Once Azriel brought Auriella back to the House of Wind, they both went in, heading down to the dining room.

Cassian and Emerie were there, eating dinner beside each other, candlelights illuminating in the darkness.

"I didn't know you were the romantic type, brother," Azriel said, making their presence known to the pair. Cassian chucked a roll of bread at the Spymaster, but he caught it just in time, handing it to Perseus, who gladly gobbled it down.

"Well, since you two went off to who knows where... Emerie and I believed we had the whole house to ourselves. It's good that you interrupted us now, or else you would have seen us fuc-" Emerie stuffs a roll of bread into his mouth.

The Illyrian female gestures to the table, "What Cassian means to say is, why don't you both join us? There is plenty of food." She says.

Auriella sits down in her usual seat, starting to prepare food for Perseus. The wolf sits beside her, licking his teeth and staring at the food. She chuckles, making sure to put a whole chicken breast. Perseus licked her cheek, showing her that he appreciated it.

Once her wolf was eating, Auriella prepared her plate of chicken and mashed potatoes. It smelled delightful, her mouth watering at the sight of it.

"How was The Choosing, Auriella? I heard that Aiko was the one who was picked out." Emerie says, drinking her water.

Auriella nods, "Yes, she was. I trained her in the morning. Hopefully, by the end of this month, she will be able to complete the movements. I just wished we had more time." She says.

Emerie nods, "Devlon will do anything to dismantle the sisterhood. It was part of an agreement that Morrigan and Nesta had to accept. There would be one month of training for the chosen sister and brother, then they would have to fight in the Arena of Nightmares.

"Morrigan and Nesta argued for more time, but Devlon refused. It was either one month or the sisterhood is no more. So, they had to agree. When Olrun lost in the first tournament, the sisterhood had to beg for one more chance. It wasn't easy, but eventually, Devlon agreed, but he still wouldn't give us more time." She explains.

Cassian shakes his head, "That man will train the brotherhood to kill not defeat. In this tournament, Aiko and Byron will fight to the death with swords. Byron has more training than Aiko, given that he was there before the brotherhood was formed. Aiko must train day and night with little rest to make her stand a chance against Byron." He says.

Azriel nods, "You will have to help train her, Cassian. Mor wants you there with Auriella. With the both of you helping her, she could gain enough knowledge to kill or defeat Byron." He tells his brother.

Cassian briefly stares at his lover. Emerie doesn't look at him, but judging by the look on her face, it seems that she was not fond of the idea of him going to the sisterhood.

Auriella remembered Morrigan's words to Cassian when Nesta had walked away after the duel between her and the Daughter of Dawn. The general was protective of the Archeron sister, his body trembling with rage the moment he laid eyes upon Auriella.

Cassian and Nesta were mates. But Nesta rejected the bond.

It seemed that Emerie knew that.

The general grabbed his lover's hand, bringing it to his lips. The small gesture was a reassuring one, silently telling Emerie that his heart belonged to her.

Will they be okay? Auriella asks Azriel.

I hope so. He loves Emerie with everything he has, but the bond with Nesta affects their relationship. The male will never stop protecting his mate. Cassian will always want to make sure Nesta is okay, even when his heart fully belongs to Emerie. He explains.

Cassian clears his throat, "Emerie and I need to have a conversation before I can agree to anything." He says.

His lover shakes her head, "No. This is for the survival of the sisterhood. If you have to go up there and help train Aiko yourself, then I want you to. I trust you, Cassian. That is something you have never broken with me." Emerie says.

Cassian stares at Emerie with tears gleaming in his eyes as if her words broke something inside of him. Emerie smiled at him, her hand touching his cheek. Auriella hoped that they both could survive this, that he could ignore the burden of the rejected bond.

She turned to look at Azriel, who was already staring at her. His face looked troubled like something was wearing heavy on his mind. The Daughter of Dawn gave him a small smile as if to give him reassurance. For what? She didn't know.

From the first time she laid eyes upon him, Auriella felt hope spring in her chest. Even when she wasn't thinking about love and relationships, Azriel came at an unexpected moment. It was something that she wasn't prepared for, feeling as if another weight was dropped on top of her, giving her even more things to carry.

Auriella didn't know what was going to come out of their bond. She had told him that even if nothing came out of it at all, that it was going to be okay, that they would leave it at that.

But Auriella hoped that something did come out of this. She didn't care if it was friendship or a relationship, she just wanted him to know her, to see her for who she truly was. She knew that she wasn't ready to lay her mind bare for him to see, but she hoped that when she was, that he would still be there beside her like he was in the fantasy.

