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Fire, hotter than he had ever known fire to be, crackled and spit between the pores on his skin. Eris dug molten fingers into the marble floor underneath him and bit back a groan from the pain. On his hands and knees, he gasped for breath, begging his body to let him take even just a tiny sip of air before he passed out. 

He squeezed his eyes shut to block out the sight of the blood pooling underneath him. Not his own, he had to remind himself over and over as it dripped from his nose. There was just so much of it, still warm where it touched him. Beron’s blood. His father’s blood. Dark in the already dimly lit room, It pooled under him like spilled ink. 

The High Lord of Autumn was dead at his son’s hand, just like the High Lord before him. Eris let his mind wander down that path briefly, wondering if his own son would one day continue the tradition. 

Body aching, Eris was trapped in his own skin as it was being reforged into something new. His muscles locked into place and seized so tightly that he had to bite his cheek to keep from yelling out. The taste of his blood mixed with his father’s made his stomach churn. 

There was no one to help him now and Eris cursed himself for his stupidity. Thankfully there was no one to attack him either, at least so far. The vulnerability of a new High Lord was a well known secret. No one talked about it but everyone knew. A High Lord was at his weakest when he was also at his most powerful. Magic surged through his body, so much at such a terrifying speed that he wondered more than once why his body hadn’t split apart at the seams or disintegrated into dust. 

Knuckles, paler than cleaned bone strained under his weight as he bore down in pain. Hands mottled in thick, dark blood, sank into the floor beneath him as the fire raged. Everything in him was melting, changing, dying. Eris was almost afraid to see who he might be on the other side if he survived. Not everyone did. 

No . Through clenched teeth, he repeated that word to himself over and over again like a mantra. His whole life Eris had been training for this and it would not be the end of him. His father could not break him, this certainly wouldn’t. 

Footsteps sounded in the hall. With his heightened senses, they felt so much closer than they were. Each tap, tap, tap echoing and multiplying, crawling in his ears like centipedes. Everything felt like it was pressing on his skin, too close, it was all too close. 

If he was discovered here that would be the end of him. More than one of his brothers would gladly take the power from him, killing him on the spot. Eris would be powerless to defend himself. He would have to watch Death smile at him and welcome it with bitter humility.

Eris forced his breathing in and out at a steady pace, hoping to lower his heart rate to a manageable level. Enough to leave, to disappear and let the world discover what he had done while he found a space place to become what he had always known he was born to be. Someplace… safe. 

Without giving it more than a cursory thought, Eris exhaled and disappeared. The world folded in on itself and took him to the one place, and hopefully the one person that could save him from this fire. 

Smoke rose from the handprints embedded in the marble floor as they sizzled, filling with blood. It flowed from the former High Lord's neck where he lay, spilled across the steps like a discarded cloak.

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Mist hung heavy in the air over Velaris. It had settled sometime in the night, casting cool tendrils of moisture through open windows. Azriel stirred in his sleep, eyes sprinting beneath his lids, breath heavy. A small whine broke past his lips, then he was shooting up in bed, drenched in sweat. One of his hands raced to clutch at his heart as he tried to remember where… and who he was. His dream slipped from him, breaking into pieces the moment he was no longer in it, fading more with each erratic heartbeat.

The pain of it lingered. 

With a spymaster’s instinct, Azriel sent his shadows skittering throughout the room and the areas surrounding it to ensure that he was alone. There was something prickling his skin, a sense that something was wrong. They came back to him calmly, having found nothing but Azriel couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right somewhere. It could have just been that unsettling dream clinging to his conscious mind but Azriel didn’t think so. 

On shaking legs, he rose from the bed and flexed his toes on the cold floor. His wings unfurled from his back and he stretched them out wide. Where the waistband of his pants had fallen low during sleep, Azriel tugged them up to sit on his hip bones more securely, fingers catching on his skin. He scratched away a mindless itch that carried him through a yawn as he padded to the window. Mist and fog clung tightly to the city around him. It was as if Azriel were somewhere else entirely, still in a dream perhaps, for all he could see down below. His eyes lifted, carrying him up over the mountains and to another court far, far away.

It was still late. Azriel knew he should be trying to get some more rest. In just a couple of days, he was going to the continent for Rhys to gather whispers of Koschei’s movements. He had no idea when he was going to see his bed again. 

Azriel sighed, turning from the window to force himself to lie back down. Just before he reached his bed, the little hairs on the back of his neck rose in warning. His nostrils flared as magic crackled at the back of his tongue. Wards had been tripped.

Normally, he would have taken the time to get dressed, donning all of his siphons just in case. These particular wards, however, were different. It was rare for them to be blaring so loudly at him and the magic ate away at his nerves. 

With the idea of more sleep abandoned, Azriel snagged his siphoned gloves off his bedside table and beckoned for the shadows to send him away. They wrapped around him, quickly shrouding him in darkness. Between one step and the next, Azriel had disappeared leaving only small wisps of swirling fog in his wake. 

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The exchange of information between Eris and the Night Court had always been done in Spring. It was the easiest, and somehow the safest spot to conduct their business. Even if Tamlin came across a meeting, he was too locked in his own mind to care beyond chasing them out of his court in his beast form. As Tamlin regained his strength, and his mind, that route became lost to them. With Spring no longer a neutral place, Azriel had sought a solution that wouldn’t put their meetings in more jeopardy than they were already in, just by existing. 

