd admitted his suspicion to her. She didn't correct him and handed him the doe. Instead of turning her back to him, now that she wasn't carrying the doe, she faced him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She smiled and kissed his lips. He paused a moment to enjoy the kiss and inhale her scent. Then he put his free arm firmly around her waist and winnowed to just outside the cabin's protective shield. She immediately took a step away from him, spread her wings and leapt into the air. He followed.

Discussion at the Cabin

When the cabin came within sight, the back door burst open and Petra came running out. Manon was following a few steps behind.

"Sidra! What are you doing here? They told me you have taken a mate? What the hell?" Petra slammed into Sidra with a rough hug. Sidra hugged her back and sank into her for a moment.

"I'm so glad you're okay. Those arrows would have been really bad news if these males hadn't arrived when they did. I got hit in the wing so it would have been hard for me to fly you back to a healer." Azriel noted that Sidra ignored every one of Petra's questions. Petra noticed too. She took a step back and looked questioningly at Sidra, then over Sidra's shoulder at Azriel. This was the first time she had really seen him. She glared at him, as if he had stolen something.

Sidra attempted to relieve the tension. "Petra, this is Azriel. He pulled the arrows out of you and carried you back to the Night court."

"And he's your mate now?" Petra asked, disbelieving what she had been told.

"Yes," she confirmed simply. Petra appeared completely confused. "He's nice." Sidra said by way of clarification. Petra's expression conveyed that this did not clarify anything. She made no attempt to hide her critical appraisal of him. She took in every detail of his clothing, his body, the way he held his wings, his expression, and the dead deer he was carrying. She did not appear impressed.

"Nice to meet you," Petra said flatly.

"Likewise," Azriel said with an overly pleasant tone and the most innocent smile he could manage. This appeared to shock Petra, who balked. Azriel chuckled to himself and spoke into Sidra's head. He was pleased to find that she had left it open to him.

Is she surprised that I can speak at all or surprised that I can speak pleasantly? He asked.

Both. Sidra said. She laughed in her head and smiled openly to Petra.

"Let's roast a deer for our rescuers." Sidra said. Petra considered a moment and seemed to decide this was an acceptable change of conversation, so she turned and followed Sidra up the hill to the cabin.

Sidra and her friends efficiently skinned the deer, butchered it, and started a fire. Sidra seasoned it with some of the plants she'd picked in the morning, along with some salt and a few spices from the kitchen. Cassian found some vegetables in the kitchen and together they roasted a meal. The six of them sat comfortably - at least physically comfortably - out on the porch while the food cooked. The conversation was a little stiff, but Cassian's jokes and antics helped to lighten the mood a bit and coax the wary females into conversation.

At one point Feyre shifted in her spot and groaned lightly as she put her hand on her belly. Rhys's face was full of concern. Cassian's was too.

"When are you due?" Petra asked. "It appears close to your time. The last couple of weeks seem to be miserable for everyone," she offered.

"About two weeks." Feyre answered.

"Is something wrong?" Petra asked. "I'm sorry. I can't help but noticed you all look way more worried than we'd expect," she continued quickly and held up her hands in apology when Feyre looked at her with an expression that confirmed the answer to her question.

There was silence for a few minutes before Feyre answered. "I am not an Illyrian. Illyrian females deliver babies with wings all the time, but fae do not. The baby has wings, so we are expecting the birth to be...difficult." Azriel bloomed with pride and Feyre's courage to state this to a stranger and pangs of love for her and Rhys. He had failed them.

"But you can do the cut. It's not ideal but that shouldn't be such a big problem." Petra responded, confused that she was missing something.

"I'm not willing to overtly sacrifice my mate for the sake of the baby." Rhys said darkly.

"What? No! That's not...you don't have healers that can deliver babies safely with the incision?" Petra asked, alarmed. Manon and Sidra had both frozen as well. Alarm wafted down the bond from Sidra to Azriel.

Feyre replied. "What do you mean? You've seen this done? Both mother and baby survive?" Petra was nodding emphatically.

