#-lord bless you-

[nedlittle]

it drives me bonkers the way people don't know how to read classic books in context anymore. i just read a review of the picture of dorian gray that said "it pains me that the homosexual subtext is just that, a subtext, rather than a fully explored part of the narrative." and now i fully want to put my head through a table. first of all, we are so lucky in the 21st century to have an entire category of books that are able to loudly and lovingly declare their queerness that we've become blind to the idea that queerness can exist in a different language than our contemporary mode of communication. second it IS a fully explored part of the narrative! dorian gray IS a textually queer story, even removed from the context of its writing. it's the story of toxic queer relationships and attraction and dangerous scandals and the intertwining of late 19th century "uranianism" and misogyny. second of all, i'm sorry that oscar wilde didn't include 15k words of graphic gay sex with ao3-style tags in his 1890 novel that was literally used to convict him of indecent behaviour. get well soon, i guess...

[qifreyplushie]

to wuming, hua cheng, san lang;

happy birthday, dearest a-hong. 🦋💘

DESSERT LATER !!!!!!!! 🧹🧹🧹🧹🧹🧹🧹(WHACK WHACK WHACK)

[livelaughlaney]

period.

[holyspiritgirl]

What is Spiritual Warfare and how to overcome it with the help of God?

• Spiritual warfare is the idea that there's a battle going on between good and evil forces. In Christianity, this means a fight between God and His angels against the devil and his demons. It mainly happens in our minds, hearts, and spirits. It’s about resisting bad thoughts, temptations, and influences that go against what God wants for us. Though we believe that Jesus has indeed already defeated Satan by dying on the cross and coming back to life, the enemy still tries to lead us to sin in order to push us away from God, thus spiritual warfare.

• “Symptoms” vary since the devil attacks you where it hurts the most, to make you as vulnerable as possible; but here are some of the most common ones:

- believing that your not worthy of having a relationship with God or talking to God therefore feeling the need to distance yourself from him

-self destructive / sabotage / harm temptations

-paranoia / overthinking

-strong headaches / body aches

-temptations towards sin such as lust, gluttony, laziness, anger.. etc, depends on your weaknesses

-self hatred & self doubt / doubt in faithfulness

-hopelessness, fear, anxiety

-random depressive moods & replaying bad memories … the list goes on!

• Living a life more aligned with God’s will is seen as a threat to Satan and his purposes, leading to increased attempts to discourage or derail one’s faith journey. With a deeper relationship with God often comes a greater sense of purpose and mission, attracting more challenges and obstacles from evil forces trying to prevent one from fulfilling God’s plans. Our Father allows these intensified battles to refine and strengthen our faith, helping us rely more on Him and grow spiritually.

• Here are some bible verses that may help you during those tough times battling spiritual warfare :

-Corinthians 10:13

- Psalm 91

-Ephesians 6:11-18

-Isaiah 54:17

-Galatians 5:17-26

- Peter 5:8-9

-Romans 8:37-39

-Luke 10:19

-James 4:7

-John 16:33

-Deuteronomy 3:22

-Matthew 4:10-11

• Let me know if you’d be interested in me posting those verses and talking about some of them with you guys, sort of like a bible study kind of thing. It’d be a pleasure ;)

Have a blessed day 💞💓👼🏻

[transmechanicus]

The audacity of well established bands to only sell merch for their most recent album. You bastards, you fiends, your peak popularity was in 2007, sell me a tshirt with old album art for the love of god.

[diorkyeom]

guys im literrlly on thelflooor sobbing whyy are they actually doing all of thisfor ME

[queerprayers]

Waiting for God is like... You're expecting a guest. You haven't seen them in ages. You know they're coming, although you forget the exact time. And you don't need to impress them—they'd probably sleep on the floor, but why wouldn't you give up your bed? And it's not clean enough and you don't have matching curtains and they're not gonna care because they love you but you'll still probably do your best. Scrub the counter, at least. So you try to stay up to greet them but they're late or you were wrong about the day and you keep dozing off. All you really have to do is be at home when they knock and you'll wake up and figure everything out when they get here—but who wants to answer the door half-asleep? And you can probably get a few more things done while you're waiting. You can light a candle—that's welcoming, right?

