#elriel fanfic
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I Do Bad Things with You - Part 48
One part left and an epilogue to go!! 🎉 What is lifeeeee? The fact that this story is literally almost over is just insane to me. Thank you to everyone who kept up with this one. I know it's been a long, long ride. Your patience and kind words have meant the world to me. 💜
My fanfic account: @tswaney17fics
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Please let me know what you think about this update. I love getting your feedback. Constructive criticism is always welcome. 💕
Catch up here.
Credit to @featherymalignancy for Cassian’s nickname, Cash. 😘
Trigger warnings: violence, sexual assault , language, NSFW
Word Count: 8,481
Elain’s consciousness tugged at the front of her mind, slowly trying to pull her from her slumber. Warmth radiated from the other person she shared her bed with, his cedar and mist scent a balm to her soul. As she slowly came to, she realized that Azriel was not the only one in their bed that morning, her son’s voice catching her attention even though her husband tried to keep him quiet.
“Not so close, buddy,” Az murmured, and she felt Kaden’s small body being pulled slightly away from her. “We have to be careful of Momma’s tummy.”
A little body shuffling jostled her but she kept her eyes firmly shut, simply enjoying the tender moment with her boys.
“Like this, Daddy?”
Her heart melted. The night before came perfectly clear in her memory—how Azriel’s face morphed into quiet joy from Kaden finally calling him daddy. She saw every emotion behind his eyes, every prayer being answered: that their son would finally view him as his father and not just a guardian.
“That’s perfect, bud,” he choked out in a hoarse whisper. It was obvious how much it meant to Azriel to hear that name coming from Kaden’s lips.
Elain knew that her husband was aware of her being awake; he always seemed to sense her presence even before she opened her eyes. He confirmed it when Kaden tried to whisper, “When is Momma going to wake up?”
Az’s answering chuckle was the first indicator, followed by “Soon, I’m sure.”
She took that as her queue, stretching out her aching body—pregnancy really was a bitch—yawning until she opened her eyes.
“Momma!” Kaden shouted in glee, throwing his arms around her shoulders.
Elain let out an “oomph,” laughing as Azriel chastised their rambunctious four-year-old.
“Easy, Kaden.” He scooped his son back into his arms, kissing him all over his face and making him burst out into a fit of giggles.
She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, smiling at the sweet display. “What time is it?”
Az settled their son between them, his bright eyes glancing at her. “Just before seven. The Moonbeam twins will be here at nine to collect you and Kaden to head to the baby store in Hewn City.”
Elain could see the change in her husband as he spoke. How he wanted them to go with them and that it made him nervous to stay behind while they were in another territory. She reached out, cupping his cheek in her palm, and let her thumb swoop over the apple of it. “We’ll be okay,” she whispered, hoping to reassure him.
He sighed heavily, twisting his head to kiss the inside of her hand. “I’ll be better once you’re both home and safe.”
“Momma, I’m hungry!” Kaden announced, breaking the spell that had woven over them.
Azriel rose from the bed, turning to face them. “I’ll make breakfast. What do you guys want?”
“Pancakes!” they said in unison.
Her husband huffed a laugh, eyes rolling because that’s what Elain always wanted for breakfast. “Why do I bother asking?” And then he swooped down to toss their giggling boy onto his shoulder. “Alright, free-loader… you’re going to help me make pancakes this morning,” he called out as he threw a still-giggling Kaden over a shoulder and muscled his way out of their bedroom.
“Bye momma!” their little boy called waving at her enthusiastically.
She wiggled her fingers at him, giving herself another moment to lounge in bed. One of the twins stretched out, their little foot pressing against the inside of her stomach hard enough to see the outline of it. She could even make out their little toes. Elain let out a breath, running her hand over her belly to soothe the child. “Make yourself comfortable, little one,” she teased in a soft breath.
Shuffling herself off the bed, she waddled into the large bathroom to shower and get ready for the day.
Forty-five minutes later, she padded her way downstairs to the kitchen in a pair of leggings, one of Azriel’s oversized sweatshirts—because it was the only thing warm enough that fit her at the moment—and sneakers. She found her boys at the stove, Kaden pouring the last remnants of the batter onto a hot skillet while Azriel flipped pancakes to perfection.
Elain took out her phone and snapped a photo of the two of them, intending on getting it printed and framed for the house. She glanced down at the finished pancakes, noticing the wonky shape from her boy’s pouring skills. Her lips turned up into a smile as she made her way to the fridge to grab the carton of orange juice for herself and milk for Kaden.
Azriel caught her movement, eyes quickly looking in her direction before returning to the stove. And then his whole head snapped toward her, taking in every inch of her and what she was wearing.
Truth be told, Elain knew what wearing Az’s clothes did to him. He had always had this masculine pride whenever she paraded around in his t-shirts and such. But she typically wore them around the house, unless he happened to drape something on her while they were out. His eyes darkened, and he stepped away from the stove to prowl over to her.
The look he shot her had a pleasurable chill running down her spine. How Elain could be seven months pregnant with fucking twins and still be turned on by this man was beyond her. But he took advantage of her raging hormones when they could.
A scarred hand reached out to run down the length of her sleeve. “You’re wearing this out?” he asked, voice low and sensual.
She felt herself twinge between her thighs. “It’s big and comfy,” she told him. “Is it all right if I wear it?” Elain knew the answer before he even voiced it.
A growl rumbled from the back of his throat. “Fuck yeah, you can wear it. Look at my wife, knocked up and wearing my clothes. Do you know the kind of message that sends to people?”
She huffed a laugh. “That you’re territorial and a caveman.”
Azriel claimed her lips in a heated kiss, stepping into her space until her rounded belly was pressed against his abdomen. It was obvious he wanted to finish what they started last night, the way his tongue slipped into her mouth and how his palms cradled her body indicated it.
Frankly, she did too. Elain didn’t think Az could be more attentive to her needs, but while pregnant, he managed to kick up his wicked talents until she passed out from coming so many times when they got hot and heavy.
His mouth moved dominantly over hers, prying her lips apart so he could stroke his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss.
It took a splat sound, followed by an “Oopsie,” from their son for them to break apart.
Azriel whirled around while she stepped to peer around his shoulder at their son holding the spatula in his tiny fist, a guilty look spreading across his face in the form of a blush.
Her eyes glanced down at the floor, finding a half-cooked pancake staining the wood.
“Kaden,” Az started, voice alight with humor. “Watcha doing there, bud?”
Those tanned cheeks turned an even brighter shade of pink. “I was trying to flip, Daddy!” he says exasperated.
Her husband let out a chuckle, moving to help their son climb off the stool he was standing on. “Well, it looks like we might need to practice that next time. Go sit down at the table, Kaden.”
Azriel cleaned up the mess in their kitchen while she finished setting out dishes for breakfast.
Elain loved mornings like this. The three of them—soon to be five—sitting around eating their breakfast together. She wanted to make this a weekend ritual, especially when the kids were young. Weekdays were difficult to get all of them around the table and she and Az took turns preparing breakfast for Kaden before he went to school and they to work. Actually, Azriel typically took care of it most mornings now since she was running slower, but this, this sweet family time…Elain wanted nothing more than to have this with her husband and children.
The doorbell ringing pulled her from her reverie, Azriel announced he’d get it, then dropped a kiss on the top of her and Kaden’s heads.
She heard the tale-tell sounds of the Moonbeam twins entering their foyer.
“Good morning, Elain,” Fenrys bellowed, dropping a kiss to her cheek followed by his brother more politely. Both men ruffled Kaden’s hair and took a spot around their breakfast nook.
“Morning, boys. Thanks again for taking Kaden and me to Hewn today.”
Connall flashed a brilliant smile. “It’s always a pleasure, Elain.”
She gestured to the table still full of food. “Please help yourself to breakfast. Kaden helped make the pancakes this morning.”
Fenrys twisted to the little boy. “Kaden, you made the pancakes?”
Her son beamed at the question. “I did, Uncle Fen!”
He grabbed one of the oddly shaped flapjacks and bit into it, groaning. “Well, that’s the best pancake I’ve ever had, isn’t Con?”
Connall took one as well. “I think we’ve got a little chef on our hands,” he said, earning a little blush from Kaden.
She grinned at the conversation, loving how her boy had become more comfortable with their security team over time. One of the babies sent a swift kick to her lower stomach causing her to wince. The conversation stalled as all three men at the table took notice.
Az’s large, scarred hand slid across her belly. “Are they kicking?” he asked with a sweet, hopeful look in his amber eyes.
She nodded, a grin playing on her lips. “They’ve been making their presence known this morning,” she murmured, looking down at her pregnant stomach.
Fenrys rounded the table, looking at where the baby was moving beneath her skin. “May I?” he questioned.
Elain took his hand and placed it right where one of the twins sent two jabs.
The golden twin’s smile took up his entire face. “That’s a strong one you got there.” Both Fenrys and Connall had grown even closer to her since she got pregnant. They often asked to feel the babies kicking if they happened to be active whenever they were around. She was surprised that Azriel showed no displeasure or territorialism when they did. He’d been particularly protective of her, especially around others, and didn’t like when others touched her without asking first.
Rhys found out the hard way a few weeks back, having had his hand snatched off her by the wrist in Azriel’s brutal grip. “Ask first,” he growled at his brother, a lethal look in his eyes.
She had been a bit blind-sighted by the interaction, as was the rest of their family, but not a single one of them touched her again without getting her explicit permission first.
Luckily, both the Moonbeam brothers always asked and she never had an issue with them.
The commotion around her fluttering belly grew the attention of Kaden who pushed his way around Fenrys’s legs. “Momma, can I touch your tummy too?” His little lip quiver had her reaching for him and tugging him closer.
“Of course you can, sweetheart.” Kaden was the only other person freely allowed to touch her stomach, Azriel often encouraging him to feel them or listen to her stomach so he could connect with his siblings early on. She gripped his small hand and placed it right where one of the babies had been kicking. Up until that point, Kaden had missed every time they kicked; the twins already giving their older brother a hard time.
His brow furrowed in concentration. “I don’t feel anything,” he said, deflating.
Her lips quirked up. “Give it a second.” And as she predicted, a hard kick was sent straight to his palm.
He whipped his hand back, shock plastering his face. “Why are they kicking you, Momma?”
She felt the attention of her husband and security detail on them, listening to his curious mind. “They’re not trying to kick me, baby. They’re just trying to get comfortable with the little room they have in Momma’s tummy.”
His green and gold eyes dragged from her stomach to her face. “Can’t they come out here?” He threw his arms wide. “There’s lots of room!”
The adults chuckled and she reached out to lightly tuck a curl behind his ear. “They’re not ready to come out yet. But they’ll be here before you know it.” Elain tapped his button nose with the pad of her finger.
His face scrunched up adorably. “Why are they in your tummy, Momma?” he asked, head cocked to the side as he studied her moving stomach.
She leaned back in her seat. “Babies need time to grow big and strong. Mommas help them by keeping them safe in their tummies for a while until they’re all ready to come out and join us.”
He seemed to think about that for a minute, then asked, “How’d they get in there?”
Azriel choked on his coffee.
Silence descended upon the kitchen. She glanced at her security team across the table, both of them wearing shit-eating grins, and then her husband who looked conflicted in answering at all. Fucking traitors. “Well, Daddy put them in me so I can grow them.”
There, that was safe, right? Truthful but not explicit.
But of course, their curious son had too many questions and wondered about too many things. “How?”
“I’ll tell you when you’re older, son,” Azriel finally swept in with the saving remark.
Seemingly appeased with that answer, Kaden leaned forward and lightly patted her stomach. “I can’t wait to meet you,” he whispered, kissing her roundness like he’d seen his father do so many times.
There was a collective aww from the group before her husband rose from behind her. “Come on, Kaden. Let’s get you ready so you and Momma can go with Uncle Fen and Uncle Con into the city.” He leaned down, whispering in her ear, “Nice save, Mom.”
She shot him a menacing glare as they strolled for the stairs.
Fenrys poured himself a glass of orange juice, snickering behind the cup. “Well, that was fun.”
Elain turned her glare on him. “Oh, yeah. So much fun for me. Thanks for the help, guys.”
“One,” Connall, started, flicking a finger up, “he’s not our kid. And two,” his middle finger joined the first, “I really wanted to hear the sexual education course from an actual doctor.” He took a bite of his pancake, smirking.
She groaned. “It’s far too early for the sex talk.” Elain threw back her orange juice like it was a shot of tequila. “Azriel can have the talk with the boys. I’ll give it to our daughter.”
“Unnecessary because our daughter is never having sex,” Az announced, striding back into the kitchen.
“Is that so?” she questioned, leaning back in her seat.
He nodded affirmatively. “I’m officially joining Cassian on the ‘our daughter is never dating’ pact.”
Elain rolled her eyes so far back into her head, she swore they nearly stuck. “You do realize you can’t physically stop her from having sex, right?”
A thick brow rose. “I’ll scare off anyone who so much as looks in her direction.” He said it so casually, she was starting to get concerned he was serious.
“What if he’s just like you?”
He let out a harsh laugh. “Then he’s definitely dead.”
Elain glanced at the Moonbeam twins for help, but they were dutifully ignoring her pleading looks. Yup, fucking traitors. She pushed herself from her seat. “Azriel, we cannot hold our daughter to a different standard than our son’s. That’s not fair and you know it.”
His eyes flicked back and forth between hers. “Fair enough.”
“Good.”
“None of them are allowed to date,” he announced like it was the most obvious answer.
“Azriel!” she hissed, swatting his shoulder. “You overbearing, protective man. Stop this.”
He tugged her in his arms, a grin fighting its way onto his lips. “I can’t help it, El. They’re my babies.”
She reached up to cup his stubbled cheeks in her palms. “They’re mine too. But they’re going to need to spread their wings eventually. We can’t protect them from everything and we can’t stop them from living their lives.”
“I know, I know.” He sighed heavily. “A man can dream, can’t he? That they’ll stay little and dependent on us forever?”
Elain laughed softly. “You’re a perfect father, my love.” She pressed her lips to his, sighing into his mouth when he deepened it.
It took a very subtle, but very prominent, throat-clearing to pull them apart. They turned to look at the twins, both wearing mischievous grins.