"Can you do this?" Rhys asked the three of them.

Sidra answered for them. "We've all seen it done. We've assisted many times and I've done one by myself. If I had to doit right this moment I would, and it would probably be fine. But with the wings and without anyone here who has done this for a baby with wings, I'd feel better fetching one of the more experienced healers from home."

"How do the mothers bear the pain from this?" Azriel asked. He was terrified of the answer.

Sidra was, again, the one to reply. "We use needles to numb the area. They don't feel anything."

"What needles?" Rhys demanded.

"Well I don't have any here. But I can make some and show you." Sidra said

"Show me." Rhys demanded.

"Sure" Sidra replied. She didn't even bristle and the command in his voice.

"Sidra!" Petra exclaimed as if Sidra had revealed something she shouldn't have.

Sidra rolled her eyes at Petra. "There is a hot spring nearby. It won't take long to make some."

"Sidra!" Petra exclaimed with even more alarm.

She motioned to Azriel while looking at Petra. "I fucked him. A lot. The least I could do is show him some handicrafts." Petra snorted, disgusted. Azriel was mildly pleased with the candid statement. Cassian grinned at Azriel. Azriel shrugged as if to say "What did you expect?" Cassian beamed proudly as if Azriel had never bedded a female before. Sidra continued quietly, "Besides. She's close. And she misses me." This seemed to be the end of the argument for Petra.

Rhys's eyebrows shot up at Sidra's statement. "Who?" he said.

"Mother," she said simply. Before he could ask anything more, Sidra asked the group, "Can I have a blade?" Cassian immediately pulled his favorite knife out of its sheath and offered it to her. "No, brother. I'm not going to give this one back. I'm going to melt it down." Cassian yelped as if in pain and quickly sheathed his knife as he went inside the cabin and started looking in random spots. Under the second couch cushion he pulled out a standard Illyrian dagger in its sheath. He handed it to her. Sidra unsheathed it, turned it over, and resheathed it. "Nice. Thank you." She went back inside and into the kitchen and opened a few cabinets. She found a large granite mortar and pestle. She left the pestle on the counter but carried the mortar and knife to the edge of the porch. Rhys was watching her like a hawk. She stopped and motioned to the group. "Well? Come on,"

The Hot Spring

They winnowed to the hot spring. Sidra turned and asked Cassian if she could borrow his siphon again. He removed the one from his left hand and placed it and its leather sheath in her hand with a questioning look. She nodded thanks and turned to walk closer to the hot spring. Azriel cast a shield around the rest of the group. She heard it pop into place and turned, shooting him an annoyed look. He shrugged and smiled unapologetically. He didn't lower the shield. She smiled back and smirked. She turned and walked a bit further toward the hot spring. The hot water came out of the rock from the bottom of a sheer cliff about twenty feet high. The cliff formed the edge of the spring and the border of the lake on one side. The area near the spring was shallow and hot, but the water cooled as it flowed into the lake. The lake wasn't large but it was deep enough that this high in the mountains it was cold. Azriel knew ice would cover half of the lake that was farthest from the spring in the winter. The cliff extended away from the water in a nearly straight line for a few hundred yards until it disappeared into the mountainside. Below the cliff was a relatively flat and small meadow of rich soil and knee-high grass and wildflowers.

"Um," said Sidra as she studied the grass. "It would probably be a good idea to get all of this damp. Can you do that?" she asked Feyre. Feyre nodded and a wave of water from the lake sloshed over the meadow, covering it in a thin layer of water.

Sidra held the siphon in her left hand with her right hand on top of it. She held both hands out in a fist in front of her. She appeared to squeeze her shoulders in slightly, and a bolt of red shot out of her hands and into the base of the cliff near the water, which exploded. Pebbles rained down on Azriel's shield. She pursed her lips and stared at the rock for a moment. Fresh steam was drifting out of a new place in the rock near the water. She cocked her head in thought for a moment. Then, without comment, she turned on her heel and walked back to the group. She handed Cassian back his siphon and said thank you. Then she asked Azriel. "Can I try yours? Yours feels different." He nodded his head in a "sure, why not" motion and took off the leather strap holding his left siphon. He wondered vaguely when she had felt how his siphon worked.