So maybe you stay up doing dishes or maybe you give up and go to bed, but the knock makes you jump either way. It's light outside when you let them in, and that's not right, it can't be morning already. The windows are dark. Anyway, you're pouring them tea and apologizing for the mess and you realize they're not a guest at all—they live here, actually. Have your whole life. They probably make your lunch every day. Your house isn't yours at all, now that they're here, now that they've arrived and always been here. It's been yours, plural, yours together, and isn't it lovely that you don't have to worry about the curtains matching anymore? They've already seen them and chosen to stay every time.

There's another knock at the door. They arrive and you pour them tea. You get some sleep. You stop being surprised when your lunch is ready to go. You're expecting a guest. They make themselves at home; they are at home; they've been making themselves a home.

Your days are spent opening the door. They've been gone for so long; how could they have left you; why are they always forgetting to use a coaster and leaving icy circles on the wooden table; why can't you have any privacy in this house; you can't find them anywhere; this is only home when they're here; they keep arriving and you keep making tea do you think they'll ever get tired of tea do you they'll get tired of you opening the door half asleep do you think they're secretly annoyed by the mismatched curtains

Someone knocks on the door. You are interrupted. You keep forgetting you're expecting a guest. You were hoping they'd come and interrupt you. Someone knocks on the door. You're awake. You always make enough tea for two.

Eventually someone doesn't knock on your door. You find them on your doorstep waiting. You've been expecting a guest. The windows of your house are open all the time now, even though it's dark and cold, and you make your home some tea. It's never cold inside, as if opening the door let in warm air instead of cool. The candle you lit has been burning without getting smaller. You can't remember why you used to be surprised, why waiting was frantic. You wash the dishes because that's the next thing to do; because you wash the teacup of your not-guest like it's the chalice of a king.

One day you don't have a door anymore. You can see through the walls of your house and the whole galaxy spreads out before you. They're expecting a guest. You walk outside. The universe makes you tea.

[lovesickeros]

☆ glimpse of divinity

{☆} characters lyney, neuvillette [ separate ] {☆} notes cult au, drabble, gender neutral reader {☆} warnings none {☆} word count 0.8k

× neuvillette

The first time he sees you strolling the streets of Fontaine with a glint of wonder in your eyes, he thinks he must have finally lost it. He has to rub his eyes and check a few dozen times before he's certain that you are, in fact, real and not some figment of his imagination conjured by a lack of sleep and overdose on caffeine.

..Though now that he gets a better look, it's not quite the same. Like a smudged painting, he thinks. Still, the uncanny resemblance to the visage of the Divine One has him lingering around the area just to stare a little longer, a deep, devoted sense of affection bristling beneath his skin.

And then you turn sharply on your heel, staring directly back at him, and he feels a sudden wave of embarrassment and something akin to shame.

Archons, he'd just made a fool of himself, hadn't he?

He quickly turns away, clearing his throat and hiding his embarrassment behind his hand. Though it does not seem to deter you, the soft tap of your shoes growing closer until you were peering up at him with wide eyes.

"..Hello." He offers awkwardly, a little too stiff and a little too formal, but you don't seem to mind in the slightest. He knows that your appearance, your vague similarities to the Divine One are mere coincidence, but it does not stop his heart from skipping a beat when you smile up at him. "I– apologize for being so uncouth and staring, it's just.."

His voice trails off into a breathy exhale, his hand twitching on his cane as if he wanted to reach out and touch you..but he restrains himself in time. He could not make a bigger fool of himself – he would never hear the end of it from lady Furina.

"You remind me of someone."

He decides, readjusting his hands on his cane as he bows his head for a moment is a show of genuineness, though it must look awkward with how stiff his body feels.

Yet he cannot help but want to get closer anyway, to hear the silky lilt of your voice grace his pointed ears. This is as close as he will ever get to the Divine..he is a weak man, he finds, as he offers a hand to you.

"I understand if this is a bit..forward, but would you mind joining me for tea?"

