AZRIEL

It had been three months without her.

Azriel didn't know what to do at this point, seeing as his mate hadn't contacted him in any way. His blood simmered underneath his skin, craving for the heat of her, wanting her lips on any part of him, and restless to be sealed.

He was starting to become hopeless, wondering if he should keep waiting for her to show up at his doorstep. But as his hope dimmed, he would feel the bond flicker at times, like she could feel his confliction from afar.

She knew the agony he held, and yet, she had done nothing to rid it from him.

All he wanted was a single word, sound, or feeling to rush down the bond and he would be satisfied with it. Even if she didn't want to speak with him, all he wanted to know was that she was safe and well.

He wished he could know if she wondered the same.

But even if he felt that his personal life was falling apart, the Spymaster still sought help from his mother, whom he had sort of mended their relationship after he showed up at her doorstep. He revealed mostly everything to her, including what his duties entailed to how he was fairing in Velaris.

Azriel had his head down through most of his explanation, but when he did look up to see his mother's face, she didn't show any emotion. She was there, listening to his every word. Occasionally, she would jump in to ask questions, but none that focused on the explicit part of him. She seemed to understand that he didn't delight in what he did, but that it was his duty to protect his court and his family.

But when it came to the topic of his mate, Azriel hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should tell his mother about Auriella. In reality, it still seemed surreal that the Daughter of Dawn, the most wonderful soul he ever came to know, was his mate. He had never really accepted the realization, but now that he was about to say it, his heart started to race.

And when he revealed that to his mother, a beautiful grin appeared on her lips.

The Illyrian woman was nothing but supportive of him. Even when the Spymaster broke down into tears because of everything that burdened him, his mother was right there at his side. He had never known how much he needed her until now; until everything had been said and done.

He had felt more open with her; had felt the weight of the world lifted off from his shoulders and placed into her secure arms. She would hold everything for him if she could, knowing that she had given up so much to be close to him when he was a young boy.

She could have left him on his own to suffer at the hands of those who hated him, but instead, she stayed and suffered with him.

It was yet another realization that shocked him, even when many centuries had passed.

But as Azriel grew closer with his mother, he learned that he wasn't the only one who had been busy. His mother worked as a healer in the camps of Ironcrest and Windhaven, both of who did not get along with one another. The Ironcrest Camp would always throw slander at Rhys and Cassian, believing them to be unfit to lead anything.

Azriel knew that Ironcrest would never dare say anything about him, mostly because the members loved their heads attached to their necks.

He knew that his mother was safe working for those two rival camps, seeing as they had nothing against the healers. During Amarantha's reign, help was needed everywhere, especially because of the havoc that she reaped. She explained that it didn't matter if she worked for one camp or more, but she had to be there for the days they assigned her.

Beneath his skin, Azriel's blood simmered. He didn't like knowing that his mother was being controlled by someone, but he understood that she didn't want to sit around, even when she could do just that.

He paid off her cabin in full, made sure it had the necessities she would need, and made sure that it was comfortable enough for her to live in long term. She didn't need anyone pushing her around but knowing her... Azriel decided to hold his tongue, even if he didn't agree with her decisions.

After a few weeks of reuniting with his mother, he had invited her to dinner with the rest of his family at the House of Wind. It took some convincing on his part, knowing that she was not an outspoken kind of person, but she eventually agreed.

The night of the dinner, his family accepted her with loving arms.

As they shared all kinds of stories, he could see his mother come out of her shell. She would laugh and grin as she heard the embarrassing stories about Azriel that Rhys and Cassian would tell her. She shared lighthearted ones of her own, some of them being stopped at mid-sentence by her son before she told too much.

All in all, the Spymaster was content to have her back in his life.

He only wished that his mate was at his side to experience this with him, wondering how she would have got along with his mother.

She got along with everyone, even Amren, which surprised Azriel a little. His High Lady even let his mother hold Nyx in her arms. She was hesitant at first, but eventually, she gave in, cooing at the child who stared at her with confused eyes but soon smiled at her.

As the Spymaster saw his mother hold the High Prince in her arms, he couldn't help but picture her holding his own child. She could see her spoiling his child to the brim, purchasing them all kinds of toys or clothes and making sure that they were taken care of, as she had taken care of him.

Auriella. He called down the bond, sending a single image.

Of course, he didn't expect her to answer him, but after a few moments... his mate sent something of her own down the bond.

An image of her sitting at her orange piano with her fingers against the keys.

The response shifted something inside of him, feeling the burden of not having her near him lift a weight from his chest. After three months of nothingness from her side, he finally had something that let him know she was safe and sound.

Piano. Keys. Song. His shadows whispered to him.

Azriel enveloped himself into his shadows, heading up to the music room.

After Auriella left, the Spymaster never thought to take a step inside of there, knowing that he would not be able to keep himself tethered if he did. When they weren't training, he knew that his mate would spend hours in the room, playing different melodies she had found in the piles of music sheets that were scattered in there.

Sometimes, he would linger outside of the doors, sitting down and hearing her play. He would note every mistake she made, hear the frustration in her voice, and smile at the number of profanities she let out. Clearly, she didn't like making mistakes when it came to music.

"Maybe I'll play a song for you one day," Auriella said to him during a day of training.

Azriel raised a brow, "And what would you play for me, sunlight?" He asked her, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

She smiled, giving him a single shrug, "I'm not sure. Tell me one. As I was digging through the piles, I really couldn't find a piece that I liked playing." She tells him, wielding her sword in the air.

"Then I suppose you'll have to compose one for me. I do not have a favorite melody, nor do I listen to them that often." He tells her.

Auriella turns to him, "Composing a song isn't easy, Spymaster." She says.

