#and sometimes. SOMETIMES. when you raise someone to be a sacrificial lamb they wise up before the altar comes into sight

[illithilit]

Here we see the humanoid form of Malheirirra the Master, an ancient black dragoness that created and lead the lauth ( the dragon equivalent of a monastery, albeit still slightly to the left ) that trained Yzare into what she is. The lauth itself only consisted of herself, a fang dragon by the name of Gholix, and eventually Yzare. Malheirirra was Yzare's mentor, her 'mother,' and her first victim -- followed shortly by Gholix.

While a particularly cruel individual, the fact that she's Yzare's first real guiding hand is why she's chosen to be Yzare's dream guardian. The fact that the dragoness is very, very dead is a fact that escapes memory until well after the Emperor reveals himself.

[dontenchantme]

sacrificial lamb

Rated T, Solomon x MC.

once upon a time he would have taken advantage of her naivety. actually, scratch that – he still would.

fics masterlist

Maybe he was a coward.

It wasn’t a thought he liked to entertain, but whenever he looked at her part of him immediately recoiled. It was the same part of him that kept him sane and alive all these years – he couldn’t trust anyone, because people were inherently unreliable and trusting in the fallibility of mortality was a mistake he would never make again.

Centuries had passed and still, he was here, waiting and watching for the end of the world, for the promised salvation. Sometimes he wondered if it would be easier to close his eyes and just let go, but he had never been the kind to enjoy uncertainty.

Sin was a uniquely human concept. It was something only mortals could come up with, the idea that virtue and sin were split along a fixed boundary. Humans had a penchant for locking things up in clearly-labelled boxes. Black and white. Truth and lies. Good and evil. Once upon a time, he had fallen prey to such ideas as well.

But as time passed, he grew to realise that these distinctions were illusionary. Angels were no more good than demons were evil. They were beings meant to shape and influence the balance of the world. But it was human to prescribe traits and desires for that which they did not understand. It was how they attempted to make meaning out of nothing.

Should he try to understand her then, in his own way? Should he try to interpret her actions and words, see them through the filter of his perspective? Would that bring him one step closer to figuring out what was going through her mind?

Maybe it had been too long. Once in a while he tried to place himself in her shoes – he tried to follow her train of thought, follow the way she would pause and think to herself right before she answered his questions. He observed the way her expressions shifted, the way she’d glance at him when she thought that he wasn’t looking. But try as he might, he couldn’t get inside her head.

He didn’t know when he lost touch with his humanity. He found himself lingering on thoughts, on memories that blurred the line between past and fantasy – he began to question the clarity of his knowledge and his experiences. If the stories that praised his name were true, then why did they sound so foreign? As though the one being exalted was not him but a stranger, and he was simply borrowing their face.

King Solomon, who once solved the riddle of the baby and its mother. His most famous story, the one chosen to go down in history to showcase his wisdom – but it was a memory he could barely even remember. It had just been any other day, any other pair of civilians seeking his counsel. Nothing about them had particularly stood out.

Death from natural causes. His fingers clenched at the thought.

“Solomon?” He heard her voice call his name and he turned around – this was one of the rare few times he didn’t notice her presence before she spoke.

“Yes?” His smile was a reflex. Years of practised emotion, years spent restraining his feelings, never allowing any vulnerability to show on his face. Her eyes met his and once again he could sense her trying to take him apart, trying to read his expression – it was strange to see someone so interested in finding out his secrets, and for no reason other than to satisfy her curiosity. Such innocent motivation.

And she was so damn persistent about it too. His lips twitched.

“Why did you go to the human world?” she asked. He exhaled. Of course, that was the first thing she’d ask him. He just hadn’t thought that she’d come to him so soon. He felt a little sting in his chest, an emotion he vaguely recognised to be irritation – did she truly view him as nothing more than a puzzle to be solved? It had been two weeks since they last met in the flesh, and this was the first thing she decided to bring up.

But he locked the feeling away. It didn’t matter what she thought of him. “Why? Did you want to go with me?” he asked.

He noticed the way her gaze shifted away from him as he spoke. Her clothes looked wrinkled – she must have woken up from her nap and immediately left her room to look for him. Her eagerness was amusing, but it made him happy. Just a little.

“Not really,” she muttered. “But you should have mentioned something before you just disappeared. People noticed. And I was…kind of concerned.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You were concerned?” he echoed.

