Chapter 36 Azahara
Azahara
The sun was beginning to set beyond the veil of the realm of Howl.
Azahara sat on the window ledge, overlooking a beautiful river lined with autumn trees of orange and red.
The towering monuments and buildings were all made of stone as far as the eye could see.
There was a beauty to this place, and it reminded her of being within her wards.
The air around it felt effervescent. It would have awed her if it weren’t her prison.
“It’s no wonder that Illyan left this place.
” The sadness in her tone took her by surprise. “A cage masked by beauty.”
She had dressed and been ready for some time now, and she wondered if Jaakobai would actually be returning. The thought of him staying away was acceptable, but the promise of food had her hoping he would.
The dress he had set aside for her was beautiful but too revealing.
It was a floor-length gown with embroidered designs of vines with roses, the thorns a prominent piece left as a symbol.
The sleeves didn’t close but instead fell down her arms and draped as long as the dress, left open for her arms to show when she moved them.
The problem was that the entire thing was made of a sheer cloth that did not hide the body underneath it.
While he was kind enough to provide underwear, he had forgotten the top part of her body. Her breasts strung tight against its fabric, clearly showing her hardened nipples. She cursed him after checking herself in the full-length mirror near the bed.
Illyan had shared with her that the Fae didn’t practice modesty. As much as she wanted to take it personally, odds were this is how all the Fae women dressed, and she wouldn’t be out of place.
The door opened, and she took a deep breath before looking over her shoulder. It was Jaakobai, thankfully, accompanied by a servant girl carrying a tray of food and an empty wine glass.
Quickly, the servant placed the tray on the table and met Azahara’s eyes. They were purple, which indicated she was Fae. There was no remorse in her gaze as she turned to Jaakobai.
“Anything else, Sire?” Her head bowed.
“No, leave us,” he said, his gaze now fixed on Azahara. It traveled across her face, down her arm, and then to her legs.
The door closed behind him, leaving them alone. Her heart was in her throat as she stood and placed her arms in front of her.
“Move your arms,” he said forcefully.
She bit the inside of her cheek and obeyed the command. Her arms moved behind her, allowing her fingers to lace together.
There was no change on his face. He just turned to the table and pointed at the food. “Eat. You look famished.”
Her breathing was unsteady as she moved to the table and took a seat. Before her, there was a spread of cheeses, bread, and fruits. She swallowed as her mouth began to salivate. The smell alone was sending her head into a frenzy.
She began eating before he could tell her again and did so with grace. As much as she wanted to shove it all into her mouth at once, she wouldn’t degrade herself any more than she already had.
Between taking another bite, she said, “Thank you.” And continued eating.
“Azahara is your name.” It wasn’t a question, so she didn’t respond.
He hovered over her, which was extremely awkward, as if he wanted to ensure every piece of the tray was consumed and she wouldn’t waste it by throwing it aside.
That, or he was enjoying watching her eat; she honestly wasn’t sure.
Both prospects filled her with disgust equally.
“It’s an unusual name, beautiful like its owner.
” Placing a grape in her mouth, she turned to look up at him.
His deep violet eyes burned a hole in her.
“The gods blessed us all by making you a mere human.” There was heat at her neck where he touched.
“If you were anything but that, this realm and all the others would be in trouble.”
Is he baiting me? She slipped a piece of squared cheese into her mouth and looked back at her plate, which was becoming scarce of food. “Thank the Mother for it.” She mirrored his statement.
Jaakobai hummed, his nail brushing roughly against her skin. She didn’t react, even if it did hurt.
She placed another grape in her mouth, the pop of its juice sounded between their silence.
“Do you like the dress?” He pulled his hand away, purposefully jerking her head as he did. “I picked it out myself.”
“It’s a bit modest for my taste.” Sarcasm laced her tone, and it wasn’t lost on the Fae.
“I could have you naked if you would prefer.” She watched as his hand glided around the table. His words were sending tendrils of fear fluttering through her stomach. “How does that sound?” He picked up the empty glass and crossed the room to a small table with several green glass bottles.
“The dress is beautiful,” she said, backing down from her quip, “thank you.”
