#feyre at the opening night of the velaris ballet

[serpentandlily]

Mystique - Azriel x Reader

Mystique - Azriel x Reader

Summary: When the whole family is dragged to the new ballet show in Velaris, Mystique, Azriel never imagined a mating bond snapping into place...but as soon as she stepped on stage, he knew his life was about to change forever.

Warnings: mention of strict dieting of a dancer

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Going to see a ballet show was not how Azriel planned to spend his Saturday night, or any night really. Arts and theater were not something he was usually interested in. But Feyre had begged the whole family to go, claiming she had bought a private booth in the gallery for them to watch their opening night show. 

Elain had been the first to agree, so he followed along. If only to spend some time with her, to watch her face light up as she watched the performance. 

Mystique. That was the name of the show they were seeing tonight. He had no idea what it was about or what to expect. But he didn’t care. Not as he snagged the seat next to Elain and brushed his fingers against hers as she gave him a secret smile. 

The lights had dimmed and the audience fell quiet. It was a full house tonight, no seat below in the orchestra empty. Even the other private booths in the gallery were filled with rich nobles. 

He understood the name of the ballet once it started. All the dancers were wearing masquerade masks. That was about the only interesting thing about it. His eyes flickered from the stage to Elain every so often, more enthralled with her than the dancers. 

But then she came on stage. The main dancer partnered with some male. Her costume was a light pink, bejeweled with gems and flowers, with a tutu that showed off her long legs. It was the gleam of the jewels that had caught his attention, shining brightly in the faelights. 

And then his eyes had drifted up, to the pink mask that matched the costume and the dancer beneath it. 

He knew she was special the moment he laid eyes on her. Not because of the elegant, graceful way she moved on stage, or how she seemed to have captured the rapt attention of the audience. No, she was special because she was her. 

His eyes didn’t leave her figure after that. Constantly following her movements as she danced around the stage alongside the male and the other dancers, always standing out. 

When the show ended and the performers came out for applause and shouts from the house, he knew his life was about to change forever.

Because when she came out holding hands with her partner, bowing before the crowd masks off, a gold thread from his chest unraveled and the mating bond snapped into place. 

If it wasn’t for his years of training, of all the time he perfected his craft as the spymaster, he wouldn’t have been able to keep such a cool demeanor. He gave no indication to his family, said nothing as the dancers disappeared behind the curtains and everyone rose to leave.

“That was beautiful!” Elain chirped from next to him and he almost jumped. He had forgotten she was there. 

All he could think about was her. The dancer. His mate. His beautiful, beautiful mate. 

꒰ა❤︎໒꒱ 

Opening night had been a success and the second show had gone off without a hitch as well. Your legs and feet were so sore as you made your way back to the dressing rooms with the other gaggle of girls, already yanking the pins out of your hair. 

You rubbed at your scalp, soothing the tightness from the bun your hair had been in, as you walked up to your mirror on the long vanity table. You paused for a moment at the sight of a single rose lying beneath the mirror on the table. That had definitely not been there at the beginning of the show tonight.

You picked it up, twirling the stem in your fingers. The faintest scent still clinging to it was foreign from the sweet smell of rose. A hint of cedar and night-chilled mist, a very masculine smell. 

“What’s that?” your friend, Lena, asked, peering over your shoulder at the rose in your hand. 

“I’m not sure,” you mumbled.  

“Oooohhh,” some of the girls around you giggled and your cheeks turned pink at all the attention. “Are you hiding a male from us, y/n?”

You shook your head. “No, no. It must’ve been for one of the other girls. Probably didn’t know which mirror was hers.”

Your dismissal had the other girls turning back around, no longer interested now that there was no gossip to be shared. You wished you knew who the rose was for so you could give it to her but there was no note or anything—just that faint smell. 

The next night you were met with another rose beneath your mirror. You frowned as all the girls giggled behind you. Had the male still not realized his girlfriend had never gotten his rose?

“I think you might have a secret admirer,” Lena said, grinning at you.

“I don’t think so. Maybe we should all label our mirrors,” you suggested. “I’d hate for these roses to keep going to the wrong girl.”

“I think Lena is right,” one of the other girls said. “I think y/n has a secret admirer!”

You rolled your eyes, plopping down in your chair to start the long process of ripping the pins from your hair and taking off your stage make-up. “How would they even know where I sat? And a stranger would never be allowed back here.”

“Let’s do what you said then and write our names on the mirrors. Then we can find out who’s the true owner of the roses,” Lena said. She pulled out a tube of lipstick and wrote her name on the corner of the mirror before spreading the lipstick on her lips and kissing the spot she had just signed.

She handed the tube of lipstick over to you and you laughed, doing the same as her. 

꒰ა❤︎໒꒱

"Alright, it's official. Y/n has a secret admirer!"

Your mouth dropped open as the group of girls giggling around your mirror parted and you saw another red rose on the vanity. You picked it up carefully, glancing up at your mirror to make sure your name was still written there.

The girls around you were still giggling, some making kissy noises as your cheeks lit up with embarrassment. That scent was clinging to the rose, the cedar and night-chilled mist. You took a small inhale, finding the smell to be so tantalizing. 

"Any idea who it could be?" Lena asked from beside you.

You shook your head. "No, it's not like I've had time to go out between rehearsals and the show. I haven't met anyone new in the past few months."

It was true. Your mother, one of the ballet teachers here in Velaris, kept you on a tight leash. Between classes, rehearsals and show nights, you didn't go out. Mother always said anything else was a distraction and that ballet involved sacrifices if you wanted to be a principal dancer. A role you had finally landed this season, which meant you were even more busy.

Besides, you hadn't ever been with a male like that. You had barely just turned twenty and had spent your whole childhood in ballet studios with your mother. The males that were part of those classes usually swung for the other team and the few that were into girls were usually snatched up quickly by the others. 

"How do you think he's even getting into the dressing rooms?" you mumbled to Lena, who shrugged before a mischievous grin spread on her face.

"Maybe we should ask one of the understudies to hang around here during the next show so they can catch him in the act. I'm dying to know who it is," she said.

"Not a bad idea," one of the other girls chimed in. 

"I’ll ask Helena. She's still nursing her sore ankle from her fall,” you replied, placing the rose into your satchel to take home. Pretty soon you’d have a whole bouquet.

꒰ა❤︎໒꒱

“No one?! But how is that even possible?”

You stared at the new rose on the vanity before you. Helena had stalked out the dressing room but she claimed no one had ever entered.

“I don’t know, but I’m telling you, no one came in here,” Helena said back to Lena.

“And you stayed in here the whole time?”

Helena rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, I stepped out at one point to talk to Nicholas but I swear, my eyes were on the door the whole time! No one went in or came out!”

“Maybe they winnowed?” One of the girls suggested.

You shook your head. “This place is warded from that. Set up by our High Lord himself. There’s no way someone could break through those.”

“Perhaps we have a phantom on our hands,” one of the other girls laughed. “A romantic with a crush on y/n.”

All the girls fell into a fit of giggles as your cheeks turned bright red. You scowled at them, feeling a little embarrassed. 

Maybe someone was pulling a prank on you? But who would do that? You didn’t think any of the girls would be that cruel but…

Your mind was not going to rest until you found out who was putting these roses here. 

꒰ა❤︎໒꒱

The next day you were rushing through the very busy streets of Velaris, trying to get to the ballet studio. You had slept in on accident and you were going to be late for rehearsal, something that might lead to your understudy taking over your role. Ballet teachers were strict like that, would see being late as a lack of self discipline and an uncaring attitude.

You sprinted around a corner only to smack right into the chest of someone. You let out a gasp, your ballet bag falling to the floor along with your folder full of sheet music for the pianist. 

“Watch where you’re going!” The Fae you had run into hissed, stepping over the strewn papers on the floor.

You were definitely going to be late now. You bit your lip, trying to fight back tears as you bent down and started to collect everything. You were so in your head that you didn’t notice the person kneeling in front of you until they were holding out a stack of the music sheets for you. 

“Thank you so much!” You said quickly, grabbing the papers and looking up to see who had stopped to help you.

Your eyes widened at the sight of the most beautiful male you had ever laid eyes on. His piercing hazel eyes bore into yours, his dark hair brushing against his forehead as he looked down at you, despite both of you kneeling on the ground. Giant wings sprouted from his back, hiding the sight of the bustling crowd. 

“Are you okay?” 

His voice was dark, just like the shadows that were now curling around his shoulders. Your breath caught in your throat as you realized who he was. The shadowsinger. One of the fae in Rhysand’s inner court. 

You cleared your throat when you realized you had been staring at him for a minute too long, your cheeks turning pink.

You shoved the papers back into the folder and grabbed your bag off the ground, standing back up. “Yes, thank you, I’m fine. It was my fault anyways. I was rushing because I’m late for rehearsal and my mother is going to kill me if I lose my role and—”

You shut your mouth as you realized you had started rambling. To his credit, Azriel didn’t seem annoyed. No, he looked more concerned as he stared down at you and Gods, now you were realizing how tall he was. 

“Sorry, I’m rambling. I’m y/n,” you said, hugging your folder against your chest. “You’re Azriel, right, the spymaster?”

He nodded in answer, his shadows dancing on his shoulders. 

“Would you like me to take you wherever it is you need to go? I can get you there faster.”

You were still mesmerized by his elegant beauty; he was so devastating to look at. You hadn’t even heard a word he had just said. Gods, you were absolutely embarrassing yourself. “Huh?”

He seemed amused now, faint color on his cheeks. “I asked if you would like me to take you wherever you need to go. My shadows let me travel faster than most fae.”

“Oh please, if you could! I just need to get to the ballet studio.”

You didn’t have time to deny his request, didn’t think twice of it through the panic of running late. He held out his arm for you and you placed your hand in the crevice of his elbow. His shadows surrounded you both until you were in complete darkness. 

It was a different feeling than winnowing, something you still had yet to learn how to do. But the feeling of traveling through Azriel’s shadows was slightly calming. 

Not a second later, the two of you appeared in front of the ballet studio, saving you the ten minute walk. You let out a breath of relief knowing that you weren’t going to be late anymore.

“Thank you so much! You’re a lifesaver!” you chimed, untangling your arm from his. 

He gave you a small dip of the head when suddenly a familiar scent washed over you. It took you a second to place it but…No, it couldn’t be, right? It wasn’t the same smell as the one that lingered on the roses?

But that cedar and night-chilled mist smell was unmistakable.

Azriel was disappearing in a swarm of shadows when you waved a hand at him, shouting at him to wait so you could ask him about the roses but he vanished from view, leaving you standing on the side of the street alone with a million questions running through your head.

꒰ა❤︎໒꒱

Another week went by and still every night after the show, a rose was waiting for you at your vanity. The same scent of cedar and night-chilled mist still faintly clinging to them. You hadn’t seen Azriel again since that day and part of you was certain you had mistakenly thought he smelled like the mysterious stranger leaving you roses. 

You were stretching your feet out, getting ready to do your warm-up before the show when the Head Teacher walked in, clapping her hands to get everyone’s attention.

“Listen up, girls!” she shouted so everyone could hear her. “I have an important announcement to make. The High Lady loved our show so much she’s inviting the entirety of the Royal Ballet to a dinner at The House of Wind to celebrate our hard work. This is an honor and I expect you all to treat it as such. Next rehearsal, you all need to bring a dress that you plan to wear to the dinner so they can be approved by me. Now, back to work, girls!” 

As soon as she left the room, the chattering began. Everyone was excited about the news, mostly to have an excuse to dress up but your thoughts were stuck on the shadowsinger, at the chance to see him again and as weird as it sounded, see if his scent matched the stranger who was leaving you roses. 

꒰ა❤︎໒꒱

You stared at yourself in the mirror, twirling around. Your mother had picked your dress like the controlling person she was, but for once, you actually liked her choice. It was a light pink gown, with a long A line tulle skirt and a corseted bodice with off the shoulder straps. The fabric was covered with stars that shined like diamonds and some pearl detailing. 

“Come, y/n,” your mother called out from the living room of the apartment you both lived in. “We’re going to be late if we don’t leave now.” 

You met the rest of the girls at the bottom of the stairs that led up to the House of Wind. The High Lord and Lady had assured you guys that transportation up to the House would be provided. The girls were all giggling with anticipation, gossiping together about what to expect. 

Four winged figures swept down in front of your group. The High Lord was one of them, dressed finely in all black with his huge wings held high behind him. The High Lady was next to him, dressed in dark blue harem pants with a matching crop top, both decorated with sparkling jewels. The General, Cassian, stood behind them wearing his Illyrian leathers, arms crossed with a friendly smile on his face.

And lastly, the Spymaster. He stood next to his fellow Illyrian, also in his leathers, and looked just as devastatingly beautiful as that day he had taken you to the ballet studio. His wings were giant, even more so than the other three, making him look like a dark angel. Your cheeks turned pink as his gaze met yours and you bit your lip, looking away. 

“Ladies,” the High Lord purred in greeting. “We are pleased that you accepted our invitation. The House of Wind is warded against winnowing, so we are here to fly you up. It is a short flight, but if any of you are uncomfortable with the idea, we will try to accommodate you.” 

You watched as the girls exchanged looks with each other, giggling and turning a bit red at the idea. You found your eyes going back to the shadowsinger, jolting as you realized he was still staring at you. Something jumped in your chest, causing your pulse to spike. 

“Now, who wants to be the first to go?” The High Lord stepped forward and held out his hand. 

Lena winked at you and was the first to volunteer. The High Lady also held out her hand with a smile. “I can also fly some of you up. I promise I’m just as strong as the boys.” 

Slowly, one by one, the girls from your company paired with the four winged faes, letting them fly them up to the House. It was a quick process; Rhysand hadn’t lied when he said it was a short flight. You hung around in the back of the group, feeling a bit nervous as you watched them disappear into the sky each time. 

You had never been that high up in the air before, a bit of anxiety curling in your stomach. 

“Lady,” the General was in front of you now and you realized you were one of the only girls left to go. “Are you ready to be flown up?”

He held out a hand to you but you bit your lip, looking up at the House of Wind again. “I-I’m just a bit nervous.” 

“It’ll be over quick, I promise,” he grinned, trying to settle your nerves. 

You hesitated again and suddenly the Spymaster was there, gently nudging his brother to the side. Cassian glanced at him in question. 

“I’ll take her, Cass,” Azriel said, looking at you. Something about his hazel eyes had your shoulders falling. “I can use my shadows so she doesn’t have to fly.” 

That seemed like enough of an explanation for Cassian because he stepped aside and moved on to the next girl who was still waiting. 

“Your shadows can get past the wards?” you asked, curiously. You glanced at the shadows that seemed to be dancing around his shoulders. 

“Yes, they can,” he answered simply. Azriel held out his arm to you, just as he had that day. You took it gently and waited for the shadows to cover you.

If his shadows could get past the wards of one of the High Lord’s residences, then they could absolutely get past the ones around the theater’s dressing rooms. Which could mean he really was the stranger leaving you roses. 

“I just want you to know I didn’t want to fly not because your wings scare me but because of the height,” you said, feeling the need to make that clear. Azriel glanced down at you with an unreadable expression and you suddenly felt even more nervous. “In fact, I think your wings are quite beautiful and I would never—”

You closed your mouth sharply, realizing that you were both rambling again and also that you guys were now in the dining room, where everyone else was taking a seat. You blushed and stepped away from him. “Thank you.”

He dipped his head and gestured towards the dining table without a word. You gave him a nervous smile as you scurried past him and to the seat next to where your mother was sitting, already saving you a chair. As you passed by him, you were met with that scent again. The cedar and night-chilled mist. 

This time it was so unmistakable that you whirled around to look at him. But he had disappeared already, likely helping the remaining girls down below. You let out a sigh and continued on your way to your seat. 

When everyone was accounted for, Azriel slid into the seat across from you and you had to keep your eyes glued to your plate to stop yourself from blatantly staring at him. Should you find a moment to ask him about the roses? Should you let him come to you? Or maybe he had been leaving the roses for you as a favor for a friend? That theory almost made more sense because the idea of the shadowsinger leaving you roses seemed so far-fetched. 

All throughout dinner you managed to sneak glances at Azriel as you ate. You joined in the conversations around you but noticed that the shadowsinger didn’t talk that much, seeming much more content in just observing. 

Once everyone seemed done with dinner, the High Lord snapped his fingers and it was all replaced by a huge spread of different desserts. Cakes, pastries, custards, tarts. Everything you could imagine. You didn’t get to indulge in sweets much, your mother was strict about your diet to keep you in shape as a dancer, so your eyes lit up at the sight. 

You started to reach for the closest thing to you, a tiny fruit tart, but your mother slapped your hand with a hiss under her breath, “You’ve had enough to eat tonight. You know the rule about sweets.”

Your brows furrowed, upset. You placed your hands on your lap under the table, nodding. “Sorry, mother.” 

She pressed her lips together and placed her napkin on her own empty plate. Your eyes lingered on what looked like a peach pie, longingly. You felt a ping of envy as you watched all the other girls trying everything. 

“You should try the pie.” Azriel’s voice had your head whipping up and his eyes connected with yours. “It’s the High Lady’s favorite.”

You glanced at your mother, opening your mouth to politely decline but she cut you off. 

“Well, go on,” she said, nodding towards the pie. “Don’t insult them by not eating any.” 

You ground your teeth together, turning a bit pink. As if she hadn’t been the one to literally stop you from having any just a second ago. You looked back at Azriel, noting the way a muscle in his jaw clenched, and nodded your head. 

“I will, thank you,” you said, eagerly taking a slice of the pie. 

It was delectable and you nearly moaned as you ate it. A small smile lit up your face as you tried it. 

“The High Lady has good taste,” you said to Azriel, who was still staring at you. “The pie is delicious.” 

He gave you the smallest of smiles and it warmed something in your chest. 

Once everyone was finished eating, the High Lord cleared the table and moved everyone towards the large sitting room. There were some servants walking around with champagne and wine, which kept the party going steady. It was exciting to be able to socialize like this and you were having a good time, especially now that you didn’t have to be glued to your mother’s side. 

Your eyes roamed the room, trying to find the shadowsinger. The glass of champagne you had made you feel a bit more brave. You wanted to talk to him, wanted to ask him about the roses. It took you a minute of walking around to finally catch sight of him. He was resting against the railing outside on one of the many balconies. You glanced around, making sure no one was watching you, before you stepped outside.

