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“I’m here, I’m here!” Gwyn announced, slightly out of breath, as she entered the private library. “The service ran longer than I expected.”
Nesta looked up from the book she was reading. Emerie was in the chair next to her with a half eaten piece of pistachio cake resting in her lap.
They greeted one another with a custom Happy Solstice, despite already saying it earlier in the day when they exchanged their gifts.
Gwyn aimed for the table that the House had already filled with different types of desserts. She picked up a chocolate truffle and popped it into her mouth, savoring the delicious dark chocolate. “Where’s Cassian?” she asked around the mouthful of goodness.
Nesta scoffed, an amused look on her face as she said, “Cassian is over there.” She gestured vaguely at the corner of the room. “He passed out not too long ago.”
Gwyn raised an eyebrow. “From too much sex?” she inquired with a teasing smile.
Emerie cackled, causing Nesta to roll her eyes. “On ale. He had too much to drink.”
Gwyn chortled in disbelief, turning to take a look. Sure enough, the Illyrian general was slumped in a leather chair, snoring loudly. His wings were splayed over the back of the chair, there was a nearly empty bottle of ale cradled in his arms, and . . . a black cat was cuddled against his chest.
“Uh, is that a cat?”
Nesta nodded, offering no further explanation. And if Gwyn wasn’t mistaken, she could have sworn Nesta was blushing.
Emerie, however, had no problem explaining the bizarre situation to her. Rather delightfully. “Cassian kept saying he wanted to pet the pussy, so the House was nice enough to conjure him up one.”
“That drunk idiot talks too much,” Nesta, who was in fact blushing, mumbled under her breath.
“And after only three cups of ale,” Emerie said thoughtfully.
Gwyn shook her head. “Shouldn’t he have a better tolerance by now? Isn’t he like six hundred years old?”
“Gwyn, you should have more sympathy for your elders,” Emerie said in mock solemn.
Gwyn pretended to be properly chastised. “You’re right. Perhaps I can find something in the library that talks about what old Illyrians can do to improve their endurance.”
Emerie nodded in agreement, eyes alight with laughter.
Nesta flipped them both off, but didn’t bother to hide her smirk as she looked at her mate. “Believe me, Cassian doesn’t have any problems with his endurance—at least not where it counts.” She raised an eyebrow in Gwyn’s direction. “And isn’t Azriel older than Cassian?”
Emerie couldn’t contain herself and was soon doubled over in a fit of hysterics.
Gwyn stuck her tongue out at them.
Speaking of Azriel.
“Where is my mate? Is he also passed out drunk somewhere?” This was their first Winter Solstice together as mates, but she figured he was still spending time with Rhys and his family. Gwyn vaguely remembered Azriel waking her with a kiss goodbye. She had mumbled something in response before pulling the covers over her face.
Gwyn wasn’t exactly a fan of mornings.
“He’s waiting for you in the room,” Nesta told her.
Gwyn blinked. “Why?”
Emerie smirked, as if she knew a secret. “According to a very drunk Cassian, he has a special surprise waiting for you.” She snickered. Clearly she was enjoying herself. “And I suppose he also has his cock waiting for you.”
Gwyn could feel her face flush, still she smiled and asked pleasantly, “How’s Mor doing?”
Now it was Emerie who blushed, causing Nesta to break out in laughter. She wasn’t sure what was going on between Emerie and Mor, just that Emerie always blushed and got a little shy whenever anyone mentioned her.
Emerie grumbled, stuffing her mouth with some cake.
“So,” Nesta started. “How is Az in the bedroom? I’ve always been curious to know if the rumors were true.”
“Rumors?” Gwyn asked, though she could figure just what those rumors were about. Especially since she had firsthand experience to how Azriel was when it came to sex. Just the thought of it made her throb in anticipation.
“That he’s a freak—and to be honest, he definitely gives off that aura,” Emerie said, chuckling.
Gwyn only smiled. She refrained from telling them that Azriel was indeed a freak. But then, so was she.
“You really won’t tell us?” Nesta asked.
Her smile grew bigger and she shook her head. “Nope,” she said happily.
Emerie booed, waving her fork at her. Gwyn laughed and told them good night before leaving to go find her mate.
She found him in the bathroom, the shadows clearly warning him of her approach, since he was standing in front of a fully filled tub, smoke still steaming from the water. There were rose petals floating in the clear water and dozens of candles surrounded the bathtub.
