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cassiefromhell · 9 months

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Unexpected (pt. 1)

Edit: Part Two

Fanbase: acotar

Eris x Reader x Azriel

Summary: On the eve of your long-awaited mating ceremony to the High Lord of the Autumn Court, a guest from the Night Court turns your world upside-down.

Warnings: none

Today is the day.

Today, we greet guests from all across Prythian. High Lords (and the new Lady) and their wives, children, and entourage. They’ll see my mate and I as a couple for the very first time.

Such a wide and royal array of guests wouldn’t be typical of a normal mating ceremony — however I was marrying the High Lord of the Autumn Court, Eris Vanserra, and he had invited everyone he knew or had heard of at all.

Meeting Eris was a dream come true, and I still feel like I’m floating all the time. Maybe one day I’ll wake up from this dream.

I’ve lived in the Autumn Court my entire life, the daughter of High Lord Beron’s general. I grew up wealthy, but my father didn’t spoil me — he taught me how to kill, how to strategize, and how to wield a blade. I became an assassin for the throne, killing off any who even whispered of a threat against the High Lord.

But my father died in the Hybern War, and months later I received a job to kill Beron himself; coming from his own son. I hesitated for a long while, but eventually did it, knowing of his cruelty. When I brought Eris his father’s head, I laid eyes on him for the very first time, and our bond clicked into place instantly.

That was six months ago, and I feel like I’ve known him all my life.

I find myself in our bedroom, wringing my hands in an attempt to dispel my nerves. My hair is done up in a halo around my head, and I’m wearing the second most elegant dress I own — the first place winner in that category is hanging in my closet for tomorrow.

Eris saunters in, his eyes catching on me immediately. He blows out a low whistle, leaning against the door frame. “You look beautiful, little flame.”

I gaze up at him, offering a sheepish smile as a way of greeting. “You look incredible.”

It isn’t a lie, and I find my eyes trailing over him. His rouge hair is tied back into a ponytail, and he dons a black uniform, complementing the muscles at his biceps and abdomen. He’s as beautiful as ever — my mate.

I find his scars beautiful, too. He must have come back from the war against Hybern with plenty of them, but they just add to his handsomeness.

Eris steps forward, offering me his hands. I take them gingerly, blushing when he touches his lips to my neck. “I could just strip you right here and ravish you forever.”

I laugh, and he pulls me up to my feet. I give his shoulder a gentle shove. “Don’t you get started now.”

He simply grins at me and makes a lip-zipping motion, offering his arm. I take it, pressing a gentle kiss to his shoulder. Reaching up, I adjust the crown sitting on his head, straightening it.

And now we walk down the palace hallway, approaching our guests.

Eris rubs my hand gently, pressing a kiss to my pointed ear. I lean against his warmth, just as we reach the double doors leading to the ballroom.

“Are you ready, my love?” He murmurs, raising his hand in preparation to push open the doors with a wave of magic.

“As ready as I can be,” I laugh nervously, glancing up to the red-headed High Lord by my side.

With one final whisper in my ear, “I’ll be right here, just signal if you need me,” he blows the doors wide open,

A hush falls over the crowded hall as we enter, my gown sweeping behind me. It’s so perfectly my color, and I know I must be glowing at my mate’s side.

I feel a sort of tugging in that moment, and I spare a glance to Eris, trying to figure out if he’s tugging on the half-formed mating bond.

But he just squeezes my hand, and we stride down the center of the room, the crowd parting for us as we approach the dais.

I can feel all of the different tendrils of Fae magic filling the air — reaching out, coiling at my feet, trying to feel me out. There are plenty of the reddish-brown Autumn Court type, but mixed in are ribbons of icy, chilling blue, glittering gold, cloud-like white, warm cobalt, and the ones that stand out the most, six snakes of black. I sort out the widest one of that kind, the one that has that royal, starry shimmer to it, and stomp on it. A low chuckle comes from the other side of the room — Rhys is an old friend.

We step up onto the dais, Eris slipping a hand around my waist to make sure I don’t trip. We turn in unison, looking out on the crowd.

“Thank you all, for coming to celebrate the bond between my mate and I,” Erie’s voice booms out across the crowd, and we’re met with a mix of applause and enthusiastic ‘whoop!’s — people love a good mating bond, especially when it’s a High Lord.