She walked back to the same area and stood in the same stance, but a few steps farther away from the spring. This time she made a pulling motion with her right fingers, as if she was grabbing a large handful of straw from a bin. She slowly pulled her hand toward her, with a closed fist. Steam shot out of a new crack in the rock. "Ah! I got it." she exclaimed, as if she had figured out a puzzle. She walked a few more paces from the hot spring and closer to the cliff face. She started intently at the ground, and, as if she was following some invisible line, tracked the line a few more paces. At one point she stopped and put her hands to the ground, then on the rock wall a few feet from the bottom. Blue lines spread from the siphon onto the rock. She held out her hands and backed away from the rock, motioning as if she was pulling an invisible rope that was taught. After a few steps, she jerked her hands toward her chest as if yanking the invisible rope. The blue lines in the rock shot toward her with a cracking sound. A cleft appeared in the side of the rock that grew down toward the flat ground. A low rumble continued as if the crack was growing deep underground. After a few moments, lava began seeping from the newest crack in the rock and onto the grass. It flowed like cool honey in a stream that was a few inches thick. Heat immediately washed over them and they instinctively took a step back. The breeze blew the heat toward them and they each moved again. Rhys protectively stood between Feyre and the brunt of the heat wave.

"Nice," said Manon appreciatively. "You learned a few things yesterday." Sidra laughed but did not turn around and wasn't distracted from her job. She was much closer to the heat source but it didn't bother her. She hadn't even broken a sweat. Satisfied with the lava flow, she returned to the group. She handed Azriel his siphon and took the mortar from Manon. She walked over to the lava and scooped some up into the mortar. It cooled and formed a dark crust quickly as she walked back to the group. Petra came as close as she could to inspect it, her brows furrowed. "You smell that?" asked Sidra. Sidra poked the lava with her finger a few times to mix it, the way she might do with a stew she was cooking and assessing for seasoning.

"Yeah," said Petra with disgust. "Too much aluminum. It might be acceptable for other purposes, but for this I wouldn't risk it." Azriel could feel the alarm growing in Rhys beside him.

Easy, he said into Rhys's mind. She hasn't given up. Rhys' eyes flickered to Azriel, acknowledging the statement but didn't reply.

"Dammit. I'll have to do this the hard way." Sidra sat the mortar down onto the grass, careful not to spill any of the lava. To Azriel's surprise, she removed her pants and shirt so that she was standing there in only her underpants, which were essentially the same shorts she wore in her mind. Only this fabric was thin and transparent. She turned and held her wings so that she shielded the view from the others and walked back to the lava. She knelt next to the flow and held her wings straight up, away from the heat of the lava. Azriel created a shadow over her breasts that were now exposed to the group. She giggled and shifted in the shadows. She looked back at him with a thank you and then plunged her hands into the flow that was slowly moving away from the rock.

She can feel your shadows? Rhys asked in Azriel's head.

I guess so, Azriel thought back with a mental shrug. That's news to me.

I guess that is something to explore later more thoroughly, Rhys said with a low chuckle. Azriel smiled. Yes, it most certainly was. The show of unexpected power apparently had reassured Rhys enough to calm him down a bit. Azriel gathered from his scent and stance that Rhys believed that it was possible to safely deliver the baby. He was far from calm, but even this amount of relief from months of terror was welcome. It struck Azriel as extremely odd that Rhys had so easily put some faith in her. This was not the time to explore that line of thinking, however.