Practical. It was only for practical purposes that Azriel and Eris had created a place so warded that it was only available to either of them. A place they could never be discovered, where they could hide. The shadows worked him through those wards now to the other side. It was taking too long and his heartbeat had quickened at the thought of what he might see on the other side. It was starting to mess with his mind and Azriel couldn’t shake his head free of the useless memories that began to surface.   

“It occurs to me,” Eris started in that nasty tone of his. “That you don’t actually hate me quite as much as you pretend to.” A smirk colored his face as he wove his side of the wards. Azriel watched him, having completed his own work, with a scowl on his face. 

“Then you’re more stupid than you look.” He grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Do I look stupid Shadowsinger?” Eris teased. “Is that why you look at me with those ‘ruin me’ eyes? Because you didn't think I would understand what a look like that might mean?” This playful attitude of Eris’ was new and Azriel wasn’t sure how to act around him. 

It was easier when Eris was being his usual arrogant self. Azriel generally just tried to ignore it but for some reason, today he couldn’t. Maybe it was the way their magic mixed together to create this space but Azriel was more aware of the male’s every movement than he ever had been.

 “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” A blush, hot and heavy, crept up Azriel’s neck. 

“Sure.” Eris’ smirk shifted, deepening into a soft smile. He turned away, presumably to hide it from Azriel but it was too late. Azriel saw everything.

“Just… finish the wards, prick.” Grumbling, Azriel turned away to inspect his work again. He needed something to distract him while he waited.  

“Of course Azriel. Whatever you wish.” The sound of his name on those wicked lips sent a shudder so violent through the Shadowsinger that he had to bite his knuckles to keep the groan locked in his chest. This was too much. What the hell was wrong with him?

Counting the beats of his heart to calm himself down. Azriel turned back around to watch Eris work. Azriel had never seen Eris dress so casually, pants with legs so wide they looked like flowing skirts, and a dark green shirt tucked into the band cinched high on his waist by delicate looking gold buttons. Casual but still somehow so elegant. The shirt showed off the muscles otherwise hidden behind his usual layers of fancy clothes. They shifted under the tight shirt he wore as he worked. Azriel couldn’t look away.

He stared so long, completely lost in his thoughts that Azriel hadn’t noticed when Eris had turned around. They locked eyes and reality slammed him back down onto the carpet of dirt and leaves under him. The anger always simmering under his skin when he looked at Eris, the anger he expected to find, wasn’t there. Instead, a strange heat broke across his chest. 

Azriel swayed forward as if he had no will of his own. He took a clumsy step forward and watched as Eris’ breath seemed to catch. Those hazel eyes of his tracked the movement of Eris’ throat as he swallowed. 

Later, Azriel would only remember vaguely telling himself it was a bad idea. Beyond that, there seemed to be no thought process at all. The only thing driving him forward was a sudden, desperate need. 

He took one step before realizing that it wouldn’t sate his need quickly enough and let his shadows carry him the rest of the way. Barely removed from the shadows, Azriel’s lips met the lump in Eris’ throat that he had not been able to take his eyes off of just a moment ago. The sweetest keening sound parted Eris’ lips and vibrated against Azriel’s tongue where he was licking a strip up that beautiful neck to the soft spot behind the male’s ear. Another flurry of shadows had Eris pinned between the trunk of a tree and the hard lines of Azriel’s body. 

A groan rumbled out of the Shadowsinger’s chest when Eris’ hands found purchase on the backs of his hips. It drew him forward painfully until their hardening cocks pressed together. Their mouths worked as if they were in a race to see who would undo the other first. Tongues clashed and teeth nipped while Eris frantically undid the laces on the front of Azriel’s leathers. The shaking of his fingers was making Azriel pant with need. 

A whined protest escaped Eris’ lips as Azriel pulled away. Needing a slight reprieve from the fire of Eris’ lips, he only broke apart far enough to lay his head on Eris’ shoulder. His breaths came in heavy gasps, little whimpers between swallows making Eris’ fingers falter even more. 

Azriel laughed against Eris’ neck, his breath skating along the skin making goosebumps rise and fall where the air from his lungs brushed against the other male. With expert care, Azriel took his hands and ghosted them along Eris’ waist until they reached the top button of his pants. 

“Breathe,” Azriel whispered as the first button came undone. He thought he would be more of a mess than Eris, but the male was an autumn leaf, shaking the bitter wind as it tried to hold onto its branch. 

Eris inhaled sharply, letting his fingers relax against the laces of Azriel’s leathers. 

Azriel smiled. “Good. So good.”

Another button. 

Azriel’s smile widened as he felt Eris’ heartbeat quicken.

“Insufferable,” Eris whispered, sliding his fingers under the band of Azriel’s pants and pulling lightly until there was enough room to slip in further. Hands warmed by the fire in his blood, nearly made Azriel come the moment Eris touched him. When they wrapped around the hard shaft of his cock he shut his eyes tight enough to see stars. 

A curse fell from Azriel’s lips but he didn’t have the mind enough to know which one. Maybe it was a string of them because his fingers had stilled on the third button of Eris’ pants. 

Eris chuckled lightly in his ear. “Such a mess.” He said quietly, stroking from root to tip as he exposed Azriel’s flesh to the cool air. 

