AZRIEL

Azriel and Cassian took their places beside their High Lord and High Lady, who stayed silent for a moment.

The Captain of the Peregryns took advantage of the silence, "I don't have much time here, High Lord. If we are to explain ourselves, then we must do it now. I do not feel comfortable leaving my High Lord unattended." Zephyr says.

Rhys motions his hand, "Then explain." He tells him.

Azriel moves his eyes to his mate, who seems to be deep in thought. He could see her face fueled with anger. Through the bond, the rage that radiated down was immense.

Something was wrong.

Before Zephyr opens his mouth to speak, Auriella interrupts him. "After I was called back to the Dawn Court, my father told me and my brother some important..." she falters, "information that was vital to why Damian and I possess the abilities that we do now. Before he and I left the Dawn Court, we assumed that our father was keeping something from us, and as you can see, we were right."

"Leaving the Day and Night Court wasn't an easy decision to make. We were both in the midst of training our abilities to wield them better, but after our father revealed the secret he had been keeping, we decided to take matters into our own hands. And I think you both know well of what I mean." She explained.

Azriel was confused by her words. He looked over to Rhys and Feyre, who nodded.

Rhys takes a deep breath, "You mean with how you and Damian have been protecting, not just the Night Court border, but every other border in Prythian over these past three months? How you have a squad of Peregryns following you day and night to help you eliminate these creatures? Yes, we know all about that." He reveals.

Azriel feels his blood boil underneath his skin. He knew about none of this. The last time he had received a report was... three months ago.

His heart sinks. Rhysand and Feyre had been keeping this from him.

Auriella gives him a single nod, "Exactly." She says.

Feyre looks at her, "Why? Why would you risk yourself to protect the courts? You know that we have soldiers of our own that could take out those creatures just as well as you can." She tells her.

The Daughter of Dawn shakes her head, "I do this because I do not want you to waste your soldiers. Soon, you will need them. The Being is slowly coming out of hiding and she is creating these creatures in hoards. If your soldiers try to fight them off, you will lose many of them because of the dark magic that corrupts them. But for Damian and I, we are not affected by it." She says.

Rhys sits up in his dais, "What do you mean you are not affected? That dark magic is what almost poisoned my Spymaster to death." He says.

At that, Azriel can see his mate flinch for the briefest moment before it's gone. He remembered when she wasn't at his bedside that night, explaining that she wasn't able to bear to see him in a state of near-death.

He understood.

She had already seen enough death in her time Under the Mountain.

Auriella nods, "I know. But you forget that Ismene was possessed with the same dark magic." She raises her right arm, where the faint line of a cut lays, "If it was supposed to affect me, it didn't. Damian and I fight off the creatures with ease, meaning that we have an advantage. But it isn't a lot." She tells them.

Zephyr speaks, "There is a connection between Damian, Auriella, and The Being. But I believe that it is deeper than we imagined. After the Daughter and Son of Dawn explained their experiences in the courts, it is clear that more answers lie here than in the Day." He says.

Feyre narrows her eyes, "Why do you say that?" She asks.

"The Being resides here. She has corrupted the sisterhood and made them her own. There are not as many creatures coming to your borders as the others. She favors the Night Court. That means there must be answers here, ones that we are not seeing, and I believe she is trying to find them too." Auriella explains.

Rhys takes a deep breath, taking in Auriella's words, "What is this secret that your father told you?" He asks her.

"We are not disclosing that yet," Zephyr says.

Feyre scoffs, "And why not? If this is a secret that affects the Children of Day and Night, won't this affect all of the courts too if it's not brought to our attention?" She asks.

Azriel can feel the conflict inside of his mate. He could feel that a part of her wants to say everything, but the other part fights back for her not to. He wonders what happened to her back at her court, knowing that things were not quite right with her.

"I'm afraid that we can't say anything about it. If we do and the information gets into the wrong hands, then Prythian will never stand a chance against The Being. Right now, this secret stays between my family." Auriella says, her voice stern.

The darkness rumbles in the room.

Rhys moves on to other matters, "Other than protecting the border, did you find anything of importance? If you and your brother are not affected by this dark magic, then have you stepped close to Under the Mountain?" He asked.

Auriella nods, "We were able to, but the corrupted sisterhood protects the entrance. The twelve of them stand there like statues with their swords in hand. In the night, they disperse from the mountain and divide themselves into pairs of two for each court, excluding the Night Court." She reveals.

