Chapter Text
"You shouldn't be here."
Her voice lacked the usual bite that he was used too. She stood in front of a mirror braiding her hair unfazed by his uninvited visit. She wore a lace green sun dress a color that made her eyes appear entirely gray like early morning mist, gone was the emptiness that ate away at her being and in its place stood indifference if not a mild irritation. Her once sallow and sickly pale skin was lightly tanned, her physique no longer bordered starvation but was the full figure of a confident female.
It was a change that Azriel couldn't recognize unable to reconcile this Nesta with the one of a few months ago. "Nesta?" Nothing she merely tilted her head tying her braid off so it hung over her right shoulder. "Is there something you need Azriel?"
Where have you been? are you ok? what happened?
these were the questions that plagued him, the questions that plagued everyone. Nearly four months she'd been missing.
"She's gone, just vanished I can't find her anywhere." Those were the words Cassian gave them upon his frantic return from the mountains his face twisted in panic.
For a while they thought she return.
"Where would she go? If she wants to act like a child let her. She'll come crawling back when she realizes that no one's going to save her pathetic hide." Amren sneered she'd been particularly disgusted with Nesta's disappearance, treating the act as nothing more than a mere rebellious phase.
"She's probably fucking her way through a tavern right now." Mor snorted, flipping her hair in dismal.
A seething Rhys agreed, standing next to Feyre his fury rising with the crushing worry and disappointment felt from his pregnant mate. "I swear if she's passed out drunk somewhere, I'm done. I don't care if she's struggling, Feyre doesn't need this stress right now, especially stress that she fucking caused!"
Only the need to comfort his pregnant mate prevented him from taking off and dragging Nesta back from wherever she'd ran off too. Elain hadn't said much, merely mumbled a question. "What will we do if she doesn't return?"
At the time no one considered the possibility, so certain of Nesta's return until two days turned into three and three days turned into a week and then a week turned into six weeks. It didn't take long to realize that Nesta wasn't coming back a realization that Azriel made after day five passed. Nesta was many things a quitter wasn't one of them.
"Leave Azriel, you shouldn't be here." Her words, spoken without care worried him. He'd noticed the wards, powerful and ancient, that concealed her presence entirely, he would've passed the inn she was staying in if not for the brief glimpse of her in the window.
"I can't leave without you Nesta."
Finally her grey blue eyes looked at him. "Yes, you can." It was said without venom, without bitterness, without resentment. She said it like a fact. 'the ocean has fish' 'the sun rises and sets' all facts that no one could argue against. And it left Azriel grappling for words.
He watched Nesta apply pastel pink lipstick to her lips and in a swirl of green lace she turned and Azriel was forced to take her in fully.
"Leave Azriel I'm sorry you came all this way for nothing but I'm not coming back." She swept past him and Azriel was left to follow.
"Do you think you'll ever return?"
He tried, chasing after her. She moved like a ghost, quick and assured her steps light as if she were floating as she moved about the room.
"I can't."
Fear wasn't an emotion he felt often but it was one he was familiar with. The room was vibrating with strange foreign magic, magic that prickled and nettled against his skin, he could feel it breathing, no, hissing this magic wanted him gone.
"Are you in danger?"
Nesta stopped her braid swayed when she faced him her brows furrowed. "I'm—" The door downstairs opened and closed, for a moment there was silence and than Azriel was on his knees. He was a child again trapped in the dark except this time there was something with him something he couldn't see but could feel watching him.
"Nesta! Are you ready to go yet?"
Hands hauled him to his feet. His hazel eyes stared into Nesta's frantic gray blue ones as she fervently shoved him towards the shadows.
"Go! I don't know what he'll do if he finds you."
Azriel spun, gently grabbing her hands. "Not without you. If your in danger Nesta we can protect you."
She shook her head urging him more towards a shaded spot. "Its not me that needs protection." She pressed something in his hands. A paper he realized, outside the sound of footsteps grew closer the presence that accompanied them grew in size like waiting for the impact of water after jumping off a cliff, an impact that you knew was coming but never happened leaving you to freefall in anticipation.
He swallowed mind racing. "Nesta if your in danger than you—"
She cut him off. "I'm not in danger Azriel. I have this under control." She smiled so sincere and serene that if not for whatever was approaching them he would've believed her. "Give this to Feyre, tell her and Elain I'll see them soon." The door was opening, without his command the shadows acted screaming for him to run to flee as they engulfed him. Through a rapidly closing gap Azriel spotted a male leisurely approaching Nesta.