× lyney

He is a master magician – his entire work is built on keen misdirection and sleight of hand, but even he stumbles for a minute thinking he'd seen an illusion in your warm smile and striking features. Almost an exact copy of the Divine One, yet not quite..

Still, it's enough to pique his interest – enough, too, to give him the confidence to slip into your conversation with ease, all smiles and the slip of a card between his fingers.

"Hello, stranger – I don't think I've seen you in Fontaine before," He laughs, his hand reaching around to rest gently on your opposite shoulder, his voice a ghost of a whisper in your ear. "Say, could I interest you in a bit of magic?"

He perks up at the way you seem to light up like fireworks at his offer, a spark almost like recognition in your eyes he brushes aside – he's quite well known, after all.

"Good! Now, if I may just borrow your attention for a minute.." He grins, stepping around you and turning sharply to face you, his hand outstretched with a deck of cards in his hands, face down. "Let's start simple, shall we? I shan't overwhelm my audience – pick a card."

He holds the cards out again, his features twisted in something like awe, though he hides it well.

His heart flutters at the briefest of glances of your hand against his as you pluck a card from his hand, and he quickly retracts it, reshuffling the deck with a broad grin and a wink.

"Do your best to remember it! If you could return it to the deck.." The card is placed back in it's place amongst the rest, and the magic begins!

"Now then, let's see..hm," He hums for a long moment, the silence filled by the constant shuffle of cards until he suddenly plucks one from the deck, flipping it around for you to see. "Is this your card?"

He frowns when you shake your head, almost pouting, before he lights up again and steps forward.

"Ah! How foolish of me, I missed it..it's riiight here, see." He winks, reaching behind your ear..and pulls free a card from seemingly thin air. He flips it around for you to see again, and when you tell him it is, in fact, your card, he flips it around again.

And before you can see it, he's holding a rainbow rose between his fingers, his hand outstretched as he bows.

His eyes glint with a sort of wonder as he looks at your features, his smile widening a fraction.

"Well, dear stranger? Did you enjoy the show?"

[aletterinthenameofsanity]

Me, to my new date: doctor who thinks it's a sci-fi story because the Doctor thinks it's a sci-fi story and because the companions think it's a sci-fi story, but it's really just a story about ghosts. a story about an ancient creature carrying the ghosts of everyone they have ever loved, meeting new people, and seeing them only as future ghosts. they are haunted by the future and the past and the present because they are the only constant in a world constantly in flux, and they are running as fast as they can to things before they burn and fade to dust but everything will always end, you understand, because this is the only thing the Doctor understands and yet they keep going. they love too much to stop. doctor who is not science-fiction, it's horror and optimism and spiritual more than anything else, it's religious unto itself, the TARDIS is a haunted house and a church and a graveyard and a hospital and the Doctor is the most haunted being in the universe but more than anything, this is a love story, because how can you love something without being haunted by it- hey, what are you doing?

My date, shoving breadsticks in their purse: I have to go-

[crystalflygeo]

Sweet torture ft. Zhongli + fem!reader

cw/tags: bondage/shibari, muzzle, oral sex (m!receiver), dom/sub dynamics, reader doms in this one ayyy, sub!zhongli, TEASING lots of it, masturbation, sex toy, improper use of geo (lmao).

notes: What did I just write?? We just don't know. I am sorry I saw one (1) fanart of Zhongli wearing a muzzle and went b a l l i s c t i c. Also.... dom!reader hella. This is so filthy and I'm so sleepy.....

It was torture. You were torturing him.

Zhongli groans, muscles tense as he feels your fingers gently stroking his member. The sudden touch makes him jerk, but the intricate ropework laced around his arms holds him nicely to prevent any more movements and instead keeping them tied at his back.

He couldn't touch you, kiss you, hold you...

A sweet yet deliciously devilish laughter comes out of your lips.

And then you lean down and start giving small kitten licks to his dripping cockhead before your hot, wet mouth starts slowly enveloping him, bobbing your head with lewd wet noises and purposefully drooling all over him. Messy. Obscene. Painfully driving him mad with lust.