Azriel and Cassian briefly look at each other, remembering the theories they had shared the night that Azriel was injured at Under the Mountain.

"After receiving information from the other courts, I discovered that Ismene and Helena watch Dawn. Delphine and Callista watch Spring. Aiko and Frida watch Winter. Talia and Melba watch Autumn. Eria and Basilah watch Day. And Adelpha and Jamil watch Summer." Auriella tells them.

Her green eyes gleam, "That only leaves The Being, who watches the Night Court."

Rhys narrows his eyebrows, "You've been in contact with every High Lord, including Tamlin?" He asks.

Azriel could see the hesitation in his mate once the High Lord of Spring was brought up. Rhys hadn't gone back to the Spring Court after his visit a few months ago. He hadn't even mentioned Tamlin during that time, not that he knew of.

Auriella clears her throat, "Yes, I have. The High Lord of Spring seems to be gaining back control of his court. When I confronted Tamlin myself, it was a bit shocking to witness how he changed his appearance and his mindset." She tells them.

Feyre raises her brow, "Tamlin has changed? I don't believe that for a moment." She says, rolling her eyes.

Rhys takes his mate's hand in his, "Other than what you have told us today, is there something else that you have come here for? I noticed that you never came to claim your wolf, Perseus. Why has he followed behind my Spymaster all this time?" He asks.

Auriella gives him a faint smile, "I needed space from my wolf. After spending so much time with him, I knew that I needed to gain my independence back. Before, I was scared to go anywhere without him. Now, I am fairly confident in myself. Also, my hands were full with everything that happened these past months. I did not want my wolf to be put in harm's way." She explains.

"He has grown fond of Nyx in your absence. I am afraid that one day, my son will grow too attached to your wolf to the point where you will never have him back." Feyre says, playfully.

The Daughter of Dawn chuckles, "I would trust your son with my wolf, High Lady. I believe they would be perfect companions in the future." She says.

Azriel restrains himself from saying anything.

"I know that my departure three months ago was sudden, but if it isn't too much to ask, would you be willing to open your home to me again? I must know the answers that lie here and we are running out of time." Auriella says, making Azriel look at her.

Mate. Mine. Home. His shadows whisper to him, making chills arise on his skin.

Zephyr snaps his head to the Daughter of Dawn, his face becoming one of confusion. It seems that this decision was sudden to him. His ember eyes gleamed with anger, making the Spymaster grow protective of his mate.

Feyre smiles at Auriella, "You were given access to our court whenever you wanted, Daughter of Dawn. If you believe that the answers you seek lie here, then go ahead and find them. But we will need answers of our own, whenever you can provide them. Do not leave us in the dark." She says.

Auriella gives her a single nod, "Of course, Feyre." She says.

"I'm afraid I cannot let her return to the Night Court," Zephyr says, making everyone look at him, "We have not taken this up with Thesan. He will want me to retrieve Auriella back to the Dawn Court."

Auriella's nostrils flare, "My father must understand that my decisions are my own. If he does not favor them, he should take them up with me when I return home. Right now, I stay in the Night Court." She tells the captain.

Zephyr steps closer to her. Azriel feels his body roaring to push the captain away, but he keeps himself tethered in his spot, knowing that his mate can handle herself.

"You will return home with me, Auriella," Zephyr says.

Auriella doesn't look at him, "Why should I?" She asks.

"Because I am your father and you will quit acting this way towards me!" He yells at her, his voice echoing through the throne room.

Azriel feels his emotions cease. He never knew that she had two fathers. He had only believed that Thesan raised the Daughter and Son of Dawn on his own.

But now, it seemed that it wasn't that way after all.

So the Captain of the Peregryns does have a relationship with Thesan? I called it. Rhysand says, his voice holding a slight victorious tone.

After a brief moment, Auriella speaks, "If you excuse me, I must speak with the captain alone." She says, heading for the exit of the throne room. Zephyr and the two guards follow behind her, shutting the doors behind them.

***

Auriella storms out of Rhysand and Feyre's estate, letting the warm air hit her.

She turns towards her father, who stares at her, "Are you insane? I asked you to let me speak and make my own decisions before we arrived here. Why are you not letting me now?" She says, angrily.