He didn’t turn to look at you, not even as the door shut behind you, cutting off the noise that came from inside. It was like he already knew who had stepped out. You fiddled with your fingers, staring at his back. Some of the liquid courage was chased away by the cold breeze, but you refused to back down now that you were out here. 

“You are the one who has been leaving me roses every night,” you said, quietly, walking towards him. 

“I am,” he answered as you slid up next to him, grabbing the railing to keep your hands from shaking. 

You were surprised at how quickly he admitted it. You were silent for a moment, staring at his profile. Under the moonlight, he was truly a vision to be seen. Your breath caught in your throat when he finally looked at you. 

“I apologize if it has made you uncomfortable,” he said, his shadows seemed to hide behind his wings as if they were scared of what your response might be. 

“It hasn’t,” you replied, gently. You gave him a soft smile. “They are quite beautiful. But I must ask why.” 

His shadows eased, cascading down his shoulders. His lips twitched, amused by your question. 

“I cannot lie to you,” Azriel said, his voice low and dark like his shadows. It sent a shiver down your spine. “I find you very beautiful, y/n. And I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since I watched your show.”

Your eyes widened, your cheeks turning bright red. You hadn’t been expecting him to be so forthcoming. You hadn’t had much experience with males, so you fumbled with what to say back.

“Oh,” you squeaked out. 

That only seemed to amuse him even more. 

“Has no one told you that before?”

“Perhaps not quite so… candidly.” 

His lips twitched and you felt that spark in your chest again. He shook his head a bit, tousling his hair as he turned his body fully towards you, still leaning on the railing. 

“Well, now that my identity has been exposed,” Azriel said. “May I take you out to dinner tomorrow night?” 

“Y-yes,” you managed to stutter out, butterflies exploding in your stomach. Never in your dreams would you have imagined being courted by the Night Court’s spymaster. 

He smiled this time and the sight of it almost knocked you off your feet. 

“Good,” he said, then his hand flicked into his shadows and he pulled out a single, red rose. “For you. Since I wasn’t able to leave one tonight.”

Your heart was thumping in your chest as you reached out and took the flower from his hands. He dipped his head at you before disappearing into his shadows, leaving you alone on the balcony, twirling the rose in your hand with red cheeks and a warm feeling in your heart. 

꒰ა❤︎໒꒱

A month had passed since that night on the balcony. Azriel had continued leaving you roses after each show, something the girls all cooed over. You had also found out that he had charmed them to make sure they never died. So now you had a beautiful bouquet of never-ending roses in a vase on your vanity in the dressing room and even one in your room at home. 

Your first date went very well. You were surprised by how much the two of you had in common. And soon he had taken you on a second, a third, a fourth…and so on. 

You found yourself falling for him….hard. He was different around you than he was with most others. More talkative, more charming and funny. His wit never failed to impress you. 

Your mother wasn’t very pleased at first, especially since you hadn’t consulted her before agreeing to that first date. But once she found out it was Azriel who had asked you, she seemed pleased considering he was a high-ranking member of your court. You hated how superficial your mother was, but was happy she didn’t try to prevent you from seeing him. 

You hadn’t told him just how inexperienced you were, but he was a polite and kind male. He hadn’t even tried to kiss you yet. It was like he knew your hesitations and the need to take things slow with you despite you ever telling him that. But then again, he seemed to know everything you felt, at all times. Sometimes you even wondered if he was a daemati like the High Lord, but he had only laughed when you accused him of it. 

Today, Azriel had taken you out for some coffee and a small lunch after your morning rehearsal. Now the two of you were pushing through the bustling crowds on the streets, taking in the sights of the city. Your eyes lingered on a flower shop you passed by often, at the lovely moonflowers they had on display outside. 

Azriel noticed what had drawn your attention and pulled you over to the shop. You took a sniff of the moonflowers, basking in their sweet scent. “So beautiful.” 

“Would you like one?” Azriel asked in that voice of his that still sent shivers down your spine. 

You smiled up at him, nodding your head. 

“Azriel?”

You pulled your eyes away from him to look at the person who had just called out his name. The High Lady’s sister stood on the small steps leading up into the shop, a large pot in her arms and a bag full of seeds. 

Her doe eyes flickered between you and Azriel, until they dropped to something below. You followed her gaze to look at your conjoined hands. You quickly let go, face turning a bit pink. You had no idea why you suddenly felt as though you had been caught doing something wrong. 

“Hello Elain,” Azriel said, his voice polite but flat. 

She studied him and then turned that gaze on you, her eyes narrowing a bit. You looked between her and Azriel, not really sure what was going on.

“Oh, you’re that ballerina,” she said. “I remember you, from the show.”

“This is y/n. She is my…” He paused and you shifted from foot to foot. “She is my…friend.”

Friend.

His Friend.

Something about that sentence made your heart crack into two. A weird, unpleasant feeling curled in your stomach and your smile dropped.

Friends.

Elain seemed to ignore your presence, her gaze still stuck on Azriel. “I haven’t seen you in three weeks. Where have you been?”

Azriel went to answer but you tuned the conversation out, your thoughts whirling in your mind. Friends. He said you were his friend. 

Were…were you not something more? 

Had you completely misjudged his intentions? 

Or maybe he was tired of waiting for you to be ready for more? 

Maybe he was like all the males your mother warned you about. Only interested in females if they knew they could get sex out of it. 

Your heart dropped into your stomach, your breath catching in your throat. Suddenly, being here with him seemed so suffocating. Especially as he stood talking to some other girl that clearly knew him…clearly had feelings for him. 

You felt like you were going to vomit. You needed to leave. Needed to catch your breath. 

“Sorry to interrupt,” you managed to get out, causing the two of them to look at you. “I’m just going to go look in the shop while you guys catch up.” 

You darted away before either of them could say anything, only letting out a breath when the door closed behind you.  You rushed through the aisles, past the shopkeeper who was busy with another customer, until you spotted the door along the back wall. You slipped through it, into the small alleyway behind the shop. 

You felt bad for ditching Azriel but he had just crushed your heart, even if he didn’t know he had it. You wiped at a tear that spilled from your eye, almost laughing at how awful you felt. You had only known him for a short period of time. Maybe it was never his intention to make you fall for him, but you did and what had been a beautiful, all-consuming joy in your chest was now suddenly an ache that made it hard to even breath. 

You walked down the alleyway until you were back in the streets, sweeping through the crowd as quickly as you could to make it back to your apartment. You just wanted to get home. Just get home and then you could wallow in your own self-pity. Could cry as much as you wanted. 

The crowd thinned out the closer you got to the residential area until the street was empty. 

You let out a sigh, wiping yet another tear, just as your apartment building came into view. You hoisted your dance bag further up your shoulder and began the last few feet home. But a flapping of wings above you made you still, your heart lurching in your chest. 

Azriel landed in front of you with a small thud, his brows furrowed with confusion and his eyes unreadable. In his hand, he held a small bunching of moonflowers. 

“Y/n? Why did you leave like that?” he asked. 

You bit your lip, looking away from his face.

“Hey,” he said, grabbing your chin and turning your face back to him. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying? Did something happen?” 

You wiped at your tears, frustrated that you couldn’t keep it together long enough to make him leave. You shook your head, staring at the ground. “No, nothing happened. I-I just don’t…feel good.” 

Azriel studied you, his thumb swiping your cheek. You hated how much the small gesture soothed you. 

“Don’t lie to me,” he said. “I know something upset you. I can feel it. What happened? Please, tell me.” 

“It’s n-nothing,” you stuttered. 

“Please,” he repeated, his arms falling limp at his sides. “It pains me to see you cry. What happened? You can tell me.”

You looked away from him again, rubbing your arm in discomfort. “It’s stupid. Seriously, Azriel, I’m fine. Just…just leave. Please.” 

He stood up fully, his wings stretching out behind him. He crossed his arms, his expression stern. “No, I’m not going anywhere. Not until you tell me what’s wrong. Did I…Did I do something?” 

Another tear slipped down your cheek and you took a deep breath. “You called me your friend.”

Azriel blinked a few times. “What?”

“To that girl you were talking to. The one you clearly have some sort of history with,” you said, begrudgingly. “You told her I was your friend and I thought…well, maybe I’m an idiot. But I thought we were more than that.” 

Realization dawned over Azriel’s face and then to your surprise, the tension in his body dropped and he let out a small laugh. Your eyes narrowed at him. Was he truly going to laugh in your face after your admittance of feelings for him?

“I don’t understand what’s so funny. You’ve been taking me out on dates, leaving me roses. What else was I supposed to think—”

“No, it’s not funny,” Azriel cut you off, but he was still smiling which only pissed you off. “I mean, it is. Just not in the way you’re thinking.” 

More tears slipped down your cheeks and Azriel lurched forward, placing a hand on the side of your face. “Don’t cry, please. Let me explain. You're right, y/n, you are not my friend. You are so much more than that. You have been since the day I laid eyes on you. You consume my every single thought, y/n, truly. I am relieved to hear that you share my feelings. You have no idea how much I’ve prayed to the Mother that you would feel for me, what I feel for you.”

You took a moment to fully soak in his words, the pressure in your chest easing a bit. 

“Then why did you call me your friend? Who was that girl to you?”

“She’s no one, I promise you that,” he said, stroking your cheek with his thumb. “And I called you my friend because I almost slipped up and called you my—”

He stopped suddenly and you looked up at him in questions. “Called me your what?” 

It was his turn to let out a long breath, his cheeks coloring. “My mate. My mate, y/n. You are my mate.”

Your eyes went wide, your heart frantically beating in your chest. Mate? You were his mate?

Something snapped in you then. Something that had been with you since the moment you could remember, unraveled in your chest. Your mouth dropped open as a gold thread shot out between the two of you, linking you together. You looked back up at him, at those beautiful hazel eyes that were full of joy, love and apprehension. Such vulnerability that you weren’t used to when it came to the shadowsinger. 

“Mate,” you whispered. “You’re my…mate.”

He nodded, his eyes flickering back and forth between yours, waiting for your reaction. That warm feeling in your chest spread throughout your whole body and you couldn’t stop the smile that bloomed on your face. 

Mate. 

Azriel was your mate!

You threw your arms around his neck and pulled him into a crushing hug. Azriel let out a breath of relief, his arms grabbing you around the waist and pulling you even closer. It felt so right being in his arms. Your heart sang at your connection, at the feeling he sent down the bond. 

Everything made sense now. The way he was able to always know how you were feeling, the accelerated feelings between the two of you, how right it felt to be with him—like he had been made for you and you for him. 

He pulled back, holding you at arm's length so he could stare down at you. 

“I have wanted you from the minute I saw you, even before the bond snapped into place,” Azriel said. “I have been searching for you my whole life, y/n. I never thought I would be blessed with a mate, and especially not you. You are so beautiful and so much more than I was expecting. There will be no one else, even if you decide you don’t want this bond. All I see is you, all I want is you. I’m sorry I made you doubt that, even for a second.” 

“I want it! Of course I want it, Azriel!” You were smiling so hard, your cheeks were beginning to ache. “I…I am already falling in love with you and it has only been a month. I can’t even imagine what a lifetime might bring us.”

Azriel was smiling now too, a rare sight that had the bond in your chest glowing. He rested his forehead against yours, shutting his eyes. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I will thank the Mother every single day I get to call you mine.”

You placed a hand on his chest, smiling up at him as he opened his eyes again to stare at you. Butterflies swarmed your stomach, your heart was pounding drums in your chest. 

You needed him so much closer now. You needed to hold him, to kiss him, to hear him call you his. You were ready for that next step, ready to jump right into it. 

“Kiss me,” you whispered, your eyes fluttering to his lips. “Please.”

Azriel let out a small growl. “Do you mean it?”

You nodded, shyly, staring up at him from under your lashes. 

Azriel didn’t waste one more second, he leaned in and captured your lips with his. His lips were softer than you imagined, warm and tantalizing. The world seemed to fade away as you shared your first kiss with him, your heart pounding in your chest, your mind buzzing with need. 

His kiss was soft and tender, making you feel at ease with him. His arm wrapped around your waist and he yanked you even closer, deepening the kiss. Time slowed down. The bond between the two of you glowed. 

Finally, Azriel pulled back, locking eyes with you. He held up the moonflowers he was still holding, letting you take them as he pressed a kiss to your cheek.

“Flowers for the pretty lady,” he teased, causing you to giggle. 

He was still holding you around the waist, his other hand now slipping up into your hair. His hard body was pressed against yours, the flowers nearly crushed. He kissed you again and you felt it then, the promise he was making. 

You were his mate. 

And he would make sure you were his to have and to hold for the rest of eternity.

#acotar #azriel #acotar fanfiction #acotar x reader #azriel x reader #azriel x you #acotar x you #azriel fluff #azriel imagine #azriel shadowsinger #shadowsinger x reader #azriel x female!reader #acosf #acowar

[acourtofcouture]

An Insider’s Guide to Velaris: Feyre Attends the Opening Night of the Velaris Ballet, 1/?

#a court of thorns and roses #a court of mist and fury #a court of wings and ruin #a court of frost and starlight #an insider's guide to velaris #feyre at the opening night of the velaris ballet #feyre #feyre archeron #feyre cursebreaker #feyre x rhysand #feysand #feyre darling #the velaris ballet #the court of dreams #court of dreams #velaris #the city of starlight #the night court #night court #the sidra #the sidra river #the rainbow #the rainbow of velaris #the house of wind

[snelbz]

Isn’t She Lovely {10}

Summary: Cassian, a single father, tries online dating for a one night stand and gets more than he bargains for. Nesta, a former professional ballet dancer, opens her own studio in her new hometown of Velaris and finds that she knows one of her students’ fathers from a night of utter regret.

Warnings: Mature content throughout. Language, sex, drinking, etc. NSFW.

A collab with @theladyofdeath.

A/N: THE END! We loved writing this story for you! From an idea for a HC that we had to the full-fledged series this has become, Tara and I have loved watching this story grow. We can’t wait for you to read the next two stories in this series!

Arya peeked her head around the corner of the doorway leading into the kitchen. The few adults that were around were all in very important conversations and she slipped in as sneakily as possible. Dropping to her hands and knees, she crawled around the bar and under the table, careful not to bump into any of the chairs. She poked her head above the table, her objective in sight. Reaching up on her tiptoes, she was just about to grab a cookie, decorated with pale blue and white icing, and-

Suddenly, she was lifted into the air, over a shoulder and she was upside down looking at a familiar face. “Put me down, Uncle Az!”

“What are you doing?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You’re compromising my mission!” She replied, squirming.

Snorting, he put her right side up and said, “Compromising? What are you, six or sixteen?”

“Six and a half,” she replied, peeking back at the table. “I learned it from mommy.”

He chuckled, “Of course you did. No cookies before the ceremony.” He grabbed the entire plate and put it up on the counter where she couldn’t reach. “You heard your dad.”

Arya crossed her arms. “Daddy said I could have one.”

“Liar,” Azriel muttered. “I’ve been told specifically to keep you away from sugar.”

Arya frowned, crossing her arms. “Where’s daddy?”

“Getting ready,” Azriel said, simply. “I think he’s a little bit nervous.”

Arya frowned. “Why?”

“Well, it’s a big day for him,” Azriel said simply. “Actually, it would probably make him feel better if you went to talk to him.”

Arya kicked her feet down until she was placed on the ground. “I want daddy.”

Azriel took her hand and led her through the house without a word. When he stopped, they were standing outside of Cassian's door. 

They knocked.

“Yeah?” He asked.

“Daddy!” Arya said and pushed open the door.

The slacks he wore were cut to just his size, yet we’re still far too tight for his liking. But wasn’t dressed for himself today.

Neither was Arya, for that fact.

Except she was wearing her sparkly blue competition leotard from gymnastics last summer, not the gauzy, white dress that was hopefully still laid out neatly on her bed and not in a heap somewhere on her floor.

“Why aren’t you dressed yet, baby?” Cassian asked, raising an eyebrow at her attire. She had paired the onesie with some yellow shorts, her soccer socks, and the tiny combat boots Nesta had found thrift shopping the week before. At least her hair was still nearly perfect in the coronet it had been braided into earlier that morning.

“I didn’t want to get it dirty,” she defended, as if not wearing her dress was noble.

Cassian’s eyes narrowed. “While doing what?”

“Crawling through the kitchen to unsuccessfully steal a cookie,” Azriel answered for her. He bowed and began backing away from the door. “If you need me, I’m going to have a cookie.”

Arya gasped. “Traitor!”

Cassian just shook his head and said, “Don’t let Feyre catch you, she’s planned everything to the tiniest detail.”

Azriel waved him off as he went and he turned to his daughter. He bent down in front of her. “Time to go get dressed, baby.”

He held out his hands flat out and she laid her tiny hands on top of them. “Okay, daddy.”

“And no more crawling around the kitchen, okay?” He brought her hands to his lips one at a time and kissed the back of each.

She couldn’t help but smile and repeat, “Okay, daddy.” She stepped between his bent legs and wrapped her little arms around him. They barely made it around his sides.

He hugged her back tightly, before pulling back to look into her face. “I love you, you know that? You’ll always be my number one girl.”

Arya nodded. “I know, but I can share you with mommy.”

Cassian’s face softened and he pressed a kiss to the top of her neatly braided hair.

Resting a hand on his stubbled cheek, Arya said, “You look handsome, daddy.”

“Do I?” He asked, and stood to face the mirror. He tried, even if it wasn’t him who had picked out his clothes. His hair hung loose, which he had debated on, but Nesta loved his long hair so he brushed it through and thought he’d leave it in its natural state.

Arya nodded excitedly. “And mommy looks very pretty.”

Cassian caught his daughter's eye in his reflection. “Is that so?”

Arya said, “She looks like a princess.”

Cassian laughed softly as he picked her up. “You’re going to look like a princess too once you get dressed. Although,” he looked down at her outfit and then back up at her face. “I like the outfit, kid.”

“Thanks daddy,” she said quietly, and laid her cheek on his shoulder. “I’m glad you’re getting married.”

“Me too,” he said, and kissed her cheek before setting her down. “Alright, go get your dress on. Aunt Elain will help you.”

Arya nodded before skipping out of the room and down the hall to where Nesta and her bridal party were getting ready. 

