"You're awfully giddy this afternoon." Cassian said as he stretched nearby. "I'm surprised your mood improved so much in such little time."

I shrugged and lowered myself into the splits, twisting around and then reaching to the side to touch my toes. "Is that a bad thing?" I asked.

"No it's a very good thing. Just saying." He replied with a grin.

I brought my legs together and reached forward to touch my toes again, stretching my wings out behind me as well. "I guess I just finally have a reason to be happy." I said and looked over at him.

"He seems happier too." He replied, then paused with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"What?" I asked when I noticed his hesitation.

"I was just thinking, that's all. Has he told you anything about his past? His scars?"

I paused. "No. Only ever said he knows what it was like when I was in that cell. Why?"

"Just asking if he's told you yet. It's not my place to share it, but I think it's important you let him tell you and come to you with it." He stood up and stretched his wings out, then picked up a bow and quiver of arrows. "So how is this gonna work? Whoever's can split the most arrows wins?"

I stood and picked up a recurve bow and nodded. "Yeah, that works fine."

I picked an arrow from the quiver and drew it back to my cheek, releasing a breath as I fired the first arrow solidly into the bullseye. I kept firing, knocking one arrow through the first, then three around them, then the next two I got down the middle. The pattern persisted until I had emptied my quiver and had five arrows splitting through one another at the bullseye and the others all grouped closely around it with a four arrows split through as well.

But then I looked at Cassian's target.

He had eight arrows split at the bullseye.

I scowled and he laughed. "Beat you by three. But hey, that's a a pretty close call. Now. You owe me an explanation." He says with a grin.

"I don't even know how that is even possible." I said with a scoff and a roll of my eyes. "But whatever." I set my bow down, then said, "Last night I felt this tug right here-" I rested my hand over my stomach- "and I got up and followed it and it lead me to him. I knocked but there was no answer, so I went in and when I saw him, everything seemed to just click into place for me. He had been having a nightmare and it was the bond that lead me to him, but I also had felt his pain. He didn't say anything, but he had been crying and he just asked me to stay. So I did. And it just clicked then, I guess. I didn't want to be separated from him- ever again. This...this fierce desire to just protect him came over me and it gets worse whenever Mor comes around and she just seems to hate me."

Cassian was quiet for a moment, then said, "There was a lot between them that she can't let go as easily as Azriel has. She cares for him deeply and he was in love with her for a long time. There are other complications involving me, but for the longest time, I've been the buffer between them. I don't know why they never just come out with it, but whenever a new female comes near Azriel or I, she gets defensive- possessive of us. I can't, and probably never could, explain what goes on in her mind, but don't let it affect your relationship with Azriel."

"I don't care what she thinks. I just want her to get over it and deal with the fact that the Mother did not assign them as mates. I thought Haven was my mate, and I was wrong. Fate works in mysterious ways."

"Indeed it does. I still advise you to be careful."

"I'll be careful, but I can't guarantee Azriel will be gentle again if she insults or corners me again. She's already done it twice. I'm just waiting for it to get physical."

"I doubt it will." Cassian said softly and looked confused and slightly...concerned. "But be careful in the Spring Court, alright?"

"I'm well aware of what Tamlin's attitudes toward us all is. I don't think so highly of him, anyways. Feyre- my best friend- came here from there looking half-starved. I want to find out why while I'm there."

He frowned. "Stick close to Azriel, then. He's better at the whole lying in shadows thing."

"And I'm not?"

He scoffed. "Never said that you aren't capable. Only that he's better in that he's had centuries of practice whereas you've only been alive for one hundred and twenty-two years."

I sighed. "True." I paused and looked at him. "Cassian?"

"Hm?" He asked as he picked up his gear.

"Thank you. For everything."

He smiled. "It's no problem, Adrianna. You're family now."

I returned the smile and said, "I rather like the idea of calling you brother."

He grinned. "And I like the idea of calling you my baby sister."

I rolled my eyes but the smile didn't disappear and I just hugged him once, then turned and winnowed back to the sky outside of the Court of Dreams and flew the rest of the way and landed in the courtyard.

I headed down to the kitchens to collect some supplies for the trip, then headed back to my quarters and began to pack.

The Spring Court.

I had never been, but something about it felt anything but welcoming.

*****

The next morning, just before dawn, I woke up and peeled myself from Azriel's arms and changed into the Spring Court attire and set a glamour over myself to hide the wings and most of the scars that were visible in my skimpy olive dress.

I laced my boots up my calves and attached a set of daggers to the sides of the boots. Easy to reach and easy to use. Another knife in a scabbard with a jeweled hilt was slipped into my bodice, where a chain attached to the jewel made it merely look like a long necklace.

For a finishing touch, I did my hair half up with the rest of it down in curls around my bare shoulders.

As I applied the finishing touches, Azriel came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my stomach and pressed a kiss to my shoulder.

I smiled and rested my hands over his. "Hello, love. How did you sleep?" I turned my head and kissed his forehead as he looked at me, resting his cheek on my shoulder.

"Perfectly well." He said and smiled. "Are you ready to leave?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Ready as I'll ever be."

He nodded and pulled away and then came back and brought a cape around my shoulders, standing in front of me to fasten it securely. He pulled the length over my chest with extra care, I noticed.

"Hey. I'm yours. Remember?" I said softly and his hazel eyes meet my green ones. He nodded once and leaned down to kiss my lips softly.

"Always."

I smiled at him and took his scarred hands and said, "I'm ready."

He nodded and handed me my pack, slung his onto his shoulder, and then we were engulfed in shadows.

A few moments later, we appeared again to be greeted by warm air and chirping birds and the scent of flowers on the wind.

The sun was rising, casting the green landscape in vibrant colors that matched the flowers dotted along the rolling hills and amongst the green grass. I looked around in awe and Azriel rubbed my back.

"It's amazing here." I breathed.

"I prefer Velaris." He said with a wink and I laughed.

"So do I. But I've never been here before. Never outside the Night Court, actually."

"Well, that will all change because you can go anywhere now." He pulled on the pack he bore and his wings disappeared. I knew they were still there, as mine were, but his magic cast a spell that hid them from view. "Remind me again what we are to each other here and what our names are?"

"You are my brother Adrian and I am your sister Anna. We're from a town in the east and are here visiting family. While here, Anna falls for Galahad and asks him to run away with her. If he refuses, well, the less desirable is plan B, but it's for last resort."

"I don't like anything about plans A or B." Azriel said with a scowl. He lead me out of the trees and onto the road.

I took his hand and said, "Me neither. But if I can get him to talk, I can discover who really got him into the Night Court to begin with. And from there, I can find Haven's true murderer. The one who ordered his demise. And I'll take my time killing both of them."

His fingers squeezed mine and he said nothing, but I knew it was meant to reassure.

But maybe I wasn't nervous for this killing at all.

Maybe I was nervous about what he'd think of me after I butcher the people who brought about my capture and torture.