“We ask that you have fun tonight, and please do come and say hello, or we’ll find you ourselves and say hello for you,” he adds with a wink. “Enjoy the festivities.”

At those words, the party resumes, and Eris grins at me.

“You always have been good at throwing parties,” I beam up at him, kissing his cheek gently. “Thank you.”

“Come, love,” he guides me down off of the dais (we never stay on it for long, Eris finds it rather elitist) and sweeps me towards the banquet table.

“Did you make sure there’s those little colorful—“

He interrupts me by holding a macaron in front of my mouth, precisely what I was asking for. I take it happily, munching on my favorite treat.

“How could I forget? They’re your favorite, and they’ll be at every event we host from now on. As my High Lady, you deserve to have parties that reflect—”

This time it’s him being interrupted by an unfamiliar feminine voice. “Are you saying I won’t be the only High Lady anymore?”

Eris and I both whirl, and I smile at the sight of the three people standing in front of us. Rhys, Morrigan, and an unfamiliar woman with golden hair and a crown.

“You must be High Lady Feyre,” I say, extending a hand. “I must say, it was your title that inspired the whole make-me-High-Lady thing.”

Feyre shakes my hand enthusiastically, nodding. “At least I’ll have another lady to gossip to,” she replies with a wink.

Morrigan sweeps me away into a tight hug, bouncing on her toes. “You’re being mated! Oh, I can’t believe it! I do wish the Mother could have chosen a better mate for you, however,” she whispers the last part in a hushed voice, eyes darting to Eris.

I’ve known Mor for as long as I’ve known Rhys — from being found in Night Court territory, trying to capture a beast. They had released me, but found a liking to my humor and had written to me consistently, even going so far as to request jobs from me when they needed someone killed out-of-territory and were too busy themselves.

Mor seems to have gotten over the whole past Eris situation, mostly, although her jibe towards my mate was understandable.

“Rhys, we have to introduce her to Cass and Az,” Mor gushes, glancing to her two friends. “She’d love them.”

I spare a glance in Eris’s direction, and he smiles softly, waving me away.

“I’ll go find Thesan and Helion — you have fun. Signal if you need me,” he says, pressing a kiss to my temple. With that, he walks away.

I watch him leave, until Mor is tugging on my hand. “Come on, they’re probably dancing. We’ll find them on the floor.”

Nodding, I follow the blonde onto the dance floor, my dress already billowing in my wake. The High Lord and Lady are heading towards the dance floor as well, and I can’t help but get a little anxious as the music picks up speed. Eris and I practiced for weeks just for this night and tomorrow. However, I haven’t been to very many dances, having spent my childhood learning the art of being an assassin.

But Mor seems to know that, for she sweeps me into a basic variation of the dance. I find myself breathing a sigh of relief, twirling when she holds up her hand.

“You sensed that I’m not much of a dancer, then?”

She laughs, and it’s a whimsical sound, tilting her head back and putting a sparkle in her brown eyes. “You look more agile than graceful. Like you could be quiet, but dancing would put you half in the grave.”

A blush creeps up the back of my neck, and I avert my gaze. “…You were correct…”

She laughs once more, and then her eye snags on something — rather, someone — behind me. “Time to change partners! This is Cassian,” she spins me around to face a tall, muscled Illyrian male. “The war general I told you about. He kills people, too. Discuss.” She pushes me towards him.

I stumble a little with her shove, quickly regaining my composure and looking up at the man. He’s got an odd expression on his face — like he’s up to something. Something tells me that he’s on some form of mission, but I cautiously offer him my hands anyway.

He takes one hand and places the other on my waist, and we begin a slow, slightly clumsy dance. The clumsy part is all him. “Should I be concerned,” he starts, “that Mor just introduced you as someone who kills people.”

I snort, shaking my head as we turn — and he nearly steps on my foot. “Hardly. That’s exactly how I met Mor and Rhys, anyway. I was on a job in the Night Court collecting a beast for a public execution, by Lord Beron’s orders. They caught me, but found that I was simply too amusing to kill and they let me go.”

He chuckles and nods. “Yes, I do believe they’ve told me that story before. Now, I have a question for you.”

“Is it: how are you putting up with my terrible dancing skills, lady?”

“No, not quite,” his eyes dart from me to the left, and then back to me. Fishy. “Politely… are you really, truly in love with Eris, or is it just a ‘you’re my mate so I guess I’m stuck with you now’ sort of thing?”