“That’s what I thought.” Watching as he opened a bottle and poured a red liquid into the glass, she took a deep breath. Not alcohol, not again. The last thing she wanted was to get drunk here.
He crossed back to her and placed the glass before her.
“Drink. It is from my own personal collection of wines.” He must’ve seen the hesitation because he quickly picked up the glass and took a sip.
“Don’t be boorish, Azahara.” He placed it back in front of her and moved behind her, out of her vision.
“I wouldn’t poison you. That is both boring and an ugly way to die.
I would not want to see you perish that way. ”
Her chest rose and fell, and she licked her lips before picking up the glass with a shaky hand. She took a sip and immediately regretted it. It was bitter and tasted of burnt wood. An unwarranted cough arose, and she placed the glass back on the table.
Jaakobai laughed and swept the glass into his hand. “Humans.”
Dropping her head, she looked at the few pieces of food left on the plate. She was still starved and quickly consumed the remainder. It hadn’t been enough, but there was no way that she would ask for more.
“Now that you have eaten, let’s chat.” He put his hand out to her. “Stand.” She took it and stood.
He sipped the wine and narrowed his slanted gaze down at her.
“First, you are stunning in that dress. While most men would want to remove the gown and fuck what is underneath, I enjoy this view.” He placed the glass to her lips and tilted it back, her lips parting to take a sip.
The taste was no better than before, causing her to grimace.
“That isn’t to say if you ask me to take it off, I won’t. ”
Jerking her head from the glass, she licked her lips. “Must be nice living in a dream where you think I’d ever ask for that.” Her tone was unfriendly.
Jaakobai took another sip and placed the glass on her cheek. “That mouth of yours.” He pushed it hard against her face. “While tantalizing, don’t think I won’t sew it shut.” The glass began to crack. His nostrils twitched as his other hand pressed against her neck.
Closing her eyes in anticipation of the glass shattering, she gritted her teeth. “I thought you wanted to talk.”
The pressure stopped, and she forced a hard swallow.
“So I did.” He released her, and she quickly took a step away from him. “I believe we can help each other, but first, I need to know what ails you, Azahara?”
“That is a loaded question,” she replied, her voice dripping with bitterness. “This place, you, your father. Take your pick.”
He raised a hand, taking a step towards her. “Beyond this place. If I gave you freedom right now, what is your answer?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. Again, she felt he was baiting her. The answer would be Goddrick, but that would be opening an entire other issue in and of itself.
“Nothing.” There was no lying here, but she needed a moment to think of another response, and he was inching closer to her.
“Liar.” With every step he took towards her then, she took one back.
“You have been friends with Illyan for almost two hundred years and look no older than your twenties.” She was breathing heavily, nearly moving to hyperventilating.
“My grandfather put wards around your home. For what? No one ever knew—they never asked!”
“I saved your child’s life,” she spat, harsher than she had wanted. “You should be grateful, even if you hate them.”
“Ahh—yes, a mere human woman saved a royal Fae from a Yuul. Absolutely normal.”
The wall was behind her then, and she put her hands out to block him from progressing. “Why don’t you just ask the question, Jaakobai? Stop this aggravating game.”
“Did you drink from a god, Miss Rothwen? And don’t lie to me. I’ll know…”
The surprise on her face grew a slow, unfriendly smile from him. How does he know my family’s name? Her body tensed, and she wanted to escape. The room was beginning to feel smaller, tighter. The air around her was thicker and harder to breathe.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Why do you know that and my name?”
He tilted his head and leaned towards her. She felt his fingertips drawing a line up and down her sides slowly and methodically, learning inch by inch her body. “Those wards you felt so comfortable behind…”
The feeling of her stomach dropping, and her heart in her throat, returned.
“The ones you felt so safe behind…” He was at eye level with her now.
One of his hands pressed against the wall behind her while the other continued its exploration.
“Love to break it to you, but I’ve been watching you.
” His eyes moved to her chest, and she watched it rise and fall as her breathing became erratic.
“My son leaving for the mortal world could not have been better for me. It was as if the Mother herself had made him to be an abomination to our kind—”