Eclipse excused herself from the group to go clean up before answering any questions other than that Amarantha was dead and Rhysand would be returning soon.
Azriel watched her as she moved to go get washed up. Every single instinct in him told him not to let her out of his sight, but the rational part of his mind knew she likely needed at least a small bit of space. As she reached the top of the stairs she turned and met Azriel's eyes. She inclined her head just the slightest bit, an invitation to follow, and then continued on her way. As she walked through the House of Wind she trailed her fingers along the familiar walls of the hall. Breathing in deep she allowed the tension to mildly unwind from her shoulders. Let the feeling of safety wash over her as she walked Azriel's soft footsteps behind her and his shadows skittering about along the walls. Some took the chance to twirl around her neck and weave themselves through her hair.
She reached her room and opened the door slowly. Fae lights flickered on as she took measured steps into the space. It was surreal to be back after so long. She'd never spent more than a few months away from this place without some type of visit in the last 400 years. To see it again, well there was something about it that just settled that feeling of freedom in her chest.
Azriel watched her take in the room, his shadows moved to dance around the room. Some sneaking closer to her moving to twine around her arms and up to her face nuzzling in as if to reassure that she was here. Eclipse smiled softly at the feeling, bringing a hand up to brush along the shadows. Her fingers passed through the silky bits of darkness.
"They've never bothered you." Azriel stated, as if seeing his shadows dancing around her now unlocked a realization that he'd never had before. Eclipse smiled softly and met his eyes. "Even before."
"They've always amazed me. You have always amazed me, Azriel." Azriel shivered as she spoke his name. Her voice soft as a lover's caress against his chest.
He sent a few of the shadows into the bathing room to ready her bath.
"Will you sit with me?" She asked nervously. Something uncommon for the female. He moved closer intending to pull her to him, ensuring her that he would do anything for her. However, he caught sight of his scarred hands as he began to reach for her and paused. His hand, mutilated physically, and metaphorically with all the blood he had spilt in the name of his court, and found himself unable to reach for her. His mate. His beautiful, vibrant, strong mate who had endured Cauldron knew what at this point. And he could not bring himself to close that gap for fear of tainting her.
"Of course." He breathed instead, lowering his hand to his side. She saw the movement. He could tell the exact moment she knew why he did not close that space as she sighed and opened her mouth to speak.
"Don't." He murmured. Now it was not about him and his insecurities. Now, it was about her and what she needed. She eyed him for a moment skeptically, and as her calculating looks always did, he felt as if he was laid bare in front of her. In his life, no one had ever been able to read him as well as she had. And as vulnerable as it had always made him feel, why he had always tried to keep as much of a wall between them as he could for most of her life, he couldn't help but relish now in the easy way that she read him.
"We can add that to the list of laters then I guess." She huffed out, though there was an edge of teasing to her voice that caused his lips to quirk.
"Go get in the bath. Let me know when I can come in." She nodded and moved. Minutes passed as he heard her shuffling around. The toilet flushed. Something dropped into the bath, the scent of lavender and chamomile floating out through the edges of the door. Her clothes hit the floor.There was the sound of soft splashing as she lowered herself into the tub and then she called out for him to enter.
The large claw foot tub was filled to the brim with bubbles, concealing her body from his sight. Azriel took a moment to inspect what he could see, her face was relaxed, a calm settling over her as she soaked in the warm water. Her shoulders were visible along with the top third of her wings, the talon tipped peak glistening in the light. Azriel moved, lowering himself to the floor, his back and wings pressed up against the wall. One leg splayed out in front of him. The other bent to allow his elbow to rest on it.
His eyes took in the side profile of her face, her pointed ear poking out between strands of her hair. Tattoos peeking out of the water the swirls of in contrasting nicely against the color of her skin.
"You feel different. Your power I mean." Azriel finally spoke after studying her for a while. Eclipses eyes snapped open and she turned to face him.
"I do?" She asked him with an innocent expression on her face, but he could see through it, through her.
"Mmm." He hummed out. "You feel like Rhysand and your father did….. before your grandfather died."