She made a beeline to where Elain was sitting on the floor in front of a full length mirror, putting the finishing touches on her makeup. “Can you help me get my dress on, Aunt Lainy?”

“Of course, sweetheart,” she said, standing up and following Arya to the bedroom she’d stayed in last night. Her dress still laid on the bed, clean and pristine. After helping her step into it, Elain started on the hidden zipper beneath the multitude of buttons along the back. She asked, “Did you pack your tights and your shoes?”

“Yes!” She was hurrying across the room, pulling out a pair of pale pink tights and sparkling flats to match. After helping her put them on and securing the clasp around her ankle, Arya was hurrying over to the mirror in the corner. “I look like a princess now, too!”

Elain couldn’t help but smile as she watched her niece. “Yes, you do.”

“I wanna show mommy,” Arya beamed, turning towards Elain and clasping her hands in front of her chest. “Please, please, please.”

Nesta had been locked in the bathroom with the hair and makeup team for nearly two hours, and she’d asked for that time alone, to reflect on how much her life had changed in the past two years. How perfect it was now, compared to what she thought was her dream come true.

But Arya had been patient and hadn’t asked to see Nesta all morning, despite wanting to. So Elain brought her back into the master bedroom where Feyre sat with Nyx asleep against her chest. They’d all agreed that his tiny tuxedo was the cutest thing they’d ever seen. Mor was braiding Emerie’s hair, who was talking to Gwyn as she finished her makeup. Arya blew past all of them, not even giving her baby cousin a second glance as she rushed for the door, pulling Elain along by the hand. She paused before the door, practically bouncing.

Elain chuckled as she knocked on the door softly. “Princess Arya requests to see the bride.”

She could hear laughter in her sister’s voice as she answered. “Well, I can’t deny her that, can I?”

The door opened and Arya bounced in, instantly gasping when she saw Nesta. Her golden-brown hair was in a braid that crowned her head. Her makeup was soft, nothing crazy, but extraordinarily beautiful. A string of pearls was around her neck and she had earrings to match. A soft, dusty pink had been painted on her fingers and toes.

All that was missing was her dress.

“Well, don’t you look beautiful,” Nesta said, catching Arya as the six-year-old threw herself into Nesta’s arms. 

“Thank you,” Arya said, and patted down her dress as she stepped back. “Why aren’t you in your dress?”

“I’m waiting until the very last minute to put it on,” Nesta said and leaned in to whisper into Arya’s ear, “otherwise, I can’t eat.”

Arya scoffed. “I tried getting a cookie but Uncle Azzie caught me and then told on me to daddy.”

Nesta frowned. “Well, here.” She turned and broke off a piece of a chocolate chip cookie before popping it into Arya’s mouth. “There. Our little secret.”

Arya swooned and went on to be completely over dramatic about how delicious the cookie really was. Then, she said, “I’m happy daddy is marrying you.”

Nesta’s eyes softened as she said, “Me too.”

“Can I stay to see you in your pretty dress?” she asked.

“I’m sure that would be fine,” Nesta said. “Maybe you can help put on my veil.”

Her eyes lit up, but there was another knock at the door.

Elain peeked in, Feyre right behind her. The large dress bag they carried was taller than both of them and Elain smiled softly. “It’s time.”

The photographer wasn’t far behind and after she’d put her dress on the majority of the way, there were some beautiful shots taken of her sisters cinching it up in the back while Nesta watched from the mirror. It was a sweet moment, one Nesta was thankful she had with her sisters. And she was thankful she’d come to Velaris two years ago, not only because it brought Cassian into her life, but it allowed her a relationship with her sisters she never thought she’d have.

“Arya?”

She’d been sitting on the bench Nesta had vacated, watching everything that happened quietly. She hopped up at the sound of her name though, and hurried over to where Nesta had bent down to her level. She handed her the little comb her veil was attached to.

“Put it right here,” Nesta smiled, turning and pointing to the spot where the braid blended seamlessly into her hair. She reminded her, “Carefully.”

Arya nodded and stood on her tip toes, sliding the combs almost exactly where they needed to be.

Nesta turned around and gave her a bright smile. “There. Now I’m ready.”

Arya wrapped her arms around Nesta’s neck. “You look pretty, mommy.”

Mommy. The name never failed to make Nesta’s heart feel like it was going to burst. Arya had begun using it right around her fifth birthday, and neither Cassian or Nesta had stopped her. Sometimes, she had still called her Miss Nesta, but eventually she became Mommy for good.

She’d never been so happy.

“Thank you, baby,” Nesta breathed, hugging her back. “I love you.”

“I love you,” she said, and Nesta never thought she would grow tired of saying those words, hearing those words, after spending so much of her life avoiding them. 

Before she could fully collect her thoughts, could fully emerge herself in the moment, Nesta was being left alone. 

Arya was pulled to the front to walk down the aisle pulling Nyx in a wagon, then there was Mor walking down the aisle with her bouquet, followed by Emerie, then Gwyn. Amren went next. Cassian had been right two years ago when he said she would get along well with one of Cassian’s oldest, most sarcastic friends.

The men were already waiting at the end of the aisle, although Nesta wouldn’t be able to see them until she went through the doors.

The music inside went out, the melodious sound of the string quartet sending chills down Nesta’s spine. Elain took one of her arms, and Feyre took the other.

“Ready?” her youngest sister whispered.

Nesta nodded, and the doors swung open.

She met Cassian’s eyes as his mouth fell open as his eyes lined with tears. Rhysand and Azriel stood to his side, each of them giving one another a smile.

Nesta’s sisters walked her down the aisle and it took every ounce of willpower in Nesta not to run down the walkway and into Cassian’s arms. 

The space was beautiful. Feyre had been in charge and Nesta had left it solely in her hands. She did not disappoint. The high ceilings allowed light in from the floor length windows, the snow covered hills beautiful displayed beyond them. Billows of white silk fell from the ceiling and fairy lights twinkled among them. Bouquets were strewn about, thanks to Elain, white lilies and blue irises. It was perfect.

Arya went to stand with her Uncle Rhys, while Feyre took Nyx and she and Elain took their places to the opposite side of their husbands and the rest of Cassian’s groomsmen. Nesta stepped up to where Cassian stood and he murmured, “Hello, sweetheart,” as he took her hand and they stood before the officiant. Nesta had never been one for religion, instead focusing on her own personal faith, regardless of what a church said she could or couldn’t do. But she was one for tradition, so they would exchange the traditional vows of holy matrimony, as well as an Illyrian ceremony at another date. That was more for Cassian, for his mother and the wedding she always dreamed he’d have, but after this, legally, she would be his wife.

Mrs. Nesta Nazari

She pretended she hadn’t been obsessing over how perfect it sounded since Cassian had proposed six months before.

Who was she kidding, she’d been thinking about how perfect it was since she realized she was falling in love with him.

When Cassian was asked to read the vows he had written, Nesta swore his cheeks turned a soft shade of pink beneath his stubble.

With a deep breath, he took a folded up letter out of his breast pocket and cleared his throat. “This is intimidating,” he murmured, looking out at the crowd. Nesta laughed quietly, and waited patiently. Cassian began, “There was a time when I swore that I would never marry. Even after I became a father, something else I swore I’d never be, I didn’t see myself as the husband type. And, for those of you who have known me a long time, I’m sure you thought that about me too.” A few chuckles came from the bridal party, but Cassian looked up at Nesta. “But then I met you. I met you in the least traditional way, and our first date…was also not very traditional, but it woke me up from a slump that I had been in for a long, long time. I fell in love with you so quickly, and it was because you were so undoubtedly yourself. You were headstrong. Stubborn. Pretty damn rude.” Nesta rolled her eyes. Behind her, her sisters laughed. “And you still are all those things, by the way.” He grinned, and took her hand. “But, you’re also passionate. Incredibly talented. So beautiful, inside and out. You love more fiercely than anyone I’ve ever known. Not only me, but Arya, too.” Cassian’s voice cracked as he was overcome with emotion. He cleared his throat again. “There was never a time when I wasn’t drawn to you. As soon as I met you, you consumed me. Now, I can’t imagine what life would be like without you in it, and I’m so damn glad that I don’t have to. Nes, I love you. I’m so in love with you and I hope to spend every day for the rest of my life loving you with all that I am.”

There were tears running down Nesta’s face before he finished speaking and when the priest turned towards her, she cleared her throat. Once. Twice.

“I tried to write you pretty vows, but everything sounded too cliché, and I know how much you hate clichés in happily ever afters.” Cassian chuckled, knowing she was talking about his hatred of cheesy romance movies. “I decided I would just tell you how I feel instead. I spent years chasing my dreams, thinking that they were the only thing that could make me happy. I’d achieve one after the other, waiting for the validation and happiness that came with success. It never did. And then, right when I was at the cusp of accomplishing everything I’d ever wanted, I lost it all.” She squeezed his hands and smiled up at him, but turned her eyes to Arya. “I had no idea what I was about to gain. You two are the best things that ever happened to me, the most precious things in my life. I’m so blessed that you both accepted me into your family and I love you both so much.” She looked back to Cassian, at the shameless tears spilling over. “From the first time I laid eyes on you, I knew you were something different, that you weren’t just going to pass in and out of my life and let me be on my way. I knew you were confident and cocky and arrogant and full of yourself-.”

“Is that all?” He asked, chuckling, as were a few others.

“Absolutely not, but I guess I do need to wrap this up. But you love harder than anyone else I’ve ever met. You would do anything for those you love and I count myself lucky that I’m one of them.” She brought her hand up to his face, brushing her thumb over his cheekbone. “You’re my entire world, my best friend, the love of my life. I am so in love with you and I can’t wait to spend our forever together.”

Cassian didn’t speak.

He didn’t trust himself to.

Instead he nodded and smiled and took her face into his hands and kissed her softly. 

The officiant chuckled and said, “I haven’t said to kiss the bride yet.”

Cassian backed away and whispered, “I just couldn’t help myself.”

They said their I do's, simple words that held more meaning than either of them had ever said or heard. And when Cassian was asked to kiss the bride, he took Nesta into his arms and didn’t hold back.

Arya’s hands flew to her face to cover her eyes as the room erupted into cheers. After a few seconds passed, Cassian pulled back, grinning wildly, and lifted his hand in the air, being held by Nesta’s, in sweet victory.

“Now announcing for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Cassian Nazari.”

They walked back down the aisle, together, between their closest friends.

They celebrated and danced and drank until the sun had long set beneath the mountains around them. Cassian was gently swaying back and forth on the dance floor, Nesta in his arms, when he caught Feyre waving to him from across the large hall their reception was held in.

“I think someone is ready to go to bed,” he murmured, seeing how Arya was resting her head on Feyre’s shoulder.

Nesta looked up and smiled. “I guess we need to give her her present, don’t we?”

Cassian’s eyes softened. “Yes, we do.

They left the dance floor and met Feyre. Before either of them could say anything, Arya was reaching for Cassian and he took her.

“She wanted to say goodnight before we go to bed,” Feyre smiled, and Nesta could tell she was tired. Nyx was only a few months old, so she knew she hadn’t been sleeping great. Even though it was still relatively early by party standards, Feyre looked as tired as their six-year-old.

“We’ll meet you by the stairs up to the rooms,” Nesta promised, and Feyre nodded. The sisters hugged, Feyre giving the two of them her congratulations again, and she headed to wait in the great room. Cassian was willing to bet they’d find her asleep on one of the couches when they brought Arya back to her.

Cassian carried Arya into a room off to the side of the hall and set her on the couch. She was sleepy, but grinned up at them. “Aunt Emmie said we could turn in Shrek.”

She’d lost two of her teeth the week before, and her toothless smile was beaming.

“Did you have fun today?” Cassian asked, kneeling down in front of her, while Nesta sat on the couch next to her.

She nodded her head excitedly. “I wish everyday was your wedding.”

Nesta couldn’t stop her smile then, too, and she said, “Me too, sweet girl.”

“I don’t know if you noticed, but mommy and daddy got a lot of presents since they got married,” he said, pointing behind him at the table stacked high with gifts.

She had seen them earlier and her eyes were as big then as they were now. “That’s more presents than I got on my birthday.”

Nesta chuckled, while Cassian turned around and grabbed a Manila envelope off the table the pile of gifts sat upon. “There were a lot more people here than there were at your birthday party last year,” she explained. “But daddy and I wanted to get you something today. It was a big day for you, too.”

Arya’s eyes widened as Cassian opened the flat and handed her the envelope. She looked at it before flipping it over in her hands. “This is boring, it’s not even wrapped!”

Nesta laughed then, while Cassian shook his head and said, “Just open it, kid.”

He had debated on whether it was the right move or not, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Tanwyn was amazing. She had been one of Cassian's best friends and always would be. But, Arya didn’t remember her at all. She died when Arya was months old. She would always be Arya’s mother, her birth mom, but she needed a mom who was there, too.

A mom who was present. 

A mom who wasn’t going anywhere.

A mom who would be there day in and day out.

Arya frowned at the papers she pulled out of the envelope.

Cassian took them and began to explain, “These papers say that Nesta is your official mom. I know you call her your mommy, but now Nesta is legally your mom.”

Arya’s eyes lit up and she looked up at Nesta. “Like, you’re really my mommy?”

She nodded and said, “Really,” and caught her as she jumped into her lap.

Cassian, pretending the moment wasn’t affecting him as much as it was, said, “As recognized by Velaris and all seven territories in Prythian.”

Nesta threw him an exasperated glance, but hugged Arya a little tighter as she held her daughter.

A few minutes and several hugs later, Arya was headed up to her bedroom, telling Emerie about how Nesta was her real mommy now.

Nesta and Cassian stayed in the blessedly empty main room of the large cabin they’d booked for the wedding and reception.

He took her in his arms and she rested her head on his chest, releasing a sigh. Chuckling, he rubbed his hand up and down her arms. “Tired, sweetheart?”

“No,” she laughed, glancing up at him. “Just enjoying the silence.”

“Too much socializing for one day?” He asked.

She chuckled. “And then some.”

He hummed and after a moment of silence, he said, “You know the days not over yet.”

Nesta leaned back to look up at him. “Oh no?”

He slowly shook his head. “Pretty sure we have a room to ourselves calling our name.”

“Oh?” Nesta asked, brows raised. “And what would we do in there?”

“I’ll be happy to show you,” he muttered, and swept her into his arms. Nesta’s laughter filled the quiet cabin as she held onto him. Together they made their way down the hall to the biggest room in the cabin.

Inside wasn’t anything special, not that the room itself wasn’t lovely in itself. There were no decorations, though, nothing but it’s size making it any different from anyone else’s rooms.

They didn’t need anything else though.

The day had been perfect.

More than enough.

And when Cassian nudged the door shut with his foot, Nesta knew it would only be getting better.

“Have I mentioned,” he murmured in Nesta’s ear, sending goosebumps along her skin, “how breathtakingly gorgeous you look today?”

“Once or twice,” she breathed, arching her neck to give him better access. It had been nearly a week since she’d had him inside her - Illyrian traditions, he’d explained when she’d nearly thrown a fit - and even his lips by her ear had her feeling like she may combust.

“Good,” he replied, following her silent directions and letting his lips trail along her throat. “I’m going to keep reminding you though.” A kiss to her pulse point. “Every day.” A kiss to the spot beneath her ear. “For the rest of our lives.” A kiss to her lips.

Nesta’s gaze softened as she looked at him. Her husband.

“I love you,” she said, putting her hand on his cheek. “Until the world dissolves into darkness one day, my heart will be yours.”

His eyes met hers and for a moment neither of them said a word, but the look they shared could have moved mountains. 

“How the hell did I find you?” He breathed and kissed her slowly. She instantly responded, but just as Cassian was about to lay her down on their bed, he froze. And frowned at her dress. “And how the hell do I remove this beautiful gown?”

Nesta’s head fell back as she laughed, and then she was pushing on Cassian's chest to let her down. He did so, and the second her feet hit the floorboards she was hurrying into the bathroom.

As he began to protest, she was locking the door between them and reaching for the bag beneath the sink.

She had never been one for lingerie, preferred gracing Cassian with her utter nakedness, but their wedding called for a special occasion. 

Careful not to snag the scraps of lace, she placed them on the countertop before reaching behind her back. It wasn’t complicated, just a tie that came loose and eventually loosened enough for her to slip out of the floor-length, slim ivory gown.

Which is exactly what she did.

Keeping her heels on, she pulled on a lace thong that could hardly qualify as underwear, and the incandescent teddy that matched.

She looked in the mirror, but still hesitated before going out into their bedroom. She knew that she looked good, better than good, actually. She kept herself in impeccable shape, thanks to dance, and she and Cassian went to the gym together at least once a week. So she looked phenomenal in the tight lace that did little to hide her body. But there was something about the ensemble that required a confidence Nesta found herself lacking.

Regardless, she brushed her teeth and touched her makeup up just a bit, and took a deep breath before opening the door to the bedroom.

Cassian was nowhere to be found.

She looked around and called, “Cass?”

“Balcony,” she heard, and saw that the door was just slightly ajar.

Glancing down at the complete lack of appropriate clothes she was wearing, she said, “Why don’t you come inside?”

There was a pause before he said, “Why don’t you come outside? There’s a hot tub.”

Nesta rolled her eyes. “Just come inside, please.”

There was a pause then Cassian’s heavy footsteps could be heard atop the wooden balcony before he rounded the corner, gloriously nude.

His body glistened in the outside light, no doubt from said hot tub. 

He took one look at Nesta, his eyes sweeping down her body, and his eyes went dark.

Even though Nesta’s toes curled, she said, “Seems like we both had our own ideas of how to surprise one another tonight.”

Cassian grinned, crossing his broad arms across his chest. “Unlike you, I’m not afraid to go outside naked.”

Nesta glanced down at her incandescent attire. “It’s a little chilly out to be in the nude.”

“Hot tub,” he reminded her.

Nesta laughed quietly and shook her head as she approached him, reaching out to brush her fingertips down his arms as she reached him.

“We can go to the hot tub,” she promised, voice low. “After I do to you what I had planned in here.”

“That’s a fair compromise,” he leaned down, brushing his lips against hers.

His cock bumped her stomach, grazing over the soft lace and he murmured, “I like this, by the way.” He popped one of the straps of the thong and Nesta wrapped her hand around him and squeezed. “I do, too. So don’t tear it.”