Cassian took a deep breath, looking back at his brother. "Tomorrow, I'll go with Auriella up to Windhaven. Hopefully, Aiko can keep up with me." He says, grinning at the Daughter of Dawn.

"Ah yes, I'm sure it would be hard to keep up with the slow general who couldn't take down the Daughter of Dawn," Emerie says, earning a playful jab in the ribs by her lover.

Cassian points a finger at Auriella, "You and I need to have a rematch. I'll prove to all of you that I haven't lost my touch." He tells them, dramatically flipping away his long hair from his face.

Azriel chuckles, "Those are the words usually the loser says." He mutters, drinking the steaming tea. Cassian glared at his brother.

Auriella laughed, earning a glance from her mate. He seemed astonished at the sound, his shadows stilled once more as if they too were taken by surprise.

She didn't remember the time she truly laughed. Even when she had mended the relationships with her family, she was still very damaged. Happiness and peace was something that still seemed out of reach for her.

Even when she came to the Night Court, she didn't know if things would change, if she would be begging to go back home the next day. She was afraid that she came here for nothing and wasted her time.

But no, she was feeling the exact opposite. She felt freed.

Her home in the Dawn Court felt like another prison, knowing that her father, Thesan, was more on guard and alert after the war. Auriella knew that both of her fathers' were fighting their own battles and struggling themselves, but she wished they were more lenient and understanding, but that didn't happen.

Auriella wondered why Thesan had allowed her and Damian to leave so easily. He wasn't quick to start an argument or scolded them for their choices. She wondered if he was finally coming to his senses that she and her brother were old enough to be on their own and protect themselves.

For Auriella, seventy years seemed to fly by. It was almost overwhelming, but she didn't think about it much.

Instead, she paid attention to Cassian and Azriel, who were bickering about who was the best uncle to the High Prince, Nyx. Emerie locked eyes with her, shaking her head and rolling her eyes.

And once again, Auriella's laughter echoed throughout the room.

***

In the night, it seemed that sleep was nonexistent.

As much as she stirred in her bed, careful not to wake Perseus, Auriella could not bring herself to rest. She felt her shadows tugging her to the door, wanting her to go out.

Auriella tried to ignore them, but after an hour, she got out of bed. For a moment, she went over to the window, admiring the twinkling stars in the night sky. The moon was out, illuminating her dark bedroom in the white light.

The room she had been given was smaller than hers, but she didn't mind it. The walls were decorated in Night Court colors with the ceiling shimmering with painted stars. Her heart swelled whenever she walked in feeling as if...

As if she belonged here.

Auriella remembered Cassian saying that her birth mother was apart of the Night Court. It was a heart-stopping feeling for her to think about. She wanted to understand how she and her brother were able to obtain these abilities all of a sudden. It was like they had come out of thin air, revealing themselves at the perfect time.

She wondered why her real parents had abandoned them, had left at the doorsteps of the Dawn Court palace in the rain. She always told herself that she didn't care, that it didn't bother her, but in reality, it did.

Who were they?

Are they alive?

Are they dead?

Did they even care?

Her mind swirled with questions when it came to them. Auriella never asked her fathers about them because she didn't want them to know that she had that small part of her that wondered about her birth parents well being.

Auriella could never replace her fathers. The men who raised her and her twin brother into the people they are today. Their hearts were lovable and pure whenever it came to them. Thesan and Zephyr were everything to her. She wouldn't trade the life she had for anything.

Again, Auriella felt her shadows tug, bringing her out of her thoughts.

She took a deep breath, putting a cardigan over her shoulders, covering the purple silk nightgown she had on. She tiptoed towards the door, making sure not to wake her wolf, who was sleeping soundly in her bed.

Once she got out to the hallway, she looked both ways, seeing no one in sight. It seemed that even the House was asleep, with only the moonlight shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Her shadows swirled around her before tugging again.

Auriella chuckled, loving that her shadows were vibrant with life. She had never seen them so active before.

Her shadows had guided Auriella to the familiar double doors that had always been in the back of her mind. The music room.

She felt her heart race, her palms sweaty and knees heavy. She stared at the doors, unsure of whether to open them or to turn away and rush back to her room.

But then, the memories of the fantasy played in her mind. She remembered the beautiful blooming feeling that sprang in her chest, hearing every delicate note being played on the piano. Oh, how she missed it.

She missed the cold keys, the sweet melodies, and how it made her feel.

Auriella closed her eyes, willing herself to be calm. And once she opened them again, she put her hands on the handle of the doors, opening them.