“Sorry, we weren’t sure if you wanted to give us a front-row seat to the live-action, baby-making ritual,” Fenrys tossed out.
“Jesus Christ, Fen,” Elain muttered while her husband shot him a death glare. “Where’s Kaden?” she asked him instead, regaining his attention.
“I left him to brush his teeth and get dressed. He said he could do it on his own.”
Her eyes widened. “Did you pull clothes out for him?” Kaden was in his stage of throwing on whatever he found first, which meant his outfits of choice would sometimes consist of long pants, a tank top, one rain boot, one flip flop, and the occasional beanie. And somehow, everything was always a different color.
A few weeks back, Kaden had decided to dress for school and ended up in a full meltdown when she said he couldn’t wear his pajama pants with one slipper and a light-up sneaker. She ended up being late for work and Azriel had to leave an early morning meeting from his home office to come help handle the situation when she grew lightheaded enough from the stress.
“His entire outfit is lying on his bed and I told him to put it on after he finished his teeth.” Az planted a kiss on her cheek.
“If he comes down in a T-rex costume, you’ll be dealing with it on your own.”
A brow raised. “Does he have a T-rex costume?”
She shrugged, sighing. “I don’t even know.” They really did spoil their children.
Fenrys and Connall snickered at the exchange. “Do you want us to take the SUV?” the latter asked, redirecting the conversation to her husband.
Azriel guided her back to her chair and helped her sit. “Yes, anytime they leave the city they must be in the SUV.”
Elain nearly rolled her eyes. A few weeks before they bought the house, she and Az had agreed to get a new car since their current one wouldn’t be able to handle the size of their growing family. Elain left it up to her husband, not caring about what he got, but he had some specific requests. It had to have high safety reviews, fit their whole family, and be luxurious. Frankly, she only cared about the former two, but he insisted they should always ride in comfort.
What she did not expect was for him to upgrade every window to bullet-proof glass. The damn thing was safer than what a president or the royal family would be escorted in.
“Just a precaution,” he had told her. “More like overly excessive,” she shot back.
She just huffed out a breath, finishing her juice. “Aren’t you supposed to be working?” she asked her husband, eyeing his casual attire.
He flicked her nose, making her hiss. “Meeting’s at ten. I’ll change when you guys head out.” Grabbing her dishes, he padded to the sink to wash them, always taking care of her.
Twenty minutes later, they were loading into the car, Az getting Kaden into his booster seat while she slid into the back. He kissed his son’s cheek, eyes finding hers. “Be safe. Call me if you have any problems.”
Elain offered him a reassuring smile. “We’ll be fine. Love you.”
“Love you, too.” He leaned farther in, stealing a quick kiss from her lips, then shut the door.
She watched him speak with the Moonbeam brothers outside of the vehicle, likely giving them the protection order for her and their son. After a couple of minutes and a few nods, they took their respective seats in the front.
Fenrys flashed a grin from the driver’s side. “Ready, fam?”
About an hour later, they pulled into a parking spot outside the large baby store Elain had been dying to get into. She tried to keep most of her purchases to local businesses in Velaris, but there were just some things she couldn’t get there and had to resort to one of the chain stores.
The minute the car was in park, the men jumped out, opening their doors. Connall unclipped Kaden from his booster seat and helped him out, taking his hand until they met on the other side of the car and she could take over.
Their focus was the double-seated stroller, but she did want to look at the pack-n-play for when the babies started to really move around. They still had their co-ed baby shower the following month at Feyre and Rhys’s for any last-minute items.
They slowly made their way into the massive store, Connall disappearing to grab a cart. As they walked, they passed the toy section, and Elain saw how Kaden’s eyes lit up like it was Solstice morning.
“Momma, can I go look at the toys, please?”
She glanced at the golden twin, then back at her son. “Sure, sweetheart. Why don’t you and Uncle Fen go pick out something small for your brother and sister?”
The little boy squealed, taking Fenrys’s large hand in his and pulling him away.
“We’ll be in the stroller area when you’re finished.”
She and Connall continued their perusal through the isles until she found what she was looking for—of course, the prams were at the back of the store. Elain already knew which one she wanted; the stroller was top-of-the-line, grew with the babies, and had the best reviews on the market.
But when they stopped in front of the shelves, she realized their mistake. “I think we’re going to need a flatbed. These won’t fit in the cart.”
Connall stepped up to her side. “Yup, I’m realizing that right now. Damn. Sorry, Elain. Let me go grab the other cart. You okay here?”
Elain huffed a laugh. “Well, I can tell you I’m not walking back to the front of the store and back, so I think I’ll survive the few minutes of your absence,” she teased, flashing him a cheeky grin.
He rolled his eyes at her, a smile toying on his lips. “You’re so sassy pregnant.”
“You’ll do well to remember that.”
Connall chuckled, heading back to the front of the store. He left the cart at her request, just in case she needed it.
She grabbed one of the large boxes from the lower shelves and yanked. The box barely budged. “Oh, come on,” she muttered, trying again.
“Can I help you with that?” a male voice asked, coming up behind her.
Elain whirled, taking an involuntary step back at his proximity,
His lips curled up in the corner. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Her eyes ran over the length of him. He was an attractive man. Older than her, likely close to forty if she had to guess. He was tall, well over six foot with golden brown skin and dark hair. He looked familiar in a way that tickled the back of her mind but couldn’t quite place.
He nodded at the stroller box. “Did you want me to grab that for you?” he asked again.
“Oh. Yes, that’d be great.”
The man stepped around her, reaching for the handle of the box and slid it out for her to inspect, the suit jacket he wore stretching over the defined muscles of his shoulders and back. “Here you go.”
She ran a hand over the box, double-checking the name and product code. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“Of course,” he said, leaning a hip against the shelves and crossing his arms over his broad chest. “How far along are you?”
Elain tucked her hair behind her ear, looking back up at him. Again, the prickling sensation rubbed at her mind, almost like in warning. “Right around seven months,” she said. It wasn’t too personal to admit to a stranger. Carrying twins, Elain looked ready to pop anyway. “Is your wife pregnant? Girlfriend?” she asked, redirecting the attention from herself onto him.
His lips turned up again. “Sister-in-law.” He let his eyes rove over her form, sending a chilling sensation running down her spine. “I’ll admit it’s been a while since I bought anything from a baby store…any suggestions?”
Her brow furrowed. It seemed odd he’d come into the store without having any inkling of what to get. “What is she having?”
Again, a smile touched his lips, but Elain thought it looked a little more sinister than genuine.
“Twins,” he announced carefully.
The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Her heart began racing in her chest as she started to connect the dots of who this man was. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m sorry, I don’t have any suggestions for you.”
He huffed a rough laugh. “No?” His thumb rubbed his lower lip in contemplation. “I would’ve figured you could’ve given me a good idea of what to give her and her husband.”
Elain took a very subtle step away, putting the stroller box between them, but of course, those fucking hazel eyes zeroed in on the movement, his mouth pulling up. “Nope,” she said, popping the p sound. “Can’t help you.”
The man stuffed his hands into his pocket, a casual look of grace and sophistication, but he also radiated a dark and dangerous vibe. A lethal combination…just like her husband. “What was your name again?” he asked casually, head cocking to the side in a predatory-type of way.
“I didn’t give it,” she snapped back. Her red alert sensors were going off in her mind, and here she was, all alone with her son somewhere else in the fucking store. But Elain didn’t dare take her eyes off the man who was looking at her too closely.
He chuckled, the sound sending nerves flooding her stomach. “Smart girl. You’ll have to tell Azriel that Frankie says hello. It’s been a very long time since we last saw each other.”
And there it was. The truth of who had somehow managed to track her down in a baby store in Hewn City. What her gut had been screaming at her since he said he was buying something for his pregnant sister-in-law. She knew she recognized him, he bore some similar markers of her husband and Nicklaus too. The same jawline, the same nose. But where Azriel’s hazel eyes had flecks of emerald, Francisco’s were much lighter, giving him an almost feline look.
Elain took another step back, one he countered with a casual step in her direction. “You shouldn’t be here,” she stated, trying to keep her voice calm and not betray her terror. Because this man, this man was utterly lethal. He wouldn’t hesitate to grab her or her son.
“Shouldn’t I be?” he asked cooly. Too cooly which only made her more anxious. Yup, there went her blood pressure. “After Nicklaus met you, I was quite curious myself about the woman who captured my brother’s black heart.”
“You know nothing about his heart,” she snarled. Her voice turned venomous, something he seemed pleased about.
He chuckled again. “I know he keeps very little in it. You.” Frankie flicked off an invisible piece of lint from the sleeve of his suit jacket. “Your adorable little boy, Kaden.”
Elain froze, true terror turning the blood in her veins to ice. “Keep his name out of your mouth.” She had to find Fenrys and her son. She had to get out of this goddamn store. Elain just prayed Fenrys was vigilant in Kaden’s protection, but she knew he would be.
“I’m sure you already know, but in case you don’t, Lorenzo won’t be a problem for you anymore.”
She blinked, the words rattling around in her skull. Lorenzo showed up dead just before Kaden’s adoption approval. “What did you do?” He’d been a part of the Illyrian Mob. It made no sense to kill one of their own.
He shrugged. “I took care of a problem.” His eyes seemed to look through her and directly down into her soul, the filth of his sins leaked from him like blood upon the tile floor, staining her from the inside out. She didn’t like that one bit. “Consider it my present to you and my brother on the adoption of that sweet boy.”
“We didn’t ask for that.”
Again, he raised his shoulders in indifference. “Azriel is my brother—”
“You are not his brother,” she hissed.
That seemed to irritate him, a crack in his calm demeanor for the deadly male to peek out from beneath the mask. “We are of flesh and blood.”
It may have been the most reckless thing she ever did, but Elain squared her shoulders, looked him dead in the eye, and said, “Blood does not make you brothers. Where was this brotherly bond when you held him down as a child while Alec mutilated his hands? While you allowed him to be tortured and burned.” She let out a humorless laugh. “Azriel has two males he calls brothers, but neither of them is by blood.” Where the fuck was Connall?
He crossed his arms. “And here I thought we were making headway, Elain. Perhaps when my gift for the twins arrives, you’ll reconsider.”
“We don’t want anything from you,” she snarled, face going warm in fury.
“They’re going to want to know their Uncle Frankie,” he murmured, quickly taking too many steps forward and reaching out as if to touch her rounded stomach. But a tanned hand shot out and gripped his wrist.
“Do not touch her,” Connall growled, fingers tightening.
A dangerous glint flashed in Frankie’s eyes. “Remove your hand from my presence before I put a bullet in your head.”
Elain thought she was going to pass out. Her chest ached from the racing of her heart. Blood rushed in her ears drowning out everything around her. And then she heard him.
“Momma?”
She chanced a glance as Kaden and Fenrys came around the corner of the aisle, toy in hand. Elain shook her head at Fen, a silent order to keep her son back. She didn’t know what she would do if Frankie tried to grab her boy.
Reading her request, and the fear in her eyes, Fenrys snatched Kaden into his arms when her son tried to get to her, toy clattering to the floor.
“Momma!” he cried, sensing the seriousness of the situation but not understanding what was going on.
Knowing her son was as safe as he could be, Elain returned her attention to Frankie, who was eying the little boy trying to push his way out of his protector’s fierce grip.
Her hackles rose and she took a deliberate step in front of him, forcing his gaze to return to hers. “Connall, let him go.” It was an order, one the dark-haired twin obeyed immediately. She kept her eyes on Frankie; let the frost she felt in her blood come out in her words. “We are not interested in whatever it is you want. If you come for my family, I will kill you myself without even blinking.” His eyes widened imperceptibly, but she didn’t let him get a word in edgewise. “Let’s go.”
Connall moved to cover her back, ready to take a fucking bullet for her and her babies.
Kaden was still crying in Fenrys’s arms and though she knew he was too heavy for her to carry, she took him anyway, propping her as best as she could on her hip while the latter took his place close to her side and protecting her son’s back. Kaden sobbed into her neck, his arms tightening around her neck. “You’re okay, sweetie,” she murmured kissing the side of his head and running a hand up and down his back.
“Are you two packing?”
“Always,” Connall answered gruffly, clearly pissed off at the situation.
She nodded. “Good. That was the head of the Illyrian Mob and I can guarantee there are more in here. Get Azriel on the phone, now.”
Fenrys was already pulling the device from his pocket while Connall stepped up close enough to tell her, “I’m so fucking sorry, Elain. I should’ve had Fenrys come back to you. I should’ve—”
“Connall,” she said, interrupting his apologies. “This wasn’t a coincidence. He sought me out and he would’ve shown up whether you two were there or not,” she told him earnestly. They didn’t have time to dwell on the what haves. “Let’s just get out of here.”
He swore under his breath, still pissed with himself.
“Yes sir, they are both with us. We’re heading back out to the car,” Fenrys said into his phone. He looked at her. “She’s holding Kaden right now. I’ll hand her the phone once we’re securely in the car.”
Something prickled at her skin as they reached the parking lot, eyes darting around the asphalt. That’s when she saw them. One man by the entrance, another near one of the cart returns; two were next to identical-looking SUVs. Everywhere she looked, she saw a suit-clad man just standing there. Waiting… And every single pair of eyes were on them. On her and the distressed child she was carrying.
Her heart thumped wildly in her chest. “We are being watched,” she announced to her security team.
Both of the men reached for their weapons as Fenrys relayed the information to her husband.
Elain threaded her fingers through Kaden’s thick locks, holding his head tucked into her neck so he couldn’t see what was happening.
Not a single man moved toward them, but that didn’t mean they weren’t going to try anything. The Moonbeam twins were deadly accurate, but it didn’t matter though. They were outnumbered. She had already counted ten of Frankie’s associates, and those were the only ones she could see.
Something flashed in the corner of her eye. She twisted her head to catch a bike flying toward them, coming to a screeching halt right in front of them.
Fenrys and Connall had their guns drawn as the person took off their helmet, platinum white hair swishing as she shook it out. Golden eyes turned on her. “Mrs. Archeron-Knight?” she asked.
Elain blinked, but Fenrys snarled out, “Who the fuck are you?”
She flashed a deadly smile. “My name is Manon Blackbeak. Your husband,” she nodded at Elain, “has asked me and my team to escort your SUV back to Velaris.”