Her feelings were as clear as day, even if she refused to admit anything to him. It was fun to watch her struggle sometimes. He wondered if he could get her to tell him the truth one day, but he also wondered about the consequences of that.

He might be vague, and he knew he annoyed her, but he didn’t want to break her heart. That was the only reason he had left things in limbo like this. Deep down, he was a coward. He was selfish, and he was afraid of losing someone he cared about.

“Of course!” Her vehement response took him by surprise. “You disappeared for two weeks, Solomon. You didn’t tell anyone where you were going and you were completely uncontactable. I know you’re a powerful sorcerer and you can take care of yourself, but that doesn’t mean I won’t worry.” Her voice softened, and she took a step towards him. “You look tired. Have you always been this tired?” she whispered.

Did he? He hadn’t looked in any mirrors lately. He didn’t like to see his reflection. “I’ve had some bad nights,” he answered with a shrug. Her fault mostly, but she didn’t need to know that. “It’s not a big deal,” he added, noticing the look on her face. “Just…some nightmares. They bring back memories I’d rather not remember.”

She hesitated. When she next spoke he could hear the tremor of fear in her words – it made her voice quiver. “Have you been appearing in my dreams, Solomon?”

He frowned. “Why would you ask?” Though he knew. He just didn’t want to give her an absolute answer, not when he had yet to understand the situation. How could a mortal with no magic of her own keep summoning him to her dream world?

Sure, he had opened the door twice, but both times he made sure to sever the connection between them afterwards. That path should no longer be accessible. He had checked on it personally to reassure himself that he didn’t make some kind of rookie mistake, and it was locked tight. There had to be something else.

If he could pinpoint the moment she opened her dream world to him then maybe it would be possible to resolve this problem, but even he had difficulties identifying where her access point was. Still, he’d need to find an answer soon.

Day by day, he felt himself becoming more listless. There was only so much rest he could get when he was being forcibly yanked around someone else’s dreams – if he didn’t cut their connection soon, things might not end well for either of them.

“You’ve been appearing in my dreams lately.” She paused. When she next spoke her voice was subdued. “You mentioned you were real once, too. And since you know magic, I’m just wondering…if you’ve been tampering with my dreams?”

“What answer do you want to hear?” He already expected her to ask for the truth. She was always requesting the truth, always searching for his secrets. He couldn’t understand why. Instead of asking him about the secret to immortality, as most other people would, she decided to ask him once again why he was collecting pacts.

If it was anyone else, he would have simply dismissed them as foolish. But when it came to her, he wasn’t as sure. He couldn’t always understand her motivations, and that frustrated him.

There was a surprisingly long pause, and that piqued his interest. Here she was, presented with a rare opportunity for an honest response, and yet she hesitated. “I think you were in my dreams. They’re too detailed to be just my imagination.”

“If you already know the answer, then why do you still ask?” he said. His smile was beginning to hurt his face. But it was easier to maintain this façade than to reveal how conflicted he was about the entire situation. He hated not understanding.

He was supposed to be wise. That was what his memories told him. What all the stories said. If he couldn’t answer such a simple question, then did that make him an imposter?

“I wanted to hear you say it. You here, right now.” His eyes widened a fraction when she reached for him, her fingers intertwining with his. Her hands were warm. Or maybe he was just cold. “You’re so different in my dreams. I don’t know which one is the real you. Which one I should believe. The things that you’ve said…”

She was talking too much. He leant in to kiss her and she fell silent – he had always enjoyed the way she responded to his touch. It was endearing, almost. There was something undeniably intoxicating about how susceptible she was to him, even if he knew this would hurt her – even if he knew none of this would end well.

Her lips were soft, and he slid his fingers through her hair, holding her in place. He was a little surprised that he wasn’t tired of this – it was strange for him to be in any kind of long-term relationship – but he liked to see the contrast between what she was usually like and how she behaved when they were together.

The way she looked when she parted from him, her eyes bright, her cheeks flushed, or the way she looked underneath him, her fingers twisting in his pillow, her lips parted in a soft cry – it was so different from her usual reticence. He liked knowing that he was the one who could evoke such responses from her.

But today, she pulled away first, biting her lip and averting her gaze. “Don’t try to distract me,” she said, though her cheeks were coloured the usual pink. He ran his fingers through her hair, scratching gently against her scalp – that elicited a familiar moan from her. He knew she liked him playing with her hair.

