#ofbloodshcd

[apurekindness]

@ofbloodshcd continued from [x]

All the colour had vanished from her face, and she knew that Cassian would easily hear the way her heart hammered in her chest as she stumbled into the room, instinctively moving to hide behind him. The growl and anger in his voice should have frightened her further, but it had quite the opposite effect and she leaned into the gentle, soothing touch of his thumb against her cheek. She was safe, now.

"There was...something in the garden," she explained in a murmur, once she was calm enough to speak. It was the first time she had felt brave enough to step outside unaccompanied, and she was deeply regretting her uncharacteristic confidence. "It was like a wall of cloud, or smoke, but...blood red. And it knew me. It knew my name, and my abilities. It...wanted me."

A shiver ran through her as she remembered the screeching voice? it spoke with, and she wrapped her arms around herself as goosebumps erupted on her skin.

[duskdivined]

💐 a collection of blue-gray and red roses, laid out in the vacant spot next to Nesta when she wakes up in the bed she shares with Cassian, and a little card next to it that says "Happy anniversary, Nes. Meet me in the dining room when you're ready for a good meal...and food."

nesta has tried countless herbs and essential oils to help her sleep, but no remedy is more effective than a night spent with her mate. as she awakens from her slumber she feels utterly satisfied — relaxed... save for the echo of an ache in her body. when she reaches for cassian and finds only cool sheets where the rise and fall of his chest should be, disappointment floods her being. she reminds herself that they will return to one another as they always do; as they always will. the valkryie focuses on stretching her muscles, on pointing her toes and flexing her digits until she’s returned to her body. only then does she open her eyes to the sight of roses.

disappointment gives way to disbelief, and the hint of a smile graces her features as she examines the careful arrangement of her gift. it's as if the tattoo between her shoulder blades hums it's own appreciation for cassian's efforts to honor the symbol that bound them. the deep ruby shades of the petals are reminiscent of his siphons, and she can only assume the cool toned roses represent her eyes — the corners of which are already prickling with a surprising surge of emotion. moments pass before she sees the note, and she bites her lip to contain herself when she reads the scrawled words. the reminder of the first time she tasted him has her pulse spiking; gives her the burst of energy she needs to leave their bed and make her way to him. 

at first she’s tempted to arrive nude. cassian already knows every inch of her body better than his own. clothes seem like a waste of time, especially when she’s certain that he will have instructed azriel to stay far from the house for the day. but she runs a brush through her locks and decides to give him a present of his own to unwrap. by the time she arrives in the dining room she’s dressed in only a sheer crimson robe, the tiered flourishes cover her knuckles and brush against her ankles as she walks with the confidence of a lion.

" i was promised the lord of bloodshed. " her features are serious as she approaches, but her eyes are bright, fixed entirely on him and the way his chair is set slightly apart from the table as she makes a beeline for him. good. without even a moment of hesitation her lips are on his and she straddles his lap, the flimsy material parting so that he can feel the heat that radiates from her especially for him. " but i quite like this lord of romance. "

askbox meme.

[bloodofthefates]

x. @ofbloodshcd continued from here.

Nesta was mid-stride in one of her signature storms when Cassian’s booming voice barked the direct order after her. For a fraction of a second, she actually froze rooted to the spot and debated on whether she would obey and turn to face him or flout him further. The anger surging through her won out and chose for her, turning abruptly on the hell of her boot with an accompanying stomp of her heel against the ground as her only means of rebelliousness left. “You do not get to give me orders.” She snarled back, her voice alarmingly low and collected despite the wildfire alight in her eyes as she glared him down. “You are not my General nor my Commander. You do not get to tell me what to do.” Nesta bridged the distance she’d put between them, one predatory and cautious step at a time until she was close enough to drive her index finger into the center of Cassian’s chest just to push him further in an attempt to get a rise out of him. She’d noted the way his siphons had flared to life when she’d pushed past him but they’d both been surprised by her sudden show of strength and that she’d managed to move him at all; it hadn’t deterred her from caring whether he caught himself in time or landed on his ass however as she stormed off in the opposite direction. His anger rising up to meet her own was nothing more than an acceptance to some unspoken challenge, the sound of her own heart beating furiously echoing in her ears and feeling her entire body heat up from trying to contain her fury within its vessel.