As if the House had awoken, the candlelights on the wall lit up, dimly illuminating the room. The starlight piano sat in the middle, shimmering and yearning to be played.

The Daughter of Dawn stepped into the room, clenching her hands into fists. Her bare feet touched the concrete floor, sending shivers up her body. She walked around the piano, staring down at the clean keys. The small black bench slid out on its own, beckoning her to sit.

"Thank you," she whispered to the House, knowing that it was enchanted.

Auriella sat down, the bench sliding back in by itself, securing her in front of the keys. She didn't touch them right away, instead, she kept her hands in her lap, feeling her heart in her throat. She didn't know if she could do this.

Touch it.

Play.

Music.

Piano.

Her shadows whispered from all around her, encouraging her. She swallowed, lifting her shaking hands to touch the keys. Her heart was racing faster than before, but she didn't let the nervousness of her body overtake her mind.

And once her hand was on the piano keys, she felt a weight lift off her chest. Her body stilled, as did her shadows.

"Remember the melody I taught you, Ella?" Thesan asked his ten-year-old daughter.

Auriella's face brightened, grinning at her father. They were in her room, sitting behind her new orange-colored piano. She stared at the instrument, beaming with happiness.

"The slow one, right? The one you play for Pa?" She asked him.

Zephyr's song was embedded in her mind. It was a melody that she could never forget, remembering the simple but heart-wrenching notes that played again and again. Thesan had made the song before his children came into his life, dedicating it to his lover.

Auriella loved it, always asking her father to play it whenever he got the chance.

"That's the one, my love. Do you need the notes? Or can you remember it?" He asked.

Auriella shook her head, straightening herself in the seat. She put her hands on the keys, "The notes are in my mind. I don't need them, Pa." She says, confidently.

Thesan laughed, "Alright, my light. Let's see how well I taught you." He says.

Auriella took a deep breath before music filled the room.

It was like she had never forgotten the notes. The one song that never left her mind was of her father, Zephyr. It was a delicate piece Thesan had made for him, wanting to show the trueness of his love.

As Auriella pressed down on each note, she can't help but remember the undying love that her fathers have for one another. How they would hold hands while watching their children play around. How their kisses held such passion. How they would comfort one another in troubled times. How real and beautiful their relationship was.

Her heart tightened in her chest, feeling every emotion that Thesan must have felt for Zephyr. A raw and desirable emotion that could weigh heavy on someone, like their heart could burst from the feeling.

Auriella could feel her shadows dancing around her. She smiled, entering into the peak of the song.

As she played, she hummed each part, reminding herself of what note came next. She couldn't believe that she remembered it after all the years that had passed. But she was glad that this was a song that didn't require her to have the music sheet.

It was a melody that her fathers' had cherished as she did too.

Auriella felt her shadows still.

There was someone beside her, watching her. She knew who it was, but she didn't pay him any attention. No, she was far too lost in the music, in herself.

It felt like a revival like something was blooming inside of her, coming out of her dark shell to face the sunlight once more. Even when tears streamed down her cheek, there was nothing but content in her swelling heart.

But once she exited the peak of the song, slowing down and coming to its end, the feeling stayed. Her shadows, along with his, danced together, moving around one another like a tornado of darkness.

And once her fingers touched the final notes of the song, she turned her head.

Azriel was sitting beside her, his eyes bored down into hers, holding nothing but fascination in them; transfixed by the music.

Then Auriella pressed down on the final note, sending the room into silence.

Three years.

She had spent three years thinking about him, about the bond that they shared. Even in the most unexpected moments, Azriel would appear in her mind, making herself wonder what he was doing, what he was thinking, and where he was. She wondered if they would ever meet again. She would sometimes act out what she would do or say, wanting to make a good second impression on him, hoping that she wouldn't be a nervous wreck.

But most of all, Auriella had spent three years wondering what it would feel like to touch him, to feel his body underneath the palms of her hands. She ached to feel the strongness of him, to feel the smoothness and roughness of his skin, and craved his touch on her own.

It was agonizing and delirious at the same time.

But now, here he was beside her, just like in the fantasy. His eyes locked on hers, the moonlight shining down upon them, and their faces inches away.

She wasn't terrified of this; of him. Whenever he was around her, she felt safe. Her mind would be at ease, liking the closeness of him, knowing that he was right there.

Auriella wondered if he thought the same.

I do, Ella. Azriel sent down the bond.

There wasn't a second thought as to what she did next.

The Daughter of Dawn gently took the Spymaster's face in her hands... and pressed her lips to his.