“Darling, please.” He moans hoarsely.

You pull back with a smirk “Hmm? Are you about to break your own contract? My dearest Zhongli?”

He huffs and growls, shaking his head.

As easily as he could break out of these ‘restrains’ he had made a deal with you, so all he could do was toss his head back and endure.

And oh… you could definitely see the appeal of being the one in control.

The lord of Geo. The mighty Prime of the Adepti. Bound and muzzled like a feral beast. Squirming under your touch.

You kiss down along the side of his impressive cock, lightly tracing a vein with your tongue and making it twitch. “Hmmm… seems like you’re all ready for me.” Zhongli gasps as your fingers follow the fine trail of hair from his bellybutton down, teasingly. “It’s my turn.”

For a moment he thinks the torture is over and you’re satisfied with your small game. You’ll release his arms, or at least take off the horrible muzzle (“no biting tonight, dearest.”) and allow him to eat you out to his heart’s content.

How wrong he was.

Zhongli’s eyes widen then he scowls and jerks into his restrains again, shuffling on the bed when he sees you pull out one of your toys. He glares at you. You wouldn’t.

You smirk in response. Watch me.

“Relax…” You smile, sickly sweet. Leaning back onto a pillow and spreading your legs. “Just enjoy the show, darling.”

You start by teasing your entrance, gently, slowly. Caressing and pinching at your clit and slowly easing the oiled tip of the object into you. A rather special geo construct of Zhongli’s own creation. Sweet irony.

“Hmmmm…Ah…”

He snarls, glaring at the offending object as you slowly feed the fake cock into your pussy, inch by inch stuffing you as you let out a quiet moan. He knows you wouldn’t be satisfied with such a… crude and lacking replacement, no. He knows you ached for him, his warmth and thickness that could fill you so much more, satisfy you so much better.

You bite your lip and whine as it bottoms out.

“This one is… hah… rather accurate huh? … hng!” You mewl, squeezing your eyes shut as you start pulling it out only to push back in. “A-ah- fu-!”

He tries to keep calm. By Celestia, he tries. But the sight of you, naked and sweaty, presenting yourself so freely and displaying your pleasure, makes it excruciatingly difficult. You rock your hips and moan his name, high-pitched. Getting more and more used to the intrusion and thus increasing the speed.

“Z-Zhongli, baobei” You keen. “Wouldn’t you be a dear and apply a bit of resonance?”

A growl. “I would rather have you myself, my love.”

You let out a breathless chuckle. “Of course. But don’t you want to see me come undone first? We do have a contract and for now you have to do as I sa-a-y Ah! Oh fuck-!”

You bite your lip, whining, eyes rolling back and hips moving on their own when the geo construct indeed starts buzzing low on your hand and inside your pussy. The sensation drives you up to the edge of that high, delicious simmering heat all over your body and pooling at your navel. Feel so good, so good-

“Zhongli, Zhongli, Zhongli-”   

You come with a cry of his name as your body arches away from the mattress, high-strung with pleasure, free hand clawing at the sheets. For a few seconds you lie there basking in the afterglow, chest falling and rising rapidly until you sit up and slowly pull the toy out, shuddering at the wet squelch.

Your gaze sets on the man in front of you, looking absolutely pent-up with sexual frustration. Cock pressed up hard against his abs and smearing tacky precum everywhere.

You scoot up to him with a playful smile, eyes half-lidded as you sit upon his lap. You brush your hand down before bringing it back to run a slick-covered finger over the muzzle, the metal turning shiny and no doubt getting impregnated with the scent of your arousal. You see him open his mouth and pant slightly, sharp fangs on display, nostrils flared, eyes half-lidded and pupils brown wide as he chases the path your finger makes.

Oh, he is absolutely drunk on you.

You place your hands at his shoulders for leverage and this time (finally!) slowly envelop his cock with your warm pussy.