I frown, dropping my arms to my sides and ceasing the dancing. “That is wildly inappropriate.”

“I did say politely—”

I raise a hand, frowning deeply. “Cassian. I’ve only just met you, and I can already tell in your eyes that you’re up to something. I’m not a fan of games.”

He holds his hands up in a surrendering way. “Alright, alright. So I do have a motive. But you’ve got to promise not to freak out, little miss mated.”

Little miss mated!?

I narrow my eyes, frown deepening. “Well, get on with it, then. I make no promises.”

He glances behind me, and then nods.

There’s a sharp tug on the half-formed mating bond, and I sigh, whirling around, expecting to find Eris there, but—

Someone else stands in that spot. Large, membranous wings frame his form, black hair swept across his face. He has swirling tattoos across his arms and neck, marking him as Night Court for sure.

I find the air suddenly difficult to breathe, the room packed too densely with people. The soft ribbons of magic are now sharp daggers prodding at my ankles, and I know I must be hyperventilating now, because there is one thing that is sure to me in this moment.

This man is my mate. And he knows it, too.

#acotar #a court of thorns and roses #a court of mist and fury #a court of silver flames #a court of wings and ruin #eris vanserra #azriel shadowsinger #azriel acotar #acotar fanfiction #azriel #eris acotar #eris x reader #eris vanserra x reader #mating ceremony #fanfiction #romance #writing

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rainymoodlet · 10 months

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seriously considering starting a random gp with this goddess...

#no i'm not abandoning the kruegers if i dont have 18 active saves my creative brain will DIE #neveah is gon get the most l/e/osims a/g/g/res/si/v/ekitty ass save i can build ok- its what she deserves #i literally went and spun her around in cas to heal from the rose ceremony dshfkhsdk #ts4 #sim: neveah robinson-love #ts4 cas #ts4 screenshots

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maxybabyy · 4 months

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literally losing my mind over your frat boys au klllllljkkljkllkklljll

please know it has been living in my mind since yesterday, so here's part two, aka what i actually thought about when i saw the original ask (@gaycrunch) ...

part i (re: this)

He finds him outside, hunched over on the porch with his phone in his hand and a half-full bottle of vodka open between his thighs.

“What’s a pretty boy like you doing out here all by himself?” Daniel asks, teases as he drops down to sit next to him. “If only there was a party somewhere, with like, good people and shit.”

Max grunts, barely moves as Daniel hooks his knee over Max’s. He brings the bottle to his mouth, swallows a mouthful of vodka as his free hand comes to rest on Daniel’s knee. “You know already probably, this is why you are here,” he says, digs a finger into the scar on his kneecap, the faded line from when he cut himself on a beer can.

Daniel does, was pulled aside by at least five different dudes who told him where Max had gone, “But I’d rather you tell me, Maxy.”

Max pours another shot into his mouth, keeps the bottle by his lip as he talks. “What even is a rose? This makes no sense, Daniel,” he says, and to his credit, he does sound frustrated. He’s a little drunk too, always is these days when the night falls, but Daniel doesn’t know if it’s cause or consequence.

“It’s an old school thing,” Daniel relents. He steals the bottle from Max’s hands and takes a tiny sip just so he won’t keep drinking. “Reckon I’m plenty sweet for the lot of us, yeah? Don’t need a lady to tell me how to act.”

He didn’t know frats still did this kind of shit, thought they were all past it now, that men could be graceful and charitable too. Hadn’t even thought to mention it to this year’s pledges, but then maybe, Max could have used the lecture anyway.

“Did you really tell her to go suck a bunch of dicks? Because if so, Maxy –“

Max huffs. His leg shakes underneath Daniel’s knee, jostles loose the slide he wears on his foot. “I of course did not say this,” Max says, snappish, taut. “She said she was the best at sucking dick, and I said, ‘this probably is not true’. She showed me this thing she did with her tongue, with her straw you know, and it did not look good, Daniel.”

Daniel chokes down a laugh, relents easily when Max reaches for the bottle again. He watches with unbridled want as Max pretends to suck off the lip of the bottle, interrupted too frequently by his own commentary on the technique.