Her hand tightened for emphasis and he grinned down at her. Far too many of Nesta’s panties, leggings, and the few pieces of lingerie she’d owned had been destroyed when Cassian just couldn’t wait to have her. She really did prefer to keep this one intact.

“If I don’t, will you wear it for me again?” He asked, running his hands up her body, careful to not let his calluses snag on any of the intricate lace.

As his hands cupped her breasts, she began to stroke him. “Maybe.”

“Maybe?” he repeated, his voice breaking, hitched as that familiar feeling began to brew in the pit of his stomach, like a beast cracking open an eye.

“Maybe,” she crooned, and Cassian’s fingers trailed along the straps of her lingerie. 

“Maybe doesn’t convince me not to tear this thing to shreds so that I can see you bare,” he said, voice low, that growl coming out that made Nesta want to combust. 

“You’re insufferable,” she huffed, and kissed him. 

She stroked him a little faster as their tongues brushed against one another’s. To know that this would be their forever had them both wanting to ignore that foreplay altogether. Cassian couldn’t bear having her hand enveloping him when it should be something else entirely.

“I need to be inside of you,” Cassian muttered against her mouth. “Now.”

“Then get this off of me and make it happen,” she replied, rubbing her thumb over the head of his cock.

“Careful how you say that,” he hissed through his teeth. “I’ll get it off of you real quick.”

Rolling her eyes, Nesta released his length and stepped back, pulling each strap down slowly. She knew that if she left it on while they fucked, it would either get destroyed intentionally or by Cassian’s hands snagging on something. Shimmying it down her body, she revealed each glorious inch of her bare skin and Cassian’s mouth was basically watering.

“Would you like to continue this in the hot tub?” She asked, smirking at him.

Cassian didn’t need to be convinced. He held out his hand and Nesta took it. They walked out onto the balcony together and sunk into the hot, steamy water. 

As soon as they were settled, Nesta crawled onto his lap and straddled his waist. She ran her fingers through his hair before sinking down onto his cock.

He let out a long breath as their lips met as she rose and fell, slowly, carefully. 

“I will never get tired of this,” Cassian said, quietly. “Of you. I love you. I love you, so much.”

Nesta leaned back and met his eye, her hips still rocking as she said, “I love you, Cass. I can’t believe I’m your wife.”

Wife.

Their lips met again and Cassian took hold of her waist in his hands, guiding her even though she didn’t need such guidance. 

Their joining was like a song by this point, something beautiful that flowed between them, knowing each other’s bodies as well as their own. The way Nesta was beginning to buck her hips, the high-pitched moan that was beginning to fall from her lips with every inch of his cock that filled her. Cassian knew she was close, knew it would be a matter of minutes before he watched her fall to pieces before him. He loved to watch her cum, whether that was by her own hand or his, loved how beautifully broken she became as she shattered around him. She would give herself over to the pleasure, letting go of her inhibitions, letting go of all thoughts that weren’t related to him and the feeling of him inside of her.

Her head fell against his shoulder and she moaned as his hips lifted to meet hers.

“Please, Cassian.”

It wasn’t often that Nesta used that word —please —especially during sex, so Cassian obliged her, his lips finding the spot on her neck he knew drove her wild, and fucked her with no abandon. Nesta screamed, the sound reverberating off the snow and mountains around them, and Cassian covered her mouth with a wet hand. She continued to moan, heard muffled versions of his name and various curses as his hips met hers, and suddenly she went rigid, her body stiffening as she found release. Her pussy gripped him, so warm and wet and tight that he was unable to stop himself as he fell over the edge behind her and groaned her name as he came.

Nesta’s forehead rested against his shoulder again and Cassian traced long lines up and down her spine. When her breathing settled, he crooned, “You okay, sweetheart?”

She nodded, exhaustion filling her body.

It had been an exceptionally long day for both of them. They had a flight to catch to Adriata at four in the morning, so getting some sleep probably wasn’t a horrible idea.

Cassian stood, his cock still nestled inside of Nesta, and her legs tightened around his waist. Carrying her back inside, he was about to drop her onto the bed, still dripping from the hot tub, when Nesta stopped him. He put her down and grabbed two towels for them from the attached bathroom, while she hurried to where her purse was sitting with their bags on the couch. She rifled through it before pulling something out and holding it behind her back. Cassian narrowed his eyes at her as he gave her a towel.

“I have one more gift for you,” she said, wrapping the towel around her body, blocking the sight of her beautiful breasts from him. Probably for the best since he likely would have been staring at them anyways. She held out a small card, no larger than a business card and he took it. A date from the week before had been scrawled on it and he flipped it over. He didn’t recognize the doctor’s name.

“What’s this?” He asked, knowing nothing could be wrong, not with Nesta’s smile as soft as it was.

“I went to see my gynecologist last week,” she said, fiddling with the edge of her towel. “I…had my IUD removed.”

They’d been discussing growing their family, giving Arya a sibling.

Cassian blinked. “You did?”

Nesta nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I thought it was time. Figured you’d have no objections.”

“Oh, I don’t,” he said quickly, his smile growing. “I don’t.”

He was so madly in love with this woman, his wife, mother of his children. He kissed her then and he could see it: the future they would have together.

He knew without a doubt that it would be lovely.

#nessian isl #isn’t she lovely #nesta x cassian #acotar #acomaf #acowar #nessian #acofas #acosf

[theladyofdeath]

Isn’t She Lovely {1}

Summary: Cassian, a single father, tries online dating for a one night stand and gets more than he bargains for. Nesta, a former professional ballet dancer, opens her own studio in her new hometown of Velaris and finds that she knows one of her students’ fathers from a night of utter regret.

Warnings: Mature content throughout. Language, sex, drinking, etc. NSFW.

A collab with @snelbz

A/N: Since Shelb became a mama and I started my teaching job, we hadn’t been able to write much. Now, we’re feeling good with where we are at and were able to pick up writing again not long ago - which we had missed soooo much. This is our first series since our little hiatus. I hope you all enjoy! We would love to know what you think. Chapters will be posted every Sunday and Wednesday. This is only a 10 part mini series!

Nesta felt ridiculous, but if nothing else she needed to get laid.

To say it had been a while was an understatement and she hadn’t had the time or energy since moving to Velaris to go out and find someone the old fashioned way. It used to be easier, she swore, in high school and college to come across a cute guy and hit it off. Now, as she neared her late twenties, dating became more and more difficult.

When Feyre had suggested a dating app, Nesta thought it had been an absurd suggestion. She hadn’t let her little sister know that she downloaded said app as soon as she got back to her little house on the outskirts of town. Now, two days later, she had been matched up with and was on her way to meet a man for dinner. He was an incredibly attractive mechanic whose hobbies included restoring old cars and playing the guitar. He was twenty-eight and had abs for days, judging by his profile pictures. He seemed nice enough in the few messages they had exchanged.

For safety, though, Nesta pulled out her phone and texted her other sister, Elain.

Going on a blind date. If I go missing, we were last seen at Monelli’s.

As she parked her car in the lot behind the restaurant, Nesta’s phone vibrated.

Feyre will be pleased.

With a roll of her eyes, she was hopping out of her car and walking to the front set of doors. Monelli’s was known for their incredible Italian food and gorgeous building - a historic two story place that had been refurbished to its former glory.

It was bustling with people but for a Friday night, Nesta was not surprised. It did make it more difficult to find her date, though. She hoped she hadn’t been catfished.

That would be mortifying.

After a deep breath, Nesta entered through the front doors and walked up to the hostess.

“Good evening,” she smiled. “How many?”

Nesta hesitated. “Actually, I’m waiting for someone. Has a tall man with long, brown hair and hazel eyes come in?”

The hostess nodded over toward the bar. “He’s waiting there. I told him it’ll be about fifteen minutes for a table to open up.”

“Thanks.”

After waiting for a server carrying a tray laden down with plates piled high in delicious pastas and breads and salads, Nesta crossed the threshold into the bar. She paused, glancing down at herself. She felt absolutely ridiculous, like everyone was staring at her, which she hated unless she was on stage, lost in the music. When she danced, she couldn’t care less who watched as the rhythm flowed through her, as the beat of the song matched the beat of her heart. But right now, as she was about to go on her first normal date since she’d broken up with her piece of shit ex?

Yeah, the eyes she could feel lingering on her as she stepped into the crowded bar made her self-conscious. She never would have worn the red dress on any other occasion, never wore anything as tight or with a slit up so high on her thigh that she had to be careful how quickly she walked, lest she become a different kind of dancer entirely.

Looking around the room, ignoring the few sets of eyes she felt settle on her, she finally spotted him.

He had his back to her as he reached for his glass of whiskey, neat.

He wore fitted navy slacks with a white button down, the sleeves rolled up to reveal dark ink displayed across his forearms. That long, thick hair of his was tied at the nape of his neck.

After a moment of watching, observing, she was sitting on the stool beside him. “Cassian?”

His eyes snapped to hers, then down her body before he met her gaze once more. Nesta held her chin up high, pretending that the inside of her body wasn’t going absolutely insane.

He was far more attractive in person, and his pictures were gorgeous, so that was certainly saying something.

“Nesta,” he said, his voice low.

He held out his hand.

Nesta took it.

He brought it to his lips, his eyes remaining locked on hers.

“Nice to meet you,” he said, and before she could reply, he asked, “Drink?”

“Please,” she said, as he waved the bartender over. Nesta ordered a safe glass of white wine.

“You look gorgeous,” he said, and Nesta cleared her throat.

“Oh, thank you,” she replied, and a moment passed before she even thought to tell him that he looked nice, too. Deciding that the moment had passed and it was too late to tell him as much, Nesta said, “I’m glad we got to meet on such short notice. I hated to rush our meeting but this next week was going to be a little hectic for me.”

Cassian shrugged a single shoulder as a glass of wine was set in front of Nesta. “I don’t mind. Tonight worked well.”

He was right, it was like they were meant to meet. She’d been planning to have dinner with her sisters, but both of them had made last minute plans that morning, Elain with Nuala and Cerridwen, Feyre with her fiancé. Which left Nesta with nothing to do on a Friday night.

Until she got a message from the gorgeous man she’d matched with on that ridiculous dating app the evening before.

He’d sent a cliché opening message. She’d harmlessly flirted for a minute, and when he’d asked if she had anything special planned for tonight, she asked him to dinner.

He hadn’t responded for an hour or so, but it was the middle of the day on a Friday. Most people were at their jobs, Nesta reminded herself. But when he did, he’d accepted her offer, asking her to meet him at Velaris’ most popular restaurant.

“Nazari, table for two?”

Cassian looked over his shoulder at the hostess and stood. “Looks like our table is ready.”

Nesta nodded and stood, taking the hand that was offered to her. His skin was rough but his grip was gentle. She couldn’t help but imagine for a split second what those hands would feel like on the rest of her body.

They followed the hostess to their table and Cassian pulled out her chair like the perfect gentleman. Once she was seated, he sat opposite of her and thanked the hostess for their menus before she scurried off.

After a sip of whiskey, he opened up his menu and began looking through it. Nesta did the same, although she already knew what she wanted. The shrimp scampi was to die for.

“Been here before?” Cassian asked, eyes still on the menu.

Nesta nodded. “A couple of times. You?”

“Long time ago,” he replied.

The conversation fell away so Nesta pretended to search her menu anyway.

Five minutes later, the server appeared and Nesta ordered her pasta. Cassian ordered a rare steak with a side of penne topped with Monelli’s famous, special sauce. “You like meat?” Nesta asked.

Cassian raised a brow, as if the question itself was one of the strangest he had ever heard. “I do. So do you, it seems.”

“Not so much,” Nesta said, scrunching her nose. “Especially rare? It’s practically raw.”

“Shrimp is meat,” Cassian replied, one hand gripping his glass of whiskey.

“Not really,” Nesta said. “Shrimp is protein, but it’s far different from beef. Or chicken, for that matter.”

“So you don’t eat meat?” Cassian pushed. Then grumbled, “And judge those who do, it seems.”

“I’m not judging,” Nesta snapped, then calmed herself before continuing, “And no, I eat shellfish occasionally, and chicken, but that’s it.”

“Animal rights type of thing?” Cassian asked, sipping from his glass.

Nesta watched him for a moment then shook her head. “No, not really. I just think someone ripping into a rare steak is a bit barbaric, that’s all.” He raised his eyebrows, so she explained. “I just came off of a very strict diet that I’ve been on for a while. I’m still working normal things back into my everyday routine. So, like I said, chick and shellfish, and greens mostly.”

Cassian watched her for a moment with a stupid, subtle grin on his full lips. “You eat healthy. I like that.”

Nesta arched a brow and chose to sip from her wine glass instead of making a retort.

“I can tell,” he continued, and his eyes grazed her form-fitting dress. Nesta’s jaw locked and she swore that her cheeks reddened.

“I take care of my body,” Nesta said, at last. “You seem to do the same, even with your poor intake of raw meat.”

When he spoke next, his voice was so low that if Nesta hadn’t been following the way his lips slowly moved she would have been certain that she imagined it. “It’s crucial to stay in shape. Never know when all the clothes will be coming off.”

She lifted a brow.

He grinned as he drained his glass of whiskey.

The server brought a basket of bread but neither of them touched it.

“So, you’re a mechanic?” Nesta asked a moment later. “Run my own shop,” Cassian said, as he motioned for another glass of whiskey. “And what do you do? Your profile didn’t say.”

“I’m a dancer,” Nesta said.

Something flashed in Cassian’s eyes but it disappeared as soon as it had come. “Yeah?”

Nesta nodded, and before she could stop herself, she said, “I tour with a ballet company.”

It was a lie, of course, but it hadn’t been a lie for long.

Cassian nodded but said nothing more as a newly filled glass of whiskey appeared.

Their food came a minute later and the conversation between them had died for the majority of it.

“I can barely enjoy my steak with you sneering at it like that,” he said, using his fork to mix the bowl of greens next to his plate. “I can feel it getting colder with each second that passes.”

She had just taken a bite, her mouth full of pasta and shrimp, so she rolled her eyes, continuing to chew until she could respond. His eyes lit up at the expression on her face, and she didn’t have a chance to reply before he said, “Though I’d bet that stare could heat a few things up, too.”

Nesta had just stabbed at her food when she asked, “You’re a shameless flirt, aren’t you?”

Cassian shrugged a shoulder as he covered the remainder of his steak with his greens and took a big bite. “I say what I think.”

“No, you dance around what you’re thinking,” Nesta said, deciding she was full and needing a to go box. “You think you’re clever with all these little innuendos you keep feeding me.”

“You don’t like my innuendos?” Cassian asked, brow raised, consuming his plate with a speed that would make others think he hadn’t eaten in days.

“I suppose I’m a little more blunt than most,” Nesta said, dabbing at her mouth before folding her napkin in her lap.

“I’m not sure you want me to be blunt about what’s on my mind,” Cassian said.

“Then allow me to be blunt,” Nesta said, and fiddled with the stem of her nearly-emptied wine glass. “This isn’t going great. We have absolutely nothing in common and trying to have a steady conversation with you is like pulling teeth.”

Cassian lifted an amused brow. “But you’re attracted to me.”

Nesta didn’t deny it right away. “I shouldn’t be surprised that you think every woman is attracted to you.”

“Every woman may not be, but you are,” Cassian said, setting down his fork. “I’ve been with enough women to recognize the looks you keep giving me.”

Been with enough women. Charming, Nesta thought, but she couldn’t admit that he was right. She had come on the date knowing full well that there was a good chance this would be a dud. It wouldn’t be a complete waste of time, though, if she got something out of it.

It had been so long since she had taken control of a man for the sake of pleasure.

“Maybe so,” Nesta agreed, lifting her chin. “I won’t deny that you’re attractive, even though your communication skills could use a tremendous amount of work.”

Although meant as a jab, Cassian’s head fell back as he laughed. When he met her eyes again, the gleam in them had Nesta’s toes curling. “Lucky for you I know of something we can do that requires no conversation at all…and I’m far better at it than I am trying to string together some words to impress a haughty dancer that I thought was hot on some outdated hookup app.”

Nesta should feel offended, should slap him across the face for being rude as shit, but her heart had begun to race. Is this what got her going after almost a year of no sex? Some conceited asshole that thought he was all that and then some? Some hot conceited asshole, she corrected herself. Yeah, he was full of it, but Nesta had no doubt that he was a god in bed. And if he wasn’t? At least Nesta got a break from trying to get herself off and let somebody else at it for a night.

“So what is it you propose?” Nesta asked, running her fingers through her long, loose curls.

Cassian tracked the movement.

For a moment, Nesta thought he would push everything off the table between them and ravage her right there on the tabletop.

For a moment, Nesta wanted him to.

“I live two blocks down,” he said, his tone sending shivers down her spine. “One night, no strings attached. You look like you need to be taken care of.”

She was quiet still, eyes on him, assessing him and whether he meant what he said. She never wanted to see him again, his conceited, cocky demeanor had cemented that, but his body…

She could see the strong bands of muscle on his forearms beneath his rolled-up shirt sleeve. Knew every other part of him would be just as solid, just as muscled, and it had been a hell of a long time since she ogled someone as much as she had when she saw his dating profile.

Hell, she was so sex starved she’d even gotten off to his pictures the night before when she found him, before he’d matched with her. But she would never tell him that.

“You can leave as soon as we’re done or stay as long as you like,” he said, voice dropping low as he leaned closer to the table. “I’ve got my place to myself, a king-sized bed, and about a thousand things I want to do to you.”

Nesta sucked in her bottom lip, then drained what was left of her wine glass before saying, “Call for the check.”

With a grin, he did so. The server brought the bill and after one quick glance at it, Cassian dropped a stack of bills into the portfolio and rose to his feet. He held out his hand.

“I can pay for my own meal,” Nesta said, taking his hand and standing.

“Good date or not, I pay,” Cassian murmured in her ear, and began leading her toward the exit.

That stupid little grin remained.

It made Nesta’s knees weak.

The air had grown cool as the sun had fully faded and the moon was in its rightful place for the night. Having only lived two blocks away, Nesta had assumed he had walked, but he led her to a black truck and unlocked it, pulling open the passenger side door. He helped Nesta up inside the cab before rounding the truck and getting behind the wheel.