Azriel hissed through his teeth at the contact but couldn’t refute a word. He was a complete mess now. Eris had somehow gotten the upper hand, their positions switching in an instant. Azriel’s wings flared out as his back hit the rough bark of the tree now behind him. They curled around the pair, brushing against Eris’ back, drawing him closer. 

Before his hands could start shaking, Azriel finished undoing the buttons of Eris’ pants and peeled the front open, letting them hang loosely on his hips. The ends of Azriel’s fingers brushed lightly along the tuft of hair above Eris’ cock, teasing him. His fingers slowly worked their way down, digging lightly into the soft flesh, and brushing through the coarse hair. 

Eris’ hips rolled forward in response, unable to help himself. Breath quickening, Eris’ hand faltered where it held tightly to Azriel’s cock. 

“Now who’s a mess?” Azriel teased. 

“Just touch me.” The command was near a growl. It was one Azriel greedily complied with. 

His fingers eagerly wrapped around Eris’ length, pulling it free of his clothes. Eris sucked in a breath, stalling his own movements. Azriel took full advantage and with his free hand, he gently guided Eris’ hand off his cock and placed it against Azriel's hip instead. The loss of Eris’ warmth sent a shudder down Azriel’s bones. He hesitated just a moment before taking both of them in one palm.

“Hold on tight.” Azriel smiled, drinking in each tiny sound Eris made. 

The feeling of their cocks being pressed together was something Azriel wasn’t ready for. He moaned into Eris’ mouth, capturing his lips with violence. The male’s fingers dug into him, pulling his leathers down far enough so that his fingers were holding onto Azriel’s skin. 

Azriel sped up his hand, coaxing them both towards a fast and dirty climax. A part of him didn’t want this to end. Though Azriel knew that even if there had been a knife to his throat, there was no stopping this. 

It was torture and bliss all at once, Eris’ hot breath flowed into Azriel’s lungs as he swallowed every piece of this male. Eris willingly gave up everything to Azriel, going pliant under his touch. Their bodies melted together as if they were made to fit, the growing passion shaping them into pieces that were never meant to be separated to begin with. 

Azriel cried out as his release rushed out of him. Eris followed immediately after, whimpering while his fingers planted bruises along Azriel’s hip bones.

Trying to ground himself off the high of his climax, Azriel wrapped an arm around Eris’ waist and brought them close until there was no more space between them. He buried his face in the crook of Eris’ neck, letting the scent of him bring him back down to earth. Eris hesitated at first, unsure of where to go, but eventually his arms came up to hug around Azriel’s back, clinging to him in a rare show of vulnerability. 

A barely there press of Eris’ lips to the shell of Azriel’s ear left him feeling warm all over. He didn’t want this feeling to go away and waited anxiously for the shame to settle in. It never did. 

The prospect of what that might mean was almost more frightening, but neither of them acknowledged it. They simply stood there under the cover of the canopy and held one another until their breaths turned to normal and their heart beats slowed. 

It was Eris who let go first. His hands dropped from Azriel’s back, going limp in an utterly exhausted kind of way. 

He pressed another kiss to Azriel’s neck before saying softly. “I need to finish the wards.” 

Azriel held his breath for a moment before nodding and pulling away. They turned from one another, setting themselves to rights. Neither of them said a word about what just happened. That particular afternoon ended in silence. So different from the biting, harsh words they usually parted with. 

Azriel only remembered how the colors of the sun filtering through the leaves looked a little brighter to him. Soft shadows danced around them, reminding him of lazy afternoons and distant laughter. Easy, comfortable things that Azriel had always assumed didn’t belong to him, a creature of night and shadow. Maybe he had been wrong. 

After that day, they had fallen into one another’s arms, and beds, once or twice more before agreeing to stop. Somehow both males recognized that it was beginning to get much more complicated than either of them was ready for. They pretended it was just for release, bodies needing to touch and be touched, nothing more. A lie they were both more than aware of. 

Sometimes Azirel would entertain the idea that complicated might be ok. His life was already fraught with complications, what was one more? Each time he would talk himself down from those damning thoughts, letting that thin barrier stand between him and the Autumn male. When Eris decided it was worth tearing down, Azriel would follow, but until then… 

The wards poked and prodded him, sending sparks of magic prickling along his skin. It pulled Azriel abruptly out of the memory he had wandered in. Finally, through to the other side, Azriel let his eyes adjust to the dark around him. The night was cold and damp, a rainstorm having just blown through hours earlier. Clouds still obscured the stars letting only the barest of moonlight through. 

It was the glowing of his hands Azriel caught sight of first. Fire, molten and angry, poured from between Eris’ knuckles. It spiderwebbed up his arms where he held them wrapped tightly around himself as if he were in pain. He took a step forward and then Azriel noticed his hair. That normally bright, gleaming part of Eris was dull, bits of it plastered to the sides of his face. Had he been out in the rain? 

Blood was in the air. Azriel’s nostrils flared. Not rain then, Eris was covered in blood. He scented it first, connecting the dots as his eyes roved over every inch of the male.

“It's not mine,” Eris rasped. “Well, most of it isn’t anyway.”

Azriel took another step forward until he was close enough to reach out and touch if he wanted to. One of his hands lifted as if he might try before he let it drop heavily back down to his side. It was hard to know where to touch Eris as the fire covered him.

“Whose?” He demanded, not knowing what else to say. 