“Are you sure you don’t want to be distracted?” he whispered, his words holding a world of promise. If she wanted him, he could get them to his room right now. Not that he was needy at the moment, but it was so much easier to communicate when they were wrapped up in each other, caring for little besides their carnal desires.

He hated talking about his feelings. He hated talking about anything that might shed light on his problems. And he hated talking about the future. Why couldn’t they just have their fun while it lasted? One day they’d both leave this place and she’d go back to her happy, oblivious human life and he would continue in his position as one of the great prophets, cursed with an everlasting twilight existence.

Nothing good ever came out of humans interfering with the unknown. Adam and Eve. Pandora’s Box. The Celestial War. History had a funny way of repeating itself. He, of all people, should know that. His descendants were cursed because of his sins. His existence hung by the thinnest of threads, and the simplest mistake could cause it to snap. Falling in love with a human was one of those mistakes.

She wavered for a moment. He knew she was too attracted to him to disregard the suggestion entirely – he had no idea why she was so interested in him, and at this point, he couldn’t care less. But she shook her head and looked at him. “I’m not going to let you avoid the question this time, Solomon,” she told him.

“Persistent.” He sighed. “Why are you so stubborn about pursuing the truth?”

He could tell from the surprise on her face that this was a question she hadn't thought much about. “Isn’t it natural to want to know more? And this involves me. I think I have the right to know,” she answered. He studied her. There was no trace of any doubt, and he wished that he was able to believe as strongly in his convictions.

“Curiosity is the root cause of sin,” he said. “It’s selfish. Curiosity often comes at the expense of others, who are trampled upon just so you can get the answers you seek.” She didn’t say anything, her gaze fixed intently on him. “And still you wish to know the truth? You must understand that you may not like what you hear.”

“Tell me,” she said. Nothing was surprising about her response.

“Fine. I was in your dream.” He saw her tense, but he continued anyway. How she reacted to his words wasn’t his concern. Or at least, it wasn’t supposed to be. “You remember what my dream self said. Rest assured that I will find a solution to our little problem. But more importantly…” He paused, making sure to look her square in the eyes before he continued. “You should stay away from me. For your own good.”

“See, that’s the part I don’t understand. You said that being with you will hurt me.” She exhaled. “You can’t just say things like that and expect me not to ask –”

“Stop. Stop digging,” he hissed, and she abruptly quietened, her eyes widening. “Stop asking questions. Why this, why that. What are you thinking? Or why can’t you tell me? I would explain everything to you if I could. But I can’t!”

He could hear the frustration in his voice, and he loathed himself for it. He was supposed to be calm. Collected. He always had to be in control. She was the only one who could make him feel anything. Why did it have to be her? “You’re far too trusting. Too curious. A lamb to the slaughter. I don’t understand you at all.”

What was this feeling in his chest? It felt like something was cracking, suffocating him. He closed his eyes and turned away from her, trying to gather his thoughts – everything was a fragmented mess at this point. Why wouldn’t she just accept his warning? He knew that when humans saw danger signs they normally obeyed the instructions, so why wouldn’t she listen to him? He was a walking apocalypse. Couldn’t she tell?

“Solomon…” Her voice was soft. He detested that softness. He wished she’d look at him with fear and revulsion in her eyes – he wished she would do something that reminded him of just how much he despised people. Humans couldn’t be trusted.

But still, he raised his head and looked at her. Instead of nervousness – what had he been expecting? She was the most reckless human he’d ever seen, and she clearly had no perception of danger – the only thing he saw in her eyes was pity. And he hated that too.

He didn't need her pity. But he was drawn to her anyway, like a moth to a flame – drawn to the offer of warmth and comfort, to the knowledge that if he just said the right words, he could drown in her scent for the rest of the night and forget who he was. It was tempting, that promise of escape. He hesitated. He wanted her.

“Why are you even still here?” he asked, his voice low. “I know you’re frustrated by me. I know you have no lack of alternatives – your demons are overprotective, and most of them are infatuated with you. So, why do you still choose to stay?”

She didn’t say anything for a while, but he felt her reach for his hand again, and the warmth of her fingers was strangely comforting. Was this what affection felt like? It wasn’t an emotion he was familiar with, not after spending such a long time on his own.

He wasn’t lonely. At least, he didn’t think he was. “I was curious about you,” she finally answered. “In the beginning, anyway. But…the more we talked, the more I grew to care.” Her voice was barely louder than a whisper. “I’m still curious. But it doesn’t feel great to know that you’re in pain like this. Especially if it’s my fault.”

