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Az’zae l

B etween one blink and the next, I was on him. Muscle and bone screamed for release, and I let them burn into my four-legged form.

Udar met me, purple scales flashing. I raked my claws along his side, and he flashed out to bite me. I blocked, bit, clawed.

The confined space kept our movements close, pinned in on each other. Chairs crashed. Dishes shattered, but Udar’s face stayed infuriatingly intact. I tasted blood. Someone shouted. I didn’t care. Udar had been begging for a beating all night. I gave him one, until he was a choking, bleeding mess on the floor.

I returned to my two-legged shape, wrapped the half-robe Tika handed me around my waist—my parents kept a few on hand for anyone who transformed without consideration for their clothes—and glanced around. Where the hell was Elle?

There , frozen in a corner, skin ashen and hands trembling.

She remained stiff as I placed a hand on her back. Instead of letting me steer her to the nearest server, who was already striding over, two drinks in hand, Elle walked right out of the dining room and into the empty hallway .

As soon as the doors shut behind us, she whirled on me. “What the hell was that about?”

I blinked. “Udar’s a rude asshole.”

“That might be true, but you attacked him.”

I drew back. “I had to defend you. He was trying to steal you.” I had held back from punching him multiple times tonight already. It wasn’t my fault he’d been begging for it ever since he laid eyes on Elle.

“I can’t be stolen like a—a necklace or something.”

“Some ‘hussy’ stole your mother’s ‘boyfriend’ today. ” Though I suspected Betty was better off for it. “I knew Udar would try to lure you away.” My fangs burned with the need to sink into her and stake my claim.

Her mouth opened and closed a few times. “Lure me away…?”

A sick feeling churned in my gut, my fire reigniting. “You weren’t tempted, were you? I’ll be a better mate than him. I’ll keep you in silks and jewels, and you’ll never want for anything.”

Elle muttered something under her breath. “Is that what you’d want if I married you? You’d pay for everything, and in exchange you’d get to dress me up and trot me around like I’m some kind of—of discount trophy wife?”

My wings stretched to curl around her. I winced as the movement revealed cuts and bruises. “Trophies are good,” I said carefully. “They mean the recipient has done a good job. But you shouldn’t insult yourself by saying you’re a discount anything .”

“ I’m not an object. ” Her breath heaved in and out. “I’m not a woman-shaped substitute for gold!”

“Obviously. You’re way better than gold,” I said.

Her nostrils flared .

Fumbling for the right words, I added, “And you’re a person. So you can leave at any time.” My breath caught on the words, my heartbeat ratcheting up at the reminder.

Elle gaped at me for a long moment. “You know what? I think I need a few minutes.”

She stormed off, her dress swirling in her wake.

I stared after her. She’d asked for space, but everything in me screamed to follow, so I flexed my wings and stared at the wall, trying to calm myself enough to give Elle what she’d requested. Long breaths in and out while I reminded myself that she hadn’t shown any interest in Udar, that she’d disappeared in the direction of our room, not the dining room.

And then my fucking dad showed up. Because of course he did. It was the perfect opportunity to make me feel worse.

“Az’zael.” Dad dipped his head in a curt greeting. “I know you and Udar have had your differences, but I thought you could get along for a single dinner party.”

My scales darkened. “I gave Udar multiple warnings to back off. He’s the one who tried to poach my mate. Are you going to talk to him, too?”

Dad’s eyes went wide. “It’s not stealing if she wants to leave.”

I threw up my hands. “What the fuck do you want from me? I’m an adult, yet every time I turn around, you and mom are lecturing me like I’m still a kid! I’m trying to make it work with Elle, but that’s pretty goddamned hard when you undermine me at every turn.”

Dad looked shocked. “Undermine you? We just want you to be the best you can be.”

“You want me to be like Udar: the perfect son with the perfect hoard and the perfect balance of knowledge and gold-sniffing. But I’m not.” I rubbed my face. “This is why I don’t visit more, you know.”

My dad recoiled. “What?”

I waved a hand at him. “Figure it out yourself if you’re so goddamned smart. I have to go find Elle.” Or do anything else that got me away from my family.

I took my time clomping after her, racking my brain for the right opener. Tell her I’d already commissioned a bracelet for the Rúndiamhra Síoraí set? Udar had made such a big deal out of it.

Only, she hadn’t seemed to care.

I wanted her to give me all the soft words she’d given me the last time we’d fought. About how she liked me and saw how hard I worked and that we’d figure things out together. But to get that, I’d had to give her time and space and understanding, and my insides crawled and twisted with the need to claim her after fighting Udar.

So I slowed my pace again and dragged in breath after breath as I plodded down the hallway.