It was surprisingly clean, not a speck of dust to be found. It looked fairly new and smelled like leather.

They kept quiet as he pulled out of the lot and headed west, away from town. Two and a half blocks later, he pulled into the parking garage for a large brick building and stopped in a spot near a door.

Without a word being spoken, the two of them entered through that door and up a set of rickety, metal steps before going through a second door and into the halls of his apartment building.

With every step, Nesta’s heart beat a little bit faster.

A throbbing had formed between her thighs.

Cassian stopped at the elevator and pressed the call button. They waited in silence until the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Nesta entered first. Cassian followed.

He pressed the button for the sixth floor and the doors shut them inside. Once they were alone in that small, compact room, Nesta turned to look at him, to say something, anything to break the silence, but Cassian was already taking a step toward her as they began moving.

He took her slim waist into his hands and pulled her toward him.

Nesta gasped, her arm instantly finding their way around the back of his neck, the other grabbing his shirt. He took his time leaning into her, but when her fingers brushed his warm skin just above his shirt collar, he snapped.

His mouth found hers, hungrily, and Nesta quickly responded.

He tasted like whiskey - not Nesta’s first choice of drink but it certainly suited him. When his tongue brushed along hers, Nesta’s body made full contact with his, and then her skirt was being drawn up and Cassian was lifting her off the ground. Her legs wrapped around his waist and the elevator stopped, the double doors opening, once again.

Their lips never broke as Cassian carried her into the hall. He’d only taken a few steps before he stopped, fiddled with his key, and pushed open a door. Once they were inside and the front door shut, Nesta finally broke away from Cassian’s lips and, breathing heavily, asked, “Bathroom?”

Cassian blinked, his eyes glazed over from lust. It took him a moment to realize what she was asking. “Oh, uh, yeah. Down the hall, on the left.” A beat passed before he set her down and Nesta scurried down the hallway.

Clicking the door shut behind her, Nesta quickly smoothed out her hair and touched up her makeup, knowing full well they were about to be a disaster, but appearances were very important to her. After popping a mint, she unlocked the door behind her and began to walk down the hall.

A cracked door caught her eye and, although she knew she shouldn’t, she gently pushed the door open.

Pink. It was an explosion of pink and sparkles and…dinosaurs. The last items didn’t quite fit with the rest of the decor, but there was even a stuffed, pink dinosaur placed lovingly atop the pillows of the twin sized bed.

Realizing asking about the room would only make their hookup a fuck-ton more complicated, Nesta pulled the door shut again and headed for the entry where she’d left him.

Setting her purse on the counter, she found him standing in the middle of the living room, gazing out the window, a glass of something Nesta would have bet her life on was whiskey dangling from his fingers.

Nesta walked up behind him and said, “Quite a view you have.”

“It’s why I got the place,” he muttered, and slowly turned to face her. His eyes flashed when they connected with hers, but her eyes soon trailed down to his shirt, where he had undone half the buttons, revealing his strong, inked chest.

“Can I get you a drink?” he asked, voice low as Nesta closed the distance between them and placed her palm gingerly against his chest. His heart was beating wildly.

She shook her head and pulled her hair back, off of her shoulders. She slid the strap of her dress down and then the other. Cassian watched silently, intently as he raised his glass to his lips and took a drink.

She liked the way he was watching her, thrived on the fire, the lust, the need in his eyes.

Especially when she slipped her dress down further, revealing her breasts to him.

She could still feel his lips on hers, the taste of the whiskey still dancing around the edge of her senses. His eyes, which she’d noticed after far too much time looking at his pictures were usually a sparkling hazel, were nearly wholly black, and his tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip.

Slowly, teasingly, he reached up and brushed a callused finger over her nipple. The throb in her core pulsed and she sucked in a breath through her teeth as his finger circled one nipple and then the other.

He was teasing her, playing with her, and usually, Nesta was on board with the game. But tonight, she wasn’t in the mood.

Before he could react, before he could grab her and take control, her fingers knitted into his hair, just beneath that nub of a ponytail, and she crashed her lips against his once more.

Her dress was off and tossed aside like an old, filthy rag in a matter of seconds before Cassian carried her through his apartment and to his bed where he laid her down.

At the foot of his bed, Cassian stripped down and climbed on top of her, careful not to crush her with his weight before fucking her senseless well into the night.

#nessian #nesta #cassian #nesta x cassian #cassian x nesta #fanfic #sjm #fanfiction #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acosaf #acosf #modern au #daddy au

[ncssian]

A Favor: Part Twenty-Six

Nessian Modern AU

Masterlist

a/n: writing this chapter was so much fun but reading it was a train wreck so you’ll just have to find out yourself whether it’s actually good or not. hurt/comfort ahead

***

Most of Nesta’s days lately are spent holed up in her basement apartment, either studying for her finals or preparing for her move—which means that whenever Cassian wants to see her, she has to haul ass all the way to the cabin to make time for him.

Like now, on the morning of her birthday, as she stands in her pajamas and slippers in the middle of Cassian’s home gym. Staring at the reason behind his urgent phone call telling her to come over.

“It’s a pole,” she says dumbly.

“Happy birthday,” he says, looking proud of himself. “Consider it an incentive to move in faster, okay?”

“It’s a pole,” she repeats. Tall and gleaming, it stands in front of the wall of mirrors away from most of the workout equipment. “You installed a pole?”

The gift itself isn’t that surprising—Cassian could afford an entire pole dancing studio if he wanted to. What surprises her is that it’s installed here, in Cassian’s personal space. The gym is to Cassian what the reading nook is to Nesta, if not even more sacred. Nesta rarely enters it, but now… he’s extending a blatant invitation into his space.

“I know you already take classes with Gwyn and Emerie,” Cassian is saying, “but you haven’t gotten to go in a while because of school and work, so I thought it would be easier for you if I brought the dance studio over here.” He scratches his head, and Nesta’s eyes drift to the silver watch on his wrist. “You never told me you used to dance. I found out from Feyre, and she sent me videos of your old ballet recitals.”

“Did she?”

Cassian nods along. “You were good. You’re still good now, which is why you should wipe that look off your face and thank me for your gift.”

Nesta is sure she looks stupefied, but she doesn’t do anything to rein it in. She has so many thoughts, and she can only think of saying, “I don’t want to practice in front of you.”

“You don’t have to,” Cassian promises. “Other than early mornings, maybe evenings, the gym will be empty for you.”

Okay. “You—” Nesta starts, “You’re really okay with this?”

Cassian’s face drops in confusion. “Okay with what?” He looks at the pole and back at Nesta. “Do you not like it?”

“Are you okay with giving me part of the gym? Where are you going to go if you want to be alone?” She chews on her lip.

Cassian laughs. “Why would I want to be alone?”

Nesta shrugs. “I need it at least once a week. I figured everyone else was the same way.” Her alone spot in the cabin is her former bedroom from the first time she lived here. Cassian knows not to enter that room, and on days when she spends time in there he simply waits until she comes out. Nesta assumed the gym was close to being something like that for Cassian.

Realization crosses Cassian’s face. “Oh, you mean like your ‘special room’?”

“Don’t say it like that,” Nesta snipes. “I told you I don’t use it for masturbating.”

He comes over and swings a heavy arm around her shoulder. “Babe, if I wanted to be alone I wouldn’t stay in the house. I’d run the trails in the woods behind the cabin.”

“Really?” Her brows furrow. She didn’t know that.

“Look, am I gonna have to return the pole or not?” Cassian says, exasperated.

Nesta stares at him closely, and upon finding no other catch to his gift, she flings her arms around his torso. “I love it,” she declares into his chest. “I love it so much.”

His body tenses in surprise at her uncharacteristic outburst, but then she feels his strong arms wrapping around her too. “In that case, have I earned myself a private show?” he teases.

“I’ll give you so many private shows,” Nesta promises. At least, once she completes her 2L and has the time to learn how to use the pole. “Emerie and Gwyn are going to be so jealous,” she hums pridefully.

Cassian chuckles deeply, and the sound rumbles through his chest where Nesta’s head rests.

They stay holding each other in silence like that for a while, mostly because it’s too early for unnecessary conversing. When Nesta finally speaks up, it’s to say, “Did you really have to call me over at eight a.m. for this, though?”

“It’s your birthday.” Cassian strokes the hair away from her neck. “Don’t even think about sleeping,” he warns. “We’re spending the whole day together. Your sisters mailed gifts, and Gwyn and Emerie are coming over at noon.”

That works for her.

***

The week after her birthday, Nesta drops her resignation letter onto Rhysand’s desk with a heavy smack.

He looks up from the envelope to her. “What’s this?”

“I’m quitting,” she announces without flourish. “Thank you for the experience. Let’s never do it again.”

“But—you got paid more than anyone else in an assistant position ever would. And you weren’t too bad at your job for a student. What went wrong?” He picks up the letter as if he can’t believe his eyes.

Nesta’s stare is a deadpan one. “Let me guess: you thought I would take your free paychecks, use my connections to move up your nepotism ladder, and end up working at Night Court comfortably for the rest of my life?”

Rhysand sits back in his chair and raises a brow at Nesta. “This is a family business,” he says smoothly. “I thought you wanted to be part of the family?”

How funny of him. “I’m good,” she answers simply.

“You came all the way here to tell me this?” Here being Velaris, which gleams through the wall of windows behind Rhysand’s desk.

“I’m not here to see you,” Nesta says, the implication being left in the air. “I’m just stopping by.” Giving a short nod, she turns on her heel to leave.

“If you ever go looking for another job,” Rhysand calls after her, “tell me if you need a recommendation. I can get you into any position at any business.”

She pauses at the door and looks over her shoulder at Rhysand. “I already have recommendations. And a job.” Her summer clerkship at the local family law firm won’t pay a third of what she made here at Night Court, but it’s good enough for now. Combined with what she’s saved up so far, she’ll get through her final year of law school without issue.

At Rhysand’s surprised face, she takes her cue to leave.

Nesta didn’t intend on going all the way to personally meet the CEO to quit, but since Cassian has been in Velaris the whole weekend for work, she thought it would be nice to surprise Cassian with a visit and cut her ties with Night Court Inc. at the same time.

Night Court’s headquarters are huge, with the skyscraper easily being one of the tallest buildings in the city. Nesta nearly gets lost trying to find her way out of Rhysand’s offices.

When she finally spots the steel doors of the elevator, they’re about to slide shut on her. “Hold the door!” she calls out, kicking into a jog. An arm pushes out at the last second to stop the doors from closing, and Nesta slides into the elevator with a sigh of relief. The doors close after her, and she turns to thank the only other person in the elevator.

The man is already looking at her in surprise—surprise which slowly turns into a shark-like smile. “Nesta?”

Nesta’s blood goes cold. He can’t be.

“Remember me?” He points at himself, still grinning. “Keith? Keith O’Connell?”

She tries to swallow but her mouth is dry. “Yeah, I remember,” she gets out.

She remembers everyone she knew from college. She especially remembers Tomas’s closest friends.

Nesta realizes Keith is saying something to her. “What floor?” he asks.

“Uh…” Where was she going again? She can’t remember. She spits out a random number and lets Keith press the button.

Nesta turns her gaze to the flashing numbers above the doors, watching them go down and down. Why are there so many damn floors?

“Didn’t think I’d see you around here,” he goes on, trying to get her to meet his eyes. “Let me guess, you’re an intern?”

Nesta keeps her eyes glued to the floor numbers. “No.”

“Ah,” he hums. “Don’t tell me you’re still chasing that lawyer dream?”

When Nesta doesn’t respond, she finds five fingers on her jaw turning her face toward Keith’s.

She jerks out of his grip, indignant rage bubbling to the surface—rage that is almost immediately suppressed by dread and fear. She’s so small right now; she can’t remember how to be big and loud.

Keith grins, taking a step closer. “What’s wrong? I just asked a question.”

Her back bumps into the wall. She barely feels it. She might as well be back in the living room of her college apartment, sitting on the arm of the couch while Tomas makes snide remarks about her to Keith O’Connell and his other friends. She’s not allowed to leave, because then she’ll be the one who can’t take a joke.

Keith frowns disappointedly at the ground, as if he found a shiny toy just to discover that it doesn’t do any tricks. Now he’s bored. “Damn,” he says. “When you’re not busy being Tom’s bitch, I guess you’re just a bitch.”

Nesta wishes she could be a bitch right now. She wishes she could fight back. “What are you doing, Keith?”

He tilts his head at her. “I’m catching up with you. You got a boyfriend?” His beady eyes slide down her form, leaving a slimy feeling in their wake.

When her lips stay pressed in a firm line, he grabs her arm and laughs. “Come on, why’re you being so weird?” He shakes her by the elbow. “I won’t tell anyone if you do have a boyfriend, promise.”

Nesta hears a ding, and the elevator doors slide open. She doesn’t know whether it’s her floor or Keith’s floor, but she doesn’t care—she’s the first to pull away from him and make an exit. “See you,” she blurts before speedwalking out of the elevator.

Why the fuck did she say “see you”? She doesn’t want to see him ever again. He doesn’t deserve to see her ever again.

Behind her, she hears Keith chuckle again. “I’ll tell Tomas you said hi,” he calls after her.

***

Cassian finds Nesta huddled under a desk.

He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him when he spotted her hurrying out of the elevator on the eighteenth floor of Night Court’s headquarters, but soon enough he realized that yes, that was Nesta’s coat and Nesta’s hair. She was supposed to be back home studying for her first two finals, but instead she was here looking like she was going to be sick.

He was about to follow her when his eyes slid to the man that had gotten off the elevator after her. He didn’t like how O’Connell was staring after Nesta.

“We’re old college friends,” O’Connell shrugged dismissively when Cassian approached him. “I was just saying hi.”

Nesta doesn’t have any friends from college.

Which leads Cassian to a dim, abandoned meeting room, one that would seem fully empty if it wasn't for the sound of strained breathing coming from under the only desk.

He approaches the desk slowly, his worn sneakers coming into Nesta’s line of sight. Pushing the rolling chair away, he crouches down to get a better look at her.

Tinny music comes out of her earbuds, loud enough to drown out any other sounds. She stares past Cassian like she can’t even see him, and the hollowed out look in her eyes terrifies him for a moment. When she blinks, tears spill over onto her cheeks.

“Nes?” Carefully, Cassian reaches out to touch one of her earbuds. After a second of hesitation, he pulls it out and lets it fall.

Nesta sniffles once, then finally turns her teary gaze to Cassian. Her eyes widen a little bit as she croaks, “How did you find me?”

“I followed you. What are you doing here, baby?”

“Um—” Her voice cracks, and she swipes away her tears with the sleeve of her coat. She clears her throat and says, “I came to surprise you.”

“And how’d you end up under here?” Cassian pulls Nesta’s hand away from her face before the scratchy wool can redden her face further. Makeup is smudged around her eyes, and he tries to soothe the sensitive skin there with his thumbs.

Nesta’s other earbud drops out of her ear while he fusses, leaving her with nothing to listen to.

Cassian is quietly, studiously tucking stray hairs back into Nesta’s bun when she confesses, “I was weak.”

“How?” Concern pinches Cassian’s brow. “By crying in front of me?”

“I was completely helpless,” she goes on, her voice numb. “And I didn’t know how not to be that way. I hated it, it’s so stupid.” She tears up again. “I’m not supposed to be that stupid.”

“Tell me what happened,” Cassian demands. He can’t pretend to be patient anymore.

Nesta presses her lips together and stares down at her shoes. Nothing Cassian can think of can prepare him for when she says, “I ran into a friend of my ex.”

So that’s who he is. A frightening calmness settles over Cassian. “O’Connell?” he asks, though he already knows.

Nesta looks up. “You know him?”

He tightens his jaw but nods. “Move over.” Ducking his head, Cassian crawls under the desk to join Nesta. He has to hunch over in half to fit, but Nesta doesn’t seem to mind.

He has to give it to her—it’s not a bad hiding spot.

“What did he say to you?” He tries to sound steady, undisturbed.

“He didn’t need to say anything,” Nesta answers. “I lost my spine with one look from him. He had me under his thumb.”

“I see.” Cassian has made peace with the fact that Tomas Mandray has long since moved away, that he’ll never be able to track the shithead down and make him suffer. What he didn’t know, however, is that Mandray left his friends behind.

“Were you hurt?” is his next question. “Did he touch you?” Cassian doesn’t know what he’ll do if Nesta says yes, but he has to ask anyway.

“I’m not hurt,” she assures him. But her hands rub over her upper arms like she can feel the ghost of a touch there.

“I see,” he repeats. He watches her for a bit longer before stating, “You’re not stupid.”

Nesta’s huff is amused. “Thank you.”

“And don’t spend too much time thinking about O’Connell,” he mutters, nudging her knee with his. “I’ll get rid of him for good.” That is a promise that Cassian is happy to keep.

Nesta looks alarmed. “Like…murder him?”

Cassian laughs. “No, not like that. But you’ll never see him again, so I hope you’ve said what you needed to say to him.”

Nesta thinks for a moment, then nods. “That sounds good. I don’t have anything to say to him.” She inhales a deep breath. “I think I feel better now.”

“You okay?”

“Yeah.”

Cassian holds out a hand to her. “You wanna get out of here?”

She takes his hand and he helps her out from under the desk.

Nesta apparently booked a hotel room in Velaris to surprise Cassian with, but they both agree on the way to the parking lot that they’ve had enough of the city. Cassian chooses to leave his truck behind for Rhys to take care of, and he offers to drive Nesta’s car while she rests.

The ride home is long and quiet.

Nesta sits in silence with her earbuds in, her head leaning against the car window and one of her hands in Cassian’s. He drives with his free hand, sneaking glances over at her every so often just to make sure she really is okay.

It enrages him that someone from Nesta’s past found their way into her place of work. What if he and O’Connell weren’t working in Velaris this weekend, and Nesta bumped into O’Connell in the middle of town instead? It could have tainted any sense of safety she has with the small city she calls home.

Cassian has no plans on telling her that O’Connell is the team leader for the Milan project, or that he rents a small place on the outskirts of their town. Because soon enough neither of those things will be true, and there’s no use in unnecessarily worrying her.

He absentmindedly rubs his thumb over the back of Nesta’s hand.

When they finally pull up to the cabin, Nesta picks her head up from the window to look around. Spotting the other black car parked in the driveway, she makes a sound of disappointment. “Az is home.”