He wanted to snort. Him? In pain? And over her? She thought too highly of herself. But at the same time, he couldn’t bring himself to refute her statement. There was a tiny kernel of truth in there, as much as it pained him to admit it. “There wouldn’t be any problem if you just stayed away from me. I warned you.”

“But you wouldn’t be happy if that happened, right?” she reasoned. He raised an eyebrow, and she exhaled. “You should have seen your face when you said those words, Solomon.” She sounded surprisingly tender. “You're usually difficult to read, but this time there's sadness in your eyes.”

Since when did she become so perceptive? “You’re seeing things that aren’t there.”

Her gaze was steady. “No, I’m not. And you know that.”

“Don’t think you’re an expert on me just because I talk to you.”

“I wouldn’t dare declare myself an expert. But I think I know enough to recognise when you’re behaving strangely.”

“You’re a fool for not running away.” And she’d eventually grow to hate him, or she would betray him like everyone else. He didn’t know which would hurt more.

“You’re a fool for turning down help when you need it,” she countered. He gritted his teeth. Normally he’d enjoy their little back-and-forth, but this was not one of those times. She was too quick-witted for her own good.

“I don’t need any help. Especially not from you,” he snapped.

“Solomon.” He froze at the sound of his name – she sounded stern. Almost angry. She had never gotten angry at him before. “You need help. I care about you, and I’m not going to run away just because you think I should.”

His lips curved into a smile, but his chest felt hollow. “You’re truly a fool. The very epitome of human idiocy. But I can’t do anything about it if you won’t heed my warnings.”

“I’m in the Devildom, and I’ve gambled my soul away by forming pacts with seven of the most powerful demons in Hell.” She shrugged. “I’ve done worse things than just sticking with someone who has mysteriously gained some kind of self-sacrificial saviour complex.”

“That’s uncalled for.” But his smile became a little more genuine anyway. He was still doubtful, and he knew she wasn’t making the best decision, but he had done his part by stating the truth. If she still wanted to interfere with his existence, there was little he could do.

He knew what humans were like, having been one himself. They were as persistent as a dog with a bone. The most he could do now was simply attempt to protect her from the inevitable fallout.

And if anything should happen to her, he would be with her every step of the way, no matter her destination – be it the pearly gates of the Celestial Realm or the fiery pits of Hell. It was the least he could do for her, after all.

[romanparrishlynch]

For the first time - ACOTAR supernatural AU

This is an elriel centered fic in which all the characters are supernatural creatures in the modern world.

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Chapter 1

Azriel opened his eyes and lied awake in his bed . He could hear the sound of soft breathing from the woman next to him. Then he looked around to find that it was not his bed. Or his room.

He looked at the girl lying next to him. Her face was obscured by her hair. He tried to remember the girl’s name but couldn’t. He didn’t think he would remember it even if he had a gun pointed at him.

He gently eased out of bed so as not to wake her. The sane thing to do would be to leave before she woke up and things got awkward for the both of them. He picked up his clothes from the floor and got dressed. He looked at the girl . She was still sleeping. Azriel quickly made his way in the dim light. He accidentally stumbled. Fortunately she didn’t wake and he left through the door. Azriel squinted in the sun trying to find out where he is. He fished his car keys out of his pocket and searched for his car. He found it and drove home.

Azriel parked his car on the driveway of his house. He put the key in the keyhole and found it was already open.

“ Well glad you could find your way home ” Cassian’s voice boomed through the household as he opened the door.

“Couldn’t you atleast answer your phone? ” Rhys asked as he entered. Rhys stood in the threshold of his house or at least one of his houses.

He went to the living room to find Amren, The headmistress of blood ruby coven ,in a deep conversation with Tarquin, The king of merfolk. Tarquin looked adequately terrified sitting next to the little witch.

Cassian, the alpha of the bloodstone pack, was rummaging through the fridge, how typically werewolf of him . They’re always hungry.

Rhysand ,The leader of stardust vampire coven was casually leaning against the kitchen table.

Whoever said werewolves and vampires were natural enemies should definitely meet these two Azriel thought to himself.

Cassian threw an apple at rhys which he catched with ease.

“ Take a bite, snow white” Cassian joked.

Cassian closed the refrigerator and walked over to Azriel.

“ You have no meat. ” Cass said in a serious voice.

“ why weren’t you answering your phone ?” Azriel turned towards Mor’s voice.