Daniel reckons he’s right, the tongue is too much, barely touches the bottle at all. Not like Max had done that night, lips heavy around his dick, his tongue firm against the underside of the head.

“So like, you didn’t tell her to suck a dick?”

Max jams his elbow into his side, jolts when Daniel clams his hand around the top of his thigh to keep him in place. “Always this was not – Daniel, I would not say this,” he says, glares at Daniel when he doesn’t relent. “I said maybe that she had to practice more. I have of course sucked a lot of dicks, if she wanted to be like me, then.”

Daniel laughs, loud and surprised, and suddenly Max laughs too.

The Kappa Alphas are dicks anyway. They wouldn’t lose anything if Daniel took them off the social calendar, isn’t really a party if the entire frat can’t go, is it?

“Why didn’t you go home?” He asks after a while. The lid has been put back on the bottle of vodka, and Max has been fed whatever was left in his cup of water.

Two weeks after officially becoming a pledge, Daniel had found Max passed out in a pool of tub juice, white tee soaked in sticky sweet alcohol. He hadn’t vomited – Daniel doesn’t know then if he wouldn’t have just left him there – but Daniel had dragged him upstairs and into the shower. Had scrubbed the marker off his face but left the blue marker in his hair to watch the botched, fucking dip dye his hair had held onto for almost a week.

Max had slept in his bed that night, does it at least every two weeks now, cuddled up between Daniel and the wall. They haven’t fucked since that first time, since Daniel realised Max would be pledging the frat. But sometimes they kiss, and it’s. It feels nice, feels easy, breezy even.

“I have to wait for Carlos,” Max says, shrugs.

Daniel had elected not to pair himself with Max, chose instead one of the legacies who seemed to find power in whatever fucking hazing ritual Daniel threw at him. He kinda regrets it now, knows how shit Carlos must be at this big brother stuff. Knows he left more than an hour ago with Max’s friend from the lacrosse team, apparently without saying shit to Max.

“Nah, Maxy. You’re fine,” he says, squeezes his thigh again when Max hesitates. “Let’s go back to the house, yeah? Maybe Carlos is waiting for you there or like, we can send him a text or something.”

Max doesn’t look convinced, sceptic, like he’s the one who’s on his third year in the frat. But he takes his hand when Daniel gets up, pulls him to his feet. “Lando has the dorm tonight,” he says, shows him a picture of a sock on a doorknob.

It looks fake, but Daniel hasn’t actually seen it for himself ever. Like with the rose, doubted it was even done anymore. But then, Lando’s always been an odd guy.

“There’s always the couch if you want,” Daniel offers, shivers. “Or like, there’s also my bed. Probably the best if you don’t wanna wake up when Scotty gets home.”

Daniel doesn’t hold his breath, he doesn’t, listens instead to the crunch of the road underneath them. It’s no more than ten minutes until they’re home, Greek row almost condensed down to one block.

“Okay, Daniel,” Max says, quiet in the dark night. His hand brushes against Daniel’s, and he tries not to jump, stays still in case Max does reach out. “I think that would be very lovely.”

#get ready for the next part where max doesn't have a date for the *mumble* ceremony #daniel: that's okay! (it's not) you don't have to :) (you literally do) it's more of a frat bro thing anyway (it's literally in the bylaws)#in an alternate universe max is the frat's rose #disclaimer: am not american. do not know this 'frat' thing you keep talking about :|#i've watched maybe one episode of greek but that's enough right?#if i keep writing at this speed my thesis may be done on time!!#frat bro au #maxiel #maxiel fic #max/daniel #my fic #my writing #fic #answered #.arturleclerc #frat bros au

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loveisalwaystheanswer · 1 year

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GRACE HELEN BURGESS portrayed by Annabelle Wallis | Peaky Blinders

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buglaur · 10 months

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THE NEW AVATAR 🧎‍♀️

here he is in hd!! i'm def gonna have to do a separate gameplay for him because virgil's gonna be nowhere near having kids by july 20 😭

you'll be seeing a lot more of him!! 💞💞💞

#your ask got lost in a sea of spammy anon nonsense #97 paragraphs of pure gibberish insults thanks anon 👍#i'm not turning anons off though they can fuck off #if they do it again i'll just block them again 🤷‍♀️#i'm catching up with kmik TONIGHT!!!#can't wait to see everything i missed #i can't wait for the rose ceremony too even though its gonna suck to see people go #after that when you get back to kmik it's gonna be so much easier on you with half the amount of sims!!#hopefully a lot less stressful to set up #and a bunch less sims to think of dialogue for lol #are we gonna get to meet dannys horses 👀#ask

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rosecarlate · 10 days

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If you don't get away, you just become what everybody already thinks you are.

