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Blooming in Shadow by Kemamuva
Fandoms: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
05 Sep 2026
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Summary
Five months have passed since Solstice, since Azriel nearly kissed Elain only to step away and call what had almost happened between them a mistake.
Elain has tried to believe him, just as she has tried to forget everything that came before it: conversations that wandered well past midnight, quiet walks through Velaris, comfortable silences, and all the little pieces of her days she had grown accustomed to sharing with someone who always listened as though even the smallest things were worth hearing.
So she stops seeking him out, and Azriel seems to do the same, until the easy closeness they once shared becomes little more than careful politeness, lingering glances, and everything neither of them dares to say.
But when his shadows begin finding their way back to her and the tenderness between them quietly returns, Elain begins to wonder whether something forbidden the light can truly be made to wither, or whether some feelings will find a way to bloom in the shadows all the same.