There was also a chair next to the bath, and on it was a Sellyn Drake book.
“Happy Solstice,” Azriel said.
***•***
His shadows started to sing in response to the beautiful melody strumming from the mating bond. Ours, they whispered to him, as if he had forgotten.
Her big teal eyes were bright with wonder. He enjoyed seeing that look on her beautiful face. “Happy Solstice,” Gwyn said. One of his shadows darted out to curl around her ear, and she smiled as if it told her a secret.
“This is so beautiful.” She directed that lovely smile at him. “You are so beautiful, Azriel Shadowsinger.”
Azriel bowed his head, slightly embarrassed at the compliment. “Technically, the House did all of the work. I just told it what I wanted.”
A bowl of chocolate covered strawberries appeared next to the tub, and Azriel had a sense that the House appreciated it’s contribution being acknowledged.
Gwyn walked over and grabbed his right hand. She kissed the rough and scarred skin before holding it to her chest. Azriel blushed, his shadows singing and dancing around him at her touch. “Thank you for this,” she said.
He nodded, still blushing. “You should get in before the water gets cold.”
Gwyn smiled and quickly took her clothes off. His mate was a sight to behold as she stood there completely naked, her beautiful body illuminated by the candlelight, hair shining like molten metal.
She climbed into the bath, his cock twitching at the sight of her plump ass. She threw him a saucy grin over her shoulder and sunk into the depths of the water. “Why don’t you join me?”
Normally, Azriel wouldn’t have needed to be asked twice. But right now was supposed to be about Gwyn. He really wanted to pamper her, because she deserved it.
“Next time,” he said. He picked up the book and took a seat.
She gave him a confused look.
He held up the book. “I’m going to read to you while you relax,” he explained. It was a book that Emerie assured him Gwyn would like.
Gwyn eyed the cover. Her lips twitched. “Emerie recommended that one to you?”
“She did.”
“Okay, Shadowsinger.” She relaxed in the water, eating a strawberry with a soft little moan that made his cock ache. “Read to me.”
Azriel shifted in the chair and started to read. As he read chapter after chapter, he realized something—Emerie had given him what had to be the most sex filled book ever.
“Is something wrong?” Gwyn asked, clear amusement in her voice.
He cleared his throat and kept his eyes on the pages. “No.”
“Hmm.” He heard sploshing sounds and looked up to see Gwyn gently caressing her erect nipples. She quirked her lips when she met his gaze.
The little Valkyrie loved to drive him crazy.
He stifled a groan as her hand drifted into the water, presumably between her legs. The tantalizing aroma that was drifting from her pussy, made his cock and balls throb with need. His mouth watered for a taste, her scent nearly enough to make him feral. Ours, his shadows whispered to him.
Gwyn suddenly stood up, water cascading down her beautiful body. With deliberate movements, starting at those luscious breasts, she slowly slid her hand down her toned stomach, stopping at the apex of her thighs.
Azriel watched, completely fixated, as her slender fingers rubbed her clit before plunging inside. She fingered herself in front of him for a few minutes and then she withdrew her hand, holding it up and allowing him to see the wetness now coating her fingers. “Want a taste?” she asked with an enticing smile.
He didn’t even remember moving, but somehow he was now standing next to the tub. Wordlessly, he took her hand and sucked the wetness from her fingertips.
Azriel dropped to his knees and reached for her hips, prepared to taste her sweet honey from the source. He needed to have more on his tongue, flooding his mouth.
His tongue darted out, teasing her clit.
Gwyn gasped, reaching down and stilling his head. “Wait,” she said breathlessly.
He glanced up at her. “You want to stop?”
She shook her head. “No . . . I want to play.” Pure mischief was reflected in her eyes. “And I want to be in charge.”
Azriel smirked. His Gwyneth was adventurous when it came to sex, and he was more than happy to please her every need.
“Okay,” he agreed. “But I get to be in charge after.”
She shivered, teal eyes darkening with lust and anticipation. “Deal.”
***•***
“Where do you want me?” Azriel asked, standing next to the bed, deliciously naked, wings arched and stunning. Gwyn took a moment to admire her mate—his sinewy muscles, his abs, his glorious cock.
He was a thing of beauty.
“On the bed,” Gwyn told him. “I think I want you to eat my pussy first.”
His hazel eyes flashed with heat and he looked more than ready to devour her. He got on the bed and awaited her further instructions. She was still in awe, even after countless times, that this strong Illyrian warrior was willing to follow her commands. It made her feel powerful and seen.