“We can stay in the car if you like,” Cassian offers. He’s in no rush to go inside and face other people, either.

Nesta pulls her heels off, bending over to rub her stockinged feet. “Maybe just for a little while.”

Cassian unbuckles his seatbelt, gesturing for Nesta to put her feet in his lap.

She obliges, looking too tired to refuse him. Cassian runs his hands up her legs and under her skirt, finding the waistband of her sheer black tights and tugging.

“What are you doing?” She jerks under his hands, eyes wide. “The car’s too small for this.”

He narrows his gaze at her. “Chill, horndog. I’m just making you comfortable.” He pulls the tights the rest of the way down her legs and off, freeing her skin.

Nesta gives a little sigh of relief at the feeling of air on her bare skin. She rubs her hands over her thighs in wonder, drawing Cassian’s gaze.

He meets her eyes, and she slowly curls her legs off his lap, tucking them underneath herself instead.

Elated to have Nesta’s undivided attention after two hours of silence, he leans over and slips his hand around her jaw, pulling her in for a kiss.

Her inhale is soft, surprised, before she relaxes against his mouth. Cassian kisses her once, twice, hoping it’ll remind her that she’s safe at his side. That nothing can make her weak.

He’s slow to pull away, and he opens his eyes to find that Nesta’s are still closed, her lips still parted. He stifles a smile and whispers, “I think we should head inside.”

“Mm-hm,” she nods eagerly.

They exit the car, Cassian carrying Nesta’s shoes and tights in one hand and Nesta running over to him barefoot.

He leaves little pecks along her jaw and neck as they enter the cabin, taking extra time to find any moles or beauty marks. She’s about to turn in his arms to face him when they both take notice of Azriel sitting in the living room. Cardboard boxes surround him, and he’s filling them up with books.

Cassian drops Nesta’s heels and tights onto the floor, bringing Az’s attention to him.

“Hey, bro,” Cassian says warily. “What are you doing?”

“Moving out,” Az answers.

Nesta chokes on a laugh. When no one laughs with her, her face drops. “You’re serious?”

Cassian thinks the same thing.

“I’m going back to Velaris,” Az shrugs, dropping some trinkets into a box. “I’m ready to face Elain. I’m taking accountability.” He says it like it’s the simplest decision ever, like he’s talking about bringing an umbrella to a picnic.

“Are you sure about this?” Cassian asks. Just a while ago his brother was terrified at the idea of entering a ten mile radius of Velaris.

“I’m packing, aren’t I?” Az says dryly.

“You’re packing our things,” Cassian points out.

Nesta gasps when she notices. “Hey, those are my books!” She hurries over to snatch one out of Azriel’s hand.

Azriel snatches it back with a dark look. “What goes in the box, stays in the box.”

Cassian sputters in disbelief, looking around at the scene before him. “I mean—can we ask what brought this on?”

“Maybe I did some self-reflection. Or maybe I finally got sick of you and Nesta hooking up while I’m in the same room, like you were about to do now.” Az shrugs, pulling out a roll of packing tape and tearing off a strip with his teeth. “Don’t act like you’re going to miss me,” he continues as he tapes one of the boxes shut. “You two have been waiting for this day for months, and I’m finally granting your wishes.”

Cassian and Nesta share a look, and Cassian says hesitantly, “This isn’t… a breakdown or something, right?”

Azriel narrows his hazel eyes at Cassian.

“Okay, okay.” Cassian holds his hands up in defense. He pulls his hoodie over his head and off in one swift movement and goes over to the couch to help his brother pack. He still doesn’t know what brought on this sudden change of heart, but he knows Az won’t tell unless he wants to.

Nesta remains standing where she is, confounded, before dropping down next to an open box and rifling through it. “I want compensation for anything of mine you’re taking,” she demands, pulling out various paperbacks one by one.

“So like a dime for every three trash porns,” Cassian tells Az.

“I’m upcharging,” Nesta says. Her hand stops rummaging through the box, and she pulls out a framed photo instead of a book. She turns her steely eyes to Azriel. “You can’t have this one.”

It’s a candid picture of Cassian, Nesta, and Azriel on the ski lodge trip. Cassian remembers the moment it was taken with vividness, because it was one of the rare moments on that vacation where all three of them were smiling at the same time.

“Emerie took this,” Nesta continues, “and she’s my friend, so by extent it’s mine.”

Az smiles politely at her. “You’re right, you should keep it,” he says. “You’re too ugly in that photo for me to take it.”

Nesta sneers back, but gets up to reset the photo on the fireplace mantle.

A day or two later, Cassian notices that the ski lodge picture is gone, frame and all. He sighs to himself and hopes Nesta won’t notice.

***

a/n: it’s official less than five parts left!! cassian’s revenge scene is gonna be hotter than every smut scene combined

tagging: @sjm-things @thewayshedreamed @drielecarla @valkyriewarriors @superspiritfestival @aliveahaahahafuck @cupcakey00 @sayosdreams @rainbowcheetah512 @claralady @thebluemartini @nessiantho @missing-merlin @duskandstarlight @lucy617 @sleeping-and-books @everything-that-i-love @cassianscool @swankii-art-teacher @wannawriteyouabook a favor: @awesomelena555 @julemmaes @wickedqueenoffantasy @poisonous-bloom @observationanxioustheorist @gisellefigue08 @courtofjurdan @theoverlyenthusiasticwriter @wolfiixxx @cass-nes @seashade @royaltykxx @illyrianundercover @queenestarcheron @monstrousloves-explodinggalaxies @humanexile @that-golden-lyre @agentsofsheilds @mercy-is-alive @cassiansbigwingspan @laylaameer01 @verypaleninja @maastrash @bow-dawn @perseusannabeth @dead-on-the-inside666 @jlinez @hungryreadingaddict @anidealiveson @planet-faerie @shallowhighwaters @ghostlyrose2 @chosenfamily-valkyriequeens @rarephloxes @readiajin @nessiantrashh @live-the-fangirl-life @ifinallygavein @xoblivisci @sjmships @jungtaekwoonie-is-life @lysandra-tiara @lanyjoy-13 @post-it-notes33 @loosingdreams @fromthelibraryofemilyj @18moneytoad @dontgetsalmonella @champanheandluxxury @togreblog @arinbelle @ladygabrielli1997 @meridainthedisneyland @moodymelanist @pixieelea @teagoddess99

#ncssianwrites #nesta archeron #nessian #cassian #a favor #nessian fic #nessian au

[snelbz]

Isn’t She Lovely {4}

Summary: Cassian, a single father, tries online dating for a one night stand and gets more than he bargains for. Nesta, a former professional ballet dancer, opens her own studio in her new hometown of Velaris and finds that she knows one of her students’ fathers from a night of utter regret.

Warnings: Mature content throughout. Language, sex, drinking, etc. NSFW.

A collab with @theladyofdeath

Cassian was regretting getting Arya an ice cream cone as it melted down her dress in the backseat.

“Daddy! It’s sticky!” she whined. “Are we there yet?”

Cassian sighed as he pulled onto Rhysand’s street. “Almost. You have to eat it faster and it won’t melt.”

“But it’s too cold,” she shot back, licking her cone nonetheless.

By the time Cassian pulled into Rhysand’s driveway, they were the last to arrive and Arya’s pink dress was covered in melted chocolate ice cream.

The sun was still hot, being so late in the afternoon, and Cassian had been dying to jump into the pool all day. He’d had to work that morning but only for a few hours. Arya had gone with him to the shop and talked to all the customers as they came to drop off or pick up their vehicles.

As he got Arya out of her carseat, he cringed. “I should’ve brought a change of clothes.”

“It’s okay, daddy, I can put my swimsuit on,” she said, smiling brightly at him as he set her on the sidewalk.

Cassian chuckled and took her hand as they walked to the front door, swimsuits in hand. He didn’t bother knocking on the front door as he threw it open.

“Party’s here,” he called, tossing Arya’s bag on the bench by the door. She yanked her swimsuit out of his hand and hurried up the stairs to change.

“Nice of you to finally show up,” Rhys said as Cass made his way into the kitchen. He was pulling two beers from the fridge and handed one to Cassian.

“Someone wanted to stop for ice cream and ended up wearing it,” he said, shaking his head. “She’s upstairs putting her swimsuit on now.”

Rhys chuckled as he popped the top on his can and took a drink. “Sounds about right. Everyone else is out back already. Girls already drank too much.”

“Feyre and Elain? Drunk? Never,” Cassian joked, having seen the two a little tipsy on multiple occasions since Rhys started dating Feyre.

“Her other sister came, too,” Rhys nodded. “She can’t hold her liquor any better than the other two.”

Cassian just shook his head as Arya darted into the kitchen and towards the backdoor.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Rhysand said. “No hug?”

Arya rolled her eyes but giggled as she gave her uncle a hug and zoomed out the backdoor.

Cassian sighed. “Mind helping her get her swimmies on while I go get changed?”

Rhysand grinned. “Before you became a dad, I never imagined you saying the word swimmies.”

Cassian shoved him out the backdoor before going into the bathroom to change into his swim shorts. There was a time when he never thought he’d be saying words like swimmies, either. There was a time when he didn’t want to be a father. In fact, there was a time when he had vowed to never be a parent.

Now, he couldn’t imagine being anything but Arya’s dad.

WIth his shorts on and his beer in hand, Cassian headed toward the back door.

“Daddy, watch!” Arya didn’t wait to make sure he could even see her before she jumped off the side of the pool in Azriel’s waiting arms. Her floaties kept her above water, but just in case, Uncle Az was there to catch her.

“That was awesome, baby,” he said, dropping down into the chair next to Rhys.

“She’ll be an Olympic diver by sunset,” Azriel said, lifting her up so she stood on the edge of the pool, ready to jump again.

“I’m not a diver, Uncle Az,” she said, little hands resting on her hips. “I’m a dancer.”

She proved it by going through five positions she’d been taught through her first few dance classes. She was loving dance as much as Cassian hoped she would, though he wasn’t surprised. It was in her blood.

“You know, our sister is a dancer,” Feyre said, lifting her sunglasses off her face.

Cassian looked around, wondering where the illustrious third Archeron sister was. He’d been looking forward to meeting her, ever since she moved to Velaris a couple months back. Every time Elain and Feyre invited her to come out or have dinner with them, she was always busy. And the few times she had come, Cassian had to work or Arya didn’t have a sitter. His network of sitters pretty much consisted of his family, and if they were all together, then he had no one to watch her.

“Speaking of, where is she?” He asked, reaching into the cooler for another beer.

“Pool house,” Elain replied, pointing to the small house on the back of the property with pink-painted toe nails.

Cassian looked up at the pool house just as the third Archeron sister stepped out. She wore a navy blue bikini with a boujee logo that covered one of her breasts.

The swimsuit left very little to the imagination.

Not that Cassian had to do much imagining.

He had seen that body naked before.

He cursed. “Nesta?”

Her head snapped up and she slowly removed her sunglasses. Those fiery blue eyes of hers narrowed. “Cassian?”

“Miss Nesta!” Arya shouted, clapping her hands with glee.

Nesta’s annoyed expression turned to one of forced, albeit believable surprise. “Hi, Arya. How are you?”

She tried to keep her voice kind, neutral, Cassian could tell, but it was really just full of confusion.

“I’m sorry,” Rhysand said, looking back and forth between Nesta and Cassian. “You’re taking Arya to Nesta’s studio?”

Of course. That was the logical explanation. Cassian just nodded. “Uh, yeah. Arya loves it there.”

Nesta, remembering how feet work, continued to walk down the little stone path to approach her sisters.

“I didn’t mention Nesta was Feyre and Elain’s sister when I told you about the dance classes?” Mor asked, sitting in a lounge chair with Emerie’s feet in her lap.

“No,” Cassian said, watching Nesta as she came closer. “Must have slipped your mind.”

“Well, now you know,” Rhys said, getting to his feet. “Cass, Az, wanna help me carry the rest of Elain’s punch out?”

Cassian’s eyebrows bunched together. “Why do we need to-?”

Rhys was already heading in the house and Az passed Arya off to Mor as he hopped out of the pool and dried himself off. They followed Rhys inside.

“Where’s the punch at?” Cassian asked, looking around.

“Feyre, Elain and Nesta drank it all,” Azriel said, pulling a fresh beer out of the fridge.

He blinked. “Then why-?”

“Because I saw the way you were looking at Nesta,” Rhysand interrupted. “Specifically her tits, and for the sake of my relationship, she is one hundred and fifty percent off limits.”

Cassian hesitated.

Rhysand saw that hesitation and said, “What?”

Cassian blinked. “What?”

“You look guilty,” Rhysand observed.

Cassian scoffed. “I do not.”

“I’ve known you my entire life, Cass, you look guilty,” Rhysand protested.

“I don’t look guilty!” Cassian argued.

“You look a little guilty,” Azriel muttered, taking a drink of his beer.

Cassian gaze Azriel a withering glare.

Rhysand swore. “The hell did you do?”

“What makes you think I did something?” Cassian asked, voice raised.

“I can see it in your eyes!” Rhysand yelled back.

“Unless you want everyone hearing this conversation, I suggest you keep your voices down,” Azriel said. Always the voice of reason.

Cassian sighed and leaned back against the kitchen counter. “Look, I didn’t know she was Feyre’s sister.”

Rhysand stared at Cassian for a moment before asking, once again, “Cass, what did you do?”

Cassian started rubbing the back of his neck. “The blind date I went on last month?”

“One night stand,” Azriel mumbled.

Cassian opened his mouth but nothing else came out.

Rhysand, even in his tipsy state, put two and two together. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“I didn’t know she was her sister!” He repeated, keeping his voice down after a pointed look from Azriel. “And I didn’t even initiate it, she did. She said the date was going shitty and we should go to back to my place and bang. I had a sitter for the night,” he said, gesturing to Rhys. “And I wanted to get laid. So we did.”

Rhys rubbed his temples. “This is bad. This is very bad. Feyre and Elain can’t know.”

Azriel finished his beer. “You know as well as I do that she’s out there telling them the same thing right now.”

“She better not be, not in front of Arya,” Cassian mumbled.

Rhysand scoffed. “Arya is too busy being a fish to pay them any mind.”

Cassian’s lips thinned, but he supposed Rhysand was right. Either way, he wasn’t a fan of being talked about in such a manner in front of his child.

Before he could say anything more, Rhysand said, “If this ruins anything-.”

“What could it possibly ruin?” Cassian interrupted, grabbing another beer out of the fridge. “We’re adults, Rhys. We can fuck and be civil afterwards.”

“Can you?” Rhysand asked. “Because you just looked like a deer caught in the headlights.”

“I was caught off guard,” Cassian said. “I’m sure she was, too. If I can sit through Arya’s dance classes, I can sit through a day by the pool with her there.”

Rhysand looked at Cassian for a long moment.

Azriel looked between the two of them, not saying a word, drowning his beer.

“Behave yourself,” Rhysand said as he headed for the back door, pointing a finger at Cass, who threw his hands up defensively.

“I didn’t do anything wrong!” He called, as he walked out.

Azriel still hadn’t said much, which wasn’t out of the norm for him, but Cassian needed to know what was on his mind. “What do you think?”

“I think you’re adults,” Azriel replied. Cassian was about to open his mouth to thank him for his rational thinking, but he wasn’t done. “But you don’t do anything halfway, Cass. And it’s been a while since you’ve been with anyone.”

“Yeah,” he said, heading for the door. “Hence why I needed to get laid.”

“If you say there’s nothing there, I believe you,” Azriel said, following him. “But be careful.”

“I’m not going to break her heart,” he replied, rolling his eyes. “It was casual sex and it won’t happen again. She’s not going to get attached.”

Opening the fridge, Azriel grabbed two fresh beers and handed one to Cassian before heading outside. “It’s not her I’m worried about. It’s you.”

Cassian didn’t move as Azriel left. He stood alone in the kitchen, dwelling on those words.

It’s not her I’m worried about.

He cracked open his new beer but didn’t drink it.

It was true that it had been a while since he’d been serious with a woman. And, on top of that, he’d only had one night stands with a handful of women. One of the last being Arya’s mother.

It’s you.

Cassian sipped from his beer and told himself that Rhys and Azriel were being ridiculous.

Even if they weren’t.

~

Nesta watched the boys go inside knowing fully well what they were discussing.

“Nesta?”

She blinked, looking at her sisters who were watching her with concern.

Mor had gotten in the pool with Arya and Emerie was sitting on the edge, taking pictures of the pair. “What?” she asked, eyeing Feyre. It was annoying how her sisters always knew that there was something on her mind.

“You were having a good time ten minutes ago,” Feyre pushed. “Now you look like you’re going to puke.”

“I’m fine,” Nesta snapped, even though she wasn’t.

“That’s not the look you give one of your dance parents,” Elain said, sipping from her nearly empty glass. “When we bumped into that dance mom the other day, you acted like you were best friends.”

“Well, he isn’t a dance mom,” she bit out, careful to keep her voice down so Arya didn’t hear. She may have been drunk, but she wasn’t going to be a bitch to someone in front of their daughter. “And I don’t like him. So.”

Elain and Feyre glanced at each other. “No one asked you to like him, but you’re going to be around him a good bit,” Feyre said. “He’s Rhysand’s best friend, they literally grew up together.

“Azriel, too,” Elain added, hiccuping. She repeated what Feyre had just said. “So he’ll be around. He’s nice, Nes.”

Rolling her eyes, Nesta waved them off. “Yeah, he’s nice, he’s gorgeous, he’s got the body of a god, and fucks like one, too, but I don’t see why I have to be anything more than civil with him.”

Elain had dropped her glass in the pool and Feyre was staring wide-eyed at her eldest sister.

Nesta realized what she’d said a moment too late.

“Not that I’d know-.”

“He was your dating app date?” Feyre whispered, taking a step closer to keep their conversation down.

Nesta looked over her shoulder at the back of the house, at the kitchen doors that were still shut. When she looked back at her sisters, she nodded.

“I obviously didn’t know who he was,” Nesta hissed. “I didn’t know he’d be strolling into my dance studio two days later, either.”

“What are you going to do?” Elain asked, covering her mouth with her hand. Nesta knew she was trying to hide her building smile. Elain was never good at hiding her emotions, especially while she was drinking.