"How strange." She responded with a sly grin and then dipped herself under the water, cutting off the conversation. Azriel waited impatiently before she popped back up out of the sudsy water.
"Should we add this to the list of laters then, Mistress of Secrets?" Azriel snarked as she wiped the water from her face. Eclipse sighed. Azriel's shadows buzzed around the bathroom. She tilted her head back and drew in a deep breath.
"I'm my Uncle's heir. I've known for… a long time and I glamoured and dampened my power because… because I know, knew, that once it's out I'll have to… to…"
"To choose the Night Court over the Day Court." He supplied. She nodded meekly.
"To choose my mother's heritage over my father's." She mumbled. Azriel sighed. It was something she'd struggled with for most of her life. She loved her father, and loved the Day Court. But the Night Court, Rhysand, could provide her with a connection to her Mother that not even Helion as Astoria's husband could. Eclipse had struggled with the guilt of that, feeling as if she was choosing one parent over the other for as long as he could remember.
"I think she would be proud of you either way… As will your father. He has always been supportive of you, even in your endeavors with the Night Court." Azriel stated. Eclipse hummed in response.
Only the heir for now. His shadows whispered at him and Azriel stilled. He watched as she moved, grasping the bottle of hair wash and began to massage it into her scalp. She then dipped below the water again, and when she resurfaced he spoke.
"My shadows tell me you're only the heir for now. Care to elaborate?" Eclipse cast him a sidelong stare. She didn't respond right away. Opting instead to reach for the lavender scented conditioning treatment for her hair. She took her time applying it all over her head, the bubbles continuing to keep her covered.
Azriel watched her as she worked, his shadows continuing to dance around the room' most encircling the tub, some twirling about the ceiling occasionally one would veer from its path and dip down to wrap around her wrist or bury itself in her hair as she pulled her fingers through untangling the dark brown strands.
"If Rhysand has a child, I will no longer be the heir to the Night Court." She answered.
"What happens then? Short of an heir dying, I've never heard of the magic changing that drastically due to a subsequent birth… if it's a second or even fourth born that becomes the heir the faelings born before never manifest the aura. Not the way you have."
"Did you know there used to be an eighth court?" She asked him quietly. The shadows stilled as Azriel's breath hitched. He didn't need to speak. That was enough to answer.
"The bloodline mated into my mother and uncles… that's what gave them the edge that the Night Court began to choose High Lords and heirs from that line. The intuitive, the originals anyway, were from this eighth court. The bridge from Day to Night."
"So… if Rhysand has his own heir…"
"Then the magic finally rights itself and the courts become separated again." Eclipse finished finally meeting his hazel eyes from across the room.
"Either way, you'll be a High Lady someday." He whispered.
"Can we keep this between us for now? I just, I thought you should know before..." She trailed off letting the silence speak for her. Before they chose to accept or reject the bond. Azriel dipped his head in a nod.
"Are we going to talk about the mating bond? I think the shadows might combust if we don't." Azriel asked, then mumbled under his breath. Eclipse let out a tinkling laugh and Azriel's chest tightened as his eyes brightened. His shadows immediately swarmed her at the sound. She laughed louder and allowed the shadows to dance with the noise of her laughter. She reached up and allowed her fingers to drift through the shadows as if she was stroking the hair of a beloved child.
"Alright, alright." Azriel snorted, calling the shadows back away from her. Eclipse started to respond but was cut off by pounding on the door.
"Dinner is ready!" Cassian's voice boomed through the closed door of Eclipse's room.
"Be out in a minute!" The female called back, before grabbing the bar of soap beginning to finish washing her body. Azriel sighed standing up and moving to the door.
"Later it is." He grumbled. "I'll let you finish. I'll meet you at the table." He told her with a soft smile. Eclipse nodded in acknowledgment. She bit her lip and watched as he walked away.
"Tomorrow at the latest Az. If we don't have time today, we can talk about it tomorrow." She promised. Azriel met her eyes and nodded.
"Do you need anything?" He asked, allowing his shoulders to relax. She shook her head and smiled at him softly. Azriel committed the sight to memory.