“Just for tonight,” Eris started, not answering Azriel’s question. His voice wavering more and more with each word. He swayed dangerously to one side before righting himself again. Azriel was struck dumb, unable to move while he waited for Eris to finish. “Can we be more than allies?”

“Tell me what happ-” Before Azriel could finish Eris' eyes fluttered closed and he collapsed. Instinct took over and Azriel grabbed him around the waist. Scooping him up, he held Eris tight to his chest, the fire leaking from the male became a secondary concern.

Thankfully, that fire dimmed into a slumber as Eris fell, unconscious into Azriel’s arms. All was quiet and still for a few moments. Then, Eris began shaking.  

“Eris!” Azriel clenched his hands tighter around the male. He didn’t know how to help him. 

“Please.” The word was little more than a breath of air against Azriel’s cheek. 

Anything, Azriel thought. He would do anything for the male lying helpless in his arms. A thought that might have normally rocked Azriel to his core felt as normal as breathing to him now. Something his body and heart had decided a long time ago that he was just now putting into words. He wasn’t sure when he had realized it but Eris must have felt it too if Azriel was the one he came to for help.

Carefully, Azriel brought them both down to the forest floor. He watched the shadows wrap around Eris and wondered if they would be able to hide the male from the Night Court wards. Azriel’s first thought was to tell Rhys, his brother would help, surely. 

Eris groaned, sweat pooling at his brow which Azriel gently wiped away. No, he couldn’t tell Rhys. His brother may want to help but Azriel couldn’t honestly be sure what he would do. It wasn’t worth the risk. If he could get Eris safely through the wards and through the night, he could tell Rhys in the morning. When Eris could defend himself … if necessary. 

The Townhouse was less used and likely to be more private so it was Azriel’s first thought but he quickly abandoned it. If Eris’ condition was any indication as to what had happened to him tonight it was probably not a viable option. He might be able to keep Rhys from seeing Eris enter but he would not be able to hide the aura of a new High Lord. Not even his shadows could manage that. 

Or could they? 

The House of Wind might offer them the safety they desperately needed but he couldn’t know for sure. 

Without giving himself a chance to think on it further, Azriel let his shadows take him back to the Night Court. Eris whimpered and shook in his arms as he hovered over the House of Wind, wings working hard to keep him balanced in the wind. Azriel curled his arms around Eris tighter and waited. His shadows had successfully kept Eris hidden from the wards around the court but now that he was inside, something was going to have to keep him concealed. Would the House help? 

Azriel had sent a shadow down with instructions, unsure if it would work. The way Nesta spoke about the House as if it were alive, gave him hope that perhaps whatever magic governed it was sentient enough to understand and kind enough to want to help. Would it be able to sense that there was no ill intent? If the House had befriended Nesta, Azriel figured it was worth a try. He didn’t know where else to go. 

After what felt like forever, the little shadow came back to him. It caressed his cheek and swirled out in front of him as if pointing the way down to the House. Azriel sucked in a breath, not letting himself think about the consequences if this didn’t work. 

On light feet, he touched down onto one of the balconies and waited. Everything was silent. A rush of warm air blew past him from behind, pulling him forward and Azriel took it as a sign that everything was going to be ok. Sending his shadows out around him, Azriel quickly determined that no one else was awake. 

On quick feet, Azriel navigated to his rooms, using his shadows to carry the pair of them silently through the halls. Once inside, he shut the door behind him and collapsed against it, listening to the lock click. Eris stirred in his arms but otherwise seemed better than he had before. The fire under his skin pulsed but did not pour from him as it had before. 

Azriel let himself breathe. A new set of wards fell around the door and over the room like a bubble. The magic stuck to the back of his tongue as the House locked them away from sight. 

“Thank you.” He mouthed, panting lightly. Adrenaline had been coursing through him up to that point, but now that he was safe, Azriel only felt exhausted. 

It was an effort to pull himself away from the door, and he had to adjust his hold on Eris for fear of dropping him. The male shifted against his chest, brows knit tightly together in discomfort. He started for the bed but changed his mind halfway there, turning for the bathroom instead. The House, having anticipated this, had already started the water. Steam wafted up from the tub, sunken into the floor, and warmed Azriel’s chilled skin. He hadn’t registered how cold he had gotten, forgetting that he was barefoot and half dressed. This had pulled him from sleep just a short while ago. 

The Shadowsinger waded down into the middle of the tub, watching as Eris’ muscles seemed to relax, his fire calming. Relief was a palpable thing. Hot water eased his bone and took away some of the weariness that had settled over him. Now Azriel could better focus on Eris.  

Starting with his shirt, Azriel began to peel off the layers of Eris' clothing. Taking Eris apart, layer by layer had only felt natural but guilt stayed his hand. He had never seen Eris so pitifully at the mercy of anyone. This hard and untrusting male was now giving Azriel access to something precious and he didn’t want to ruin it. A new feeling warmed in his chest that he didn’t want to give a name to. 

His fingers paused on the buttons of Eris’ shirt, whispering, “Is this ok?”

Eris nodded his head almost imperceptibly, but Azriel still hesitated a moment before continuing. With gentle fingers, he took his time pulling Eris’ arms out of his shirt as the male floated at the top of the water in front of him. He paused, admiring Eris’ body. Where he had expected to find a mess of injuries, Azriel was greeted with pale skin, strong and hard as stone. His muscles were gentle in their strength, carved with loving intent into the planes of his body. The hills and valleys where blood had pooled, Azriel wiped tenderly with his thumbs. Smearing under his touch, it began to fade away, mixing with the water before disappearing entirely. 