She grabbed a few things and walked over to the bed. “Is this okay?” she asked him, holding up her items.
“Fuck yes.”
Gwyn smiled. “Kiss me first.”
He surged forward and kissed her. She opened her mouth, allowing his tongue to slip in. Their tongues met and twirled around together in a sensual dance, and Azriel angled her head back to kiss her even deeper, claiming her just as she was claiming him.
Azriel ended the kiss, leaving her breathless. He touched his lips softly to hers once more before pulling away.
“Shall we?” Gwyn said, holding up a red silk ribbon. Azriel gave her a smirk and turned so she could tie the material around his eyes. “Lay on your back,” she ordered him, and he immediately obliged her. Taking the rope, she secured both his hands to the headboard. She ran a finger over the membrane of his wings, smiling when he shivered.
She took a second to admire the sight of him bound and naked for her enjoyment, then she crawled up next to his head. “I’m going to ride your face,” Gwyn informed him, moving to straddle him.
“Fuck,” Azriel growled. “you smell like honey.” He licked his lips, as if eager for a taste.
Gwyn lowered herself onto his waiting mouth, and Azriel sucked her clit between his lips. She moaned and gripped his hair in both hands, arching her back and rolling her hips against his mouth.
He worked her with a combination of tongue, teeth, and lips, making her body shake with immense pleasure. She was so close, too close.
But she wasn’t ready to come just yet. Gwyn wanted to come while riding his cock.
She rolled off his face, ignoring Azriel’s sounds of protest, and aligned herself with him. She teased the tip of his cock with her pussy, coating it in her juices.
“Gwyneth,” Azriel groaned, his mouth and chin wet from her. “Fuck me.”
Gwyn lowered herself onto his thick length, loving the slight stretch of pain from his cock. Her ass touched his pelvis, then she slowly lifted up. She kept this slow rhythm for a few minutes until Azriel bucked his hips. “Gods, Gwyneth. Faster.”
“Say please,” she demanded. Gwyn loved to tease him to the point of madness, until he couldn’t take anymore and snapped.
“Fuck. Please, Gwyn. Fuck me.”
She rode him faster, adjusting her hips so his cock could hit the perfect spot inside of her. Azriel met her frantic pace, sending jolts of pleasure through her entire body.
His shadows swirled around her erect nipples teasingly. Ours, they softly whispered in her ear. The mating bond sang, thrumming the thread between their souls, and it was too much for Gwyn.
Her hips jerked sporadically as she came. She moaned loudly, biting her lip at the rush of unbridled pleasure. “Azriel!”
He moaned as she tightened around him, close to release himself. But right when he was about to cum, Gwyn lifted off of him.
“Gwyn!” he snarled, straining against the rope. “I was right there!”
“You can cum when I say you can,” Gwyn replied. “And I want to keep playing with you.”
His cock was pulsing angrily, dripping in her juices. Beads of his cum leaked from the tip, making her mouth water for a taste.
She reached up and took off his blindfold. “Watch me suck your cock.”
“You’re killing me,” Azriel groaned.
Gwyn smiled sweetly and kissed down his chest. His cock jerked, leaking even more cum. Gwyn took him into her mouth. “Fuck,” he moaned when she started sucking him.
Gwyn relaxed her throat and took his cock deep, allowing herself to gag, saliva dripping down to his balls. Azriel loved it when she chocked on him a bit.
“I’m close,” he warned her. Not that it was necessary. She had felt his cock start to swell and twitch.
She pulled away. “Not yet.”
“Gods,” Azriel groaned, panting heavily. “When? This is torture.”
She simply said, “Soon.” And went back to sucking him.
He hissed, straining against the rope, and she knew it was just a matter of time before he broke free. Gwyn couldn’t wait. She enjoyed being in control, but she also loved driving Azriel insane with lust. She loved when he took control back, not only because she trusted him with her life and body, but also because it meant unimaginable pleasure for her.
Her hand cupped his spit soaked balls, rolling and tugging them in unison with her sucking. She took his cock to the back of her throat, eyes watering as she spluttered.
Snap!
Gwyn smiled.
Azriel had broken free.
“Do you like sucking my cock like a little tease?”
Gwyn hummed, sucking him harder. She slid her fingers between her legs and circled her clit, trying to calm the fire raging through her body.
He groaned. “Your pussy is fucking soaked, isn’t it?”
