PART ONE
"It wasn't supposed to be this way..." Feyre murmured, gazing down at the bundle in her arms.
The pain of labor was nothing compared to the gut-wrenching agony that tore her soul in two. Nova was wrapped in the softest dark blue cloth, swirled with purple hues and sprinkled with glittering stardust.
Feyre had held her universe in her arms for three minutes.
Three minutes of misty eyes and pure bliss as she'd rocked her against her bare chest. Silently crying while Rhys stroked his fingers through her sweat-slicked hair.
And now she was to say goodbye.
How could she?
How was it possible to say goodbye to this perfect little thing in her arms?
"I know, Feyre darling," Rhys murmured, his voice thick with grief. "But if we can't say goodbye for a short ti now, we'll be forced to say goodbye forever later."
She looked up at him as salt spilled down her cheeks. Screams from the city grew in intensity as the battle raged through Velaris. They wouldn't have long to move Nova sowhere safe.
Sowhere they wouldn't find her.
Azriel stood in the doorway. His brows were lowered with the burden of his task. "Cas can't hold on his own for much longer."
Swallowing the lump that ford in his throat, Rhys slowly nodded and turned. Placing his hands over Feyre's chilled fingers, he carefully lifted the fragile bundle. But sothing deep within Feyre forced her to tighten her grip.
"I can't!" A soft sob caught in the back of her throat as she vigorously shook her head.
Rhysand shuddered, his lower lip trembling as he massaged her fingers enough to pry them from Nova's blanket.
"We have to." The crack in his voice sent his own tears spilling.
Taking Nova to his chest, he turned from Feyre. Unable to watch her face crumple in despair as he crossed the bedroom to Azriel. His body felt detached- as if his actions were not his own. Rhys spared one last glance and looked down at Nova. He morized her sleeping face, innocent and fragile, before looking up to et Azriel's reddened eyes.
"Hide her well," Rhys murmured through a clenched jaw.
Azriel nodded, took Nova into his arms with extre care, and disappeared. Leaving Rhys to sink to his knees as Feyre's sobs rang in his ears.
The house Azriel chose for Nova's safekeeping looked of minor importance, even in the mortal realm. Ignoring the snow that covered him, Az walked toward a little cabin not far from a sleepy town. Its peaceful slumber promised a safe haven for sothing so precious. He knew from his many visits through territories it was a long way away from the wall.
That was what mattered most.
As swift and secret as a phantom, Azriel suddenly stood in the cozy ho's main living room. He dripped with lting snow while a woman in the kitchen, rolled dough with her two children. They were singing sothing, laughing and giggling. It was a ho of love and laughter; he couldn't imagine a more suitable place for the ti being.
Gingerly, Azriel placed Nova in the bassinet situated in the room's corner.
"Until we et again," Az whispered before he disappeared once more and reappeared in the large, snow-crested tree just outside the cabin. Watching and waiting, he silently observed the family's reaction. Would he need to step in and find a new location if they reacted poorly? It wasn't until Nova began crying that the mother in the kitchen quickly moved through the short hall.
Azriel watched intently as she picked her up into her arms. She seed confused but not otherwise upset. Releasing a sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxed. However, his heart ached as he watched the woman offer her breast to Nova, who quieted almost imdiately. Having had an infant not long ago and not yet weaned, the family was a perfect match- though it pained him to see Nova latch to another mother and not to Feyre.
Azriel lted into the shadows.
He left behind peace and entered into a war of violence with Cassian and Rhysand. The streets of Velaris were filled with blood, ash, and screams of terror. They looked at him with a silent question, and Azriel rely nodded in return.
Though the war looked bleak, their family would be reunited one day.
One day, Velaris' lost star would return.
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