THIS TOWN (2024-) dir. Paul Whittington

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bridgeportbritt · 9 months

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Selvadorada University | Belosima, Selvadorada

Dean: Congratulations on stepping out of your comfort zone, immersing yoursleves in a new culture, and opening your minds to new things.

Dean: Thank you to the families who have supported our graduates on their journies. You are a crucial part of this accoplishment, as well as you've helped shape them into the people they are today.

Dean jokes: We know you are beaming with pride to see these graduates make their way to the stage. That's why we're all here, right?

Dean: Without further ado, let's hand out some diplomas!

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deeps-repus · 1 year

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Imagine you're watching the season finale of The Bachelor. He's standing in front of the last 2 contestants he's built connections and memories with for weeks, both are hoping to be given that final rose. The titular bachelor looks into the eyes of one woman, then the other. You can tell he's lost sleep over this decision but the resolve in his eyes speaks for itself. His mind is made up. He turns his back to the camera for a moment and you think he's heading for the table that holds the final rose but instead he reaches behind it. When he turns back he is holding a manila envelope that bulges in a strange way. The tension in the air has shifted from anticipation to dread and suddenly there is a gun in his hand. The bachelor addresses everyone in the room now, looking beyond the camera to people the audience cannot see.

"Please, please leave the room if this will affect you."

#i know this isn't how the final rose ceremony works idc #imagine if this happened though #ideal ending to a reality TV show honestly #budd dwyer

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truthseeker-blogger · 4 months

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Arlington National Cemetery 12/27/2023

#usa 🇺🇸#rose laying ceremony #tomb of the unknown soldier #Arlington cemetery

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loveryss · 8 months

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#the pacing is a bit slow if it's just 1 post per day #like the first rose ceremony would post on the 19th-ish #but maybe that would keep the suspense?#opinions and comments welcome!

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cassiefromhell · 9 months

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Unexpected (pt 3)

Part One Part Two Part Four

Fanbase: acotar

Eris x Reader x Azriel

Summary: After being interrupted by your newfound mate, you go for a walk for him. The next morning, you find yourself busier than expected.

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: very slight suggestiveness

A/N: Requests are OPEN! Check my pinned message for details on what I'll write <3 jjk, aot, mha, csm, acotar, etc! Additionally, I'm starting Throne of Glass soon, so those fics may be requested later!

Azriel stands there, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. His expression is perfectly neutral, eyes simply flicking over us both.

“Apologies for interrupting,” Azriel murmurs, gesturing between us.

Eris tucks me further behind him, and I grip the back of his shirt. “You are interrupting,” he scowls, glancing back at me. “Love, would you like to go back to the room?”

I open my mouth to reply, but not before Azriel does. “Actually, I wanted to talk to her.”

Shrinking, my body buries into the back of Eris, a futile attempt at turning invisible. I would rather jump into a pit filled with the Bogge, puca, and very angry pixies than have to face this other-mate.

Eris glances at me, raising a questioning brow. He’s leaving the decision in my hands: talk or run?

With a heavy sigh, I nod towards the Shadowsinger and release him. I’m going to have to face him at some point, especially if he’s already figured out the whole bond-pulling thing.

Eris presses a kiss to my temple, and leans down to murmur in my ear. “Remember that I love you no matter what. Good luck, and tug if you need me.” With that, he shoots Azriel a ‘hurt-her-and-you-lose-your-hands look, and stalks down the hallway.

I stare down at my shoes, arms crossed over my chest. When Eris vanishes from my peripheral vision, I feel both smaller and a little more relaxed.

Note to self: NEVER have my two mates in a room ever, ever again.

Azriel steps in front of me, gingerly offering a tanned, muscled arm. “Go for a walk with me?”

Hesitantly, very hesitantly, I take his arm. He shoots me a wary smile in return, and we’re off to the gardens.

I feel as though I need to hold my breath, like if I make one wrong move, or breathe wrong, or trip, then I’ll have betrayed Eris.