He hadn’t noticed her. She looked pale just as all vampires were. She was standing in the doorway to his study.

Belatedly, he realized he had lost his phone somewhere during the course of last night.

“ I lost it ” he answered. Mor raised an eyebrow at him.

Cassian chuckled before asking “ And where would you have lost it?”. A question which Azriel  ignored as all of them entered the study .Cassian probably knew exactly how Azriel had spent last night. Inside kallias,  Thesan, Helion and Beron were already seated.“ Why are you all here? The last meeting was only three weeks ago. ” Azriel changed the subject just as everyone had seated themselves in his study. All other conversation died out just as he asked the question.

“ you didn’t feel it ?” rhys asked Azriel. “ Feel what? ” Azriel was annoyed. This earned him a lot of curious glances.

He hated to be centre of attention but his siren loved it. His siren practically revelled in the attention. He hated being in the dark. Everyone else knew something he didn’t. It nagged at him. His siren nagged at him.

Just look inside their heads .

His siren wanted to take control of the situation. He was having a hard time controlling the siren.

“ Um.. You’re glowing. ” Tarquin’s voice broke the sirens hold on him .

Azriel looked down at himself. He was indeed glowing. His skin looked ethereal and otherworldly. This was the siren. He told himself just as he always did. Sweat rolled down his forehead as he struggled with his siren.

Azriel managed to smother the siren’s glow. “Someone tell me what the hell is going on. ” Azriel had raised his voice.It wasn’t a request and everyone knew it. It was pure command and probably not the wise thing to do in a room full of Alphas.

“ Stop flashing your head lights, boy. ” Amren snarled displaying a row of really sharp teeth.

“ Last night, around 10:00 we felt a shock wave. Everything supernatural went haywire. ” Thesan finally spoke. Thesan was the leader of gargoyles.

“ Define haywire and who’s we? ” Azriel had too many questions.

“ Haywire as in claws out, fangs bared, wards blown up, involuntary shifting, and extreme aggression. ” kallias answered, the frost giant clearly not happy with the situation.

“ And everything with a hint of supernatural felt it. Even the latent ones. Well except for you ” Cassian finished. Azriel tried not to read too much into it. He probably thought the wave was just another one of his siren’s call.

The last thing he wanted right now was everyone to think he was some special snowflake. His siren was already basking in the glory of being the only male siren.

“ Funny, how the siren was the only one who didn’t feel it. ” Beron, the alpha of Firestone werefox pack said clearly not finding it funny.Azriel had always hated that foxy bastard.

“ It was a summoning, you fools. As precious as the siren thinks he is, he isn’t powerful enough for a spell like that. There was a blood sacrifice involved. And it’s not complete. You probably know who’s the sacrificial lamb ” Amren said without a hint of  remorse. They followed her gaze to the only empty chair.

Tamlin. The alpha of Greenstone pack was absent.

Dead. Azriel corrected himself. There was a chorus of cursing as they realized it. Except Amren. There was no emotion on her face. Sometimes Azriel forgot the little witch sitting with them has lived a millienna and had seen things beyond his imagination. Sometimes he forgot he should be scared of her.

You don’t have to be scared. You can take her. You could take down all of them. His siren’s voice was alluring and tempting.

“ We need to make sure that Tamlin is indeed dead before we jump to conclusions. ” Helion, the sidhe lord said in the most reasonable voice azriel has ever heard him use. Azriel noted the serious look didn’t sit well on Helion’s face. His face was made for playful grins and cunning smirks.

“ Tamlin hasn’t been seen by his pack since two nights ago. I talked to his beta. Tamlin hasn’t answered his phone and they couldn’t track him. ” Mor informed them just as she put her phone in her pocket.

“ So we’re just assuming that Tamlin is dead because no one has seen him in two days and we had some sort magical malfunction. ” Rhysand said to no one in particular. And cue the arguments.

Azriel had never been one to like these meetings. But he had to host them every two months. It was one of the curses of being the only male of his species.  Sirens were not pack creatures and responsibility is not a character you can see in a siren.These meetings took place in his house because it was neutral territory. He condoned violence and his ability to calm anyone made him the best mediator.

It was ironic. How his siren could calm anyone but is a raging fire in him.

Azriel slipped through the door before any of them could notice his absence. He needed to find his phone. He remembered having his phone when he left the club which means he left it at the girl’s house he drove from the morning. It would have helped him if he had remembered her name or her face. He was glad that he at least remembered  her address even though he couldn’t remember anything else about her.