Steam erupted from the lava flow as the grey crust broke when Sidra pierced it with her hands. Azriel could see the orange glow beneath the crust. She soaked her hands for a moment and then withdrew them. They were also a bright, deep orange. She took a few steps away from the flow and motioned for Petra to toss her the blade. Sidra caught it neatly in her right hand and immediately cupped it between them. She squeezed it between them, as if she were making a snowball. After a moment she turned back to the crack in the rock and made a yanking motion, as if she was yanking a rope to unwind on a spindle. Another few inches of lava flowed from the cleft, brighter and hotter than what was cooling on the surface. She plunged her left hand into it as she held the melted steel in her right, which was cooling. She again made the snowball motion. He realized she was melting the blade with her own hands. When she deemed the molten metal hot enough, she began stretching it in a motion that reminded him of taffy makers pulling taffy. She plunged her left hand into the lava a few more times and then when the steel seemed the right temperature, she held her right hand high and let it drip from her hands, making a long drop that hardened into a thin rod of steel as it cooled. She hurried over to Petra, snapped it off at the top and gently laid the long, thin, stiff rod on a rock. Petra picked it up with some pot holders and ran her fingers down it gently. After a moment she touched the steel with her bare fingers, and twisted it between her thumb and index finger, assessing the wire.

"Its flawless, of course, but I think its too thin for a spinal block," she said. She looked at Sidra. "It's very nice though. It will be good for more delicate procedures."

Sidra frowned. "Yes, I thought so. The Illyrian steel is softer and melted faster than I expected." Cassian made an offended noise. She looked up at Cassian and continued quickly. "That's not a bad thing. In the cold weather it means the Illyrian steel blades aren't as brittle as foreign blades. They also respond much faster to light feathering, so it is easy to sharpen them quickly, even while within a battle. All you have to do is scrape the blade down another a few times. The softer steel will tend to nick a bit more, but that just winds up acting as a serrated blade, which isn't always a bad thing either."

Cassian grinned widely. "You sound like our weapons master. He taught us the same thing." She was pleased she hadn't offended him and immediately returned to the lava.

"If our weapons master looked and dressed like that I would have paid more attention," said Azriel. Cassian looked at him with a pleading look.

"Oh come on. She's my sister," he said. Azriel snickered, pleased to give Cass some of what he gave.

Sidra started over again, but this time Azriel could tell, barely, that she heated her hands up a bit less, and let the steel cool just a second or so more before she drew it out into a long wire. From a distance it appeared to be the same as the first, but when Petra inspected it she found it to be perfect. Sidra sat the remaining metal onto a bare patch of rock so it would not catch the grass on fire. Petra pulled a file out of her pocket and expertly broke the stiff wires into approximately four-inch long pieces. Between the two long rods, she made about twelve needle forms. She then held her left hand out flat with her fingers together. She began poking the sticks between her fingers, staggered about an inch. With all of them close together, Azriel could see the difference in thickness. He was impressed with Sidra's precision. Petra held her hand out to Sidra, who deftly folded the top of each stick into a T shape. She molded each exactly the same, being careful not to burn Petra with her hot hand. When she finished the batch between Petra's fingers, Petra blew on them to make sure the newly folded needle forms were cool enough to hold their shape. She then set them gently down on the rock. Petra then repeated the action with the remaining four in her hand, which Sidra folded. Azriel noticed that she folded the thinner, more delicate needles with a bit less force. Petra asked the group, "Do you have a whetstone at the cabin for us to sharpen these?"

"Are you kidding?" Cassian asked. Of course they had a whetstone.

As soon as Sidra was done folding the metal, she backed away from Petra and held her hands together, which slightly disappeared into the shadowy stripe Azriel held over her breasts like a tube top. She looked back at the lava flow and out onto the water. She looked at Petra and Manon in a silent question. Manon answered out loud. "Well while we're here we might as well make some bank." Sidra chuckled and nodded in agreement. She walked back toward the lava flow, stopped halfway and removed her last remaining garment. She held her wings together to cover her backside but Azriel created a new shadow anyway. She giggled loudly and shook her hips. Rhys smirked and looked at him. No need to say anything this time. Azriel would definitely be exploring this new bit of information later.

Sidra stood next to the crack and performed the yanking motion again. This time a large belch of lava nearly a foot thick spewed forth, which she immediately leaned forward and scooped up in her arms up to her elbows and massaged into a rough ball as if she were awkwardly making a snowman. She bounced the ill-formed ball of lava for a second in her arms to shape it into a ball about two feet in diameter, holding her wings straight back again. She shifted the ball and then threw it into the air toward the water. It hit the deep, cool water with an explosion of steam. She performed the same motion again and threw another, smaller, ball of lava into the water.