 “Now’s your turn…”

[lispenardst]

strangers - ethel cain

the ft x ethel cain edit that nobody asked for but i was compelled to make anyway

(oh also ethel cain wrote the entirety of preacher’s daughter about tim laughlin it’s a fact)

[squirrellypoo]

Currently, what are some of your favorite iwtv fics? I’m pretty caught up on a lot of mine and need some recs

Sure! I’ll try to categorise and keep most to recent/currently updating ones just to narrow down my list. These are in no particular order! (And I am terrible at connecting AO3 and tumblr usernames so forgive me if I’m an idiot and missed some)

Vampire ones (mostly Loustat)

“Love like an ache in the jaw” Post-Dubai interview Louis POV where Lestat awakes and comes back to him, with all the pain, turmoil, and love that entails.

“Assignment” Modern AU with an anxious and stressed Louis requesting professional services to lose his virginity. Alternating POV between Louis and Lestat. (ongoing) by @riley-beautrelle

“In the White Room (L’homme Lestat)” Modern vampire story where Lestat is kidnapped by a mysterious organisation and forced to become their assassin while Loumand try to help/rescue him with help from Villanelle (ongoing) by @angstosaur

“Get him back” Romcom with show!vampire Loustat kinda in that weird post-QOTD/TOTBT stage where they’re friends but not together but still inseparable. And there’s Mojo! (Series ongoing)

“Making It Work” Modern show-based Loustat are alternating POV diary entries as they try to forge new ties with Louis’s family’s descendants… (ongoing)

“Half Past Dead” Modern post-Dubai interview with Daniel interviewing (& fucking) a down & out addict vampire Lestat in New Orleans

“The Vampire Detective Agency and the case of the Mozart Murderer” Modern alternate-canon thriller with Loustat solving a murder together in NOLA (ongoing) by @angstosaur

“A favor” PL-era Louis arranges the perfect birthday celebration for Lestat - a massacre at a mobster’s decadent party by @riley-beautrelle

“Epitaph” Each daily chapter is day in the life of Daniel Molloy in Sept 1973 as his life is changed forever when he meets a man who claims to be a vampire… (ongoing, daily updates in March)

Not-quite-human AUs (just trust me)

“Come (Back) to Me” Modern painter Louis is drawn to a painting an an old chateau and time travels back to the 18th century to meet the young marquis in the portrait… by @suikamelon6

“None of them your true nature” modern AU where casino boss Louis starts an affair with the owner Lestat, despite his troubled marriage to Antoinette…

Human AU

“Did you get enough love, my little dove?” Modern human AU with single dad Lestat raising Claudia after her mother Alicia died, and anxiety-ridden Louis finds a loving home at theirs while lusting after Lestat (ongoing)

“Against All Odds” modern human AU with French exchange teen Loustat in first love then complications with Nicki at uni (ongoing) by @moderndaylestat

“I hate you but I love you more” Human AU with teacher Louis and rockstar Lestat, divorced 11 years but crashing back into each others’ lives when they’re locked in a house together. Meanwhile, Armand comes to terms with the demons of his past while he navigates his relationship with Daniel. (ongoing, nearly completed)

“Memory is a monster” Modern human AU with rockstar Lestat losing his memory after a head injury and Louis, Armand, and Daniel vying to heal/have him (ongoing) by @angstosaur

“Bubble Wrap” Modern human AU with actor uni student Louis falling for clumsy writing student Lestat as he deals with his abusive upbringing and they navigate growing up and starting their careers… (ongoing)

“Like You Mean It” Romcom modern human AU with Loustat fake dating their way through 6 weddings and denying their attraction (ongoing)

[optogeneticist-nsfw]

thanks @thrumbo for the beautiful recontextualization above and for sharing my brainworms

link to full image set

[catkin-morgs-kookaburralover]

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you; and give you peace. Can I get an amen in the notes

[favoritejohn]

top model johnny suh strikes again 🤎

[theostrophywife]

azriel x bff!reader who make out randomly. not just once. like repeatedly. they make out during parties when they find a dark corner. when the ic is busy doing something and they find it boring. sometimes the ic finds them randomly making out. like full on make out sessions. but if asked they're like "we just friends, friends who kiss" or something like that.

just friends.

a/n: oh my god. listen this awakened something feral within me. hot steamy makeout sessions with az any time you want? god, could you imagine 😩 song inspiration: keep me on by noah guy.