It was. Sucking his cock always drove her wild
“Don’t cum.”
Aching and needing release, Gwyn was very tempted to ignore him. But ultimately, she withdrew her hand and focused on his thick length instead.
“I’m going to cum.” He warned, hands tangling in her hair. “Let me fuck that sweet throat like a good girl.” She moaned and relaxed her throat, allowing him to fuck her face.
She swallowed around the head of his cock and that was all it took for him to explode into her mouth with a curse. The first spurt of cum went straight down her throat, and she had to pull back a little to avoid choking. Some of it spilled down her chin.
“Swallow it all. Every. Fucking. Drop,” Azriel said, making her throb between the legs. She eagerly swallowed every drop he had to give, until he pulled out of her mouth—still hard. He jerked his cock and managed to squeeze out a few drops of cum onto her breasts. Gwyn rubbed it in, wanting his scent on her in every way, and Azriel watched with heated eyes.
“Show me.” She stuck out her tongue. Azriel wiped away the traces of cum from her chin and she sucked his thumb clean. He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “You’re so beautiful.”
Gwyn smiled. “And you tasted so good.” He blushed, which she found to be adorable, how shy this beautiful male could be at times.
His demeanor suddenly changed. Any traces of shyness were gone. “On your back,” he commanded. “It’s my turn.”
From the look in his eyes, she knew this was about to be deliciously torturous. And she couldn’t wait.
***•***
“What’s your safe word?” Azriel asked as he tied her legs to the bedposts. He left her hands free. For now.
Gwyn rolled her eyes, no doubt thinking they were beyond this, but Azriel took her comfort seriously. “Pegasus.”
He nodded. “Good.” He licked the inside of her sweet thighs. “Keep your hands on the headboard. If you move them, I’ll stop.”
That was all the warning he gave before engulfing her pussy into his mouth.
Gwyn’s honey taste filled his tastebuds, leaving him ravenous for more. He loved to eat her sweet pussy. Sometimes he would lick her for hours until it felt like his tongue was going to fall off.
She thrashed and moaned, hands gripping the headboard. Azriel held her hips down and savagely ate her out. Her juices were dripping down her ass, his chin, leaving a mess on the sheets. He flicked her clit rapidly with his tongue, nipped it gently with his teeth, and suctioned his lips around it, sucking hard.
Gwyn shot off the bed, coming hard with a gush into his mouth. Azriel swallowed it all. Her sweet nectar was like an aphrodisiac and turned him into an insatiable beast, desperate to taste even more of her down his throat. He spread her pussy and continued to torture her clit with his tongue. She came again, body twisting and twitching.
When she started to relax, he sat up and plunged two fingers into her still clenching pussy. His thumb rubbed her sensitive clit, and he hooked his fingers, hitting a spot that had her nearly bucking his hand lose.
“It’s too much,” she moaned.
“Cum for me love,” Azriel coaxed. Her eyes were hazy, hair wild, skin flushed. Fuck, she was beautiful. And all his. Ours, the shadows corrected him, but Azriel chose to ignore them.
He sped up his fingers, hitting that spot inside of her repeatedly. “Rub your nipples,” he ordered her. She did so with shaky hands, twisting and plucking her hard little nipples.
“Cum for me.” Her legs started to shake, and Azriel rubbed inside of her hard and fast, pinching her swollen clit with his free hand, hard enough to set her off.
Gwyn screamed hoarsely, arching her back, coming so hard that she almost pushed his fingers out. Azriel kept the firm rhythm inside of her, and Gwyn gushed like a waterfall, splattering his cock, thighs, lower abs, and hands in her juices.
He untied her legs, softly caressing the inside of her thighs. “Roll over onto your knees.”
“You’re insatiable,” she complained, like it was a nuisance. And yet, she still flipped over and got on her knees.
“Hands behind your back.” She complied. He bound her hands with the silk and helped lower her upper body to the bed, until only her ass was in the air.
He admired the view of her beautiful ass for a moment, then he slapped it with his palm.
“Yes,” Gwyn moaned. She wiggled her bottom. “Do it again.”
He smacked her ass again and again, alternating sides. Her juices were leaking down her thighs. Azriel was almost positive that Gwyn could cum just from getting spanked. And while he planned to test that theory one day soon, right now he really needed to fuck her.