A roaring sound echoed in the distance and then there were twelve other bikes, paired up as they flew across the parking lot to stop behind Manon.
“I—” she stuttered, not knowing what to say. “Who are you?”
“We’re called the Thirteen. He will explain what we do once we get you home.”
Elain was about to demand more of an explanation, but then she saw the men retreating. Every single one of them. Her eyes slid back to the woman in front of her, then down the team she had with her, all women if the body shapes were anything to go by. But then a phone was being placed against her ear and her husband’s voice was speaking.
“Elain.” He sounded terrified. “Love, Manon and her team are on my payroll. You can trust them to get you and Kaden home safely. Please get into the car.”
Just hearing his voice sent relief washing over her. Because if he trusted this woman and her team to keep them safe, then she knew she could too. “Let’s go,” she commanded, moving forward. Only once they were all inside the vehicle and back on the highway did she speak to her husband, reassuring him they were okay and giving him a lowdown on what happened.
He was in the garage when they pulled in, Manon and her team circling the driveway once and then departing with a salute to Azriel and her.
She was crushed in his arms, his mouth kissing her fiercely. “Are you guys all right?” he breathed, holding her at arm’s length and inspecting every inch of her.
Connall pulled Kaden from his booster seat, the little boy running around the car and slamming into his father’s legs.
Azriel wasted no time in lifting him onto his hip, kissing his temple before pulling her back into his embrace.
“We’re okay. Startled and anxious, but otherwise fine,” she reassured him.
He pulled them into the house, the twins slipping in behind them on silent feet. Az set them in the living room, tugging her down beside him while Kaden clung to his strong shoulders.
“How’d you get a team there so fast?” she asked, still trying to figure it out. Fenrys approached from the kitchen, handing her a cup of hot, peppermint tea. She smiled up at him in thanks.
“They were in Hewn for another job. I sent Manon an SOS text that took priority over what they were doing.
She raised a brow. “What other job?”
Azriel took her hand and placed a kiss across her knuckles. “Handling the remaining members of Hybern’s gang. I’ve had them hunting down the last of them since that night in the warehouse. There were rumors they wanted to seek revenge for the killing of their leader.”
The words were bloody and brutal, but she didn’t flinch. Not when those men held her captive in a warehouse, stabbed her thigh leaving a permanent scar on her pale flesh. No, she understood why her husband continued his pursuit of those animals.
She squeezed his hand in the reassurance that she understood why he was doing what he was, that she was okay with it, and that she agreed with his methods. His grip tightened in response.
They spent the following hour going over the next steps in how to handle the situation. Thoroughly exhausted from the ordeal, Kaden had fallen asleep on her husband’s shoulder and was now lying across one of the plush chairs with a blanket. The twins departed not long after Kaden fell asleep, leaving them to figure things out.
“I know you want to keep us safe, Az, believe me, I get it, but we need to figure out a compromise with them. I don’t want our children growing up always looking over their shoulders, just waiting to be attacked or kidnapped.”
He was hunched over, elbow braced on his knees. “There is no compromise with them. Frankie and Nicklaus are utterly ruthless.”
She gripped his bicep. “Everyone has a compromise. We just need to know—” Elain froze, the words falling from her lips.
Az swiveled his head to look at her, sitting up straight at whatever was showing on her face. “What is it, Elain?”
Brown eyes blinked, going back to the conversation she had with the eldest brother. Something he said was starting to tingle that sixth sense of hers. “He has a kid,” she breathed.
Brows furrowed. “Frankie?” Azriel asked, clearly confused. “No, he doesn’t. I would know if he had a kid. There’s not even a whisper of him having an heir.”
She shook her head. “Even if the child was over ten years old? You weren’t involved in their doing when we graduated high school, Az. And even the first few years after. What if he had a kid before then?”
He was looking at her now, eyes flicking between hers as he contemplated her words. “What did he say to make you think he has a kid?”
“He was trying to hint at what to get us,” her husband growled at that and she squeezed his arm again to stop him from interrupting. “But he said it had been a while since he bought anything from a baby store. I can’t see him buying baby things for somebody else, but I can see him doing it for his flesh and blood.”
Az was out of his seat and pacing the length of the living room. “That has to be it. He’s got a kid.” He stopped and turned to look at her. “If they were born when my father was alive, Frankie would’ve done anything to prevent him from finding out. He’d never let the bastard get close enough to hurt something so precious to him.” A colorful curse passed from between his parted lips. “I need to call Ruhn. If there’s a child, he has to be sending money to them and their mother. There’s no way he’d just abandon them, not if he took caution to hide them.”
“Azriel,” she said, rising from her spot on the couch. “If he does have a kid, what are you going to do with the knowledge?”
He met her gaze, and read the underlying question she didn’t need to say out loud. “I’m going to offer him a deal.”
~~~~~
Azriel rode up the elevator to the top floor of the building where the Illyrian Mob gathered to conduct their business. It wasn’t as large or fancy as his empire, but they also didn’t make the money that he did. He couldn’t help but feel a little smug about that.
In the metal box with him were four armed guards. He was stripped of his weapons upon entry and patted down indecently enough that he told the man to at least buy him dinner first. The comment, it seemed, wasn’t appreciated.
Nobody else was with him. He hated thinking about how hard Elain cried last night when he told her that he was entering the metaphorical lion’s den defenseless. Azriel knew that a lot of Elain’s emotions were hormone-based, which was why she couldn’t see his reasoning behind the need to go alone.
“Take the twins. Take Ruhn for fuck’s sake, Az! Just please don’t go in there alone.” Tears ran down her cheeks.
He stooped down to kneel in front of her. “Love, I have to go alone. If anyone else comes with me, they’ll deem it a threat. You know it has to be this way.” He reached up to wipe the tears away with his thumbs.
“I need you, Azriel,” she whispered, terrified. “Kaden needs you. Our babies need you. Please don’t go alone.”
There was nothing he could do but hold her as he whispered, “I’m sorry, Elain.”
It was the only time he’d ever disappoint his wife. Because here he was, weaponless and alone entering the office of the two men he hated most in the world. One of the guards knocked on the large doors, waiting for the snarled, “Enter.”
Like he was the motherfucking king, the guards gave him a double-door entrance, catching both of his brothers off guard.
Surprise, motherfuckers, he wanted to say, instead, settling on a lazy grin.
Nick reacted first, drawing his gun.
But Azriel threw up both of his hands in surrender. “Relax, Nicklaus. I am unarmed. Your guards downstairs made sure of it.” He dropped his arms when his brother lowered his gun slightly. “Do they always manhandle your visitors or am I just special because they know I got the impressive size of the family?” He was asking for trouble, but after getting his cock cupped by the fucker and still hearing his wife’s desperate pleas in his head, he was in a mood.
They ignored the quip. Damn.
Frankie leaned back in his seat. “Well, this is a surprise.”
Az cocked a brow. “Is it, brother? After you went after my wife and child?” He couldn’t stop the iciness of his tone, still raging over what happened a few weeks before. It had taken some time to track down what he needed to have this conversation and since then, he’d been on fucking edge.
“Did I actually go after them?”
He didn’t dare let his mask waiver. “Seeking her out at a baby store, sending an assault-sized team there, seems like an attempt to go after my pregnant wife and son.” He moved to take a seat across the desk from them, unbuttoning his suit jacket as he sat. “But I am willing to let that go.”
That had him frowning, the other looking equally as puzzled. “All right, I’ll bite,” Frankie said at last. “Why would you let that go?”
Azriel slipped his phone from the inside pocket of his jacket, unlocking it and bringing up the image of Frankie’s best-kept secret. “Because of her.”
Silence wrapped around them like a shadow of discomfort as he waited for the other shoe to drop.
Frankie shot out of his chair, gun raised and poised to fire. “What the fuck is this, Azriel? Have you come to threaten me on my own turf? Because I swear to God I will fucking end you here and leave your wife to raise those spawn by herself.”
He let the threat roll right off his back, already expecting that reaction, which confirmed what he knew to be true. “Relax, Frankie. Nobody’s threatening anybody.” Az swiveled his phone to look at the girl on the screen and then began reciting the information he had gained about the girl. “Anya Velasco, sixteen; daughter of Delilah Velasco and,” he paused, glancing up at his fuming brother, “Francisco Matteo. Nice try in the change of the last name. Even on the birth certificate too. As if you could wipe your tainted image from her record” His eyes flitted back to the screen. “She’s pretty. Looks just like her mother, thank fuck, but I can see you there too. Her cheek structure and coloring. That’s all Illyrian.”
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t just kill you here,” Frankie snarled, finger never wavering from the trigger.
Az sighed, like this was the most inconvenient part of his day, tapping on the video call for a number labeled as “Rico’s Pizza.” It was Ruhn’s number, answering the call so that it showed Anya walking between classes at school. “You did a pretty thorough job in trying to hide her, Frankie, I’ll give you that. It took a lot of digging into your financials, but something stuck out to me. A random off-shore account that has been linked to your empire making very large donations and monthly payments to a private school housed deep in the northern mountains.” He grinned; letting a little bit of that darkness out with it. “Well, I for one, thought that seemed suspicious.
“Here’s what I think happened. You got the girl pregnant in high school. Wanting to protect her from father’s wrath, you hid her, I’m assuming with help…” he eyed Nick briefly, but he would’ve been fifteen at the time. “Alec if I had to take a guess. He was father’s right hand and you his. You could trust him. So, you paid off the girl and sent her up north to some remote area, paying her handsomely for her troubles and keeping her hidden for the last sixteen years. How am I doing so far?”
Frankie’s tanned face was flushed red in fury.
Checkmate brother.
“Choose your words wisely, brother,” Nick snapped, gun held tight in his grip. “They may be your last.”
He raised a brow. “Would be a shame if that happened,” Az muttered, clicking the end button on his video call. “Because if I don’t give the all clear to my associate in the next ten minutes, he’s to take both Anya and Delilah and run. And believe me, his resourcefulness means you will never see them again.”
“I thought you said you weren’t threatening,” Frankie demanded.
“I’m not. I said take, not kill.”
The brothers shared a look. “Why are you here?” Nicklaus finally asked.
His mouth curled up in the corner. “I’m here to make a deal. But first, you two need to lower the fucking guns before I get pissed off.”
It took them a few heartbeats, but finally, Frankie lowered his gun, setting it on the table so it still pointed at him. Nicklaus followed not a second after. “What’s your deal?” the former questioned.
Azriel reclined in his seat, fingers steepling together. “No harm will ever come to Anya and Delilah. Not by me or anyone on my crew. And they would have the full protection of the Velaris Mob. Between the two of us, they’d be untouchable.”
Frankie considered this. “And in exchange?”
“You provide the same promise and protection for my wife and children.” Az didn’t expect an agreement immediately, so he tossed out there, “If I found them, that means somebody else could as well. I know you like to keep your cards close to your chest, Frankie, but I’m sitting here with a royal flush and you know it.”
He ran his tongue over his teeth. “If somebody threatened them—”
“Then you would have my full support to wage war against whoever did so. Just as I would have yours if the roles were reversed.” And he meant it. Azriel had no desire to see harm come to that child, and he’d never allow Ruhn to hurt her or her mother just to get Frankie to agree to this. They would live in hiding, but they would be well cared for. And anyone who tried otherwise would face his wrath.
His brother looked at Nicklaus and sighed. “All right, Azriel. You have yourself a deal.” He reached across the desk, taking his hand in a tight shake.
As he rode down in the elevator, collecting his weapons and making his way to his car, Az sent Ruhn the all-clear signal. He called Elain on the way home, letting her know he was safe. She sobbed into the receiver, her overwhelming relief that he was returning to her. He soothed her as best as he could, but during that call, Azriel saw an image of his life in the future. He and Elain stood watching their little ones running around the backyard of their home, happy and laughing and full of so much life and love that his chest physically began to ache.
Because for the first time in a very long time, the dream Azriel pictured for himself was finally coming true.
~~~~~
Remember, sharing is caring! Please reblog if you liked the fic. It helps spread my work and I truly appreciate it. 💕
While I have moved most of my fics to AO3 only, I am still going to utilize a tag list here on Tumblr. This as a permanent solution and may change in the future. For notifications, you can follow and subscribe to my fanfic account where I will be reblogging updates and snippets only. You can also find me on ao3. If you would like to be added to my tag list, please leave a comment on this post.
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Some tags seem to not want to link, which could be related to your visibility settings. Sorry about that!
#elriel#idbtwy#i do bad things with you#elain#elain archeron#azriel#azriel shadowsinger#elriel fic#elriel fanfic#elriel fanfiction#elain x azriel#elain x az#azriel x elain#elain and azriel#azriel and elain#tswaney17#tswaney17fics#tay writes#my writing#fanfic#fanfiction#acotar#acomaf#acowar#acofas#acosf
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Golden Doe in a Valley of Shadow: Chapter Thirteen (Ao3 Azriel x Elain Fanfic)
After the absolute blast we all had yesterday celebrating the TTPDxElriel coding, I just realized while I was making this post that today's release is chapter 13. Taylor Swift's lucky number. I mean, the universe be universing. As always, if you are not caught up yet head to the master list here to find your chapter and I'll link the new chapter below!
I really loved writing this chapter. It is a bit of an interlude for some sweetness and smut and fluff before the plot really starts to drive forward again, and honestly I think the timing could not be more perfect as we are all relishing in our Elriel celebrations!
Gonna keep the sneak peek short and sweet with this one.
Preview:
Azriel
Azriel was about to have morning sex with Elain Archeron.
Mother above.
*That's all! Teehee. Enjoy!
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A Court of Blood & Mercy is back from hiatus! Chapter 28 - "I Like It When You Smile" is now available! 🌸🌹🔪
#sorry i left#i wish i could just write fanfic all day#elriel#azriel x elain#elriel fic#elriel fanfiction#elriel fanfic#elriel forever#azriel fanfic#elain archeron#pro elain archeron#elain archeron acotar#elain x azriel#elain#pro elain#elriel supremacy#pro elriel
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Day 7 of sketching Elain Archeron everyday until her book has a release date. This one physically hurt me. Also, this is the exact moment where I was like “well I guess I’m all in for Elriel” no matter what form that might take. Friends? One night stand? Secret lovers? Endgame? Ghosted? I just want to read about them okay. I don’t care what happens.