Panting slightly, she put her bright orange hands on her knees and rested a minute. She looked to the group, nodded to Manon and then shot into the air. She flapped a few times and then dove straight into the deep water near where the lava and hit the surface. After a minute she broke the surface about halfway between where she'd dived in and the edge of the pool. To all of their amazement, she rose out of the water with a few great flaps of her wings. She flew over to the group and landed heavily. She dropped a rock at her feet, then turned immediately and went back to the water.

"How did she do that?" asked Cassian. "I can't do that even without carrying a weight. Can either of you do that?" He looked to Rhys and Azriel. They both shook their heads, surprised as he was. Just then she rose out of the water again and flapped wetly over to them, dropping another rock at her feet. Azriel held the shadows around her, but a very large puffy towel that Azriel recognized from the cabin appeared around her.

Thank you, Azriel said into Rhys's head.

I was worried Cass was going to hurt himself. He kept looking away suddenly when he saw something a male shouldn't see of his sister, but couldn't keep from watching what she was doing. His neck may be sore tomorrow. Rhys chuckled.

That towel isn't clean, Azriel said with a knowing laugh in Rhys's head. But I won't point that out to Cass. I'll just let him notice. Rhys snickered softly.

"How pissed do you think Dronan will be?" Sidra asked Manon and Petra. She was looking at the two rocks as if she was deciding between them and clutching her towel. Her hands were back to their normal color, but steam was coming off of them.

"He would have been pissed that you disobeyed his orders and killed that asshole, and he'll be furious that you tortured him first," said Manon. "But then you left for three days with no word? Shit Sidra, even Matthias is going to be mad at you, if that is even possible." Azriel cocked his head at Sidra, studying her. Her expression had changed at the mention of Matthias, but she continued studying the rocks. Manon continued after a moment, "But then again, Dronan likes you and really likes money." She looked up at Azriel. "And the Shadowsinger? Really? Now that is a catch. Even I can admit that. Give him the big one." she said jerking her head toward Azriel. "Dronan will never know anyway he got the runt of the litter."

Sidra laughed softly and met Azriel's eyes, still smiling. "You are quite the catch," she said genuinely, soothing over some of the bruises in his ego she'd inflicted earlier. She leaned down, picked up the larger rock with a grunt and walked it over to him. He couldn't help but imagine this is how she would walk if she were as heavily pregnant as Feyre. She dropped the rock at his feet with a loud sigh and said. "Here. A mating gift." He looked down at the unimpressive wet grey rock and cocked his head.

"But I didn't get you anything," he said playfully. She sighed and shook her head.

"You don't know what it is, do you?" she asked, smiling mischievously at him.

"A rock?" he said. She guffawed. He tried to be more specific. "A wet rock? That you made yourself?" he teased.

"Well you're getting closer," she said with pretend disgust. "Cassian, may I borrow your knife?" He yelped indignantly. "I promise not to hurt it," she said as if she were speaking about a puppy. He eyed her suspiciously but unsheathed it and held it out to him. Rather than taking it by the hilt, she wrapped her hand around the blade. She knelt down to her rock and placed her left hand gently on top of it. Rhys held up the towel with magic as she let go of it, seeming to forget about the towel. She rapped the rock twice lightly with the hilt of the knife. She shifted her left hand a bit and then rapped the rock again with the knife in her right hand. She shifted her fingers slightly and her left hand began to vibrate softly. She then raised her right hand over her head and brought the knife down hard, hitting the rock with the hilt of the knife between her outstretched thumb and forefinger of her left hand. The rock made a loud crack.