Azriel walks up to her, "I know that whatever you come up with will be a masterpiece. You'll figure it out, sunlight. You always do." He tells her, before planting a kiss on her lips.

Once the Spymaster opened the doors to the music room, he could see that nothing was moved or cleaned. The piles of music sheets sat on the top of the starlight piano, along with a pencil and crumpled pieces of paper.

As he walked around the piano, he scanned the music sheets, wondering how his mate could play all of them with ease. He admired her talent, seeing as she wasn't just a fierce warrior, but that she had a passion for something that she wasn't afraid to share, especially with him.

Azriel remembered when Auriella had let him into her mind when she was first training her shadows to look for him out in the forest. They were in her room back at the Dawn Court, sitting in front of her orange piano, and she played a melody from the top of her head. He remembered seeing the tears gleaming in her eyes, filled with so many emotions.

He remembered when she placed his hand on the keys alongside hers.

When Azriel sat behind the piano, he could see one music sheet that was already propped upright. It was turned over, unable to see the notes on the page, but words were written in the back of it:

"To the Spymaster, who helped me find my way back to the music."

Azriel felt his heart tighten in his chest. He turned the sheet over, reading the title:

"Song of Shadows"

The Spymaster became breathless, feeling the tears run down his face as he scanned the paper. He didn't have the faintest idea of how the melody sounded or how it should be played, but he cried nonetheless, knowing that his mate had composed this for him.

"Oh, Ella," He whispered, wishing that she were beside him.

Azriel didn't know how long he sat there looking down at the music sheet. He didn't know if it were seconds, minutes, or hours that passed. He only paid attention when he saw Cassian leaning against the threshold, "Are you alright, brother?" He asked.

The Spymaster looked down at the sheet once more, nodding, "I'm fine," He breathed, saying nothing more.

When Azriel left his mother back home and winnowed back to his cabin, Perseus was already asleep on the bed, his light snoring filling the silence in the room. The Spymaster scoffed, gently petting the wolf on his head.

Once he was ready for bed, Azriel carried the music sheet with him, studying it as exhaustion racked his body. He couldn't believe that his mate had written this for him; had taken the time and effort to compose a piece that was surely beautiful when played.

Mate. Mate. Mate. His shadows whispered before retreating to the dark corners of his cabin.

And even as Azriel went to sleep, he clutched that paper in his arms, dreaming of his mate playing his melody on the piano.

***

As the sun was rising, the Spymaster and Perseus made their way out of the cabin.

The wolf immediately ran through the forest, heading somewhere private to do some business of his own and chasing the butterflies that flew higher as he tried to catch them. Azriel chuckled at the wolf's actions.

Once he showered underneath the waterfall and changed into his casual attire, the Spymaster spent his time sitting on a tree trunk, cleaning and sharpening his daggers. He could occasionally hear Perseus barking and growling at other animals that lingered in the forest, but he didn't pay him any mind.

But after spending only a few minutes doing the bare minimum of work, Azriel felt his chest bloom with urgency. He could feel the bond grow as if...

Auriella was here.

The Spymaster wasted no time. He went up into the air, moving his wings as fast as he could. He soared through the clouds, making his way to Rhysand and Feyre's estate. As was getting closer, he could only feel the bond become stronger, his heart aching to see his mate once more.

And after what seemed like hours of flying, Azriel landed right in front of the estate.

Cassian was leaning against the front doors, arms crossed, "Damn, I guess Rhys won this time. You couldn't have taken a shorter time to get here?" He says.

Azriel's chest heaved up and down, "Where is she?" He asked, unsure if anger or relief ran through his veins. Probably both.

His brother took a deep breath, "She's inside, Az. Rhys put me out here to warn you that she didn't come alone." He explains.

Azriel shoves his brother aside, opening the double doors.

"Az, listen to me. I know that you have many emotions going through you right now, but you cannot barge in there. We cannot let them suspect anything or they will surely take her away and you'll never see her again." Cassian says to him.

The Spymaster doesn't listen to him. He stomps through the estate, heading to the throne room at the end of the hallway. He feels his heart beating out of his chest, knowing that just beyond those doors, is his mate.

"Brother, please listen-" Cassian starts, but Azriel interrupts him.

"It has been three months, Cas. Three fucking months since I've seen my mate. Now, I heard you. I will not go in there and make a scene. I just need to see her. If I can't talk to her or do anything with her, I just want to see her. I cannot restrain myself forever." He says.

Cassian nods, "I know you can't. Remember that she is the Daughter of Dawn. She is not part of our court. I don't want you to make a mistake and slip up. I am not telling you this for Rhysand or Feyre's sake, but for yours." He tells him.

Once they are standing in front of the doors, Cassian looks to his brother briefly before calmly opening the doors.

The conversation dies down as they enter the room.

"Ah yes, my Spymaster and General will join us now. They must be present for what you both are about to tell us." Rhysand says, holding his mate's hand, and staring right at Azriel.

Do not cause a scene, Azriel, or I will have you out. Rhysand says through his mind.

Azriel could see two Peregryns standing beside their Dawn Court leaders. They stare at him and Cassian as if they were threats they needed to be worried about. In reality, they should be, knowing that he can easily cut their throats if he wanted to.

But Azriel doesn't focus on them, nor their captain.

Instead, he focuses on those green eyes that he had dreamt of seeing again. They brightened in the early morning sunrise, along with the strengthened shadows that were swirling around her. She was dressed in gold with Soulender sheathed at her hip. Even now, her beauty took his breath away.

Sunlight? Azriel said through the bond.

Auriella's eyes gleamed with tears as she stared at him, Hello, Spymaster.