It feels good to be getting back to this sketchy deviant art circa 2007 style I drew and posted in as a teenager. I missed it a lot.
#elriel#elriel fanart#elriel fanfic#acowar#acotar#acosf#azriel#azriel shadowsinger#Shadowsinger#bat boys#elain archeron#archeron sisters
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Elriel Month Prompts 2024!
Hi everyone!
We are so excited to present the official prompt descriptions for the fourth-ever ELRIEL MONTH!! Like last year, we will have two prompts per week that center on different aspects and scenarios of the relationship between Elain and Azriel. We aim to foster a positive space for us to celebrate our favorite Seer and Shadowsinger. Head to our Instagram for Spanish and French translations of the prompts! We cannot wait to celebrate with you! 🦇🌸💙🗡🌹
Follow us on:
Tumblr ✷ Twitter ✷ Instagram ✷ TikTok
🎨 Artist and comm. credits are listed on all of the artwork. 💕
Rules and bi-weekly prompts under the break!
RULES:
✷ Participation of each day/prompt is optional!
✷ Ideally, post your art/work on the week of the prompt. However, if you cannot post on time, post whenever you can.
✷ Elriel month will be across Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
✷ If you want to be featured on this blog please tag @elriel-month in your posts so we can reblog them
✷ On Tumblr while posting your piece of work please use the following hashtags: #elrielmonth #elrielmonth24 #elrielmonth2024
✷ No hate or slander towards other characters!
✷ Your submission can be a fanart, fanfics/oneshots, edits, gifset, moodboard, playlist - anything you deem acceptable.
✷ The final prompt is free choice - you can indulge your own prompt or Elriel fantasy!
✷ Be respectful of other people’s work. Do not repost without permission and credit.
#elriel#elrielmonth#elriel month#elrielmonth2024#elriel month 2024#elrielmonth24#elain archeron#elain#azriel#azriel shadowsinger#elain x azriel#azriel x elain#elain x az#azriel and elain#elain and azriel#elriel art#elriel fanfic#elriel headcanon#elriel aesthetic#pro elriel
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“ʀʜʏs sᴀɪᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴢʀɪᴇʟ, “ɪғ ɪ ʜᴀᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴍᴇᴛ ᴀ sʜᴀᴅᴏᴡsɪɴɢᴇʀ, ɪ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ɪs ᴛʜᴇ ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ, ɴᴏᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ʙᴏʀɴ ɪɴᴛᴏ, ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀs. ɪ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡɴ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ɪs ᴛᴏ ᴛʀᴜʟʏ ʜᴏᴘᴇ, ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴛᴇʟʟs ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇsᴘᴀɪʀ.”✨
- A Court of Wings and Ruin by @sjmaas
🎨 Art by @/gh0oul_tan (insta)
🌹･ . ⋆ ･ . ⋆ ･ .🦇
💭 I commissioned this artwork inspired by an amazing fanfic by @tswaney17 . Little Kaden just captured my heart. And reminded me of my little cousin, that family is, above all things, a choice. As Sarah J. Maas once wrote: "𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬."
#elriel#elain archeron#acotar#azriel#pro elain#pro elriel#elain#elain x azriel#elriel fanart#acowar#little kaden#elriel fanfic#fanfic art#sarah j maas#tswaney17#tswaney17fics
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Wedding Season - Coming Soon!
Hi guys! Just wanted to share a moodboard I made for a new project I'm working on. I'm so excited to share it with you and I really hope it's something everyone will enjoy. 😊
Synopsis: If there's one thing Elain Archeron knows about weddings - despite her lack of experience and overall fear of commitment - is that attending one alone at the ripe age of 24 is something akin to torture. Let alone 3 weddings. Let alone when your ex is attending. With his own date.
So Elain does what Elain does best: she fakes it until she makes it.
And if her plan includes a broody - and single - Azriel Rosehall who barely tolerates her presence, has a clear distante for big events, and is probably - most likely - still pinning for one of the brides... Well, then I guess Wedding Season is open.
A few ao3 tags:
❣️ fake dating (kinda)
❣️ idiots in love
❣️ azriel might have a high heels kink
❣️ slow dancing
Number of Chapters: around 10 (short fic)
When am I posting it: I'm currently working on both this fic and on my Elriel Month prompts but I'm going to try and post the first chapter before April ends! 😊
#my writing#i just wanted to share because im excited#elriel#elriel fic#elriel fanfiction#elain archeron#pro elriel#azriel#azriel shadowsinger#acotar#pro elain archeron#elain x azriel#acotar fic#acotar fics#acotar fanfiction#elriel fanfic#wedding season
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Azriel: You’re staring.
Elain: I’m gazing.
Azriel: It’s creepy. [soft smile]
Elain: It’s romantic. [leans in for a kiss]
(Vampire Diaries scene but making it Elriel) 😉
#elriel#queue#elain x azriel#pro elain#pro elriel#elriel forever#elain archeron#acotar#elain and azriel#azriel#elriel fanfic#elriel supremacy#elriel content#elriel aesthetic#elain supremacy#elain content#elain kingslayer#elain acheron#azriel and elain#elriel headcanon#headcanon#sjm#sjm universe
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Everywhere, Everything: Chapter Four
Chapter Summary: Azriel meets Elain’s new boyfriend at Nyx’s birthday party. Graysen has some questions about Elain’s “friend.”
Word Count: 4.4K
Missed the first three chapters? You can find the Masterlist for this fic here 🥰
A/N: chapter four already!! Thank you to everyone that’s read this fic and commented or interacted in anyway! I’ve had the loveliest messages come through and it’s been such a joy to chat with you guys about this. I’m a little extra nervous to post this chapter, please keep in mind that this is a bit of a slow burn and we must suffer a little before we get our reward. Alternate title is “Graysen Slander (Azriel’s version)”
ENJOY XX
Read on AO3
Flying back home to Velaris had caused Elain a level of anxiety that had previously been unknown to her.
There used to be a time where she enjoyed seeing her city from the birds-eye-view of an airplane window. She loved to look down and admire the twinkling lights on either side of the sprawling river that split her hometown in half. She liked to scan the buildings as they came into view and point out each place that held a space of her heart because of the special memories attached.
There was her elementary school, the movie theater parking lot where she had her first kiss, and her favourite library. There was the ice-cream shop located a few blocks from their childhood home that she and her sisters would sneak out to at all hours of the night for their cookie dough fix, not bothering to change out of their robes and slippers. She’d look out for the small park where she and Nesta spent their Saturday’s sprawled in the grass, reading books and gossiping. Her heart ached as she spotted the rose and sculpture garden she and Azriel liked to stroll through early on Sunday mornings, hot cups of coffee warming their hands as they walked and talked, Azriel leaning in close to tell Elain that the roses there had nothing on the ones that she grew in her garden.
She hadn’t bothered to point any of those places out to Graysen as their flight had made its descent. Hadn't really felt the need or desire to share those parts of herself with him. She’d just sat quietly, staring straight at her own reflection in the little screen in front of her as she took deep breaths to try and ease the rapid beating of her heart.
Her anxiety had calmed a little once they’d landed and disembarked, emerging from their gate to Nyx’s loud squeal of her name which brought her back to reality just in time for her to drop her bags and catch his tiny body as he ran towards her at full speed and flung himself into her outstretched arms.
“Hi, baby!” She’d hugged him tight, overwhelmed by just how much she’d missed him.
“Hi, Lain!” Nyx giggled, his little face tucked tight against her neck.
She hadn’t questioned the nickname, one her nephew had never called her before, because she had been too distracted breathing in the scent of his hair - the scent of the same watermelon shampoo that her mother had used during bath time when she and her sisters were kids. It was comforting and familiar and exactly what she needed to push past the worry that had rendered her useless for the past few hours..
The initial introductions had gone as well as she could’ve hoped.
Graysen had defaulted back to the easy charm that he’d used back in the day to talk Elain into a drink and it seemed to work on Feyre and Rhys well enough that the drive back to their house and the late dinner that followed were easy and painless. The only hiccup was that Nyx refused to even greet Graysen and had thrown him the most menacing looks he could muster up each time Graysen so much as attempted to hold Elain’s hand.
“He’s jealous,” Feyre had laughed nervously, embarrassed by her son’s behavior after he’d insisted on sitting next to Elain at dinner. “He’s always been a little territorial when it comes to her and since he hasn’t seen her in a few months…”
Graysen had laughed it off but Elain had caught the annoyance in his demeanor at the idea of having to share her. Even if the person he was sharing her with was just her soon-to-be five year old nephew.
Elain’s anxiety returned in full force the next afternoon when guests began to arrive for Nyx’s party. No amount of rearranging balloons or organising the treat station could keep her attention off the front door each and every time it opened. It was only a matter of time before he showed up and the wait was torture. In the years she’d known Azriel, he’d never once missed an important event when it came to his friends and there was no way he’d start now.
“So…” Nesta appeared next to her suddenly, head cocked to the side as she leant against the table and watched in amusement as Elain straightened the goodie bags for the seventh or eighth time that hour. “Graysen seems nice.”
“Yeah,” Elain nodded, not bothering to look up from the little cellophane bags full of treats that she’d been busying herself with for the last ten minutes. She didn’t need to look at Nesta to know her true feelings. She could hear it in her voice. “He’s great.”
“He’s very… passionate.” Her sister studied her nails as she fought to hold back the teasing smile that played on her lips. “About work. And golf. And work. And his car… Did I mention his work? Because he certainly did.”
“Okay, okay.” Elain groaned, casting a fleeting glance across the room where Graysen was still chatting to Rhysand.
She sent a thank you to the universe that Feyre had married a man that had the talent and patience to talk to absolutely anyone. She couldn’t say the same for Cassian, who had quickly maneuvered out of that conversation and over to the backyard to terrorize the kids, instead.
“He just loves his job,” Elain shrugged, finally turning to face her sister.
Nesta raised a perfectly manicured brow, fixing Elain with a pointed look. “You mean he loves money.”
There was a reason Elain had never introduced a boy to her family and the reason was standing directly in front of her, all perfectly coiffed hair and dangerous eyes. Feyre could find a way to see the good in anyone and the boys would say they were okay with whoever Elain dated as long as she was happy. But Nesta - Nesta had always had a knack for seeing straight through any of Elain’s lies and she’d never been afraid to call her out when necessary. It was a quality Elain had come to appreciate from time to time but she didn’t appreciate it today.
“I mean… he does work in finance.”
“Elain.” Another pointed look was thrown in her direction.
“Nesta.”
“He looks like he pays more for a haircut than I do.”
“Nesta!” Elain hit her sister on the arm, unable to stifle the laugh that bubbled to the surface. She knew exactly how much Graysen paid for his hair cuts and Nesta was right. “He’s nice.”
“You know who’s nicer...” Nesta said it under her breath but Elain heard her loud and clear.
“Stop,” Elain lowered her voice. “Please. You promised.”
“I promised I wouldn’t tell the boys and I haven’t,” she replied without missing a beat. “I never promised we wouldn’t talk about it at all.”
“Nesta, please. I can’t talk about this now.”
What Elain really wanted to say was that she couldn’t talk about this ever, but she knew that would only result in more back and forth and right now all she wanted was for this conversation to be over.
“He’s miserable, El.” Nesta lowered her voice to match Elain’s. “He’s very good at acting like he’s fine but he’s not. You just left and I know you’ve cut him off completely since and -”
“I haven’t spoken to anyone, really. It’s not like I’ve only stopped talking to hi-” Elain abruptly stopped speaking, standing up straight and plastering a smile on her face just as she spotted Graysen beginning to make his way towards them.
He didn’t have a chance to say anything, had only just managed to sling an arm around Elain’s waist when the front door swung open and Shadow came flying through. She was nothing but a black blur, ducking and dodging around furniture as she ran straight through to the kitchen. She paused in front of Rhys for a quick hello before she made a beeline towards where Elain stood with Nesta and Graysen by the dining room table.
Her long tail wagged furiously, whipping against the wooden leg of the table. Shadow was seemingly unbothered, too busy flailing around happily between Nesta’s legs before she finally came to a stop in front of Elain. Her long snout nuzzled into Elain’s open palm and her lean body leant heavily against her thighs.
Much like Nyx, Shadow paid Graysen little to no attention other than to sniff in his direction just once which Elain thought quite strange given that Shadow loved meeting new people and she’d famously always favored the company of men.
“Hi, Shadow girl!” Elain cooed, crouching down to properly greet the dog that had come to feel like her own over the years. She’d gone with Azriel the day he’d picked her up and brought her home, had even helped name her. “Look how gray you’ve gotten!”
“She’ll be nine next week.”
The timber of his voice hit her at the exact same time as the familiar scent of his cedar cologne and Elain was suddenly grateful that she was already on the ground because if she’d been standing, she was sure her knees would’ve given out completely.
Elain swallowed her nerves, raising her eyes from Shadow’s sweet salt and pepper face to look up at Azriel only to find that every bit of his attention was focused solely on her.
“Hi, Lain.”
There were a couple beats of silence before Elain got a hold of herself and stood up. She stepped forward and before she could stop herself, she raised onto the very tips of her toes and wound her arms around his neck. Azriel’s arms wrapped around her waist in turn, tentatively at first before she felt his fingers flex against the middle of her back as he relaxed, readjusting his grip to pull her tight against his chest as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Probably because it had been at one point in time.
“Hi, Az.” She whispered into his neck, breathing in the divine scent of him. The scent of home.
“Hey, Azriel!” Nesta said loudly from behind them, effectively breaking the trance that Elain had unwittingly found herself in.
She let go of Azriel quickly and took a large step back, bumping into the dining table, as Nesta took her place in his arms.
She was only just aware of Graysen staring at her in her peripheral, his hand once again heavy against her hip.
“Were you planning on introducing me?” He asked her as Azriel and Nesta separated and Azriel turned to face them again. Elain hadn’t noticed that she’d been staring dumbly straight ahead - directly at Azriel’s chest.
He was wearing an oatmeal coloured fisherman’s sweater that she’d told him she loved on him more than a few times and a small, stupid part of her wondered if she crossed his mind when he slipped it on this morning.