More carefully than he would ever admit to anyone, Azriel worked his way up from Eris’ navel to his chest. When his fingers were dancing in the delicate hairs around his ears, Azriel stopped again and waited. As if the world took on a new focus, the only thing the Shadowsinger could see was the male before him. Eris’ face, more relaxed than it had been before, looked so young and yet so powerful. 

Afraid of hidden injuries, Azriel started to take off the rest of Eris’ clothes. A desire to see all of him overwhelmed the Shadowsinger and his fingers faltered. Part of him felt guilty for that greed, knowing it was not the time or the place. Even so, a force in his gut pulled at him to look, to see. There was a change happening here that he was meant to witness, even if it was beyond his comprehension. 

He only got Eris’ trousers halfway undone before they turned to ash and fell away into the bath. There was nothing left for him to do so Azriel tucked Eris in closer to his chest, trying to soothe the male as he trembled. The power thrumming through him was intense, vibrating along Azriel’s skin.

“You too,” Eris murmured, somehow managing to pull at the drawstrings of his sleep pants. 

“I’m ok,” Azriel whispered. “I would have to let you go. So, I’m ok.” Before the words were out of his mouth, Azriel’s favorite pair of soft pants were nothing more than ink in the water. 

A small smile curved his lips and Azriel walked them over to the far wall where he could sit on the submerged bench. Eris protested the movement at first but the second he was sitting cradled in Azriel’s lap he was at ease once again. Eris relaxed as much as Azriel assumed he could. The male was still stiff in places but he tolerated Azriel’s hands trail over his skin, even leaning into each touch. 

“Let me wash you,” Azriel murmured after a while. “Properly.” 

Eris nodded his head and Azriel moved them down into the water. With Eris on his back, Azriel could wash and comb through his hair with ease. The stench of Beron was all over him, Azriel had to remove it. 

As the blood fell away, it was as if the red of his hair was being leached from him. Only, it shined brighter as it was slowly revealed from under the poison that was his father. Eris’ hair had always been a kaleidoscope of color but tonight he was glowing with something new. Iridescent like fire through ice or crystal, it shone. Weaving together a spectrum of red and gold hues, his magic created something only Eris now possessed. 

Azriel couldn’t remember the last time he had treated something with such gentleness that his fingers shook. All of his life, Azriel thought he was incapable of wanting to care for something the way he was caring for Eris now. Especially not for a male as unyielding as the mountains. Yet, here he was, treating this male like he was made of the soap bubbles now gliding off his chest.

“Tell me what happened,” Azriel demanded. He watched as one by one, sections of Eris’ body began to relax, exhausted from the battle waging inside of him. 

It was a long time before Eris spoke. “Beron finally went too far,” Those words sent a rush of anger down Azriel’s spine. “I don’t know what set him off. I rarely do.” Eris' voice was thin as paper and Azriel regretted asking him to speak. He wanted to tell the male it was ok, he could explain it later but couldn’t find the words. 

“Did… I suppose. Whatever it was,” Eris continued, “He found a way for it to be my fault, dragging me from sleep to satisfy his urge to hurt and maim.”

Azriel growled and Eris chuckled softly. At least Azriel thought it was a chuckle. The amusement hid somewhere between a choking sound and a sigh. 

“Relax bat. It’s done.” 

Forcing himself to loosen his grip on Eris, Azriel asked him, “What do you mean?”

Eris sucked in a breath and for a moment, Azriel thought he might not answer. He was so focused on the beat of Eris’ heart he almost didn’t hear it when he got his answer. 

“My father is dead.” 

Azriel nodded, understanding. “So you are…” 

“…Yes,” Eris confirmed. “I am.”

“Why didn’t you call for m- call in your bargain with Rhys?” Azriel demanded. “We would have helped you.” He knew Eris understood the words that went unsaid.

Why didn’t you call for me? 

He knew by the way those pale fingers squeezed Azriel just a little bit harder where they were locked around his arm. 

“There wasn’t time,” Eris shrugged, as well as he could. The movement was followed by a groan of pain. “I hardly knew what was happening.” 

“What can I do?” Azriel asked gingerly, pulling the new High Lord closer to his chest.

“It burns,” Eris rasped. “Everything burns.” Eris’ fire might as well have been the very flame at the heart of Prythian for how powerful it was. The High Lord wielding that very power was terrified of his own magic as it broke him apart. Azriel understood all too well the grief that fire could create. The all consuming nature of it. 

He couldn’t stop the pain Eris was going through. Whatever the male was becoming, he had to see it through. However, Azriel could hold him through the worst of it. Ease his pain, or refocus it somehow.

Carefully, Azriel brought them over to the bench where he could sit and place Eris in his lap. With the male’s back against Azriel’s chest, Eris let his head fall back on the Shadowsinger’s shoulder, panting lightly as flames sparked in his chest. Azriel held him firmly around the waist and curled his wings around them both until they were cocooned inside. 

Low keening sounds rose from Eris’ throat at a steady pace, sending sparks of pain through Azriel’s heart. He brought his mouth to Eris’ ear and kissed the pointed tip lightly. 