you and azriel were friends—just friends, but that didn’t mean that you couldn’t kiss sometimes.

especially when the shadowsinger was so good at it.

you couldn’t even remember how it started. maybe during a night out at rita’s when you and az drank a little too much, danced a little too close, and got a little too flirty. you couldn’t recall who dragged who out of the pleasure hall for a breath of fresh air, but it didn’t matter.

as the warm, balmy breeze flowed through your hair, you’d leaned against the red brick wall, cheeks flushed and lips tingling with the sting of tequila, and azriel had come closer, caging you in.

maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the way the moonlight kissed azriel’s golden brown skin, but you couldn’t stop staring at his mouth. those pouty, seductive lips that had been pressed against your ear for most of the night, whispering sarcastic retorts and flirty remarks. gods, you really wanted to know what azriel tasted like.

“don’t do that,” az said, his voice rough and smoky. he was looking down at you, the first few buttons of his black shirt left open so you could admire the intricate tattoos swirling through the hard planes of his chest.

“do what?” you asked innocently, fluttering your lashes up at the shadowsinger.

swirls of brown and green flecked with gold seemed to pull you in as azriel’s gaze flickered over your face. "that," he tilted your chin up and you tried not to shiver as his rough, calloused hands brushed against your soft skin. “look at me like you want to kiss me.”

“so what if i do?” you bit your lip, meeting those glowing golden eyes. a small smirk graced your face as azriel took a sharp breath. “what are you gonna do about it, az?”

really, you should’ve known better than to tease the shadowsinger. within the blink of an eye, azriel’s lips were crashing into yours, soft yet firm, passionate yet gentle, dominant but still yielding as you twined your fingers through his hair to taste more, more, more.

your best friend hiked you up against the wall and the brick was a shock of cold against your skin as you pressed up against it, but you didn’t even care. you were too busy wrapping your legs around azriel’s trim waist to notice. you kissed and kissed, not once breaking away from each other even as the cement scratched at your exposed back.

and gods, when azriel teased his tongue between your parted lips, you completely lost it. he tasted like warm whiskey and spun sugar and you could barely keep up as your tongues danced together.

there was so much to explore—his mouth, his throat, his neck. you drank all of it in, peppering kisses where you could, getting your fill and more of the shadowsinger. it might've been minutes or hours later when you two finally peeled yourself off of each other, eyes wild and chests heaving as you explored this entirely new territory of your friendship.

since then, making out with azriel had become a regular occurrence. the two of you just couldn’t help yourselves.

azriel was a good fucking kisser and you loved making out with him every chance you got.

you and the shadowsinger were completely shameless about it too. it wasn’t unheard of for you to sneak off during an inner circle party to find some dark corner and completely devour each other.

one particular time during game night, you’d gotten bored of playing cards. as usual, azriel was wiping the floor with your friends. he was reclined in his seat with a slight smirk on his face and you fondly rolled your eyes across from him. while you were usually a good sport, your mind started wandering to other activities you’d much rather be doing with the shadowsinger. and so you’d dragged your foot along his leg, keeping a straight face as you pretended to be engrossed in the cards in your hands.

azriel nearly knocked his knee against the top of the table and cassian looked over at him with a raised brow. "you okay there, brother?"

the shadowsinger composed himself, his heated gaze flickering over to you before he gave cas a small nod. "all this winning is making me a little parched," he said with a smirk. "i say we break into rhysand's good wine. y/n, care to join me?"

you nodded, taking azriel's hand as he led you to the door leading to the wine cellar. nesta shot you a knowing look while cassian grinned beside her. "don't take too long or else i won't be able to resist the temptation of peeking at your hand, az," the illyrian general teased.

"we'll be right back," you assured your friends with a smile.

that turned out to be a complete lie.

you hadn't even taken two steps into the wine cellar before azriel was pulling you to his chest, lips pressing against yours. you sighed in satisfaction against his mouth as your best friend chuckled.

"really couldn't wait, huh?" az's voice was low and husky as he nuzzled his nose against your skin, peppering kisses against the hollow of your throat. "are you that eager for me, pretty girl?"