“I’m going to treat him like I do the rest of my dance moms,” she said, letting her hair fall out of the bun she’d had it in on top of her head. “Professional, respectful, and-.”

“Are you going to go out with him again?” Feyre asked, sitting on the edge of the pool and slipping back into the water.

Nesta did the same, reaching for her drink. “Absolutely not.”

“But you said he fucks like a god,” Elain squeaked, sitting on the edge of the pool and letting her feet hang in the water.

Nesta sucked down the rest of her punch before replying. “Regardless of that fact, absolutely not.”

“Why not?” Feyre pushed.

“Just because!” She shouted, which caught the attention of Arya, Mor, and Emerie. She gave them a quick smile and said, “Sorry.”

They went back to playing.

“There was no chemistry,” Nesta said. “He’s rude and conceited and I don’t want to sit through such a horrid dinner again.”

“Sounds about right,” Elain muttered. “There’s never a second date with you.”

Nesta scoffed. “Excuse me?”

But the kitchen doors opened and Rhysand came out, plopping down beside Feyre. A moment later, Cassian and Azriel followed.

Nesta suddenly became very interested in her drink.

It was quiet, except for the sound of music playing through Azriel’s Bluetooth speaker and Arya splashing as she played.

It was also really fucking awkward.

Mor and Emerie glanced around and then at each other. Finally, Mor asked, “What’s up?”

“Nothing’s up,” Rhys said, smiling broadly, silently telling his cousin to shut up.

Emerie seemed to get the message, and even took it a step farther, saying, “Arya, I think I saw a few popsicles in the freezer if your daddy says you can have one.”

Her hazel eyes widened and she looked at Cassian. “Can I have one, daddy? Please?”

He leaned over and lifted her out of the pool, resting her on his hip. “I thought you didn’t like popsicles. I thought you only liked ice cream. That’s what you said on the ride over here.”

She sighed, far more dramatically than any four year old should be able to, and said, “Ice cream is too melty.”

He rolled his eyes but set her on her feet and she took Emerie’s hand, following her into the house.

Once they were gone, Mor pushed, “Okay, now will someone tell me why it got really weird really fast?”

“So nosey, Morrigan,” Cassian said, crossing his broad arms.

Nesta snorted.

Mor shot her a look.

Nesta looked away and knocked back her drink.

Mor looked back at Cassian.

He quickly averted his eyes from hers.

“I’m sorry, do you two know each other?” Mor asked, pointing between Cassian and Nesta.

“No,” Nesta snapped, just as Cassian scrunched his nose.

Recognition lit Mor’s eyes and a wicked grin spread across her lips. “Oh, you two know each other.”

“I need a drink,” Nesta muttered, and disappeared into the pool house.

Cassian was staring at Mor, lips thinned.

“What?” Mor laughed. “Judging from everyone’s faces they already knew.”

“Moving on,” Cassian said, jumping into the water right next to Mor, splashing a heap of water right into her face.

As soon as he found his footing, Mor was climbing onto his back, cursing his name and trying to push him back under.

Cassian just wrapped her in a hug and took her under water with him. They stayed there for long enough that Nesta came back with a new drink.

By the time they came back up, Mor was grinning and Cassian was sputtering and coughing. He pushed his wet hair back off his face and faced her.

“How the hell can you hold your breath for that long?”

“2007 Camp Velaris Underwater Handstand Champion, thank you very much,” she beamed.

“That’s a very specific and weird accomplishment,” Cassian replied, still coughing.

“You can’t take that pride from her,” Rhys said, from where he lounged in the float he’d stolen from Feyre. “It’s the only accomplishment she’s ever gotten.”

She dove back under the water and flipped Rhys out of his float. She smiled as he came back up and crooned, “Asshole,” flipping him off

“Incoming little ears,” Emerie announced as she carried Arya, covered in blue popsicle back out of the kitchen.

“I thought you liked popsicles cause ice cream was meltier?” Cassian asked, crossing his arms as Emerie set her down at the edge of the pool.

“Popsicles still melt, daddy,” Arya said, leaning down so her face was even with Cassian’s.

Cassian chuckled. “Alright, come on. Let me see your tongue.”

Arya smiled as she stuck out her very blue tongue. Cassian slowly shook his head. “Uh oh. A blue tongue can’t be healthy. I think something’s wrong. Better take you to see the doctor.”

“No!” Arya laughed, falling into Cassian’s open arms.

He caught her and sunk into the water as Arya wrapped her little floaty-covered arms around his neck. He swam her around the pool, Rhysand and Mor still bickering and calling one another names in the shallow end, as the rest of the crew dove in.

All but Nesta.

From the look of her still perfectly curled hair, Cassian assumed she hadn’t been in yet. Or, at least, hadn’t gone in past her waist. Yet she had dismissed herself twice more to refill her cup.

“Not a swimmer?” Cassian asked, after throwing a giggly Arya off his shoulders, into the pool.

Rhysand was now swimming around with her on his back.

Nesta shrugged, sipping from her cup. “I like to swim.”

“Then come on in,” Cassian suggested, knowing full well that both of her sisters were watching the conversation.

“I think I’ll wait,” Nesta said, dismissively.

Cassian lifted a brow and splashed water over the edge of the pool, sending water flying up over her perfectly tanned legs.

“I said, I’ll wait,” she repeated, sharply, adjusting the sunglasses on her face and looking up towards the sun. A pure dismissal if he’d ever seen one.

Good thing he was a determined son of a bitch.

“Come in. It’s way more fun than laying on the deck and tanning.”

She ignored him.

“Come in, Miss Nesta!” Arya chimed, as she swam from Rhysand to Azriel, a few feet away.

Nesta, with an annoyed expression, slowly pulled herself up out of her chair. “Only for Arya.”

Cassian grinned as she headed for the stairs and slowly made her way into the water.

She still held her drink.

Cassian couldn’t help watching her body as it disappeared beneath the surface.

Her sisters instantly flocked to her and Nesta seemed to loosen up, just a little bit.

“You’re staring,” Emerie mumbled as she swam past him.

Cassian flipped her off and Arya gasped, having caught him in the act.

“Daddy, that’s naughty,” she said, bringing it to everyone’s attention.

Cassian narrowed his eyes at his daughter. “I’m never naughty.”

“Yes you are,” she said, stepping on the stairs and putting her hands on her hips. “You say naughty words all the time.”

Cassian scoffed. “I do not.”

“Yes you do,” Mor agreed.

Emerie was nodding, too, as she swung Arya around.

“Don’t ever argue with a woman, Cass,” Rhysand noted, tossing his arm around Feyre’s shoulder. “Even a little one. You’ll lose every time.”

Cassian didn’t argue with that. Arya was going to be a force to be reckoned with when she was older. She had her father’s stubbornness and her mother’s sass.

They swam until the sun began its descent in the sky. Arya was starting to yawn as Rhysand and Feyre started making supper, refusing to let anyone else help. Elain and Azriel stayed in the pool with Mor and Emerie while Arya snuggled up in a chair, wrapped in his towel, watching a show on Cassian’s phone.

Once he made sure she was comfortable and resting, he gave her a kiss on the top of the head and went into the pool house, looking for a spare towel.

He didn’t find one.

He did, however, find an unopened case of beer in the minifridge that sat in the corner and helped himself to one.

As he bent down to grab a can, the door behind him opened and Nesta walked in.

She may have been a bitch, but he had been inside of her. And her body had been driving him wild all day, thinking about that night.

She hesitated by the door, but then crossed to where the bar was set up along the back wall. She didn’t say a word to him, didn’t spare a single glance his way.

Cassian watched her, and made his way over to lean on the bar next to her. It occurred to him then that this was the first time they’d been alone since she’d called for a car to take her back to the restaurant and left him in his bed.

Not that he’d minded at the time. He was content with never seeing the woman he’d had such earth shattering sex with again.

Until he found out he’d be seeing her constantly in Arya’s dance classes.

Even more so, now that he knew she was Feyre and Elain’s sister.

“Can I help you?” She snapped, still not looking at him.

Her sunglasses were long gone, so Cassian was able to see just how gorgeous the stormy blue-gray color of her eyes was. It was offset by the slight sunburn across her cheeks and nose. Those eyes just looked brighter.

“You don’t think we should talk?” Cassian asked, crossing his arms over his chest. He knew he was an intimidating male, based purely on his size, and knew how to hold his body to accent that.

Nesta Archeron clearly didn’t find him intimidating at all.

She turned towards him, an annoyed look in her eye and a hand on her hip.

Cassian grinned. This was going to be fun.

“Why would we do that?” she asked. “We already talked at the studio, I think we covered all the bases then.”

“We weren’t alone then,” he replied. “We can actually talk here, without Arya or the snooty other moms listening in. Or your sisters.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.” Each word was clipped, terse.

Cassian clicked his tongue. “I don’t think that’s true.”

“I’m perfectly capable of having a meaningless one night stand,” Nesta said, her chin lifted high. “It seems you are not.”

“So you didn’t enjoy that night?” Cassian asked, his voice dropping an octave. “At all?”

He couldn’t help his eyes as they drifted lower, to the neckline of her bikini top, and back up. She knew, too, tracked that movement and clenched her jaw.

When she didn’t answer, Cassian’s grin widened. He shook his head, and chuckled as he said, “Look, I just don’t want things to be weird, alright? I can handle myself perfectly well, but I don’t know you all that great, and I don’t want to ruin anything between Feyre and Rhys because you and I can’t be in the same room together.”

“I can be in the same room as you,” Nesta snapped. “And be pleasant.”

“Because you’ve been so pleasant so far today?” Cassian asked, brow raised.

Nesta took a deep breath and said, “I didn’t expect to see you today. I was a little thrown off.”

Cassian nodded then gestured to the empty cup in her hand. “That didn’t help put you back on track?”

Nesta looked down at her empty cup and frowned before pulling a bottle of tequila off one of the shelves and filling her glass halfway. She filled the other half with club soda before getting a lime wedge out of the fridge and dropping it into the cup.

Cassian blinked. “I don’t think you made that correctly.”

Nesta rolled her eyes and took a drink. “What are you, a bartender?”

Cassian chuckled. “At one point. It got me through college before I took over the shop.”

“Of course,” Nesta said, sighing. “Is that how you got so good in bed? Taking women home from the bar after a long night at work?”

Cassian’s head fell to the side as he eyed Nesta. “Good in bed, huh?”

“Don’t act like you didn’t know that I enjoyed myself that night.”

“Oh, I’m not,” he replied, taking a step closer, closing the space between them. “It’s hard to fake four orgasms in a row.” They were sharing breath now, and Cassian could hear the subtle catch in Nesta’s. Still, he leaned forward and breathed into her ear, “Has anyone else ever given you four orgasms in a row, sweetheart?”

Her answering silence told him enough.

“I didn’t think so,” he chuckled and pulled back just far enough so that he could see her face. “So I’ve got a proposition for you.”

The lust that had made her eyes go molten vanished suddenly and her gaze turned wary. “And what’s that?”

“You don’t like me, that’s pretty clear. And to be honest, you’re far too stuck up for me to ever be able to see anything lasting longer than a few weeks-.”

“I’m not going out on another date with you,” she interrupted, crossing her own arms. The move did nothing but perk her tits up higher.

Cassian pretended not to notice. “And I don’t want to go on another date with you. Like I said, it would be a waste of time. Why bother with the small talk and overpriced meal when we could skip straight to what we both want?”

Nesta blinked. He couldn’t be asking what she thought he was.

He continued, his eyes staying firmly on hers. “I don’t have a lot of spare time for dating, not running the shop full time and raising my daughter. Something tells me you’re the type who works more hours than you need to. We’re both busy. But you can’t tell me the other night wasn’t amazing.”

Nesta nibbled on her bottom lip. “And you’re wanting to set up an…arrangement of sorts?”

His eyes tracked the movement, remembering what those teeth and that tongue felt like against his own, on his neck, on other parts of his body. “Of sorts. There’d be rules, of course. No sleepovers, for instance.”

“Right,” she breathed, nodding. “And we have to respect the others' schedules. If one of us is busy, too bad.”

“Fair,” Cassian agreed, and he could no longer help his wandering eyes. “If you’re coming to my place it has to be after eight. Arya’s out cold by then. She never sees you there.”

Nesta let out a breath. “Agreed. And if you come to mine, I suppose you’ll need my address. You can text me. My number is on the card I gave out from my studio.”

Oh, he knew. He’d kept that card just in case. “Anything else?” He asked.

“No cuddling,” Nesta said, pointedly. “Cuddling means catching feelings which is also not allowed.”

“Deal.” Cassian held out his hand, though there wasn’t much space between them. “We can either make it official with a handshake or a kiss. Your choice.”

He held his breath while Nesta leaned up on her toes, her lips just barely brushing over his. He was about to capture her lips with his own, see what he could do about getting rid of that navy bikini so he could enjoy what was beneath it.

But suddenly her hands closed around his cock and she squeezed, but it didn’t fill him with pleasure like he would have hoped.

He groaned and dropped to his knees as Nesta took a step back and headed for the door. “Text me. I’ll send you my address from there.”

Cassian could only watch as Nesta walked out of the pool house and into the house proper. He also couldn’t help but wonder what he had just gotten himself into.

#snacmc collabs #isn’t she lovely #isl #nessian #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acofas #acosf #cassian #nesta archeron #daddy cassian #snelbz x theladyofdeath

[acourtofcouture]

A Court of Thorns and Roses Masterlist

An Insider’s Guide to Velaris

A Night at the Theater- 1, 2, 3, 4

Amren’s Apartment- 1

Autumn in Velaris- 1

Azriel’s Apartment- 1, 2

Cassian’s Apartment- 1

Dine Along the Sidra River- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Eat Your Way Through the City of Starlight- 1, 2, 3, 4