But first—he hungered for another taste. He bent down and swiped his tongue through her creamy slit. Azriel devoured her, thrusting his tongue into her wet heat, fingers strumming her clit. He played her body like an instrument and tasted and feasted, until she exploded onto his tongue with a gasping moan.
Azriel sat back and drove into her. He tried to have some restraint. But every time he sank deep into her, restraint didn’t exist. Especially not when Gwyn was currently rolling her ass against him like a seductress.
He was a male completely consumed by his mate. Gwyn. Even her name resonated to his core, like a beautiful song.
He stroked her cunt with the palm of his hand, thrusting hard, fast, and deep inside of her.
“Azriel, oh Gods.” Gwyn thrashed around on the bed, groaning as she came. She jerked her hips, scrambling to get his hand away from her clit.
Her body went limp and Gwyn collapsed onto the bed, gasping for air. “I’m done. I yield to your sexual prowess for tonight.”
Azriel patted her ass. “Don’t quit on me now, Gwyneth.” He could admit that he was desperate to continue worshiping her body. His cock was still hard and his balls were aching for a release, but more than that, he just really loved to drive Gwyn wild with pleasure.
She let out an exaggerated sigh. “Fine. Feel free to keep fucking me. Just don’t expect me to cum again. I don’t think my body can handle another orgasm.”
“You’ll cum again,” he said confidently, untying her hands.
She rolled over onto her back and narrowed her eyes up at him. “Are you trying to kill me?” But he saw the anticipation gleaming in her eyes. She loved this just as much as he did.
He smirked and rubbed himself over her drenched lips, smearing her cream all over his cock and balls. He grabbed her legs and wrapped them around his waist, thrusting deep into her.
Gwyn was dripping wet and the sound of him pounding into her pussy filled the room. He pinched her clit between his fingers, rolling the swollen bud swiftly, determined to make her cum with him.
“You feel so fucking good,” Azriel rasped. “Who’s pussy is this?“
Her pupils dilated, but she lifted her chin in defiance. “Mine.”
He lightly smacked her clit. “Wrong answer. Who’s is it?“
“Mine.” He gave her clit another smack, harder this time. She bucked her hips, not to get away from his hand, but to get closer. His dirty girl liked a bit of pain.
Azriel stopped moving his hips and took his hand away from her throbbing cunt. He had to stop himself from smiling when she mewled. “No! Keep going,” she panted. Her cheeks were flushed with arousal.
“You know what I want to hear.”
She let out a huff of frustration, then absolute mischief flashed in her teal eyes. She tightened her legs around his waist and clenched her inner muscles. Azriel groaned at the tightness that strangled his cock. Fuck, she knew how to drive him crazy.
“Who does this cock belong to?” Gwyn purred.
“You,” he readily replied. “Every part of me belongs to you. My cock, my body, my heart.” His shadow’s darkened, prompting him to add, “Even my shadows.”
Gwyn smiled and looped her arms around his neck. She kissed him. “I’m yours. Every part of me—including my pussy.” She nipped at his bottom lip. “Now fuck me.”
So he did.
Azriel fucked her hard. He slipped his hand between them, rubbing her clit fast and hard. Gwyn clawed at his back. The headboard slammed into the wall with the force of his thrusts, the wood framing on the verge of breaking.
She moaned and grabbed his ass, urging him to go faster. He rotated his hips so that he could hit that sweet spot inside of her. He worked her clit harder, rolling the engorged bud with a firm swiftness that sent her over the edge. Her pussy spasmed repeatedly around his length, and she let out a guttural moan that made his balls throb.
Azriel kept his ruthless pace, fucking her into yet another orgasm. Gwyn cried out weakly as she came and bit down on his shoulder, wetness soaking his cock and dripping down his balls. The sting of pain from her teeth and the feeling of her pussy clenching tight around his cock, had him exploding deep inside of her.
Azriel roared, pounding into her so hard that she had another small orgasm. He distantly heard the sound of something breaking, but ignored it.
His body jerked with a final pulse of cum, his balls finally drained dry. He dropped her legs to the bed and collapsed on top of Gwyn, trying to get air back into his starved lungs. “Gods,” he gasped, resting his face in the crook of her shoulder.
Gwyn mumbled in agreement, eyes closed and face exhausted. He smiled and kissed her neck, slowly pulling out.