"i got bored of playing cards," you said, eyes rolling back as azriel sucked at your collarbone. "i wanted to play with you instead."

"yeah?" the shadowsinger teased, tilting your head back to allow him easier access to your neck. "you like it when i kiss you here?" azriel grazed the sensitive spot below your right ear with his lips, teasing and taunting. "or maybe here?" his lips moved across your jawline, tongue flicking wickedly as you took a sharp breath.

"az," you rasped, letting out a breathy moan. "stop teasing and fucking kiss me already."

azriel smirked in satisfaction, but obliged you all the same. he kissed you, rough and demanding, teeth clashing and tongues dancing as his hands roamed underneath your knit sweater. it felt intoxicating and no matter how many times you kissed him, it still didn't feel like enough.

you were absolutely greedy with it too, tugging at his hair, nipping at his neck, tracing the tattoos on his golden brown skin with your tongue while azriel groaned and shifted you to the side, nearly knocking over a rack full of expensive wine. you giggled as the glass clinked together, echoing through the spacious cellar.

"and you said i was eager," you taunted, pressing a hand against azriel's chest. "keep it down, az. unless you want the whole godsdamned house to hear us."

the shadowsinger only shrugged, pecking at your cheek. "why bother? it's not like they don't already know what we're doing down here."

that much was true. your friends had caught you in a compromising position more than once. in a coat closet. under a dark alcove. even tucked away in the kitchen pantry. at this point, they'd stopped acting surprised when they walked in on you.

you chuckled. "fair point."

azriel smiled and dipped his head lower, brushing his nose against yours. "now where were we, angel?"

his scarred hand wrapped around the side of your neck and he gave no warning as he slipped his tongue into your mouth, prodding and teasing, smiling against you when he heard your little gasp of surprise.

azriel loved how responsive you were. relished every breath and moan and sigh. savored the push and pull. adored the tugging and nipping and roaming. it was addicting and so were you.

he couldn't focus on anything else when you were in the room. even his shadows quieted, content to swirl through your wrists and ankles and hair. they were entirely distracted by you, which explained why azriel hadn't heard the footsteps or seen the light streaming in from the cellar door until lucien came into view.

the male hovered over the first step, confused and flustered as realization flooded his features. "sorry—they sent me down here to get more wine."

you grabbed the wine bottle closest to you and tossed it at the male. lucien caught it, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "that should do."

"thanks," he managed to stutter out.

azriel cut him a withering glare, his wing cloaking over you protectively. "do you fucking mind?"

the redhaired male shook his head and bounded up the stairs, carefully shutting the door behind him.

when you were sure lucien was out of earshot, you swatted azriel's arm. "did you have to be so rude?"

"no," az said nonchalantly. "that was purely for my enjoyment."

you rolled your eyes. "you illyrians and your possessiveness," you mumbled, latching your lips onto his neck. "don't worry, az. you'll always be my favorite."

the shadowsinger smirked in satisfaction. "damn right, angel."

an hour later, you and azriel emerged from the wine cellar with ruffled hair and swollen lips. and you'd forgotten to fetch the damned wine that you went down to the cellar for in the first place.

you walked into the living room just in time to hear lucien murmuring to elain, "i thought they were friends."

you snorted, making lucien flinch. "we are," you confirmed as azriel plopped down onto the couch, pulling you into his lap. "best friends." the shadowsinger grinned as you kissed his cheek. "that doesn't mean we can't kiss a little."

lucien looked utterly confused. he glanced around the room, meeting cassian's amused gaze. "trust me, it's better if you don't ask. i stopped trying to understand a long time ago."

you childishly stuck your tongue out at the illyrian general. "you're just cranky because az was kicking your ass at cards."

cassian raised a brow. "before you distracted him with your feminine wiles and gave vanserra over here a show."

azriel rested his chin on the crook of your neck, wrapping his arms around your waist. "lucien is free to watch," the shadowsinger said smoothly. "as long as that's all he does."

lucien choked on his wine as the rest of your friends laughed.