“Oh, yes!” She shook her head, laughing nervously. “Um, Az… this is Graysen, my uh…”
“Boyfriend.” Graysen finished the sentence for her, extending his hand towards Azriel. “And you are…”
“This is Azriel. My…. Azriel.” Elain stuttered as she watched the two men shake hands.
She allowed herself the tiniest shake of her head to ease the frustration she felt towards herself. She sounded like an absolute idiot.
“I think I’ve missed something,” Graysen looked between Elain and Azriel, eyebrows lifting slightly. “How do you know each other?
“We’re good friends.” Azriel answered at the same time Elain said “He’s Rhys’ best friend.”
Jesus. Fucking. Christ.
She couldn’t possibly have handled that any worse.
“So you’re Rhys’ friend or Elain’s friend?” Graysen asked, the slightest hint of a frown forming on his lips.
Any hope that Elain had of him dropping this topic evaporated in front of her eyes.
“We’re all friends. We met through Rhys when he started dating Feyre and we all spent basically all our time together.” She answered quickly, briefly meeting Azriel’s eyes.
Another mistake.
All she saw was hurt. No one else would’ve noticed because the emotion was there and gone in a flash but Elain saw past the mask. She saw the hurt she’d caused him. Hurt at being reduced to a friend of a friend, as if he wasn’t so much more to her. As if they hadn’t spent years of their lives seeing each other almost every day. Trading secrets. Letting each other see parts of themselves they’d never allowed anyone else to see.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Azriel smiled politely, redirecting his attention to Graysen. “I’m gonna go find the birthday boy but I’ll talk to you guys later, I’m sure.”
He didn’t look at her again before he walked away, Shadow obediently following right behind him. Even Nesta quickly excused herself so she didn’t have to be around to witness the uncomfortable tension that had settled heavily between Elain and Graysen..
She had absolutely no idea what had come over her. She thought she’d been somewhat prepared to see him again but nothing could’ve prepared her for the reality of him standing in front of her. Smiling at her. The feel of his arms around her - strong and sure and familiar. Nothing could have prepared her for seeing him walk away from her, disappointment lingering behind his eyes. She’d done that to him and she hated herself for it.
She silently cursed herself for ever thinking that bringing Graysen back here would be a good idea. Mere minutes had passed and she’d already fucked up. She had no idea how the hell she was supposed to make it through this day, let alone survive an entire weekend of this.
“What the hell was that?” Graysen muttered as Elain turned in his arms, once again plastering on a smile in a last ditch effort to rectify the mess she’d just made of that introduction.
“Nothing,” She shook her head, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “That was nothing.”
…
When Azriel walked into Rhys and Feyre’s house earlier and caught a glimpse of Elain for the first time in four months, she was wearing another one of those dresses that threatened to send him to his knees.
He loved each and every one of her dresses but the one she wore today was a pale blue with delicate straps that tied at her shoulders and draped elegantly over her frame in a way that just about teased at each dip and curve concealed by the lightweight, silky material. It was perfectly demure for a children’s birthday party but something about that dress on her was downright sinful.
Maybe if the circumstances were different, he’d be able to steal a glance every now and then and attempt to carry on with his life, but the circumstances were not different and Azriel was cursed to get through this afternoon looking at Elain in that dress with some other guy’s arm around her waist.
He hadn’t been able to get her out of his head. Even if he had no right to think of her in that way. Not when she’d made it abundantly clear not once but twice now, that she didn’t want him like that. Still, he couldn’t help that the memory of her kneeling on his bed and tracing a path across his hips with that pretty mouth of hers came rushing back to the forefront of his mind in the ten or so seconds that she’d been on her knees in front of him, patting his dog and looking up at him with those big, brown eyes.
Any satisfaction that he’d gotten from that memory or simply from seeing her and having her in his arms again, disappeared the second she stepped back and he’d been introduced to her boyfriend.
He knew there was something off with the way they interacted within the first few minutes of watching them together that afternoon. Azriel knew that the smiles she gave him weren’t genuine because they never quite reached her eyes. Elain evaded Graysen’s touch, swiveling out of his grasp each and every time he went to put his hand on her hip, ducking her head so the kiss he intended to give her landed on her forehead instead of her lips.
He wondered how no one else seemed to notice it when he could see it so clearly. He was in tune with her every emotion, knew her better than he knew the back of his own hand. He’d had time to hone that skill and right now, the piece of his brain that was dedicated solely to her was screaming that something wasn’t right.
Azriel hated the way she acted around him. Hated the way Graysen acted towards her. Actually, Azriel just outright despised Graysen.
He’d come into this day wanting the best. He genuinely wanted to see Elain happy even if the notion of her being with anyone else made his chest constrict in a way that couldn’t possibly be healthy. But he knew she wasn’t happy and one handshake was all it took for Azriel to know exactly what kind of guy Graysen was.
His grip had been firm but his hands bore no evidence of ever doing anything more difficult than swinging a heavy golf club. Graysen had a smile befitting of a politician’s son - charming but edged with insincerity, like he’d do or say whatever was necessary to get what he wanted. He carried himself with the ease of someone that had had things handed to him on a silver platter for his whole life and there was a certain arrogance to him that had Azriel wondering what Elain could possibly see in him. He knew her well enough to know that it wouldn’t have been the expensive clothing or the twenty thousand dollar watch on his wrist that had piqued her interest just like he knew that the glittering diamond tennis bracelet circling her wrist was for Graysen’s benefit and not hers.
He’d endeavored to try and find out if the guy had any redeeming qualities at all to help Azriel come to terms with them being together but he’d been stopped every time he’d tried to approach Graysen.
Azriel almost found it amusing the way Elain had been running what could be considered award winning interference between himself and her boyfriend all day, somehow managing to keep them well away from each other in and amongst entertaining her nephew and his flock of tiny friends. But now that all Nyx’s friends and their parents had gone home and the sun was beginning to set, there was very little Elain could do to keep them from speaking.
Graysen had started the conversation as they sat on the couch next to each other, just behind where Elain was sitting on the floor helping Nyx unwrap the copious amounts of presents he’d received today. Graysen asked Azriel about how he had met Rhys and Azriel explained that they’d met when they were kids and Rhys’ family had all but adopted him as one of their own. The topic had turned to Velaris and Azriel had sat through mind-numbing comments about how the river looked nicer in pictures, how things closed too early, and how there was no real potential for growth.
He’d just nodded and shrugged wherever he thought appropriate and he’d failed to get more than a sentence in but then Cassian had asked if Azriel was still planning on staying at their place after dinner with everyone the next night and when Azriel had answered that he would as long as he managed to finish the ring he’d been working on, Graysen had suddenly had a lot of questions.
“So you set up a little stall at what? … Weekend farmers markets? Sell jewelry to old ladies and teenage girls?” Graysen asked after Azriel patiently explained exactly why he was making jewelry. “And you make money from that?”
Azriel noticed the way Elain stiffened at the condescending tone of Graysen’s voice. The snide way he laughed as he reduced Azriel’s work to the equivalent of a children’s roadside lemonade stand. She set down the toy she’d been unboxing for Nyx and swiveled around to face them.
“He’s not making jewelry with dollar store plastic beads, Gray.” It was maybe the most fed up Azriel had ever heard her sound. He’d always known her to stay quiet and avoid confrontation. He didn’t even need one hand to count all the times he’d seen her snap and each of those times had been at Feyre or Nesta so he didn’t really count them. “It’s his business and he’s done really well.”
“It’s fine, Lain.” Azriel said softly, his heart swelling in his chest at the way she defended him even if he was unbothered by Graysen’s comments. It was nothing he hadn’t heard before from his own father or brothers. He continued to speak, confidently taking Graysen’s questions in stride in a way that Elain hadn’t quite been able to.“I actually work in data security but I make jewelry in my spare time and sell custom pieces online. Although, I did have some pretty successful mornings at farmer’s markets when I was just starting out and -”
“I thought you didn’t like being called that.” Graysen interrupted him, calculating eyes shifting from Azriel to Elain.
“What?” Elain asked, eyebrows furrowed in a way that Azriel would’ve found endearing in any other circumstance.
“He calls you ‘Lain.’” Graysen replied. “You told me you hated when I called you that.”
“I just prefer ‘El,’” She shrugged, picking at the sleeve of the cream cardigan she’d thrown on over her dress. “And he isn’t the only one. Nyx has called me that all day today, as well.”
Azriel stayed silent. He knew exactly where Nyx had picked that nickname up from but he wasn’t about to expose himself for cornering his friend’s kid into multiple conversations with the secret agenda of trying to siphon information about what Nyx’s Auntie was up to these days.
Graysen huffed, crossing his arms like an overgrown child as he sat back. He’d dropped his line of inquisition for now but Azriel had a feeling that wasn’t the last Elain would hear of this topic and the thought made him sick.
He’d been carefully watching all afternoon - noticing the way Graysen spoke about Elain and the possessive way he touched her as if she was something to have or to own. It had turned his stomach, memories of the way he’d seen his father treat his mother seeping into his mind despite his best efforts to keep them at bay.
Azriel paid extra attention to him now, picking up the way Graysen acted towards Elain as he continued to answer questions about his jewelry. He cringed at the scowl that found a home on Graysen’s lips each time her attention was pulled away from him and the way that scowl only deepened at each passing remark that hinted that maybe Azriel and Elain had, in fact, been closer than what she might’ve alluded to earlier.
He wasn’t sure exactly what she’d told Graysen about him. He had a feeling she hadn’t told him much at all. But he saw the wheels turning in Graysen’s head when Azriel’s craft came up again and Azriel explained exactly what type of jewelry he made and Graysen’s eyes had drifted to the chain that had faithfully stayed clasped around Elain’s neck year after year.
His suspicions were confirmed an hour or so later when Azriel rounded a corner, making his way towards the powder room at the foot of the stairs only to stop halfway there when he was distracted by a pair of low voices coming from Rhysand’s office across the hallway.
It was just a simple hushed whisper but his ears perked up at the voice he’d come to find grating over this very long, very tortuous day.
He could hear his mother’s voice in his head telling him that it wasn’t polite to eavesdrop, that nothing good every came from it, but he couldn’t help himself as he stood there - still as night, locking in on the hushed conversation and blocking out the raucous laughter coming from the kitchen.
“You know what I find most interesting about all of this?” Azriel heard Graysen ask. “In four months, I’ve heard about your sisters and their husbands but you haven’t even mentioned his name once.”
“He’s just a friend,” Elain answered quietly. “I swear.”
“Right,” Graysen scoffed. “And I suppose he’s the friend that gave you that necklace?”
Azriel swallowed, his eyes pinching closed at the animosity - the clear jealousy - that laced Graysen’s question. He could hear the malice in the way he spat out the word ‘friend’. He could only imagine the way he’d be glaring at the little gold oval that Azriel knew Elain would be clutching in between her thumb and index finger.
Graysen had asked her about the necklace, that thin gold chain Azriel had gifted her all those years ago that sat faithfully around her neck every day since. It was his only sign, as delusional as it might’ve made him, that she still thought of him. After everything that had happened the year prior, Elain still wore that small, handmade pendant and even if they didn’t speak, even if his messages had gone unanswered… Maybe her continuing to wear that necklace meant that she didn’t completely despise him.
Azriel kept moving, not allowing himself to so much as breathe until he was safely behind the closed door of the powder room. He had wanted to keep listening but he knew he shouldn’t. He didn’t think he could stand to hear her answers to Graysen’s questions. Didn’t want to know if she’d attempt to explain to Graysen whatever this thing was between them or if she’d continue to insist that he was nothing more than a friend.
But Azriel wanted an answer. He deserved an answer. He just didn’t want to get it by eavesdropping on a conversation he wasn’t a part of. He needed to hear it directly from her. He needed to talk to her.
#elriel fic#everywhere everything#my writing#elain x azriel#elain archeron#elriel#modern au#acotar fanfiction#elriel fanfiction#elriel fanfic#posting this and going tf to bed bc im NERVOUS#why is posting updates the scariest thing in the world
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How You Get The Girl
Chapter 24
Ao3 ~ Masterlist
Word Count: 2.2k
Warnings: Smut, Language
Elain was an expert in quick changes, but slipping into the lacy lingerie that she had bought specifically for Azriel was by far the most important of them all. She was just browsing online when she saw the dusty lilac babydoll. As soon as she laid eyes on it she wanted to see Azriel’s reaction to her wearing it. It was feminine and romantic and she just knew he’d like it.
Her suitcase was unzipped and her clothes were falling out of it and moved into the far corner of the room, hastily shoved to the side, and her travel clothes were on the floor next to it. Hopefully Azriel would be too focused on her to notice the mess she made.
She heard his footsteps in the hall and her heart jumped into her throat. His footsteps were quiet, so quiet that everyone else thought he was silent, but she was so deeply in tune with him that she heard him no matter what.
The doorknob to her room turned, and Elain found herself falling back onto one elbow and she positioned her legs in a way that she knew was sultry and showed off her full hips.
Damn, she silently cursed herself, she should have packed heels.
Elain watched as Azriel walked into the room and stop in his tracks when he saw her splayed out on the bed. Her golden curls tossed behind her shoulders. He looked like he was hit by an invisible truck, his body completely stopping short.
“Hi.” Elain breathed, smiling at him. She had planned to stay sultry and seductive, but his reaction caused the biggest smile to overtake her face.
“Fuck.”
She couldn’t help but throw her head back and laugh as he dropped his suitcase on the floor. And not even a sexy laugh, but one that was full-bodied and had her gasping for air.
“I’m supposed to be seducing you.” Elain said through her laughter, which caused her body to shake. His hazel eyes slid along the curve of her body before latching onto her heavy breasts.
“It’s fucking working.” Azriel growled and started towards bed.
“Uh-uh-uh!” Elain stopped him with a pointed finger and extended a leg towards him. “Condom.”
Azriel cursed under his breath and riffled through his suitcase for his box of condoms, and when he found them he tossed the package onto the bed next to her.
He pulled off his shirt and let it drop to the floor, and Elain felt her pussy clench at the sight of his muscled torso. His brown skin beautiful, tattooed, and scarred. Her hands balled into fists to stop herself from reaching for him. She wanted those hard muscles under the pads of her fingers. Wanted to feel his body react to her touch.
“I can’t believe this is happening.” Elain said, staring up at him and he unbuckled his belt.