Azriel must feel how tense I am, because I can feel his intense gaze on the top of my head when he murmurs, “I don’t expect you to find this perfectly normal, or to be relaxed, or calm in any way right now… But I wouldn’t dream of hurting you, and I hope you know that.”

“You wouldn’t be able to hurt me,” I reply. “You wouldn’t be able to land a hit.”

He chuckles, grinning at me before returning to looking around. “These flowers are beautiful, who takes care of them?”

I shrug, reaching out my free hand to graze a fully bloomed hydrangea, bursting with violet pigment. “Mostly it’s the gardeners Eris and I picked out when he rose to power, though I dabble in my free time. Although, Eris has yet to let me go beyond watering these, after I killed the ones he keeps in our bedroom.”

“Not much of a green thumb, then?”

“I kill people. It’s what I do. Not many people understand that, and neither does the greenery.”

A silence falls over the garden, and I immediately regret opening my mouth. Biting my tongue and internally cursing myself for having loose lips, I take a moment to thoroughly regret drinking so much alcohol.

“Maybe the mother doesn’t have such a cruel sense of humor,” Azriel murmurs, eyes unwaveringly focused on me. “We both kill. We follow whatever commands are given to us to the letter. And I don’t know about you, but I enjoy it a little, sometimes.”

His words seem to sink into my skin, taking root in my muscle and sending an unnamable feeling through my veins — better than adrenaline. My very soul seems to sing a little at the idea that someone else understands what no one else does, and suddenly I’m chewing my bottom lip, trying to not like this male.

I reach out to touch a large white rose, my fingertips skimming the petals gingerly. “You were right, these flowers are beautiful.”

“So are you.”

My heart flutters in my chest like a damn butterfly, and I mentally thrash against the feeling.

You love Eris. Don’t fall for this male’s words. It’s only trickery.

“What do you think about this whole… situation?” I ask, deflecting his smooth compliment.

The shadows that have been swirling at my feet seem to pause, going thick and tense. The black swirls appear as though they have a personality of their own — or maybe they’re feeding off of Azriel’s emotions.

“It’s not… ideal,” he finally replies, scratching the back of his head. “I never exactly thought I’d have to share a mate with Eris of all people.”

“Eris is a good male. He’s caring, and kind, and… he’s my mate. We are made for eachother.”

The words leave my mouth before I realize the implication of them.

That Azriel is also made for me, as if the Mother sculpted us of the same clay, or the Cauldron crafted our souls at once.

I pull my arm away from his, taking one, two, three steps away. I find myself needing distance.

Eyelids fluttering closed, I take a long inhale of the chill night air, scented with the flowers around us.

I allow myself to imagine what it could be like, just for a millisecond. Two mates.

I’d still be High Lady of the Autumn Court — so long as Eris wants that after all this. I’d be doing that duty, whilst managing having two males to care for.

Azriel and I could get to know each other better. Maybe I’d begin to love him. And he would be the one to assist me on missions when I was in over my head. He’d bring me little gifts after particularly hard days, winnowing all the way to the Autumn court to see me. His shadows could wrap around me, bundling me close. I would feel so undeniably safe with him.

Maybe, I’d even have a home in the Night Court with him, or somewhere in between. I could spend some free time there, just the two of us.

And Eris… he’d still be my Eris. He would let me braid his hair when no one else is allowed to touch it. He would still help me learn how to grow flowers and cultivate a green thumb. He’d give me those little morning and night kisses that I savor so much. I don’t know how having a second mate would affect our sex life… but it’s really only possible for it to be improved, right?

“I have a proposal,” Azriel murmurs, startling me back to the present day.

When my eyes flutter open, I find the male standing in front of me, gazing down at me intently.

“I’m listening.”

“After your… mating ceremony… to Eris,” he says the words with a twinge of distaste. “We could get to know each other. I could show you Velaris—the city of starlight. You could stay there for a few days, maybe a week. You could get to know my friends, my family, even if you’re a little ahead on Rhys and Mor.”

It seems I wasn’t the only one fantasizing about the future.

Chewing my lip, I give him a quick once-over, allowing myself to take in his beauty. He is quite handsome.

“I think… I’d like that,” I whisper, discovering that my voice has gone completely hoarse.

He beams down at me, dark eyes glittering. He offers a tattooed arm once more, and when I take it, I allow myself one little tiny string of hope that everything will work out just fine.