"That was the rock, not your knife," she said to Cassian who had whimpered at the sound. She held up her hand and opened it so the knife lay flat in her palm. The knife was "unhurt" as she had promised and a thin line of blood appeared across her fingers and the flesh of the bottom of her palm. Cassian took back his knife, wiped it quickly, and resheathed it. She wiped her hand on the dirty towel. She then pried open the two halves of the rock and lay them so that the flat sides faced the sun. Obsidian. Black and perfectly smooth. She had gifted him a huge block of obsidian that she had just created herself. Rhys paid Azriel well, and there were other stones more rare than obsidian, but this huge block was probably worth a year's salary for him. It was quite the gift. He knelt and laid his hand on the smooth black glass, which was particularly prized in the Night Court. It was still warm. He looked her in the eyes and said earnestly, "Thank you." She smiled and shrugged. "You're welcome."

Rhys magicked the stones to the River House, per request. The rest of the group winnowed back to near the cabin and walked the remaining distance while Sidra and Azriel hung back for a few minutes so that Sidra could dress. Before she put her clothes on, he reached for her hand, "May I?" she smiled at him and took his hand. He pulled her toward him and wrapped his hands around her waist. He leaned down to kiss her, and she responded with a kiss and leaned her hips against his. "You're beautiful. And amazing," he said between kisses. "How many more talents do you have that I should know about?" he asked.

"You're interrogating me?" She said it in a playful tone and didn't stop kissing him. She began tugging at his clothes. "Is this how you interrogate the particularly tough ones?" she asked, pulling off his pants. He was dismayed she saw through him so readily and even more dismayed that she didn't answer the question. He tried a different tactic and pulled away from her. He stood three paces away from her, completely nude and obviously ready for her. He put his hands on his hips and questioned her with his eyes. "You are brutal," she said with a laugh. Her eyes traveled slowly down him and back up as she was deciding how to answer. "A lot," she said seriously in answer to his question. "I won't keep secrets forever, but there's only so much I can show you while we're fucking constantly. Keep fucking me and I'll keep telling you things in between. Deal?" She narrowed her eyes. To make her point she slid her fingers between her own thighs.

"Deal," he said and stepped to her rapidly. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hopped up, wrapping her legs around him. He grabbed her butt cheeks and lifted her onto him. He balanced himself against a rough tree and bounced her on him. She tightened her grip with her legs and responded. It didn't take her long to find the right angle and then climax loudly. She held on to him tightly as he finished with a yell. They held each other for a moment, panting. She kissed his neck, the underside of his jaw, and then his lips. "Can you winnow us into the water like this?" Immediately they were in the water. He misjudged the depth and they both went under water. With a powerful flap of her wings she pulled them both up to the surface, choking and laughing. They broke as they tread water, each spreading their wings out on the surface to float. They each rubbed the sweat and sex off their bodies and then swam toward the edge. They walked out together, holding each other's arms for balance as they picked their way along the rocks to the grass.

Demonstration

They made it back to the cabin to find everyone sitting in the main room waiting for them. "Did you get lost?" Cassian asked with fake concern. Rhys shot Azriel a dark look. His patience was wearing thin. Petra had apparently already sharpened one of the thicker needles and handed it to Sidra to inspect.
She deemed it sharp and asked, "Who shall I demonstrate with?"

"I'll do it," said Cassian immediately. "Wait. Can I? I'm a male," he questioned.

"Well. Do you have a spine?" she asked. He was confused for a second but Rhys was no longer in the mood for jokes.

"Demonstrate on me," he said firmly. Sidra looked at him. "Fine. Take off your pants. Oh - and your shirt." Azriel bristled at the command. Rhys growled low at the order but sat down to remove his shoes and then unbutton his pants without argument. Sidra motioned for Rhys to come sit on the dining table. "Oh, gods. No - I meant just your pants. Keep your underpants on," he had started to pull his underpants off, but she held out a hand and stopped him. Azriel bristled with jealousy of their mating frenzy. Rhys walked to the table and sat. She pulled up a chair and told him to put his feet in the chair. He did, pulling the tattoos on his knees into full form. She noticed the tattoos but didn't comment. Feyre sat in the chair next to him and laid her hand on his bare leg, looking at him with love and concern in her eyes. Azriel realized he wanted Sidra to look at him with the same amount of emotion. He wondered if she ever would.

