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Azriel turned down the hallway the same moment Elain opened her door. She noticed him, and she noticed the plugs in his arched ears. He noticed that she had hers in to.
It was no surprise- the High Lord and High Lady were at it again, loud enough to disturb any. Most likely inspired by the beautiful dusk, now setting its way into total night.
The gifts were miracles- neither could hear a thing. All they could do was scent and see each other. Faelights flickered to life above them, guiding the way. Azriel finished his walk down the hall, Elain joining his step. Side by side, closer and closer. Their hands nearly brushed.
They walked until they reached glass doors opening to a balcony. It looked out on Velaris, all lit up in celebration of the nighttime. Azriel grazed his hand against hers and flared his wings. A signal, a question. She signaled back by positioning herself in front of him. He wrapped his arms around her and shot off into the sky.
Not towards the city- the lights or the crowds. He flew to the West, to the sea. Spindrift could be seen in the low light, clear, dark water reflecting the clouds in the purple-black sky. Elain's hair brushed against his neck. The mist hit their skin.
It was cooler here over the sea. It was peaceful. They could take out their earplugs- it was just the two of them, and the wavy environment was near silent up this high. But both chose to leave them in, if only to see what happened next.
Azriel slowly turned back, taking them toward the house again. Elain squeezed her hand against his. Shadow tendrils traced over her skin.
No faelights sparked up as they landed on the Western balcony. The purple, the darkness, made everything fuzzy, softer, darker, despite their Fae vision. They could only see each others' edges- yet another sense taken from them.
There certainly was no music, but still they found it in them to dance. Guided by the soft silhouettes of the other, they reached and touched and spun. He laced their fingers together, and she stood on his feet. He could've caressed her neck with his closeness.
But something kept them apart- a sense of time. Patience. Inside they went, immediately picking up on the change. Scented candles and flowering garlands had been placed, as if by some magical deity. Either way, neither Fae could scent each other.
Azriel led and Elain followed- to a room deeper in the house. And inside it, once he shut the door, was complete darkness.
The blackness was not unlike that which the shadowsinger had experienced as a child, but the room was calm and silent. The candle scent followed them in, a musky smell like coppiced cinnamon and saltwater.
Elain kept looking toward where the door had been. Not a sliver of light shone under the wall. All they had to communicate, to find each other, was touch and taste. A cool breeze went by her ankle, then snaked up her leg- a shadow feeling for her. It tugged gently, a lead toward Azriel's direction.
She gently kicked her foot up, throwing the shadow off as she stalked that way.
After a few seconds, her palms made contact with the leather of his shirt. She kept pushing, speeding up, and might've tripped over his darkness-cloaked foot were it not for their natural grace.
Tremors reverberated through them as his back hit the wall, wings fanning out against the invisible surface. Elain's hands crept up to his shoulders, then roamed down the path of his muscled arms.
The sound of skin on fabric was imperceptible to them, all noise cancelled by the objects still worn in their sharp ears. Still, each felt the strokes and scratches of her nails, his skin, and the cloth inbetween.
Her hands reached his, and her fingers brushed his scarred thumbs as she slid them together. Slowly, Elain brought his arms out and up, circular until they scraped the wall above him. Her palms pressed into the heels of his wrists, as high as she could reach.
Carefully, she lowered off her tiptoes and dragged her face alongside his. Her nose brushed against his own, his upper lip...
His mouth met hers. Smooth, light, but not tentative. Their smooth lips kept moving together as she lowered fully, and he dipped his head to meet hers. She pulled one hand off of his arms, dragging her fingers along the wall until she found his ear. She traced the arch before putting her hand in his hair.
Azriel, pinned, had no way of touching her. As tongues met, they both wished he did, but they enjoyed the feeling of her hands pressing him into place too much.
Elain felt the push of his wings against her back, moving to envelop them. She came closer to his chest as he bit down on her bottom lip.
A moan rose from her throat, but she couldn't hear it through the silence. Pressed together, both felt it in their chests and through their lips. Elain gripped his hair, and he pushed harder against her mouth, tasting and feeling her. A tug had Azriel groaning, nearly pulling out of the grip she had on his arms just to hold her chin, her body. But he brought his wings up, created a canopy for them, trapping heat in the perfect darkness. A shadow brushed against her cheek, and he savored the feel of her-
This time, she bit down on him. His hands sprung from their trap and raced up her neck into her hair, the other going down her back at the same speed. She arched further into him, and he felt her shocked cry go into the air. Still, she dropped her kisses to his chin, his neck, and he threw his head back in pleasure.
Both his hands slid down her back, tracing circles on her spine. Elain pressed her cheek to his leather-covered chest, releasing a soft, pleased gasp. His breath trailed over the top of her head.
She almost pulled the blockers from his and her ears, but decided against it. Azriel's hands met on the plain of her back. Still in silence, feeling the movement, the two breathed in and out as one.