Azriel mentally cursed himself for being careless.

He picked up the telephone and dialed his number.Full ring. No one answered.He redialled. Just as he thought it was a lost cause the call clicked through.

“ Hello ” a melodious female voice filled his ears. It was the sweetest voice azriel has ever heard. Now he understood why his siren was in her bed.

“ Umm.. Hello. Who’s this? ” Azriel asked.

“ you’re the one who called. So, who are you? ” the girl replied in a polite manner. Azriel wondered how he had ended up in bed with someone like her. “ Okay lady this is my phone and I would really like to have it back. Now, if you could tell me the when and where that would be helpful. ” Azriel asked impatiently .

“ Azriel? ” she asked. He groaned in frustration. He had told her his name. He never did that, not even when he his siren had overtook him. Gods, he was getting sloppy.

“ Yes , it’s me. And I would really like my phone back. ” he answered , trying to sound nonchalant. He was lying to himself. Just her voice was enough to wake the siren in him. She stirred something in him. He was thrilled and terrified at the thought of meeting her.

“ It’s in my place” she said softly and Azriel was scared for the poor girl inviting the siren to her house without even knowing the implications of her words. He ended the call without saying anything else.

Next thing he knew he was driving towards somewhere.towards her. He could feel the pull towards her. It was like a tether, luring him in. It felt just as strong as gravity. His siren was overriding him and he was barely hanging on to his sanity. She was driving him insane. Whoever she was. He had spent an entire night with her and he couldn’t recall a single detail. And now his siren is being pulled towards her.He wasn’t a fifteen year old lovesick teenager who loses his head about some girl.

Shit.Alarm bells went off in Azriel’s head. He needed to get a grip on his siren or else.Azriel didn’t get to finish his thoughts as he got pulled over. The situation slammed into him like a ton of bricks. He had been speeding over the limit without even realizing it. He wasn’t even paying attention to the road. All he could think about was the girl. The girl whose name he didn’t remember, whose face he couldn’t recall. The girl whose voice drove him wild. Azriel wondered how could he have forgotten her when he was pulled to her like moth to flame. He wondered if he was the flame or the moth.

He compelled the cops to let him go. Normally Azriel tried to avoid using his power. But today he didn’t have the to reassure his morals. He didn’t want to . All he wanted was her. The woman who he couldn’t remember. He wished he had seen her face when he left in the morning.

Azriel stopped in front of a small house. He already knew she was inside. His siren was humming in excitement. He was still glowing. Azriel counted mentally from one to ten hoping to calm himself. But it was in vain.He stepped out of the car and walked as fast he could to the girls house. His heart pounding in his Chest.

He surveyed the house in front of him. There were two people inside. He could hear their heart beats. The scent of sandalwood and jasmine overpowered everything else. Azriel staggered back. He shook his head and knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal a girl with golden brown hair but he found himself focusing on her eyes. He found himself lost in those tiny specks of spun gold floating in her earthy brown eyes .

“ Azriel ” there was it again, her voice . Maybe he should have let the siren out. Right now he was feeling more like a moth than the flame.

Mate.

The word crashed into his mind like a tidal wave. She was his mate. He had heard about mates. Seen enough of them but he never thought he would have one. He was a siren after all. He’s never heard of a siren having a mate. It went against their nature.

And if she was his mate why didn’t he feel it last night. He should have felt it. This burning need inside him, he should have felt it last night.Even if he was under the siren’s control he would have known. Should have known. Azriel mind was buzzing with so many questions.

“ Do you wanna come in? ” she asked , the perfect picture of innocence. He nodded not trusting himself to answer. He went inside. “ Please sit. I’ll go get your phone. ” she was gone in an instant. He didn’t want her gone.

Damn, he didn’t even ask her name.

Azriel wondered if she felt it too.She was going to be the death of him. His eyes roamed everywhere around the room. This place was totally different from Azriel’s houses.

This was a home.

There were books everywhere. He concentrated on his surroundings. Now that the girl was out of his sight. He could concentrate enough to pick through the different scents.

There was particularly one scent that nagged at him. It was very faint. Just enough for him to make it out. It was very faint. Just enough for him to make it out.

He heard the girl’s voice muffled by the walls and distant. Normal humans wouldn’t be able to hear them. But he wasn’t normal and he definitely wasn’t human.

Someone was crying. Not her though.