Petra shifted the chair so that the back of it wasn't in her way. She put a big pillow in Rhys's lap and positioned his hands around it. Then she positioned him in a slump over the pillow. She looked over Rhys's shoulder at Sidra and nodded he was ready. Sidra dropped the needle in a shallow bowl of water. She then put her finger in the water, which boiled quickly. She picked up the needle by the T and explained for the group. "I'm going to touch your lower back," she said to Rhys. He nodded. She put her finger on his spine and pushed down the top of his underpants. She counted the vertebrae out loud for them, up to the one she wanted. She showed them the gap between two vertebrae, and explained the cartilage between the vertebrae and how she would slide the needle between cartilage and the vertebrae. Petra took each of Rhys' hands in each of hers and asked him to hunch forward a bit. Then she told him to squeeze her hands hard. He did. Sidra watched the muscles tighten in his arms, and then deftly inserted the needle. Petra spoke to him, "You can relax your hands now. It's done."

Rhys put his hands on his legs and looked up at her in surprise. "I can't feel anything," he said.

"Correct. But you can still move normally, yes? Wiggle your toes." His toes wiggled within his socks. "Don't get up and move around. It's best not to twist. While the needle is in, we try to keep the patient as still as possible so that it doesn't move around and cause damage. With females in delivery, that usually isn't a problem. They'll do anything to help their baby, and to lie still is about the simplest possible request."

"Cut me," Rhys said to Azriel. Azriel pulled a knife from a sheath.

"Wait," said Sidra. She boiled the water again and poured it over the blade. I made a mess on the floor, but no one cared. "Now do whatever he asks." Azriel made a light cut in the thick part of Rhys's shin, careful not to cut too deep or near any tendons. Blood welled in the wound. "I didn't feel that at all," he said in amazement. "Higher," he demanded. Azriel made a similar cut into his thigh. Again, Rhys felt nothing.

Sidra said from behind him, "Sit up straighter." Rhys did. "I'm going run my hand along your torso. Tell me when you can feel it. She started at his hip bone and slowly dragged her nail up his side, leaving a pink mark with her nail. Jealous frenzy welled up in Azriel again but he resisted the urge to growl.

When her hand reached Rhys's bottom rib, he said "There."

Petra explained, "The cut is made just above the pubic bone. It is about the top of the hair line and about that wide." She stretched her thumb and forefinger as wide as possible. "You can tell that you're numb well above that point."

"Take the needle out." Rhys said. Sidra did. "Let's go tonight."

"Woah woah." Sidra said, putting her hand on his bare shoulders to emphasize the point. "Even if we left right this second and winnowed with you in long jumps, we won't get there before dusk. It's not wise to show up after dark," Sidra said. "Let's wait until morning. We can leave at daybreak and arrive when the house is fully awake and ready to receive visitors."

They debated but eventually Rhys conceded it was better to leave in the morning. Feyre had assured Rhys she was fine for another week at least, and they expected the trip to last no longer than the time it took to find Sidra's favorite midwife, which had never required more than 24 hours.

Thankfully, the others left Azriel and Sidra alone in the cabin for the second night of their mating frenzy, which they took full advantage of. When they finally settled in to sleep, they slept as they had the first afternoon. Sidra's head was nestled into the crook of Azriel's arm, with her wings stretched out behind her and Azriel's wing was tented over them. Her arm was draped lightly over his hips, their legs intertwined. Azriel's hand rested softly in the sensitive part of her wing where it met her back.

They awoke in the middle of the night for the expected reasons. They reinforced their mating bond again, but this time Azriel couldn't sleep. He complained that he was hot. "Wait no. I'm not hot. You're hot. Not figuratively," he whacked her with a pillow when she joked with him about it. "Like physically too hot to sleep next to."

"It's because I was in the hot spring today. How about we go cool off?"

"In the hot spring?"

"The deeper end of the lake is cool. I'll take a dive and release some heat. Then you can warm me...