Elain’s Apartment- 1

Elain’s Flower Shop in the Rainbow- 1

Elain’s Garden at the Townhouse- 1

Enchantment Exhibitions at Art Galleries in the Rainbow- 1

Feyre Attends the Opening Night of the Velaris Ballet- 1

Feyre and Rhysand’s Bedroom at the House of Wind- 1

Feyre and Rhysand’s Estate by the Sidra- 1, 2, 3

Feyre’s Studio in the Townhouse- 1

First Snow of the Season- 1

Flower Shop in the Palace of the Hoof and Leaf- 1

Girls Night Out- 1

Morrigan’s Apartment- 1

Nesta’s Apartment- 1

Starfall- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

The City of Starlight Clock Face- 1

The Estate by the Sidra’s Greenhouse- 1

The Family Library in the House of Wind- 1

The Floral Café in the Palace of Hoof and Leaf- 1, 2

The Glass Palace in Sidra Park- 1

The House of Wind- 1, 2, 3, 4

The Library- 1

The Night Market- 1

The Open Air Market in the Rainbow- 1, 2

The Rainbow of Velaris- 1, 2, 3, 4

The Spring Equinox Celebrations- 1

The Townhouse- 1, 2, 3

The Winter Solstice Market- 1

An Insider’s Guide to the Night Court

Athelwood, Morrigan’s Country Estate- 1, 2

Beds Built to Accommodate Illyrian Wings- 1

Cassian’s Cabin in Illyria- 1, 2

Cottages in the Illyrian Steppes- 1

The Hewn City- 1

The High Lord and High Lady at the Court of Nightmares-1, 2, 3

The House of Wind- 1

The Illyrian Coast- 1, 2

The Illyrian Countryside- 1

The Illyrian Warriors- 1

The Mountain Cabin- 1, 2, 3, 4

The Mountain Cabin Lake- 1

The Mountain Palace- 1

The Prison- 1, 2

Velaris, the City of Starlight- 1

An Insider’s Guide to A Court of Thorns and Roses

Adriata, Capital of the Summer Court- 1, 2

All That Remains of the First Home of the Archerons- 1

Amarantha Summons the Middengard Wyrm for Feyre’s First Trial- 1

Amarantha’s Peregryn Dress- 1

Feyre Captures the Suriel- 1

Feyre’s Forest in the Mortal Realm- 1

Map of Hybern, Prythian & the Continent- 1, 2

Rosehall, Ancestral Home of the High Lords of Spring- 1

The Archeron Estate- 1, 2

The Autumn Court- 1

The Border of Autumn and Winter- 1

The Crown Forced Upon Rhysand by Amarantha- 1

The Crown of the High Lady of the Night Court- 1

The Crown of the High Lord of the Autumn Court- 1

The Crown of the High Lord of the Night Court- 1

The Crown of the High Lord of the Spring Court- 1

The Crown of the High Lord of the Summer Court- 1

The Dance of the Will-o’-the-Wisps- 1

The Dawn Court Palace- 1

The Dawn Court Palace Gardens- 1

The Day Court Palace- 1

The Forest House, the Sprawling Autumn Court Palace- 1

The High Lord of Night Gate-Crashes a Wedding- 1

The Mirror of Ouroboros- 1

The Night Court Mountain Palace and the Gates of the Hewn City- 1, 2

The Sacred Mountain of Prythian- 1

The Starlight Pool- 1

The Suriel- 1

The Spring Court- 1

The Weaver’s Cottage- 1, 2

The Weaver of the Wood’s Trove and What Rhysand Lost There- 1

The Winter Court- 1

The Winter Court Palace- 1, 2

Under the Mountain- 1, 2

An Insider’s Guide to the Court of Dreams

Azriel and Elain- 1, 2

Azriel and Elain’s Country Estate- 1

Azriel and Elain’s First Date- 1

Elain’s Birthday Breakfast in Bed for Two Courtesy of Azriel- 1

Amrem and Varian- 1

Cassian and Nesta- 1, 2, 3

Celebrating Winter Solstice at the Mountain Cabin- 1

Elain’s Birthday Celebration- 1

Elain’s First Starfall- 1

Family Dinners at the House of Wind- 1

Family Dinners at the Mountain Cabin- 1

Feyre and Rhysand- 1, 2, 3

Feyre and Rhysand at Starfall- 1

Feyre and Rhysand’s First Anniversary Honeymoon- 1

Feyre and Rhysand’s Date Night- 1, 2, 3

Feyre’s First Pregnancy- 1

Rhysand’s Favorite View- 1

Feyre’s Fighting Leathers- 1, 2

Feyre’s First Trip to the Prison- 1

Nesta’s First Starfall- 1

Nesta Outfitted in Illyrian Fighting Leathers- 1

An Insider’s Guide to the Court of Dreams: Winter Solstice Gifts

From Amren, to Varian- 1

From Azriel, to Elain- 1, 2

From Cassian, to Feyre- 1

From Cassian, to Morrigan- 1

From Cassian, to Nesta- 1

From Elain, to Feyre- 1

From Feyre, to Amren- 1

From Feyre, to Azriel- 1

From Feyre, to Morrigan- 1

From Feyre, to Nesta- 1

From Morrigan, to Cassian- 1

From Morrigan, to Feyre- 1

From Morrigan, to Rhysand- 1

From Nesta, to Elain- 1

From Rhysand, to Feyre- 1, 2

From Rhysand, to Morrigan- 1

From Varian, to Amren- 1

An Insider’s Guide to the Spring Court

Calanmai- 1

Details of Spring at Rosehall- 1

Feyre at the Summer Solstice Celebrations- 1, 2

Feyre’s Bathing Room at Rosehall- 1

Feyre’s Rooms at Rosehall- 1, 2

Lucien’s Fox Mask- 1

Rosehall Manor- 1

Rosehall’s Informal Dining Room- 1

Rosehall’s Library- 1

Tamlin’s Study- 1

The Blue Gem Worn by Ianthe- 1

The Diadem of the Lady of the Spring Court- 1

The Grand Foyer of Rosehall Manor- 1

The Spring Court Gardens- 1

The Spring Court Village- 1, 2

The Traditional Flower Crowns Worn by Fae Females During Calanmai- 1

The Water-Wraith’s Lake- 1, 2

The Western Woods, Home of the Suriel- 1

An insider’s Guide to the Summer Court

The Bay of Adriata- 1

The Caves of Adriata- 1

The Pools of Summer Starlight- 1

The Summer Court Palace in Adriata- 1

A Court of Thorns & Roses Weddings

Amren + Varian

Amren’s Engagement Ring- 1

Amren’s Wedding Dress- 1

Cassian + Nesta Archeron

Cassian and Nesta’s Wedding Bands- 1

Cassian and Nesta’s Wedding Reception- 1

Nesta’s Engagement Ring- 1

Nesta’s Wedding Dress- 1

Elain Archeron + Azriel

Elain and Azriel’s Wedding Bands- 1

Elain and Azriel’s Wedding Reception Details- 1

Elain’s Bridal Hair- 1

Elain’s Engagement Ring- 1

Elain’s Wedding Dress- 1

Elain Archeron + Lucien

Elain’s Engagement Ring- 1

Elain’s Wedding Dress- 1

Feyre Archeron + Rhysand

Feyre and Rhysand’s Wedding Bands- 1

Feyre and Rhysand’s Wedding Cake- 1

Feyre’s Engagement Party- 1

Feyre’s Engagement Ring- 1

Feyre’s Veil- 1

Feyre’s Wedding Dress- 1

Feyre Archeron + Tamlin

Feyre’s Engagement Ring- 1

Feyre’s Wedding Dress- 1, 2

Morrigan + Andromache

Morrigan and Andromache’s Wedding Dresses- 1

Viviane + Kallias

Viviane’s Engagement Ring- 1

Viviane’s Bridal Hair- 1

Viviane’s Wedding Dress- 1

A Court of Thorns and Roses Series x Iconic Runway Collections

Azzi & Osta “Memoirs From the Silk Road” S/S 2019- 1

Elie Saab Fall 2019- 1

Elie Saab Spring 2015- 1

Paolo Sebastian “East of the Sun and West of the Moon” F/W 2019- 1

Paolo Sebastian “The Snow Maiden” F/W 2016- 1

Paolo Sebastian “Once Upon a Dream” S/S 2018- 1

Teuta Matoshi Duriqi

A Court of Thorns and Roses

A Court of Mist and Fury

A Court of Wings and Ruin

A Court of Frost and Starlight

A Court of Silver Flames

Ziad Nakad F/W 2017-2018- 1

Zuhair Murad “Dreams of Saint Petersburg” F/W 2018- 1

Zuhair Murad S/S 2020- 1

Modern AU x ACOTAR

Amern- 1, 2

Azriel- 1

Elain Archeron- 1, 2, 3, 4

Feyre Archeorn- 1, 2

Morrigan- 1, 2, 3

Nesta Archeron- 1, 2

Viviane, Lady of the Winter Court- 1

#a court of thorns and roses #masterlists

[snelbz]

Lovely, Chapter 2 {ACOTAR}

A/N: Chaptet 2 is finally here! Once again, this a joint project between myself and @tacmc. It’s similar to our last joint project, Tending to the Fire, but while we swapped off on chapters, these chapters are written by us both. We hope you enjoy it and you can look for Chapter 3 to be posted on @tacmc’s page soon! (Both of us have Chapter Indexes for this story, so no matter which one of us posts a chapter, you can find the entirety of the story on both of our blogs!)

By the time the headmistress arrived at the Velaris Institute of the Arts, Nesta had already been waiting outside the front doors for over 20 minutes.

“Miss Archeron,” she said, giving her a polite smile. “It’s not even 7:30. You’re quite early.”

She returned the gesture as well as she could. She’d actually been here since 7:00, but wasn’t going to tell her that. “Yes, ma’am. Just excited to get my studio set up.”

She unlocked the door and held it open for her. “Well, be my guest. You know well where your studio is. I’ll have a set of keys for you this afternoon. Oh and Nesta?” She said, as she walked by. “Welcome back to VIA.”

The smile that graced her features wasn’t forced for once. “Thank you, Mrs. Birch.”

The older woman gripped her hand and smiled at her warmly. “I’m not your instructor anymore, Nesta. It’s Alis.”

Nesta nodded at her and squeezed her hand. “Thank you, Alis.”

As Nesta walked through that halls of her alma mater, she couldn’t believe that her dreams were beginning to come true. All she’d ever wanted to do as a girl was dance. When her mother had died, the only way she managed to her through it was by throwing herself into her art. Feyre had her painting and Elain leaned on their father, useless as he was, but Nesta found the only way she could lose herself was in the music.

Not much had changed in the years since.

Except now she was hoping to have the same effect on her students that her instructor had on her.

As she rounded the corner to her studio, the memories flooded her.

She had spent many mornings, afternoons, and nights in this very room.

She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the air conditioner running in the hall. She could hear a piano being played down the hall and it was almost as if she was transported back in time. If she focused hard enough, she was sure that she’d be able to hear the song she used for her Senior Showcase, the song that reverberated through this studio for months on end.

Instead, she was ripped from her memories by the sound of a drum kit from somewhere down the hall.

Her eyes flew open and she set her purse and supplies on the desk - her desk, she reminded herself and made her way down the hall towards the music wing.

She found the double doors, which were designed to be sound proof when closed, wide open, allowing the crash of the symbols to carry down the hallway towards her studio. And there, sitting behind the drum set, was the man who had ruined her suede shoes the night before.

As a greeting, she said, “You have got to be kidding me.”

The drumming quickly, and awkwardly, faded away as he looked up, meeting her dumbfounded stare with a sly grin.

“Hello, beautiful,” he said, with a wink. “Fancy meeting you here. Following me?”

She did not have strong enough words for the anger brewing inside of her.

“Please tell me you broke in and are about to make a highly illegal escape with these instruments?”

He glanced around the room before meeting her gaze again and standing up from the drum set. “Seeing as most of these instruments belong to me, I don’t think I need to do anything highly illegal to take them anywhere. But I must say I’m partial to how they’re set up, wouldn’t you agree?” He stopped in front of her and gazed around the room. “The acoustics in here are wonderful.” Nesta tried to keep her lip from curling, she really did. “You must be our new madam.”

Nesta blinked. “Madam?”

He turned away from her and stepped across the room, leaning against his desk. Mr. Nazari was spray painted across the front. “You know, the new ballet instructor? Or, I guess, all forms of dancing?”

Nesta blinked, again, unable to help the humorless laughter that fell from her lips. “I…”

“Take your time,” he grinned, sitting on his desk. “I’ll wait. I’m Cassian, by the way.”

“Nesta. I’m Nesta Archeron. And yes, I’m the new instructor of dance.”

Cassian chuckled and pulled his hair back into a messy bun at the back of his head. “Well in case no one has told you, Nesta Archeron, welcome to the Velaris Institute of the Arts. They call me the ‘Master of Music’.”

Nesta bit off the retort she wanted to spit at him that this was her home first, not his, and instead asked. “Master? That’s a pretty prestigious title to give yourself.”

“Oh sweetheart,” he said, crossing the room and sitting at the piano. “I didn’t give it to myself.” His fingers danced lightly over the keys, playing out a soft melody. “You can close the doors on your way out. I wouldn’t want to disturb your routine.”

He winked at her and Nesta tried ignore the butterflies in her stomach when he looked at her.

She turned and left his studio, the sound of the piano following her back into the dance wing. She pulled the double doors shut behind her and leaned back on them, closing her eyes.

Silence filled her senses.

She had been dreaming of returning to VIA for years and finally, she was here. She was going to focus on those dreams and help her students’ dreams become a reality, too.

And she was going to do it all, while pretending the handsome man down the hall didn’t exist.

Feyre woke up the next morning with a slight headache. She didn’t think she had drunk that much, but it had been a few years since she had stumbled into a bar for a drink. She couldn’t help it. She kept asking for another because she was enjoying herself.

Thanks to the bartender.

Rhysand.

He was kind, surprisingly.

She didn’t think that men who looked so sexy and seductive could actually be decent human beings. Typically, such men were assholes. Speaking of dickwads, she checked her phone and saw that she had countless missed calls and texts from Tam.

With a curse, she crawled out of bed, unable to stop her mind from wandering to a man that was not her boyfriend.

Even though she wasn’t even sure where they stood after she stormed out of the restaurant the night before.

She was still pissed. She didn’t want to call him back, didn’t want to text him. She wanted to take her hand and slap his face like they did in old, cheesy soap operas.

He deserved a good slap.

Or a push down the stairs.

Neither of those facts stopped him from knocking on her door as she walked into the kitchen for an Advil.

She left him hanging for a moment, though. She may not have had the nerve for a slap, but she could leave him knocking for a minute or two.

“Feyre!” he called, knocking as she took a couple of pain killers. “It’s me, baby. Open up!”

She did.

“Let me in,” he pleaded.

She did that, too.

He looked handsome, she’d give him that. He wore his sweatpants, his sweatshirt, his beanie. Feyre preferred him this way as opposed to his business attire. When he put on the suit, he changed.

At first, their relationship was amazing. She had thought he was the one. Lately, though, he was a different person. Controlling. Demeaning. It was usually worse around his colleagues. When he was in his suit and tie.

“You never called me back,” he said, tossing his keys on her kitchen counter.

“I was busy,” she shrugged.

His eyes narrowed. “Doing what?”

“Does it matter?” she snapped. “You already have a thought in your mind about what happened. You always do that. Accuse me. I have been nothing but loyal to your greedy ass for the last year and a half and what do I get in return? Called fat while being treated like your bitch in front of all your friends.”

Tamlin closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he walked to Feyre. He stopped in front of her and brushed her cheek with his fingers. “I’m sorry, baby. Forgive me, please.”

“Yeah, well,” she began, but the bite in her voice had vanished with his touch. “You’ve been saying that you’re sorry a lot lately.”

“I know, I know,” he said, kissing her forehead. “I’ll be better. I promise.”

“I want to believe you…” she trailed off because their eyes had connected and his lips were on hers within seconds.

She didn’t fight it. She didn’t push him away. She let him kiss her, let him touch her. She hated how natural kissing Tamlin was, even when she was pissed at him.

She wanted to blow up.

Wanted to throw things, break things.

But, instead, she found herself melting into his touch.

“I love you,” he said, against her lips.

“I’m still mad at you,” she mumbled.

“I know,” he said. “I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

“You're promising a lot.”

“I know. And I mean it.”

When Feyre pulled back, he popped into her mind again. His violet eyes, his tanned skin, his black hair that matched the inky swirls that covered his arms, his neck.

“What are you thinking about?” Tamlin asked, pulling her closer.

“You,” she lied. “How glad I am that you’re here.”

“I’m glad I’m here too,” he said. “Wanna get into bed for a while?”

Feyre hesitated, but then she could see his oncoming anger and confrontation so she nodded.

Tamlin’s wrath was one thing Feyre hated, one thing she couldn’t face.

“I was hoping we could go out,” she said, quickly, hoping he wouldn’t know it was an excuse. “Just me and you.”

“I don’t wanna go out,” he said. “I wanna stay in.”

Feyre raised a brow. “Since when don’t you wanna go out? You hate staying in.”

“Well, tonight I do want to stay in,” he smiled, lazily, as he tossed his phone and wallet on the kitchen table. “Be right back. When I come out, I’ll make it all up to you. I promise.”

Feyre sighed as he shut the bathroom door behind him.

She’d barely made it two steps before his phone started vibrating against the thin wooden table.

One message.

Then two.

Feyre glanced at the name that came across the banner: Brannagh.

She groaned inwardly as she opened Tamlin’s phone and read the messages.

Last night was fun.

Wanna come over again tonight?

Feyre couldn’t breathe.

She felt sick.

How could he come into her apartment and demand answers as to why she hadn’t answered her phone, after he’d been an ass, when he was with Branagh?

Last night was fun.

What a prick.

The moment he came out of the bathroom, Feyre was pissed. Her hands were shaking as she held up his phone. “Branagh texted.”

Tamlin raised a brow as he slowed himself to a stop. “You looked at my phone?”

Feyre scoffed. “Yes! It was ringing and, as your girlfriend, I didn’t think that it would be an issue.”

Tamlin calmy reached over and took his phone, reading the messages for himself. His eyelids fluttered shut. “Feyre-”

“Did you sleep with her?”

He didn’t answer right away. “Feyre…”

“Answer me!”

Tamlin stayed quiet for a minute, shoving his hands into his sweatpants. “You were pissed at me. I thought we were through.”

Feyre laughed, humorlessly. “You slept with Branagh because you thought we were through? Wow, Tam.” She was speechless, completely unsure of what to say. But when he tried to take a step toward her, Feyre took a big step back. “Don’t come near me. Don’t touch me. Don’t look at me. And get out of my house.”

“Feyre, baby-”

“Get out!” she yelled, taking it upon herself to throw the door open. “Don’t call me. Don’t text me. Leave me alone. We’re done.”

Tamlin looked at her for a long while, but she didn’t budge.

Despite her order, he kissed her cheek as he stepped toward the door. “I’ll call you later, okay?”

When she didn’t answer, he left.

Elain hurried to Main Street an hour before her shop was to open.

She was forced to ride the bus, thanks to her car’s mishap the day before. Elain had never known much about cars. Both Azriel and the mechanic at the shop attempted to help her understand, and she nodded along as if she knew what they were talking about, but she had still gone home and gone to bed knowing absolutely nothing.

So, with her purse slung over her shoulder and her notebook clung tightly against the chest of her bright yellow sundress, Elain waved and smiled at the street vendors as she went to work.

Elain loved Velaris.

She loved the friendly people.

She loved that she had found her purpose in such a wonderful city.

As she strode upon her shop and fiddled around in her bag for her key, Elain froze, catching the reflection of the shop across from hers in the window.

Or, the truck sitting in front of it.

Azriel got out of the driver’s side and opened up the door behind his. Elain, forgetting about her key, watched curiously as Azriel wrestled a car seat out of the back.

As if he noticed her eyes on him, he glanced up.

At first, he was surprised, but a slow smile crept across his lips, lighting up his face.

He gave her a little wave as she looked both ways, and hurried across the middle of Main Street.

They were the complete opposite of one another. Him, dressed completely in black, in jeans and an old hoodie; and, her, in a bright yellow that made her brown eyes look like they were tinted with gold.

“This is your shop?” she asked, in way of greeting.

He laughed, quietly. “Yeah. Small world, isn’t it?”

Elain agreed. She had been at her spot on Main Street for nearly a year and never gave the tattoo parlor across the street a second glance.

“And who is this?” Elain asked, bending down to get a better look in the car seat.

A chubby, baby boy looked up at her with fuzzy, black hair and bright, hazel eyes.

“Oh my goodness,” Elain beamed, hand over her heart. “He looks just like you. Is he yours?”

“Yeah,” Azriel smiled, rubbing the back of his neck.

As the sudden realization hit Elain of what has to happen to make an infant, she blushed. Not that she had expected anything to happen between her and Azriel - she hadn’t even expected to see him again - but after their lunch the other day, she thought they had really connected. She had never thought that there would be another woman in his life.

“How old is he?” she asked. “What’s his name?”

“Asher,” Azriel said, smiling down at his son. “Six months. We only have a few hours together before I have to bring him back to his...mother’s, but I just had to run into the shop to grab my deposits before we went to the park for a while.”

She noted the way he cringed when he said mother’s, but didn’t ask. No matter how much she wanted to.

“Well, you two have a fun time together,” she smiled and leaned down again to see Asher. “It was nice to meet you, cutie. Yes it was.”

Asher giggled and kicked his feet, making Azriel laugh. “He likes you.”

“Is he the only one?”

The question flew out of her mouth in the excitement, but once she began to stutter a follow up retort, Azriel’s smile softened. “No. No, he’s not.”

Elain’s cheeks were burning so hotly that she glanced down at her vintage mary-janes to hide them.

“Would you like to join us?” Azriel asked. “At the park? I know it’s not that exciting, but it’s a nice day.”

It was a perfect day. The sun was high, not a cloud in sight.

“I’m sorry, I can’t,” Elain shook her head.

Azriel’s eyes dimmed, but his smile remained. It couldn’t have been easy being a single father, and when Elain realized he thought he was being rejected, she caught herself. “Oh, no! I just...I open the boutique in a few minutes,” she said, gesturing to her shop behind her. “But, I mean, if you don’t have plans….tonight?”

Azriel looked away from Asher, who was still smiling and kicking his feet. “I’m working late tonight. Tomorrow? Around seven?”

Elain nibbled on her lip as she nodded. “Tomorrow sounds lovely.”

#lovely #lovely ch 2 #tara writes #shelby writes #shara and telby #tara and shelby write #throne of ashes and beauty #tacmc #throne of ashes and beauty X tacmc collab #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acofas #nessian #feysand #elriel #cassian #nesta #rhysand #rhys #azriel #elain