[nightsfawn]

❝ Even if I knew how, you should know I can't be tamed~ ❞ The widest grin spread across his features, a challenge in his eyes to dare her to try; either try to tame him or try out the full extent of just how sexy he could be. Perhaps a little too cocky for his own good, but then he did very much have the skill to back it up, and it showed in every single detail of his antics. Inviting, luring her in, perhaps serving to make her curious, just as much as he was curious about her.

she was supposed to be cross with him. and yet that wicked grin made her cheeks heat and her teeth sink into her bottom lip to contain the breath inward that would overwhelm her with his scent the way it always did once she had gone for her unwilling swim in the cauldron. ❝ you're in the bad books. those croissants were supposed to be for supper and they were supposed to be for everyone. i should have known you'd sneak in to steal more than your share! ❞ she tossed her hair over her shoulder, untying the apron from around her middle. ❝ i--gods, stop looking at me like that! how am i going to get anything done around here!? ❞

[apurekindness]

@ofbloodshcd continued from [x]

Never had she felt safer to be her true self than since her arrival here, far away from her own people. Gradually, she'd allowed the firm grip she'd always held on her powers to loosen...and her abilities had flourished. Perhaps a little too well. Still, it seemed from Cassian's concerned frown, she could not quite break the habit of hiding. Hiding how strong her abilities had become, hiding just how she was struggling to control them, and hiding her growing fear.

Her hands were curled into fists at her sides, and she raised them out between them, opening her palms to reveal dozens of small, bright green leaves. As soon as she allowed them to fall to the ground, more materialised in her palms.

"Well, I'm broken. I can't make it stop...I'm going to drown myself in leaves at this rate."

Her poor attempt at humour, and her accompanying weak smile, tried to alleviate some of Cassian's evident concern.

[apurekindness]

@ofbloodshcd continued from [x]

Certainly, she thought she knew better. Why would Cassian flirt with her when they were surrounded by the most beautiful beings she had ever seen? At best, she assumed Cassian would deem her human form as boringly plain or, at worst, disgustingly repulsive.

But now, at his devilish grin and the obvious flicker of his gaze up and down her body, she was beginning to doubt herself. Colour flooded to her cheeks and her eyes were unconsciously drawn to the flexing muscles of his broad shoulders. Was he - was he doing this deliberately?

But all conscious thought vanished at the sudden flaring of his wings; she'd been captivated by them since their very first meeting, wishing she could trace her fingertips across the thin skin and expanse of muscle there. A strange, unfamiliar heat rushed through her and her teeth involuntarily dug into her bottom lip, hard enough to leave a mark, as she finally tore her gaze away from his wings to meet his eyes. Had he said something?

"I - um...what?"

[apurekindness]

@ofbloodshcd continued from [x]

The magic had been calling her for months, gently encouraging her away from her fellow humans, and becoming more insistent the longer she ignored it. Finally, she had given in to the irresistible pull, and crossed over the wall.

But now, with the winged warrior eyeing her suspiciously, she was reminded of why she had resisted for so long. Despite having to live a lonely life deep in the woods, after being exiled from her home, she'd been safe there.

"I...crossed over the wall. I couldn't resist, the magic called to me and I followed it," she stuttered out an explanation, as she tried her best to avoid staring at him. She could feel the immense power flowing from the Fae in front of her, and although his appearance alone should have been more than enough to terrify most humans, her own powers danced joyfully under her skin. She was no longer alone.

"My name is Kiara."

[duskdivined]

there were a few occasions when nesta had been certain they’d achieved their desire. moments when their cries had died out, their bodies had stilled and cassian had remained within the embrace of her thighs. moments when she was so spent, and at peace, and full of love that she couldn’t imagine how they’d done anything but create life with their act. yet nothing had come from those moments. in the days that followed them she had felt the ache of a familiar emptiness settling in, but that initial disappointment had always given way to something akin to relief. not because she didn’t want to entwine her very essence with her mate’s, but because the disappointment helped her to come to her senses for long enough to question if it was as good an idea as they had decided it was.

it was like coming down from a high and realising she’d almost flown too close to the sun. but that feeling didn’t last for long before she’d returned to cassian’s arms to cherish one tender attempt after another. 

usually when she wakes in the middle of the night it’s to a cold sweat. tonight a strange warmth courses through her. it’s nothing like the flames that surge through her veins, nor is it like standing too close to a crackling fire. this is more of an ember, one that flickers beneath her skin as if it’s only just beginning to awaken. nesta pushes her way out of cassian’s warm embrace as if it will cool her, and as she watches the way the moon lights his strong features, she pulls her knees up to her chest. a distant voice seems to echo in her ears, telling her that she won’t be able to do that for much longer, but in the early hours of the morning it feels like a riddle to solve. the valkyrie simply doesn’t have the energy to think about those words (the instinct) for long until she falls into a fitful sleep on the untouched side of the bed.

by the time more words pull her from her sleep it’s the sun that warms her body. nesta stretches and lifts her hand to take cassian's and presses it to her lips, her nostrils flaring as she breathes in. then she smells it, a scent that emanates from her body but that’s decidedly not her own. " something feels different. "

@ofbloodshcd, continued from here.