Again, and again, and again. 

As Eris’ panting became worse, Azriel’s mouth became more insistent. He littered quiet praises along Eris’ skin splaying his hands across the High Lord’s chest and abdomen, keeping him close. The fire was warm, but it did not burn.

They stayed that way for a while. Azriel kept his breathing and his heart rate as steady as possible, a guide for Eris as he worked through the worst of it. When that was no longer enough, Azriel held him tighter, letting his lips coast along the skin easily accessible to him, as Eris moved where and how he needed to. 

“It’s so hot,” Eris gasped like the fire inside of him was eating up the oxygen in his blood faster than Eris could replace it. Shadows ran cool hands over the male’s face and neck but it wasn’t enough. Grunting and whining, Eris began to writhe on Azriel’s lap, his hips rocking back and forth as his body looked for an outlet. 

“Eris,” Azriel started his voice a low growl full of pathetic need. It rumbled like a purr in his chest. “What do you need?” 

The force of his voice rocked into Eris and the male let out another low whine, rolling his hips down into Azriel’s growing erection. 

“Please,” Another roll of his hips. “Help me.” 

The plea left Azriel shaking. He thrust up to meet the roll of Eris’ hips and both of them groaned in pleasure. His wings shook out behind him, the movement catching Eris’ attention. He ran a wicked finger up one of the spines. It was overly warm. Azriel cried out, bucking up into Eris’ harder. 

Unable to think past the feel of the molten body in his arms, Azriel growled and pulled them out of the water. With one hand still wrapped around Eris’ waist, he used the other to grab the edge of the pool behind them and hoisted them onto the cold tile floor. The wetness of Eris’ body sizzled to steam when he touched the ground but Azriel took no notice, only focused on the way Eris moved on top of him. He refused to find his own release before Eris was taken care of. 

With this thought in mind, Azriel gently laid the Autumn Lord on his back and separated from him long enough to summon a bottle of oil that he promptly slicked his fingers with. As he was about to lean back over the male his breath caught in his lungs at the sight before him. Azriel had never seen anything so beautiful. An uncomfortable film of guilt settled over his skin for thinking of Eris that way while he was struggling. He tried to shake himself free of it but that fire underneath called to Azriel in a way he was always afraid fire might call to him one day. It was a terrifying thought that something that had hurt him so badly in the past might be something he couldn’t live without. 

Eris… and his fire. 

“Azriel,” The low rasp of Eris’ voice called out for him, bringing Azriel back from the brink of his strange spiral. He quickly found his place between Eris’ thighs, his fingers wasting no time finding the spot Eris needed them to be so badly. Azriel pressed a hand flat on Eris’ abdomen, splaying his fingers to try and keep the male still while Azriel worked him open. 

Lewd words spilled from Eris in nonsensical fragments. It was as if he were no longer there with Azriel at all, in his own world. The Shadowsinger was determined to bring him back. He wanted to be positive that Eris knew who was holding him, who was going to make him come. 

“Look at me,” Azriel growled, leaning farther over Eris. Taking his free hand, the Illyrian grabbed the back of Eris’ head, forcing his attention. “Who’s got you Eris?” He demanded. 

Eris' eyes rolled back as he tried to open them, streams of golden flame spilling out between his lids. 

“I-” he tried over and over but could not get the words out. Azriel pulled his fingers from Eris and the male cried out at the loss of them. “No, please.” 

“Who’s got you Eris?” Azriel whispered, pressing a kiss to each of his gilded eyelids. 

“You do,” Eris whined, his body writhing under Azriel. The Shadowsinger grit his teeth, trying to maintain enough composure to bring Eris back to him. The urge to fuck into that beautiful body was so strong Azriel thought he was going to fall into madness. 

“Who am I?” Azriel insisted.

“B-” Eris started, his hips bucking forward, desperate for friction. “Fucking brute.” He managed at last prompting a dark laugh from Azriel. Their lips crashed together and Azriel filled him once more. He drank down each sound, drunk off Eris’ lust. 

“Yes. I’m a brute,” Azriel teased. His voice was rough with need. “But what’s my name?” 

Fed up with the games Eris’ eyes shot open. They were made of flame. “Are you going to fuck me or not Azriel?” He spit out between kisses, placing a hand over both their cocks where they pressed together. That hand was so hot Azriel thought his dick might melt. It was a discomfort that he was willing to bear, a pain he relished in. 

“Gods,” He breathed into Eris’ mouth, pulling him up into his arms as he rocked back onto his knees. Eris fit beautifully on Azriel’s lap, his strong thighs straddling Azriel’s, squeezing to him tightly. 

“Put it in,” Eris demanded, his eyes still glowing as he looked down on Azriel from where he sat above him. The burnished rainbow of reds and golds that was Eris’ hair shone like a wild crown. The crown of a true Lord, one carved from the land, born to rule it. 

Azriel couldn’t deny him a moment longer and lined up the tip of his leaking cock with Eris’ waiting hole. Without warning, Eris sank onto it, not waiting for Azriel to work it carefully inside him. The sensation was too much at once and Azriel squeezed his eyes shut in order to keep himself from falling apart. With a body overwhelmed by the ecstasy of this unnatural heat, Azriel’s mouth fell open in a silent scream. Soft but tight walls squeezed around his cock, sucking him in deeper with every roll of Eris’ hips.  