Her toes curled at the sound of his zipper coming undone.
Azriel was silent as he shucked off his jeans, taking his briefs with him, and then he was naked standing before her.
Her chest rose and fell as she took heavy breathes.
She squirmed as he walked closer to her, and as soon as he was close enough Elain placed her hands on his bare hips. Her thumbs grazing the sharp edges of his hip bones before moving her hands up and over his abs.
“I’ve wanted to do this for a while.” Elain admitted, and before Azriel could question her she moved forward and ran her tongue up along the ridges of his six-pack. His muscles quaking underneath her.
“Fuck,” Azriel groaned, his hands digging into her hair. “How long, exactly, have you wanted to lick my abs?”
“Too long.” Elain said and pressed a kiss into his navel, her humid breath ghosting over his skin.
Azriel let out a pained groan as Elain slid from his grasp and fell to her back.
“This,” His hand landed flat on her stomach, and her muscles clenched under his touch. “This is beautiful, Elain,” His fingers worked the silky fabric. “And one day I’ll fuck you while you wear it, but not today.”
Azriel lifted the scrap of fabric over her head and threw it over his shoulder, and then he slowly pulled the matching panties down her legs.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful,” Azriel said, pressing kisses into her soft belly. He brought one hand between her thighs and groaned into her skin. “And wet.”
“It’s the anticipation.” Elain said, sighing as Azriel clasped one of her nipples between his teeth. Gently teasing the hardened bud.
His fingers started working between her legs, brushing over her clit before plunging one finger inside of her warmth. And then another. Thrusting in and out while his thumb pressed on her swollen bud.
“Azriel.” Elain gasped, arching as she clenched around his fingers.
He propped himself onto his elbow and stared down at her, taking in the way her eyes screwed shut and the way her mouth hung open in pleasure.
“More,” Elain whispered, opening her eyes slightly to look at him. “Please.”
Azriel didn’t say anything. He slowly retracted his hand and then reached across the bed to grab one of the condoms that had fallen out of the box.
The tearing of foil sounded through the room.
Elain watched as he slid the condom over his cock and bit down on her bottom lip as her stomach tumbled with excitement. She pushed herself to her elbows, her hair falling messily behind her, and looked as Azriel positioned himself at her entrance.
With one hand on her hip, Azriel sank into her. Slow and steady and one of Elain’s hands came up to grip Azriel’s bicep, her nails sinking into his muscle.
“Fuck,” Azriel said, dropping down onto one hand next to her. His black hair falling into his face. “You’re so tight. And so fucking wet. You feel like a fucking dream.”
Elain took deep breaths, getting used to the size and feel of him. How he stretched her so deliciously to the point of almost pain.
It had been so long since Elain last had sex that it felt like the first time all over again. Well, not exactly. There was no awkward fumbling. No discomfort. Just pleasure.
“You,” Elain gasped as Azriel sank in another inch. “Feel even bigger than you look.”
Slowly, Azriel pushed forward into her until Elain was completely full.
Elain gasped as she felt the press of his piercing deep inside of her, in a place that no one had ever reached before.
By pure reflex, one of Elain’s hands reached for his tight ass cheek, her nails digging into his flesh.
Her hips shifted up as his pelvis ground against her clit, and the walls of sex clenched around him, causing Azriel’s breath to turn jagged.
“I pictured fucking you for hours and hours the first time,” Azriel said heavily, his breath against his damp breath gasping against her neck. “Until we were both seeing stars, but fuck you feel better than I imagined.”
“We can,” Elain’s breath jolted as he pulled out, his piercing pressing against her clit before thrusting back into her, her wetness sounding through the room. “Still do that.”
Azriel started to move his hips faster, more erratic as his control started slipping further and further away from him.
The sound of his pounding into her filled the room, causing Elain to buck her hips.
“Fuck.” Azriel breathed, thrusting harder.
Hot pleasure was mounting within Elain, and with one last push Elain hit her breaking point. The walls of her cunt clenching his dick as her orgasm cratered through her.
Azriel grabbed her hips, making sure he was as deep seated as possible, before coming inside of her.
“That was…” Elain drifted off breathlessly, loving the feel of his muscle-hardened, sweaty body against hers.
“I agree.” Azriel said, breathing heavily through his nose before pulling her in for a sloppy kiss.
Elain reached down to pull off the used condom, and she tossed it on the floor without a second thought.
“Thank you.” Elain said as Azriel dropped next to her. She wasted no time before snuggling into his side, wanting every inch of their skin to touch.
“For what?” Azriel asked, his breath slowly turning back to normal. His hands felt her entire body. Running up the length of her back and lush bottom.
“It was perfect.” Elain sighed, kissing his strong neck.
Azriel held her closer.
— —
When Azriel woke, it was slowly.
This wasn’t the first time that Elain had recognized it, but it was different. Maybe it was because she still felt sore from their day (and night) together, but the way Azriel was clinging to her and burrowing his face into her neck made it seem as if there was nowhere else he wanted to be.
“Good morning,” Elain said, turning and wrapping her arms around his neck. Their lips came together in a leisurely kiss. “Would you like to explain to me why I smell coffee?” Elain asked against his lips.
“I set it up last night when I got us dinner,” Azriel said in a sleep ridden voice. One that made Elain’s bones melt. He cracked open one hazel eye. “I figured we’d be a bit busy last night and wouldn’t want to get up and brew it this morning.”
“You think of everything,” Elain sighed and pressed a kiss into his hard peck. “I love that about you.”
Azriel placed a kiss on top of her head.
Elain moved to get out of bed and right when she was about to plant her feet on the wooden floor, she squealed and jerked back. Almost tumbling into Azriel.
“What the fuck?” Azriel asked, worry pulling at his brows, and his hands grabbing Elain to pull her away from the edge of the bed. “Is there a mouse?”
“No,” Elain shook her head and looked at him with wide eyes. “How many times did we do it last night?”
She blinked at him, her face flushing.
Azriel tried to stop the smile from forming fully on his lips.
“Quite a few.” Azriel responded.
Elain jerked her head, urging Azriel to peek over the edge of the bed.
“Did we go through the entire box?” Elain whisper-yelled, and then fought the embarrassment that rose within her. There was nobody here to hear her. And she certainly wasn’t whispering last night.
Azriel rubbed his lips with his finger as he looked at the used condoms they had discarded on the floor.
It was a bit of a concerning sight to see first thing in the morning.
Elain crawled across the bed, her bum in the air, and reached for the box at the foot of the bed.
“That is a much better sight.” Azriel said, tilting his head to take in Elain’s rounded bottom.
She looked over her shoulder at him, her cheeks still pink, and shook the empty box at him.
“We should make a run to the store,” Elain said, watching as Azriel moved towards her, and not stopping him as he grasped her hips to twist her so that she laid on her back. “To get some more.”
Azriel nodded in agreement and pressed his morning erection into her wet, swollen pussy.
Elain moaned and moved against him.
“I’m going on the pill, or something. Whatever the doctor recommends.” Elain gasped as his piercing flicked over her clit.
Azriel stilled above her.
“You don’t have to.” Azriel said, pulling back.
“I want to feel you inside me… with no barriers. And I trust you.”
Azriel placed one large hand on her neck and pulled her in for a passionately slow kiss. Their hips still moving against each other.
If Elain was with anybody else, then she might have been embarrassed by her body’s reaction to him. How wet she got just from his kiss and the feel of his cock moving against her sex — but she felt too good, and Azriel was just as turned on by her body as she was by his.
He moved again, pressing her deeper into the mattress.
Elain’s body pulsed as an orgasm rushed through her, and she felt Azriel coming all over her pussy and stomach. The warm liquid landing on her sensitive skin.
“That was,” Elain took a deep breath. “Hot.”
“The things I want to do to you, Elain.” Azriel groaned against her lips. A sinful promise in his voice.
Elain swallowed.
“We’ll go to the store after breakfast?” Elain asked and Azriel nodded in agreement.
Before anything else could happen, Elain crawled out of bed and grabbed the tshirt Azriel had discarded on the floor.
“Maybe we should have coffee in the kitchen,” Elain said, biting her lip as a naked Azriel lounged in twisted sheets. Sheets that they had twisted the night before. And that morning. “That way we might behave?” Elain ignored the condom graveyard that littered on the floor.
“I don’t think location matters for us, beautiful.” Azriel said, his eyes warm as they looked at his girlfriend.
Elain nodded.
“But,” He continued. “I’ll clean up our mess and meet you in the kitchen. The sooner we leave, the sooner I can fuck you again.”
A blush coated Elain’s cheeks and she looked at the mess they had made on her and said, “I need a washcloth first.”
-------
tagging: @123moiaussi @fuckmelifesucks @thefangirlofhp @sakurakittypeach @nikethestatue @tswaney17 @impossiblescissorspeachpaper @feyredarlinq @duskwhisperer @nyxreads @rinadragomir @secretpuppyflower @captainbrucebanner @ultadverb @irisesforelain @shedoessoshedoes @magnolia-blossom87 @sheenabeene @nivem565 @casuallivi @rhysiedarling @elain99-blog @athena-85 @swankii-art-teacher @reverie-tales @jujugirlfrombookstore @shadowflorecita @shy-violet-soul @thisloveseternal
#elriel#elain x azriel#elain archeron#pro elriel#azriel#elriel fanfiction#elriel fanfic#fawnandshadows writing#how you get the girl#how you get the girl chapter 24
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Elriels picture this!
Az & elain are still avoiding each other, & Azriel finds her sleeping on the couch so he pulls a blanket over her, tucks her in & whispers “I Love You” cause thats the only time he can.
BUT Elain is just pretending to sleep like a good spy, so she hears him. She whispers “I Love You too.” After he walks away.
Someone write me fanfic thanks
#elriel#acotar#a court of thorns and roses#azriel shadowsinger#elain x azriel#azriel acotar#azriel#elain archeron#elriel fanfiction#elriel fanfic#sjm#sarah j maas
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Obessesion
Azriel loved everything about Elain.
He loved her smile.
He loved the brightness of her eyes.
He loved how she had such a warm and caring heart.
But he was obsessed with her neck.
He thought it might be that deep Illyrian instinct inside of him that came roaring to the surface whenever she bared the pale skin of her neck for him. A desire to lap at the delicate flesh with his tongue after he brutally bit it until a bruise blossomed from his machinations.
Azriel loved to mark her body with his bites. Loved how beneath the modest gowns she donned, she wore his claims like brands on her skin.
Boldly.
Proudly.
She loved being ravished by his mouth. Could settle on his lap or beneath him for hours as he let his teeth and tongue taste every inch of her body.
Nobody knew that under her clothes she was always peppered by a garden of black and blue and purple from him. Flowers upon her skin, some freshly bloomed while others had slowly begun to wilt away.
He smiled every time she undressed in front of him as he counted the bruises still visible upon her flesh.
Tonight was no different.
They were sequestered at the Townhouse, riding out a bad snow storm. Azriel had barely been able to arrive before the worst of it hit, kicking the front steps to dust snow off his boots before entering the warmth of the house.
Elain, as usual, was found in the kitchen, a spread of baked goods surrounding her on the marble counters. She smiled at him, a slash of brilliant white between pink lips. “You made it. I was afraid the storm might have kept you away,” she said, pulling a loaf of fresh baked bread from the oven.
Az leaned a hip on the doorway, brushing loose snowflakes from his thick hair. “Nothing could keep me away from here, beautiful. But it does look like we’ll be stuck here for a few days.”
A pretty blush dusted her cheeks at the endearment. “How awful,” she muttered, lips turning up at the corners. “Whatever will we do to pass the time?” Those dark eyes went molten under his heated stare.
He beckoned her with a crook of his finger, taking her hand when she approached and guiding them to the sitting room, Elain perching on his lap.
“I say,” he began, running his hands up and down her body, feeling the cotton fabric beneath his scarred fingers. “We take all the time in the world to enjoy the company of your bed.”
Elain’s body shuddered in response and she leaned forward slightly, providing him prime access to that perfect neck. “Why don’t you give me a little preview of what to anticipate?” she murmured, voice husky with need.
Twisting her hair around his fist for leverage, he brought his mouth to her skin. Felt her pulse flutter beneath his lips.
A soft kiss. One to just tease her a bit. Then another, this one more insistent. And another, until his teeth scraped over neck, sucking the flesh between them and biting.
Elain moaned, hands bracing themselves on his strong shoulders. Her hips wiggled on his lap, grazing his growing erection.
Fuck, she always felt so good. Tasted so sweet.
He released her neck, licking the hurt away before drawing the same spot back into his mouth. He’d work the same area over and over again into the night. Until he was sure it’d take at least a week for it to even begin fading.
Because Elain wearing his marks on her skin, on her neck…yeah, that was his obsession.
~~~~~
I finally wrote something. 😭 This was just a quick phone fic, but I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I’ve actually written something. Please lord, let this be my comeback. 🛐🙏
#post creative drought#phone fic#elriel#elriel fic#elriel fanfic#elriel fanfiction#elain archeron#azriel#elain#azriel shadowsinger#tswaney17#tswaney17fics#tay writes#my writing#elain x azriel#Elain x az#azriel x elain#elain and azriel#azriel and elain#pro elriel
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youtube
Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared
The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!
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Thanks to @bloomingdarkgarden for giving some valuable insight that this is a frequent occurrence on AO3 (totally outing myself as a newbie here but I think you all already knew that 😂) and this is less an issue of abuse and bullying and more spam/bot/pornographic images/ect related. I'm going to keep the message up about bullying, because I still feel strongly about how much of it occurs in this fandom.
My dear friend Sara Anne (SaraAnneReads @tiktok) who has been an amazing support of my fic and proofreading/beta reading my chapters and chatting with me before I share them with you guys just went to comment on a chapter and sent me this screenshot.
Adjusting the messaging here to simply address bullying in the fandom in general, though the source of this AO3 post has been corrected:
What is it going to take to leave each other alone? Are you going to keep bullying creators off the internet until there is nothing left but AI art and bots? We are human beings, taking our time and energy and effort for no pay and no reward beyond the joy of connecting with others and potentially adding some good into the world that might brighten someone's day. There is nothing more meaningful to me than to hear that perhaps one of you was having a tough day, but seeing a new chapter dropped turned it around. That's the reward. That's the value of fanfic. Joy and lightness and connection and shared love of art in this form.