Azriel looked at the framed pictures arranged neatly. There was one that caught his attention.It was a picture of three girls laughing. He picked it up. There it was staring right at him. The brown haired girl on the left of Azriel’s mate was Feyre. He knew her to be Feyre archeron. She was dating Tamlin. He had seen her around with Tamlin. Now he recognized the scent. It was Tamlin’s scent.

He tried to recall everything he knew about Feyre.He had never spoken to her in person. He knew she had two sisters. And judging by the girl’s innocent face and kind voice, she had to be the soft hearted Elain archeron.

Elain. He said it in his head savouring her name. “ Elain ” this time it escaped his lips.The name just as sweet as her voice. Azriel thanked the gods that somehow he figured out her name without embarrassing himself. Elain entered the living room. He hastily put the picture back to where it was.

“ Here” Elain offered his phone . He took it from her pale thin hands.He felt electric current running through his veins just as his fingers brushed against hers. He drew in a harsh breath. He collected himself before he did something wrong.

“ You’re Feyre’s sister.” he said it suddenly to fill the silence.“ You know Feyre? ” Elain asked confused.

“ Kinda. I know her boyfriend, Tamlin” what he didn’t add was they didn’t get along well or Tamlin could very well be dead in a ditch. At the mention of Tamlin’s name, Elain’s face lost its brightness.

“ Elain, who’s this? ” a soft voice asked from the bottom of the stairs. He didn’t hear the footsteps coming down the stairs. He was focused on the goddess in front of him. For once, his siren was in agreement with him. They both wanted her.

Azriel some how managed to tear his gaze away from Elain. He stared at Feyre. Gone was the girl with a pretty smile. Feyre’s face was puffed out from crying. Her eyes were red and swollen. Azriel could confirm what happened to Tamlin and she knew.

“ This is azriel. He’s a friend. ” Feyre raised an eyebrow at Elain’s answer.Feyre was staring at him. He knew exactly the moment she realized what he was. Her face hardened in a second.“ Elain, why don’t you make our guest a cup of tea? I’ll keep him company. ” Feyre said.Elain was oblivious to the tension in the room. He smiled at Elain.

“ Tea would be lovely ” Azriel forced the words out. His siren didn’t want her to go. Elain smiled at him and left. He would have done anything for that smile. He would have given up everything he had for her. That thought scared him more than anything else.

“ Leave her alone ” Feyre said in a low voice. Azriel supposed that she intended it to be threatening. He almost laughed at her. She was just a human. She could have known what he was but she was just as fragile as the rest them.

“ What happened to Tamlin ?” he asked Feyre. She took a step back involuntarily. She wasn’t prepared for this question from him. “ Are you a member of his pack? ” her voice was still low. As if she didn’t want Elain to overhear them. Which meant Elain had no idea about the Immortals.

“ No. I’m not a wolf. I’m looking for Tamlin. No one has seen him in two days .” he said.“ Is that why you’re here? ” Feyre asked, her eyebrows raised.

“ Not really ” Azriel answered glancing towards the kitchen.

“ Tamlin’s dead. I found his body near the river on his territory. He was drained of blood and coated in wolfsbane. There was no blood there. Someone dumped his body there.” Feyre answered my question then adds in a more serious tone. “ Leave her out of this. I don’t care what you are. But if you hurt her, I will make you pay. ” Azriel laughed aloud at her threat.

You could just kill her. Just snap her fragile neck. Of course then Elain would hate you forever. His siren was giving mixed signals.

“ What’s funny?” Elain asked as she enters the room with a tray in her hands. She placed the tray on the table and took a seat on the couch.

“ You two are going to just stand there or what? ” Elain asked. “ Actually, I should leave. I have meeting that I completely forgot about. I’m truly sorry about the tea. I promise I’ll make up for it some other time. ” Azriel apologized. He couldn’t remember the last time he apologized to someone. He left ,giving elain a last glance.

His siren practically begged him to stay. That was a first. His siren usually just nagged and tempted him. This was a rare occasion. He needed to get as far away from her as possible.

Azriel dialed Rhysand’s number as he started his car . Rhys picked up on the first ring. “ where are you? ” Rhys’s angry voice greeted him.

“ Tamlin’s dead. His girlfriend confirmed it. She found his body near the river on his territory .” Azriel got straight to the point.

The line went silent for a few seconds, then Rhys replied “ We have bigger problems ”

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Tagging : @hege-ie