“What do you mean, you don’t have the necklace?”

My favorite handmaiden in the palace, Fauna, shakes her head slowly. “I’m so sorry, my lady. I think it’s still in one of the jewelry safes under the palace.”

I raise my hand to rub it down my face, and then remember the kohl lining my eyes and the Fae glitter across my cheekbones. With a heavy sigh, I stand, giving Fauna a reassuring smile. “It’s alright. I know you don’t have that clearance — I’ll go get it myself.”

Fauna rushes to my side, adjusting my dress so that I will not trip. It’s the prettiest, most Autumn Court dress I own. It has an olive green bodice, flowing into shimmering skirts of buttery yellow, fading to deep orange and red. Little tiny leaves are embroidered into every inch of it, making it shine when I move like morning dew on a tree in Autumn. The sleeves are flowy and dance with my movements, giving me an ethereal grace.

The half-nymph adjusts the tiara in my woven-up hair, and then opens the door for me. I stride out, heels clicking down the hall as I go.

It is crucial that I have that necklace. It was Eris’s great-grandmother’s, and then his grandmother’s, and then his father’s, and now it is his. Well, mine, I suppose. It’s one of his many mating gifts to me. A double silver chain, with a sun-shaped pendant on one and a leaf on the other, all encrusted with diamonds and rubies.

I thought it had been brought up to our chambers days ago, but either I was lied to or someone put it back.

Scowling, I walk a little quicker. I cannot be late to my own mating ceremony. Eris wouldn’t be mad, but I’d be angry at myself for letting it happen.

I knew I should have checked this shit last night.

Correction: I went to go and check this shit last night, and then a very drunken Eris distracted me.

“…I’m honestly shocked that you’ve muscled up and stayed,” a voice drifts through the hall.

I stop, watching as a shadow appears from around the corner. And then another.

Suddenly, I realize that voice is Cassian’s — which means he must be with Azriel.

And at the same moment, I realize that I’m incredibly curious.

I duck into a nearby room, casting a quick shield to mask my scent. Tucking myself against the wall, I use my magic to hide the sounds of my heart and breathing.

“Of course I stayed. She’s my mate. I have to be there for her,” Azriel replies, almost with a grumble in his tone.

Cassian chuckles, and their footsteps stop nearby — maybe even just outside the door. “She’s your mate, and about to be mated to another male.”

“I’m well aware.”

“With how competitive you are, I’m surprised you haven’t challenged Eris to a duel for her love.”

Azriel groans. “I’m not going to be that person. I want her to be happy.”

“Don’t act like you’re enjoying the situation.”

A smacking sound hits my ears, and I assume that Azriel landed a hit on the other Illyrian.

“In what world would I be enjoying this? I think that she’s beautiful, and fucking perfect. Definitely not happy to see her mating Eris of all people, but she loves him. Plus, she’s agreed to come and stay in Velaris for a few days in a couple weeks,” he replies, with the tiniest hint of pride at the end.

“Oh, you dog. You got a wholeee date with the mated girl.”

Another smacking sound, and then another, and I’d place money on the fact that they’re straight up brawling in the hallway. I raise a hand to muffle my laughter.

“Stop it, you’re gonna ruin my suit,” Cassian whines.

“Then stop being a prick, and get better at clean brawling,” Azriel hisses, followed by a crash.

Silence.

“What were you just saying about clean brawling? Look at you, breaking shit in your mate’s palace—“

“Run.”

Footsteps race away instantly, and I remove my hand to let loose my laughter. Those two are easily the most chaotic duo I’ve ever met.

I keel over, laughing until tears spring to my kohl-lined eyes. I wipe them away carefully, straightening up and fixing my dress.

Turning to leave the room, I place a hand on the doorknob.

But the darkness around me is suddenly suffocating, and I get a nagging, nauseating feeling in my gut that something is wrong.

Movement in the corner catches my eye.

I stiffen, reaching for my dagger — which is not there, unfortunately for my life. Fauna had told me to wait until the last minute to slide it into a pocket of my dress.

Cursing under my breath, I pretend to draw a blade anyway. It’s significantly better than being obviously unarmed.

But I’m very much not alone, and very much unarmed.

And whatever or whoever this thing is, what it does next sends an inexplicable shudder through my body.

It breathes on me.

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