There is no, and I mean absolutely NO reason to abuse a human being for writing a fanfic. Ever. If it isn't for you, move along. How did this become a space for zero courtesy or human kindness, or simply not engaging in what is not meant for you?
I have only shared my fic here and actively avoided sharing to tiktok or Instagram (I don't have Twitter) for this exact reason. My friends in real life can attest that I value and cherish beta readers and feedback. I love workshopping /discussing my work and taking constructive criticism, as my goal is to not only create structure and line level prose that I am proud of, but also for it to be digestible and readable. I do not approach this work with an ego.
That being said, the thought of Golden Doe in a Valley of Shadow getting into the hands of bullies scares the utter shit out of me. I don't manage internet bullying very well, even when it is not directed at me. It is something I struggle with and continue to work on in therapy- my general sensitivity to how harmful people can be to each other for no reason.
I am telling you, without question, there is NO reason to abuse a fic writer. None. If you find yourself thinking about it, please stop. Let everyone exist in peace and move along. I'm begging you to stop stripping this community of artists and creators. Please.
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Happy birthday to my bestie, my mate, my Elriel sister @tswaney17
I wouldn't have joined this fandom without her. So if anything, blame her! Jokes aside, I hope you have a marvelous year and meet your own stranger in the night. Please enjoy!
One shot
Summary: Elain Archeron is celebrating her birthday and happens to meet an enigmatic and mysterious stranger who upends her world
She smoothed her black bodysuit over her hips, though it wasn’t wrinkled and then tousled her hair, in what she hoped, was sexy, beachy curls.
Anyone else would’ve told her that she looked great—well put together, elegant, and not trying too hard. But to her self-critical eye, she saw a slew of imperfections. Hips too wide, breasts too large, stumpy fingers...She could stand here all night and critique herself, but what would be the point? It was what it was, right? Some part of her though, liked what stared back. The black bodysuit hugged her in all the right places, and paired with strappy golden heels and some delicate gold jewelry, she looked...nice. Not quite her 31 years old. Her friends always said that she was a ‘young 30’. She looked about 24. But inside, there were days when she felt 78.
Oh well. Time to go. That’s not to say that she didn’t want to back out of her solo restaurant trip about 25 times today. Internally, she’s been telling herself that she is too busy, too tired, too poor, and that staying in with a bottle of wine and pizza would be just fine. Another part of her wanted to get out. Even if she looked like a loser, dining alone. At least it was a Wednesday night—not the weekend—so she could theoretically make up a story of being on a business trip. Not that anyone’s going to ask. But she needed that security blanket for herself: “I am eating alone, because I am here on business’. Yeah, that sounded legit. She was a successful, professional woman, determined and confident, and she was on business in Chicago.
She grabbed her clutch and headed out.
It was a warm evening by Chicago standards. The middle of April could be blustery or it could be blistering. You never knew. Tonight was lovely, actually. Trees were in full bloom—white, pink, yellow, assertive red, purple, even blue—bursting in flowers of every shape and size along the streets of her neighbourhood.
Beatrice was a quint restaurant in Fulton Market. Or as ‘quaint’ as a restaurant could be in the bustling, hipster corner of the city. She only knew it because she’d come here before with her stylish, popular co-worker, Morrigan. She recalled how Mor wore a pristine baby blue bodysuit, sky-high heels, and a sparkling silver belt studded with glittery gemstones. Mor’s hair was a waterfall of golden blonde, which cascaded sensually down her back. Her skin was flawless. Her makeup was perfection, and her nails the right shade of pearl. When they were seated, all the girls in the party immediately rattled off a list of things they didn’t eat, were allergic to, and ‘avoided’. Mor announced that she was ‘celiac’ in a tone that implied that obviously she was celiac! And then proceeded to order bread. When the waiter told her that bread has gluten, Mor said that ‘she was allowed to today’.
Back then, she’d ordered something called the Straight ‘A’ Salad, not wanting to tuck into something juicy and fatty in front of everyone. It ended up being empty and unsatisfying. But she still wanted to go back there, because the other items on the menu looked good, the vibe was nice and not overwhelming, and the drinks were inventive. If nothing else, she’d get her full in alcohol.
“Follow me, Miss,” the hostess beckoned her and she scurried quickly between tables, wanting to be seated as soon as possible.
It was nice. The table was by the wall, and she could see inside the restaurant and out the window. She laid her clutch on the table and exhaled. She was here. She was in her place, in her chair.
She made it.
“Are we celebrating anything tonight, Miss?” the waiter asked, when he approached with the menu.
“Oh no,” she laughed, “I am on a business trip.”
“And do you have any allergies?”
“No!” she stated decisively. No. She is going to eat what she wanted. No faux allergies for her.
The drinks menu looked a bit intimidating. Lots of things with Mezcal and Elderflower and words like ‘smoked’ and ‘hibiscus ginger kombucha’. After discreetly googling what kombucha was, she gagged and decided on a Lemond Drop. Safe and sound.
The waiter wasn’t exactly impressed by her choice, but she didn’t care. Instead, she ordered Cheddar Popovers with bacon butter, and green chili queso for appetizers. It harkened back to her California upbringing, where things were less formal, the food less complicated, and the loneliness less acute. She suddenly and desperately missed her sisters, who lived back home. She missed the sun, tacos, trips to Sacramento and the simpler life she had back home.
Sighing, she sipped her cocktail and looked around. It was fairly bustling, couples and friends chatting animatedly, drinking their complicated drinks and laughing. But...she felt okay. Not amazing, but okay. It was peaceful.
It felt peaceful until her eyes fell on a singular, solitaire figure of a man, who sat at the bar, with a drink in front of him. The reason she even paid attention to him was because he was literally breathtakingly beautiful. So handsome, her breath stalled in her chest. Big. So goddamn big, it felt like he was sucking the air into the vortex of a black hole that he’d created just by simply...being. He sat, unmoving, in a sharply cut suit and a white shirt, unbuttoned at his neck. The other reason why she looked at him was because he was staring back at her. Big, bold, unflinching stare. Those incredible, luminescent eyes almost glared at her, and she wished she’d know what colour they were. The man’s face remained impassive, but he continued staring, even once she’s averted her eyes and squirmed in her seat. And now, all she could feel was his stare, following her every move. It was suddenly hot, and she felt her nipples pop like tiny Whack-A-Moles beneath her bodysuit. Served her right for not wearing a bra! Jesus Mary and Joseph. Well, her evening was ruined just like that. Instead of being at peace with her lemon drop and her popovers, she was not being scorched by the gaze of this absurdly handsome man, and all she wanted to do was look his way and see if he was still looking at her. While she didn’t want him to be looking at her. But she wanted to make sure that he was. Oh, god. What. The. Hell.
She was on the verge of fanning herself, before realising that she’d be looking like she was having hot flashes, and it was too early for that. Her nipples were hard as bullets and she was forced to cover her breasts with her folded arms, just to maintain some sense of decorum. As she ‘busied’ herself with her drink, she snuck a momentary glance at the man. He was still there, but no longer looking at her. Instead, he was on his phone, and a deep sense of regret and longing washed over her at once.
He was interested in her for 23 seconds.
That was it.
But she supposed that for the most handsome man in the world to take notice of her for 23 seconds was sufficient enough.
“Miss, your popovers,” the waiter stepped up to the table, placing one plate down in front of her, and then the other, “and queso. Please be careful, it’s hot.”
The food looked fine, but somehow, she no longer felt particularly hungry. She wasn’t sure if it was because the man was no longer looking at her, or because he was looking at her before. Did she want him to look at her? No. No, she didn’t. He was entirely outside her comfort zone, with his piercing gaze and his unnaturally good looks and he was definitely a player, so there was no need for all of this.
On her birthday, all she wanted was peace and quiet. She didn’t need smouldering men giving her the death stare. Instead, she forced herself to concentrate on her food. The popovers were light and fluffy and crispy on the outside, and the bacon butter was to die for. Sinful, but so, so good.
She sunk into her seat, enjoying her cocktail and alternating between the popovers and then the rich, spicy queso. She was still deciding on the main course—penne with spicy vodka sauce? Slow cooked short rib?
“Miss,”
Her contemplation was interrupted by the waiter, who was holding a drink.
“From the gentleman at the bar,” he said and placed the drink in front of her.
Her mouth fell open. Whaaat...
Timidly, she allowed her eyes to travel to the bar and sure enough, there he was. Staring. A small, secret smile touched his beautiful mouth and he inclined his head just a bit. She didn’t exactly know how to act in these situations. Was she supposed to drink the drink that he sent? Invite him over? Go over there herself? Ignore him like a total douche?
Okay, first things first. She raised the pretty coupe glass to her lips and tentatively sipped the drink. Sour and smokey, with a touch of sweetness and heavy on lemon flavour, this was definitely a whiskey drink. And she didn’t like whiskey. But for some reason, she really liked this. She took another sip, a bolder one, and then glanced at the man. He was smiling, as he watched her drink, and when she swallowed, he winked at her. Approving? Enjoying watching her? Smug? Pleased? She wasn’t sure. But she...
“Ready to order, Miss?” the waiter was back, and she absently said ‘fish tacos’ which isn’t what she even wanted, but she was too scrambled to come up with a better idea. “Very good,” the waiter chirped, and before he disappeared, she said, “can you ask the gentleman who bought the drink to join me?”
Her throat was dry. Her underarms were sweaty.
WHAT was she doing??
She never did anything like this before? Inviting strange men to eat with her? Never!
“If he wants to,” she added quickly and the waiter nodded.
God, please say no. Please. Please god, let him say no. I don’t want it. I don’t.
There he was. Moving through the restaurant like the Angel of Death. Dark and tall and slim and muscular. Jesus. He was actually coming over! Oh. No. Nononononono.
And then he was standing at her table, how own drink in hand.
“I wasn’t sure if Whiskey Sour was the way to go,” he said—his deep, dark, raspy voice matching his appearance to a tee. "But it looks like I did well.”
She swallowed hard and then muttered, “Is that what it is?”
Yep, it sounded lame even to her own ears.
“Indeed,” he confirmed. “First time?”
Somehow, this made her blush. A simple question, and a correct assumption, but for some reason, it was laced with innuendo.
Their eyes finally locked.
Hazel. His eyes are a gorgeous greenish amber colour, spectacular like the rest of him.
He took a sip of his drink and slowly dragged the tip of his tongue over his lower lip, swiping the droplet and that made her even sweatier than she was before. Soon she was going to be sweating like a sumo wrestler—which of course is the most enticing look a woman could sport.
“No, I’ve had it before,” she finally managed to answer.
He smirked a knowing smile.
“Have you?”
As he was looming over her and attracting way too much attention from the females of the species, and even some males, she all but ordered him, “you can sit down!”
He smiled again, that smooth, secret smile, saying, “I thought you’d never ask”.
She didn’t know what to say to that, so she just watched him in silence as he slid onto a chair across from her.
“Thanks for the drink,” feeling awfully uncomfortable, knowing she was not great at small talk, and completely out of depth with this man, she thought that this was all a pretty bad idea. What was supposed to have been a quiet and nice evening alone, was turning into...well, she wasn’t sure what it was turning into, but it was something.
“You aren’t waiting for anyone, are you?” he asked, sounding curious. “I wouldn’t need to fight a boyfriend or something...I mean, I’ll win, but,”
She huffed, and snorted a laugh.
“So confident?”
He shrugged, “pretty confident”. After a pause, he pressed, “so?”
“No,” she blushed despite her best efforts to appear cool. “I am here alone. On a business trip,” she lied smoothly, grateful for having this little nugget in her pocket.
He crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair, lounging comfortably. Suddenly, he said,
“Nope. Try again.”
Startled, she glowered at him, not knowing what he meant. All the while, as she squirmed in confusion, he casually drank his whiskey, watching her closely.
“What,” she brought her glass to her lips and took a generous swig of the drink, “what do you mean?”
“Only that you are not being exactly truthful,” he shrugged, and then grabbed a popover and swallowed the whole thing easily. “You aren’t here on any business trip.”
“What?!” she exclaimed with indignation. “Excuse me! How do you know? What do you mean?”
His eyes slowly slid over her bare arms, her chest, her neck, and again, she blushed like a fool, but there was no stopping her body’s reaction to this strange man.
He was...enigmatic.
“A beautiful woman like you, wearing something so elegant and understated,”
Understated? Did he mean boring?
“is not in Chicago on any business trip. So, that makes me think—if you aren’t waiting for anyone, and you are dressed up, then you must be,” he cocked his head, considering, “celebrating something? A new job? A birthday?”
Most of his words rolled right over her head, because all she heard was ‘a beautiful woman like you’. He thought that she was beautiful? He? HE thought that?
“What?” she asked dumbly.
He chuckled, amused. “You are a little naughty liar, is what I am saying,”
“You can’t call me that!”
“Then don’t lie to me.”
She bubbled her lips and finished her drink. Finished already? Shit.
He noticed it too and motioned for the waiter.
“Another drink for the lady,” he ordered. “And I’ll take another whiskey. And,” he thought for a moment and added, “bring us a bottle of champagne.” He looked at her and asked, “what are you eating?”
“I think I ordered fish tacos,” she recalled, watching him in confusion.
“Want to eat them?”
“I dunno.”
“Mind if I cancel them and order us steaks?”
“Uhh...okay?”
He did just that, telling the waiter that he’d pay for the tacos as well.
Who the hell was this guy? He flicked his fingers and just got whatever he wanted. The waiter didn’t even question him! ‘Of course, sir’ ‘Whatever you want, sit’ ‘Right away, sir’.
“So, is it your birthday?” he asked once the waiter ran to fetch the drinks. Literally, ran.
“No.”
His brows knitted together and he pursed his lips.
Something about him and his look made goose bumps rise on her skin and she shifted under the table, crossing her legs. This guy and his unbelievable dominating bossiness were both scary, but also highly sexual. She knew that she was a bit of a submissive at heart, but that was mostly because she read way too many omegaverse books. But now, she was faced with a true Alpha. When they spoke of an Alpha Male, she suddenly became aware that she was in the presence of one. He wasn’t just tall, dark and handsome—even if he was a walking cliche with all of these attributes. But it was his undeniable, almost God-given natural dominance and superiority that she found so fascinating. And yes, so appealing as well.