Zephyr shakes his head, "You know that we cannot trust them, Ella. They are dangerous, especially because they do not know everything that we do. They could try and force answers out of you. They could be playing nice for all we know." He tells her.

"If they are so dangerous, then why did you reveal out that you are also my father to them? Now they all know that the Captain of the Peregryns and the High Lord of Dawn is in a relationship with one another and have raised twins. That was reckless on your part."

Her father stays silent.

Auriella scoffs, "I have been with them for four months. They never tried to hurt me or kill me or pry information out from me, even though I hid plenty of things from them. I have to be here, father. As I said, we are running out of time. The more we keep waiting and doing nothing, The Being will grow stronger." She says.

"Thesan will not allow this. You know it, Ella." The captain says.

She rolls her eyes, "I don't care what he will or will not allow. Persuade him to let me stay. Do anything that deters him from me. You both know that I will not give up on trying to find answers. Leave me here. Protect the Dawn. I'll be fine." She says.

Zephyr shakes his head, looking out to the horizon, "How long will you be here, Ella. I need you to give me an estimate for your father." He says.

Auriella huffs out a breath, "Two months. I'll leave in two months."

The captain nods, "Alright. In two months, we'll expect you back in the Dawn Court. After one month has passed, you will come back to see us and let us know what you have uncovered. If you have nothing, then you will stay home permanently. Do I make myself clear?" He asks, sternly.

Auriella nods, "Yes, father. I understand perfectly." She says to him.

"Are you going to continue protecting the borders away from home?" He asks.

She nods once more, "Yes, I have to. I cannot leave the courts unprotected. We are going to need every soldier once The Being returns. I will be in charge of protecting the Night, Day, and Dawn borders. Damian will protect the Winter, Autumn, Summer, and Spring border. We'll rotate between Under the Mountain." She tells him.

Zephyr pinches the bridge of his nose, "You are putting yourselves at risk, Ella."

Auriella nods, "We are, but for good reason. Prythian must survive. Damian and I must protect it. And you know why." She says.

Her father stares down at her, "What if this is all for nothing? What if you and your brother aren't enough?" He asks her.

"Then at least we went down fighting instead of doing nothing." She says without hesitation.

Zephyr looks at her for a moment before pulling his daughter into an embrace. "Be safe, my diamond. Do not let them lead you astray. Remember why you are here." He says.

Auriella pulls away from him, "I know, father. I'll see you soon."

After Zephyr and the two Peregryns winnow away, Auriella walks back into Rhysand and Feyre's estate, making her way back to the throne room.

But before she could reach the doors, Auriella feels someone grab her arm and pull her into one of the rooms.

"What the hell-" She says, but stops when she sees the Spymaster.

Her heart tightens at the sight of him, seeing how restless and angry he looks. She remembered hearing him through the bond over the three months. She was able to hear the changes in his voice, feel the different emotions course through, and feel the yearning.

And through it all, she had said nothing to him.

But now, seeing him was enough for tears to spring in her eyes.

"Az," she breathed.

The Spymaster slowly walked towards her, his hazel eyes gleaming in the sunlight. Their shadows shifted in the air, dispersing into the dark corners of the room.

Auriella starts, "I know that you want answers. I know that you are angry at me. But please, know that I wanted to answer you every time you spoke to me through the bond, but things in the Dawn Court became complicated and I-"

Azriel immediately pulls her to him, crushing his lips to hers.

She had almost forgotten what he tasted like - snowfall with the night air. She melted beneath his hands as they gripped her waist and gently pushed her against the wall. She wrapped her arms around his neck, not wanting to let go of him for even a moment.

She regretted leaving him for so long, knowing that things between them had grown more serious. After she had left for the Dawn Court, she wanted nothing more than to head back to her mate and be with him. But after everything that her father revealed, she couldn't leave.

Azriel's hands moved lower to grip her ass, making Auriella gasp. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, letting out a low groan that made a wetness pool at her core. She tangled her fingers into his hair, whimpering as her mate bit down on her lip.

His kisses trailed down her jaw to her neck, "I thought you would be angrier with me." Auriella breathed.

"I am beyond angry with you," The Spymaster says against her throat.

"It doesn't seem like it." She says to him.

Azriel lifts his head, kissing her once more, "That's because I missed you, Ella." He whispers, placing his forehead against hers.

Auriella grins, feeling the tears fall down her cheek, "I missed you too, Spymaster."