He watched his cum leak out of her, and he couldn’t help himself—he pushed it back in. There was a part of him, a primal instinct, that wanted to keep filling her with his cum until he got her pregnant. He could almost picture it, her belly round with his child, round with twins—two little girls with her freckles and stunning teal eyes. Gwyn, though, had expressed her desire to have a son that looked just like him. A little Shadowsinger, is what she had said.
But he had a feeling that whenever they did start a family, they would both get what they wanted.
“You still with me?” Azriel teased.
“Hmm.” She opened one eye. “But I think we broke the bed.”
He looked up, startled. The headboard was indeed broken.
Azriel burst out in laughter and Gwyn joined him, the shadows dancing at the sound of their delight.
***•***
An hour later, Gwyn was cuddled up to Azriel, the shadows sleeping soundly. She was filled with contentment.
Gwyn was starting to doze off, but suddenly sat up with a gasp. “Oh no!”
“What’s wrong?” Azriel asked. He looked around as if to see what had upset her. Even the shadows had woken, swirling around as if waiting to strike.
“We forgot to exchange gifts!” Gwyn whined.
Azriel gave an exasperated sigh, and even the shadows seemed to be perplexed by her. One of them danced up to her ear and softly whispered, Crazy. Gwyn rolled her eyes and waved it off with a smile.
“This couldn’t wait until the morning?”
Her eyes widened and she frantically shook her head. “What? No! It has to be tonight. It’s a tradition, and you can’t break a tradition!”
Azriel laughed and sat up as well.
Three gifts popped up on the bed, courtesy of the House. Gwyn handed Azriel one of her gifts first, and watched him open it. He turned it over into his palm. A locket with a silver chain fell into his hand—inside was a picture of Gwyn that she had asked Feyre to paint for her.
“Do you like it?” she asked him. “I have a matching one, but mine has a picture of you instead, obviously. I asked Feyre to paint us. And I asked Nesta to make a wish on them, like she did our friendship bracelets, so that way we can find each other no matter what.“
“I’ll wear this like armor,” he promised with a soft smile.
Gwyn handed him another parcel and watched a bit nervously as he opened it. He pulled out the leather bound book and read the title with a slightly puzzled look.
“It’s a collection of children’s fables,” Gwyn explained. “A lot of them are short stories from other courts, and some are from the other priestesses. There are a few mortal tales that Nesta helped with.” She blushed, worrying about what he must be thinking. Was it too childish? “I also included some stories that Catrin and I used to make up. I just . . . I figured that maybe you weren’t able to read much as a child and so I—“ Azriel cut her off with a kiss, which was a good thing since she had been rambling.
He gingerly ran his fingers over the leather, as if he feared breaking it. Gwyn had to blink back tears as Azriel looked at her, hazel eyes suspiciously bright. “I don’t know what to say,” he said, appearing like a lost child. The same child that she desperately wished she could go back in time and protect from the world.
Gwyn smiled brightly, not wanting to see him sad. “You can say thank you and give me my present?“ she teased, hoping to get a smile or a laugh.
He rewarded her with a hug instead. She inhaled his scent, allowing it to fill her with warmth. “Thank you for this. I’ll cherish every story knowing that they came from you.”
“I had a lot of people pitch in to help me with it, so I can’t take all the credit . . . but I’m glad you like it.”
He tucked a lock of her hair behind her arched ear, lingering long enough to make her shiver.
Azriel smiled knowingly and handed her his gift. She eagerly tore it open, making him chuckle. Inside of the box was a dagger. Smaller in size than his own, but still deadly. A brilliant blue gem was embedded in the handle, and the blade was sharp and serrated.
“Now you have your own dagger to sleep with,” Azriel joked.
Gwyn set it down on the dresser so she could hug him. “I already sleep with my very own dagger. You.” His face flushed red and she kissed him loudly on the cheek. She gave him a smile. “I know exactly what to call it.”
He raised an eyebrow in question.
“Silver Majesty.”
Azriel simultaneously chuckled and winced at the name, but Gwyn decided to ignore that. It was a good name after all. “Isn’t that what you said you would name your sword? Should I have gotten you a sword instead?”
She shrugged. “There’s always next year.”
His lips twitched, amusement in his eyes. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
***•***
Azriel jumped out of bed with a curse. He nearly tripped over his feet as he hurried to get dress.
Gwyn sat up, hair wild from sleep, her freckled nose scrunched adorably. “Wha—where are you going?“ she asked, still sounding half asleep.
He stopped what he was doing and glanced down. The sheet had fallen to her stomach, revealing her lush breasts and pink nipples. If it wouldn’t have made him late, he would’ve crawled under those covers and licked her pussy until she passed out.