Riding Azriel to an early grave, Eris stopped breathing. His head fell back but no sounds came from him. Worried the male might pass out, Azriel grabbed ahold of his waist and pulled himself up until their bodies were flush. He wrapped both arms around Eris’ back and brought him in close. 

“Shhhh,” He whispered into Eris’ hair. “Slow down. Let me help you.” Eris inhaled sharply, his body shaking in Azriel’s hold. 

Fingers clawed at Azriel’s back, somehow avoiding his wings. Eris clung to him like Azriel might be the only thing keeping him from melting back into the core of the earth, from the very fires his magic must have been born from. For all Azriel knew, he might be. A small part of him worried that if he let go, Eris would disappear and he would wake from a dream, lost and alone. 

Eris tried to move his hips again, still aching for release, but Azriel stopped him. He clung to the High Lord tighter, whispering a melody of sweet nothings in his ear. Azriel didn’t stop, willing Eris’ heartbeat to match his own. Until their breathing was in sync he didn’t allow Eris to move. 

Only after those conditions were met did Azriel lift his hips slowly, sheathing himself farther into Eris’ soft heat. The High Lord shook with the effort not to move. 

“It’s ok,” The Shadowsinger promised, his wings coming to wrap around them both once more. 

Another pump of Azriel’s hips, then another, at a punishing slow pace. The moans Eris let loose sounded more beast than male as he fell into Azriel’s control. Each movement was carefully orchestrated as Azriel filled him completely, rubbing small circles into his tight back muscles with both hands. The taloned tips of his wings stroked along Eris’ scalp gently, combing through his hair. 

“I need…” Eris started swallowing mid sentence as he forced himself to stay calm. Azriel could tell it was with great effort. A part of him wanted Eris to let loose and ruin him. Tonight wasn’t about him though. Eris needed careful strength and guidance to keep him from falling over the edge of whatever ledge he was teetering on. 

There was a responsibility to the position Azriel was in. Even though he didn’t say it in so many words, Eris came to him tonight because he was in danger and trusted Azriel enough to get him through it. Tonight was for something slow and careful. He wanted to do right by the brat, so help him. 

“I need more,” Eris tried again. 

“I’ve got you,” Azriel promised again. His arms wrapped completely around the male, his hands now finding themselves gripping onto Eris’ ribs before he plunged himself in deeply, seating his cock completely inside Eris. They both screamed out and Eris’ head flew back, hair flying in a wave of embers before he flung himself forward and buried his face in the curve of Azriel’s neck. 

With each thrust, Azriel went a little deeper, a little harder, giving Eris what he needed without hurting him until it felt like the inferno wrapped around his cock was crawling all over his skin. 

Eris was murmuring in his ear but Azriel was too far gone to notice what he was saying. After a while, as the murmuring became more insistent, Azriel finally cracked his eyes open only to be met with a burning so bright he felt frozen in shock. Eris’ body was on fire and Azriel was fucking straight into the flames. 

Azriel should have been afraid, terrified even but his thrusts into that fire did not slow. He cried out Eris’ name each time his cock buried itself deeper inside him. The sensation was only uncomfortable enough to heighten his pleasure, it did not gnaw on his skin like he had known fire to do in the past. 

Apologies broke away from Eris in fevered gasps. Like he was etching them onto Azriel’s skin, trying to protect him from his flames. 

“I’m not afraid,” Azriel said honestly. A groan erupted from him as he buried his cock so deep into Eris that they both lost strength, falling into one another. “I trust you.” He added and found that he meant that too. 

Trust for trust. 

Whatever had built between them felt fragile and precious. Azriel wanted to keep it. 

Not mates, not even proper lovers. Just two angry broken males, finding comfort in one another’s scars. 

As his thoughts spilled over, so did he, until he was a broken mess under Eris, filling him completely. Azriel pumped through his release, not slowing until Eris was coming with him, his spend coating both their stomachs. 

Wings stretched around them, coming up to fold the males into one another. Azriel’s movements slowed and he gently pulled out of Eris, holding him tightly while the fire began to dim. As they came down from their climax, Azriel smiled, realizing how well they matched, breath for breath, heartbeat for heartbeat.

⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄

“There’s no coming back from this I fear,” Azriel whispered. More to himself than for Eris’ benefit, who was still passed out in his arms. 

After they rode out the high of their orgasms, Eris had fainted. The fire under his skin dimmed to just a small glow in his veins before fading into the rest of him completely. 

A new High Lord had been born.

With great care, Azriel washed them both anew and tucked them into his bed. He was looking at Eris now, peaceful in sleep, cataloging subtle changes in the male’s appearance. He was different, sharper somehow. The glow of his normally moonstone skin was tinted with warmth. The sign of the fire of his court burning within him. 

Beron was dead. Eris was High Lord of Autumn. 

Azriel was harboring a very powerful High Lord in another Lord’s territory.

One he answered to. 

Yawning, Azriel decided that was tomorrow's problem. Rhys would deal or Rhys would rage. Either way, what’s done is done, he might as well get some sleep.

With a smile on his face, Azriel kissed the top of Eris’ head and tucked in closer to him, wrapping his wing tightly over the top of them both. Eris huffed in sleep, pressing tighter against Azriel a stray bit of hair falling over his face. 

⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄

“I’m going to get him now, relax,” Cassian grumbled, scratching his stomach as he padded down the hall that led from his room to Azriel’s. Rhys was in his head, whining about this and that, Cassian wasn’t paying that close attention.

“When you find him, ” The High Lord ground out between clenched teeth, “ Ask him why I cannot reach him.”

“I’m sure it’s just you Rhys. Maybe you’re tired,” Cassian grinned, listening to his brother hiss in his head. “Parenthood takes a lot out of a male after all.” 

“Cass I - oh fuck you, prick.” 

Cassian laughed, proud of his ability to rattle Rhys in even the most stressful situations. He supposed now was just as stressful of a situation as any other. 

Rhys had woken him up just minutes before, out of the best sleep he had had in a while. The High Lord was in a twist about a sudden power shift in Autumn. Word had gotten to him that Beron was dead and there was a new High Lord of Autumn. They all assumed Eris would take the crown, some witness statements even seemed to back up the theory that this is what happened. 

The only problem was, that they couldn’t find Eris anywhere, no one could. Rhys worried that since he hadn’t called in his side of the bargain, the carefully curated relationship they had built with the brat over the years had somehow crumbled to dust. 

When only Cassian answered his High Lord’s call, Rhys’ tantrum had only grown. Cassian tried to shut him out but he didn’t have his brother’s fancy shadows to help shield him. His own mental shield was tough but Rhys could cut through it like butter if he really wanted to. 

He had never exerted that kind of power over Cassian but he had pounded and pounded against the walls of his shield like a toddler until Cassian couldn’t take it anymore and let him in. 

Now it was Cassian’s job to retrieve Azriel so they could go to Autumn and assess what was happening. Rhys and Cassian couldn’t outright walk into another territory like that though. It was all up to the little Spymaster currently missing, just like the High lord of Autumn. If Cassian hadn’t been so tired he might have found a joke in that somewhere. As it was he was too grumpy to think about it too hard. 

Curling his fist, Cassian rapped angrily on Azriel’s door, lobbying threats and curses towards his brother he knew was on the other side. Shadows crept out from under the door and disappeared just as fast. Cassian stared down at the floor, raising a brow at the little beasts. 

“Really?” He asked, annoyed. Cassian took a step back, crossing his arms and called out as loud as he could. 

“Alright asshole. You have three seconds to open this door before I go get my mate and she makes the House pick the lock!” 

Cassian waited, counting in his head. At the count of two, a breeze brushed past his head. At three, the door cracked open just a hair. 

“About damn time,” Cassian grumbled, moving to push the door open ever so slightly. It opened a couple of inches before sticking. He was about to shoulder it open when another breeze carded through his hair. 

Getting the hint, Cassian whispered to the House. “What is it?” Another breeze. 

Carefully, Cassian opened the door the rest of the way, the House having let go control, and peered inside. Azriel was clearly in his bed, snoring softly but he wasn’t alone. There was a faint glow coming from whoever he had wrapped in his arms and curiously, Cassian took a few steps closer. 

“Well I’ll be damned,” He said, quieter than death. A small chuckle rose in his throat but he swallowed it back down to get a little closer, just to be sure. 

Sure enough. With the softest smile he had ever seen on his brother's face, Azriel held Eris Vanserra tightly in his arms. They both looked exhausted, their breaths even and deep. 

The room smelled like burnt sugar and sex, a lot of sex. Cassian shuddered and turned to leave. He waited until he was out in the hallway and the House had closed the door, wards snapping back into place, before sending Rhys the scene he had just witnessed. 

“So… I think he knows,” Cassian said, his sleepy voice full of humor. “Also, I found Eris. Can I go back to bed now?”

“How,” Rhys started, clearly trying to hold back his rage. “Did the High Lord of another court sneak into my territory undetected?” The male could barely restrain his anger and Cassian only made it worse by laughing. 

“I don’t know but I don't think it’s anything you need to worry about.”

“I’ll decide what I need to worry about Cassian.” Oh yeah, he was mad.

“Oh come on Rhys. Let them be. They’re sleeping.” 

“Are we sure the power passed to Eris?” Rhys asked, coming back to his senses. 

“Eris is the new High Lord alright. He was glowing like the little worm he is.” There was no mistaking the heat of that power and what it meant. 

Rhys sighed. “ Alright. I suppose you and I should fulfill the Night Court's end of the bargain and help him secure his court until he wakes. The transition into becoming a High Lord is… difficult.”

“I think maybe Azriel already fulfilled it for us, don't you think?” Cassian chuckled again, walking back into his room. 

“Can we not?” Rhys began. “Seeing it was bad enough. I would prefer not to dwell on it.”

“Too soon for jokes?” Cassian yawned, laying back down in bed. 

“Up Cass, let’s go.” Rhys insisted. 

“Just a little longer brother,” Cassian replied, his voice already growing distant. 

“Don't you dare go back to sleep Cassian!”

“No for sure,” Nonsensically, he replied. Sleep overtook him as he tucked in next to Nesta pulling her close. “I’ll meet you at the River House soon.”

“Cass!” 

“Night Rhys.”

“Turns out,” Cassian whispered into Nesta’s hair after Rhys had given up and left his mind. “I owe you an entire chocolate cake.” 

A smile broke out across her sleepy face. “I told you so.” 

“Yeah… I guess you did. When did you figure it out?”

“Oh,” Nesta breathed. “ages ago.”