“It’s not your birthday?” he repeated.
“N-no,” she bleated pathetically.
He didn’t respond immediately, but only drummed his fingers on the table, and she noticed that his hands were scarred. Rather extensively. Burns, from what she could tell. Jesus. How did he get these? And both hands, too.
“Lie to me again, and I will take you over my knees and spank that perfect bottom until you beg for mercy,” he warned, his voice impassive, his face unchanged.
Her mouth dropped open and she thought that she was going to slide under the table and dissolve into a puddle.
Was she supposed to cause a scene and slap him? Was she supposed to storm out of the restaurant? How does one reacted to being threatened by a spanking by a complete stranger?
Also, he thought that her ass was ‘perfect’?
“Let’s start anew, beautiful girl,” he proposed then, while she made silent gasping noises like a dying fish.
The waiter arrived just then, and only that prevented her from fainting or screaming out loud. He popped the champagne bottle with flourish and poured both of them a measure, while also setting their cocktails down before them.
“Don’t come back until the food is ready,” the stranger warned the waiter and the man nodded and left without saying a word.
“What is your name?”
She swallowed, but remembering his warning, she decided to go with the truth this time.
“Elain.”
“Gorgeous name,” he approved. “It suits you. I am Azriel.”
“Azriel,” an exotic name for an exotic man. “Nice to meet you. I think?” she ventured and extended her hand to him.
“Pleasure is certainly all mine,” he said, squeezing her hand in his huge, warm, powerful palm, watching her with strange, almost palatable hunger. “Whether you’ll receive pleasure from me or not remains to be seen,” he decided vaguely and she bit her lip, sensing that innuendo again and not knowing how to deal with it.
The one time a guy was instantly interested in her, and he is a dangerous weirdo. Figures. Just her luck.
He raised his glass and said, “Happy birthday, Elain! I hope it’s wonderful to you.”
“Thank you. That remains to be seen, I think,” she said softly and they touched their glasses. She sucked the champagne quickly, and with a sense of foreboding and some kind of desperation. She had no idea where this was going, or what he wanted from her. But she wanted it to continue. At least for the duration of this dinner.
“What do you do?” he inquired, dipping a chip into the queso, but instead of eating it, he held it out to her. She looked around, in some kind of futile hope that someone would save her from this, but there was no one. Only this stunning, somewhat insane man, who was feeding her chips and dip.
“Come on, beautiful Elain. Open up,” he urged soft, his voice smooth and husky and so tempting.
Numb, and only driven by the sound of that sensual voice, she opened her mouth and he gently pushed the chip inside. As she pulled it between her teeth, he brushed his finger over her lower lip and then brought it to his mouth and sucked.
“More?” he whispered and then concluded, “more.”
He dipped another chip and fed it to her again.
“So?”
“I am in marketing,” she answered, knowing in advance that hers was the most uninspiring answer in history. But she was more preoccupied by the fact that she was being fed chips by a strange man in the middle of a restaurant.
“And you live in the city?” he asked further. “Please don’t even start with the whole ‘I am here on business’.”
She sighed and admitted, “Fine, I am from the suburbs. But I work in the city. What do you do?”
He didn’t seem too thrilled about her question and took his time eating the last of the popovers.
“Do you really want to know?” he asked finally.
“Yes, of course. Why not?”
“You might not like it.”
“Why wouldn’t I? What do you do? Kill people?” she joked.
He smiled at her, but the smile was less of a smile, and more just a stretch of his lips. The smile didn’t reach his eyes
“And if I am?” he wondered at last.
She frowned and then it dawned on her and she laughed, “what? You kill people?”
“Maybe.”
A shiver ran down her spine and she gawked at him in shock. Until she dissolved in a flurry of laughs.
“You had me there for a sec!” she wiggled her finger at him. “A+ for a perfect deadpan delivery! I am impressed.”
He didn’t seem to be laughing, but he added, “but they were all bad”.
She stopped laughing and nervously shifted in her seat.
“Wait. What?”
“You wanted to know what I did for a living,” he reminded her.
As she processed his words, he just sat there, watching her intently.
“Oh my god,” she exclaimed at last, realisation dawning on her, “it’s a scam, right?! You are one of those guys who pretends to be an assassin, or a millionaire, or in the CIA and then I fall for it, and in two months you’ll start asking me for money and I blow all my savings on you and then never hear from you again.”
Shaking her head in disbelief she grabbed her napkin and then said, “thank you for the drink, Mr. Azriel. But I am not stupid. I appreciate the gesture—the razzle dazzle—but let’s part ways right here so that no one leaves here too traumatised.”
He listened to her impassively and in the next moment, the waiter arrived with their steaks.
She was hungry and upset, but she knew that she couldn’t stay here any longer and remain in his company. The whole thing was too bizarre and she didn’t want to get in trouble. And this man was clearly trouble. Or maybe troubled. Or both.
“Azriel, I am,”
��Sit,” he ordered, though his tone was soft. “You are safe with me. Don’t worry. But you did ask me what I did for a living,” he insisted again.
“Well, when I did ask you, I didn’t expect for you to tell me that you are some kind of a killer!” she snapped, her voice rising.
“I’d rather you didn’t yell,” he requested. “However, I wanted to tell you,”
“Why?!” she exclaimed. “Don’t killers usually try and keep their profession,” she made a quotation mark sign with her fingers, “a secret?”
“Normally, yes,” he agreed. “But, I want you to trust me and I felt that being honest is the best way to earn that trust.”
“Trust me? Why? And,”
“Because I want you,” he interrupted her and his tone was blunt, but calm.
“Wha,”
“I want you,” he repeated. “I saw you and you...well, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. And now, I am obsessed with the idea of learning what you’d look like when I enter you. What sounds you’d make when you come on my tongue.”
At that, the big steak knife fell out of her trembling fingers and she wondered if she was having some kind of out of body experience. An ‘episode’? She wasn’t prone to episodes, but hell, there was a first time for everything, right?
He shrugged, and continued like this was a perfectly sane conversation they were having, “Sorry if this is a bit unorthodox,”
An understatement of the century!
“However, I am not one to mince words,”
Another understatement of the century.
“And when I want something, I go after it. And right now, I want you.”
She made a gurgling sound, but he ignored it, then cut into his steak, and chewed slowly.
“However, you don’t strike me as someone who sleeps around or who is used to the type of man I am,”
Was any woman?
“Therefore, I wanted to build a baseline of trust between us. Like I said, you have nothing to fear from me. I am simply a man, interested in a woman.”
He was anything but, but okay.
“So,” she finally found her voice which was lost somewhere in the bottom of her stomach, “telling me you are an assassin is your way of establishing a baseline of trust?”
He looked at her hand, which was clutching a butter knife, her knuckles white, and smiled faintly.
“I suppose so.”
She reached for the bottle of champagne, but her hands were shaking so badly, she could barely grasp it. Smoothly, he took the bottle and topped off her glass. This was probably the worst idea—to continue drinking—but she couldn't think of anything else.
“Why don’t you relax and eat,” he suggested. “The steak is cooked perfectly.”
“I don’t think I am hungry.”
“Nonsense. Lay down your weapon of choice, dig into your dish and relax a bit. Have fun. It's your birthday!”
He then raised his glass and mused, ‘what should we toast to?”
“Me remaining sane after this dinner,” she muttered under her breath.
He laughed.
“How about ‘to the future’? Because tomorrow with you is worth every yesterday I spent without you,” he said and she almost choked.
He couldn’t be for real.
No man talked like that. Ever.
“Listen, I know I could a little blunt, but in my line of work, I have to move quickly and I typically don’t get many second chances. And I don’t want to miss my chance with you,” he drank his champagne and watched her attempt to concentrate on her steak. “And when I said that you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, I am being honest. I saw you across the restaurant and you kind of blew my mind. It happens, you know,”
“No, it doesn’t,” she argued. “Only in romance novels.”
“Okay,” he shrugged, “so we have a romance novel beginning, so what?”
“It’s not real,” she insisted.
“Well, while you think on that, tell me when I can kiss you, because I’d really, really would like to kiss you right now,”
“Never!” she shrieked. “Stop talking like that!”
She desperately needed him to stop talking. Stop using that sensual, deep baritone to say deliciously sinful things to her. Because if he continued, she wasn’t sure what she’d do. She kept trying to shield her breasts from him, since her nipples were achingly sharp, threatening to poke through the top of her body suit. And between her legs—disaster. She was flooded. Every glance at his strong, powerful hands made her wonder what they’d feel like between her thighs. What his soft lips would taste like if he did get that kiss from her. And every word he said just made her wetter and wetter. She feared she’d have a stain on her clothes once she got up from her seat, and the thought alone was mortifying.
“I think you should let me kiss you,” he insisted, watching her intently.
“No, I am not kissing you!”
God, this steak was good!
“How about this then,” he proposed slowly, “I scoot closer to you, and you let me play with your clit, while you eat, and then you come all over my hand. I pay the bill and we go to my place and I’ll continue making you come. Because all I want to do right now is kiss every inch of your porcelain skin, and fuck your soft, lovely mouth and watch my dick disappear between those rosy lips. And then you’ll come on my dick in your perfect pussy and ask for more, while screaming my name. And if you let me, I’ll fuck that gorgeous ass as well and will make you come from that as well. And then you’ll sleep in my arms and in the morning, we’ll go get breakfast.”
She watched him in dull astonishment, her brain failing to work properly as she attempted to process his words.
This really couldn’t be real. At all. No man, in the history of mankind, ever said words like these to a woman.
Yes, he just sat there, with her perfect face and his perfect body, and waited.
“And then you’ll go and kill some people at work?” was all she managed to say to his explicit monologue.
She’s never been fucked anywhere, let alone her ass. So yeah.
“Well, not at work. For work,” he corrected.
“Uh uh,” she sighed. “And you are okay with me knowing about that then?”
“Like I told you, I want you to trust me.”
“Uh uh,” she sighed again. Then she set her napkin aside and told him calmly,
“Azriel, it certainly has been an interesting evening. I thank you. I am not sure I’ll ever forget it, or you, but...I don’t think that I am the girl you need,”
“All me to decide that,” he argued sharply.
She chewed the inside of her cheek, before clarifying, “I suppose I choose not to be that girl for you.”
“Why?”
“I like my boring little life. It suits me. And you...you don’t suit me or my life.”
She couldn’t even believe her own assertiveness. She was rarely like this.
“It’s unfortunate,” he said sadly. “Forgive me if I offended you,”
“Astonished, more like,”
“Better than offended.”
She got up from her chair and her knees felt soft and shaky, and for the first time she understood what ‘jelly legs’ were. She had jelly legs because of him.
“Thank you for dinner. I better be going.”
“I’d like to walk you to your car,” he offered.
“I think it’s a bad idea. Besides, I am getting an Uber. I drank too much. Goodbye, Azriel.”
She rushed out of the restaurant and onto the bustling Fulton Market, where there were hundreds of people milling around. Her fingers trembling, she got her phone out of her clutch and pressed the Uber button on the verge of hysteria now. She didn’t know where she was going even, so she pressed ‘home’ even though she knew this Uber would host like $60 at least. But she needed to get away. Away from here, away from him, away from making a bad decision. Very bad, terrible decision that she was yearning to make right now.
3 minutes.
3 minutes.
Okay, she just needed to make it for 3 minutes out here, until the car came.
She glanced at the phone frantically, over and over again, watching the little car move along the street diagram.
Suddenly, a familiar scarred hand reached over her shoulder and grabbed her phone.
“Wait! Give it back!” she demanded desperately.
Azriel smiled at her and then typed something in her phone.
“Now you have my number.”
A text chimed, and he added, “and I have yours”.
“We’ll never see each other again,” she promised.
“We’ll see,” he said simply.
Finally, Honda Civic! Blue! There she was!
She bounced on her heels impatiently, hoping he wouldn’t do anything, and yet hoping that he would at the same time.
Ugh.
“Goodbye, Azriel,” she said again.
He opened the door for her politely and before she folded herself into the car, he pressed his lips to the top of her head.
“Happy birthday, beautiful. I’ll see you later.”
-
Azriel ‘The Shadow’ Night had two problems on his hands.
As he watched the Honda weave in and out of busy traffic, he lit a cigarette—an occasional bad habit of his—and inhaled deeply.
Nothing that he told her was a lie.
He did find her to be incredibly beautiful. And his attraction to her was instant and hit him like an avalanche. He’d never felt anything remotely like this before. He wanted her with every fiber of his being and know, innately, that their paths were crossed forever and for a reason.
The only omission in his tale was that their meeting was not accidental. And that she was the target, who was his current assignment.
Now, he needed to figure out how to murder her, while keeping her alive.
#elriel#elriel fanfic#my fanfiction#my writing#elain archeron#azriel#azriel and elain#pro elriel#elain x azriel#elain#acotar fanfiction#Modern AU
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cassian: azriel will never agree to help us
elain: sure he will
rhys: he already refused thrice
elain: alright, let me try
elain, touch azriel's shoulder: az, can you—
azriel: yes.
#azriel x elain#azriel#elain x azriel#elriel#pro elriel#rhysand#acotar#acosf#rhys acotar#pro elain archeron#elriel fanfic#elain and azriel#azriel shadowsinger#azriel acotar#acotar fanfic#acotar fanfiction#incorrect acotar quotes#incorect quote#incorrect quotes#the inner circle#elain acotar#elain archeron#a court of thorns and roses
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Elriel Month 2024
New year, same undying love for these two. 💕
We are ecstatic to share another year with you all and celebrate our love for Elain and Azriel!
Stay tuned for the official Elriel Month and prompts announcements coming soon!!
🎨 Art Credits (all IG accounts):
Top left: art by ruisfree, commissioned by darksidepuff & stephdaydreams
Bottom left: art by lulybot, commissioned by neur0toxin
Top right: art by jae.sketch, commissioned by pandoras_book
Bottom right: art by lulybot, commissioned by pandoras_book
#elriel#elriel month#elriel month 2024#elrielmonth#elrielmonth2024#elrielmonth24#elain archeron#azriel shadowsinger#azriel#elain#elriel art#elriel fanfic#elriel aesthetic#elriel meme
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