Instead, Azriel had to settle for giving her a quick kiss on the lips. “Annual snowball fight.”
She blinked and then burst out in laughter. “I thought Nesta was joking when she told me about the snowball fight! I seriously can’t picture three big, strong warriors having a snowball fight every year.”
Azriel blushed because he supposed it did sound pretty childish. Though Gwyn looked mostly intrigued.
“Do you win a lot?”
He grinned. Of course his competitive female would want to know that. “More than Cassian.”
“Well that’s good to know.”
“I plan on winning this year.” He had already been going over countless strategies with his shadows for months now.
“I want to have a snowball fight,” Gwyn said with a pout. She grumbled about having to start a tradition with Emerie and Nesta.
Azriel shuddered at the very thought of what a Valkyrie tradition might include.
Gwyn gave him a sleepy little smile, eyelids drooping. “Good luck with your snowball fight,” she mumbled.
He put on his shoes and when he was done he noticed that she had fallen back asleep.
He pulled the blanket up over her shoulders and kissed her the top of her head, inhaling her sweet scent. One of his shadows darted down to twirl around a lock of her hair before returning to him.
After allowing himself one last look at her sleeping form, he departed.
Azriel had a snowball fight to win.
***•***
The next day, Gwyn entered the bedroom and was met with an . . . astonishing sight.
Azriel stood in the middle of the room, but that wasn’t what left her so befuddled. It was the fact that the room was covered in a brilliant white powder. Snow. There was snow on every surface and falling from the ceiling in immeasurable amounts.
Gwyn stuck out a hand, catching a snowflake in her palm. She watched it melt. As she caught a few more, she asked, “Why is it snowing inside the room?”
“You said you wanted to have a snowball fight,” Azriel replied with a shrug, like it was no big deal.
She blinked slowly, processing what he said, and then beamed at him happily. “Really? We’re going to have a snowball fight?“
He shot her a cocky grin. “Yes, but be prepared to lose. I already won one snowball fight.”
Gwyn arched an eyebrow, inching her way to a nearby table. “Am I supposed to be scared, Shadowsinger?”
He still had that stupid, cocky smile on his face, and Gwyn really wanted to knock it off.
“You should be. But don’t worry, I’ll take it easy on you—“
A snowball that Gwyn had silently formed behind her back, smacked him right in the face, cutting off his words. He staggered back a step, laughing ominously.
Gwyn yelped and barely ducked when Azriel tossed a snowball of his own in her direction. And then another, followed by yet another. It seemed that Azriel could make snowballs impossibly fast.
“I would like a pile of snowballs, please,” she said, trying and failing to dodge all of Azriel’s attacks. Gwyn nearly sighed in relief when a stack bigger than herself appeared.
She returned fire.
They both managed to get each other a good amount of times, but even Gwyn had to admit that Azriel was way more skilled than her. He had years and years of practice, and she was sure that he was holding back a little . . . okay, maybe a lot.
“Do you give?” Azriel taunted.
Gwyn narrowed her eyes, somehow resisting the urge to stick her tongue out at him. “Never.”
He lunged forward in the blink of an eye and grabbed her around the waist. Gwyn squealed when he started to tickle her.
Gwyn was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down her face. “Let go of me, you sadistic bat!” she wheezed.
Azriel chuckled darkly. “Do you admit defeat?”
“No!” He continued to tickle her. “Okay, okay! You win! I surrender!”
When her laughter died down, Gwyn looked at Azriel and glared. “You play dirty,” she accused.
Azriel grinned and took her face in his hands, wiping the tears from her cheeks. He kissed her softly and sweetly. “I play to win,” he whispered against her lips.
Before Gwyn could reply, the snow falling around them suddenly took the form of what appeared to be the House’s version of Starfall. The room was filled with blue and green and white light, the mock stars descending over them like beautiful rain.
Splatters of fake stars landed on them, glowing bright, and Gwyn smiled, wrapping her arms around his waist. Azriel, still holding her face, gently caressed her jaw with his thumbs, and gave her a boyish smile in return.
Standing in their very own Starfall, in the arms of her mate, her chest was full and glowing.
And Gwyn was utterly content.
“I love you, Shadowsinger.”
“And I love you, Priestess.”
His shadows danced around them, singing a beautiful melody in harmony with the bond between them. It was a song that would never stop.