Bonus Chapter

I had to shield my eyes to look outside at the street so I could spot Morrigan. As expected, she lounged in a chair outside the restaurant, her eyes gazing lazily at the people pouring in and out of her wife's perfume shop.

I knocked on the window and she turned her head and smiled at me. "You should come inside. You can watch her from in here, you know." I suggested.

My restaurant was closed for today but Alcina had decided that she was going to open her shop even on saturdays.

"Will you let me taste the cake you are making?" She perked up.

I laughed, "Yes. Now come in."

Morrin, leaving the table outside, rushed inside just as I saw a particular illyrian sweeping down from the sky.

"He can't come in." Morrigan shut the door.

Cassian smiled broadly, "I have my permission to enter with me." He grinned as he revealed a laughing Cassina in his arms.

"Okay. You can come in." Mor said hesitantly and opened the door. As soon as he stepped in, she scooped Cassina from his arms and her smile grew larger. She wrapped her small arms arund her neck and giggled.

Cassian made a face but then decided he was more interested in the freshly baked cookies.

"I missed you so much." Mor kissed Cassina on the cheek. "Did Uncle Cass drop you again?"

Cassian yelled, "That was one time!" But his voice went unheard as Cassina answered, "We fwew ovar the twees. "

Mor smiled brighter at her childish pronunciation. "Do you want to go with me and Aunty Alcina later tonight? We could have a little party and invite Miss. Pony too."

She nodded her head rapidly, "Miss. Pony was all awone." She pouted to give her statement the full effect.

Mor laughed, "She won't be alone anymore if we invite her."

In all of our fascination with my daughter and for some people, the cookies, we hadn't noticed a shadowsinger that lingered by the door. "Can I have a day with my wife and daughter alone?" He sighed and that drew our attention.

I snorted and threw my arms around his shoulder before giving him a peck on the lips. Cassian and Morrigan both shook their head in unison.

He glared at both of them, "I am going to take them both to her house tomorrow and you two are going to stay right here." He pointed a finger at them.

Cassian snickered, "Lily?" He said and I turned towards him.

"Hmm?"

"Az was complaining that you could be nicer to him."

I looked at my husband with raised eyebrows and he shook his head, "I did not say that." Then, to Cassian. "Stop lying, Cass."

I interrupted them both, "Let's talk about that for a moment. Let's talk." Azriel desperately shook his head but I continued, "You said you were free last month so I decided to sleep in for a while. Then, when I woke up, you were gone. I spent the entire day with Cassina in here and then, when you finally found your way back home from heaven knows where, you just came in and slept in my lap. In my lap." I pointed to my lap and then at him. "Both of you little shits took an hour long nap in my lap while I was trying to do some work. Tell me more about how I could have been nicer."

Azeiel scratched his head, "By not calling us little shits?"

"No." I said and smiled at him.

"Anyhow,-" He glared at Cassian who grinned in return, "- I'm going to take both of them with me because I am not free everyday."

"No." Morrigan whined.

"What "no"?" Alcina peared inside. "What's happening?" She shut the door behind herself and set the keys to her shop on the counter.

"You're closing?" I asked and she nodded.

Morrigan filled her in, "Az wants to take both Lily and Cheese ball away." She pouted, her brows furrowed, and Alcina thought for a second.

"Why don't you and Lily go and enjoy yourselves and me and Mor can look after baby bear?" She offers and Az exhales a long breath before nodding slowly. "That sounds good too. I guess." He knew that he couldn't win an argument against my sister.

I chime in, "We could sleep better if she's not waking us up every few hours."

Cassina was, by all means, a cheerful child but she did have her moments when she was grumpy and wanted all of our attention so we both had to be up and about if she insisted.

While Cassina grinned and reached out towards Alcina and Cassian declared he will be joining them in looking after her as well, Azriel leaned towards me and whispered, "Except I don't think we would be sleeping at all."

I pursed my lips to try to hide the growing smile at my face and faced my sister. "Be careful." I warned her. "Don't let her near fire because she finds it amusing to touch it and feed her something every two hours. Don't give her pomegranates because, she's allergic. Definitely don't mention Az because-" Alcina, tired of me reminding her of the same things every time she was babysitting Cassina, rolled her eyes and added, "- she loves him too much and will start crying. We get it. He has throughly spoiled her." I give her a look to say- you are a part of that too. But she ignores me and goes back to cradling her niece.

Cassina, suddenly remembering something when they are about to leave to shop to go the house of wind, turned around and looked at Az with huge eyes. So far she had been distracted enough to not notice that she was being taken away from her father but now she grew concious of that.

"Dad?" She called out to him and looked at all of us with bewildered eyes.

"Yes, love?" He smiled at her, trying to calm her down.

Worry spread over everyone's face because this usually meant she was going to cry and none of us were calm when she cried. Especially Az could not be calmed down until she had smiled at least once.

"Daddy, sweep." She mumbled and held out her tiny arms.

Az walked over to where she had her cheek pressed against Alcina's shoulder and leaned down to her eye level. "You can sleep, we're right here." He said in a soothing voice and Cassina yawned.

He gently kissed her forehead and caressed her cheek. She mumbled, "Gibe the Ladybwg hot choco." She rubbed her eyes.

"Of course." He smiled at her sleepy face and fluttering eyelids.

Sometime around last year, she had come to us with a question about whether the bugs sleeping outside were warm or not and Azriel had to come up with the theory that they all had tiny blankets and were given hot chocolate every night.

Slowly, she curled up in Alcina's arms and they all silently carried her outside before Mor winnowed them all away.

Azriel held his breath as they disappeared and then let out his breath slowly.

"That went well." I commented, picking up the keys and turning them into the locks.

We stand in the street for a while, not looking at each other or even talking. I breathed carefully, scared that if I breath too hard, the moment will pass. Then, as if knowing what I was feeling, Az slid his hand into mine and I relaxed.

This isn't going away.

I'm here and this is my life.

Nobody is taking this away from me.

My shoulders slumped and I closed my eyes before a smile spread on my face. "Let's go, shall we? I want to rest."

He hummed response and I spirited us both to my newly built home. Well, it's been almost three years since Az had it rebuilt but it's still new.

Nobody was outside as I looked over at the cottages. I could see light pouring out of the houses and children playing in living rooms but no one came outside.

We stood there for a while, in the grass, before we both walked atowards the porch.

I threw myself on the sofa and stretched as Azriel lit the candles around the living room and opened one of the windows.

He disappeared inside the kitchen for a long minute. The soft glow filled the room and I craned my neck to see my husband emerge from the kitchen with a brown box, a bottle of wine and two wine glasses.

I set my legs in his laps when he sat down and put everything on the table. He tugged off his shirt and cracked his knuckles. Then he took a deep breath and blew out from his mouth.

"Tired?" I asked and he nodded.

He was smiling however as I perched myself up on two pillows and nudged his stomach with my foot. "What?" He asked.

"I think I'm in love." I whispered.

"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows, playing along.

"Umm-hmm. I think I might spend the rest of my life with him." I lazily stretched and made myself comfortable.

Azriel poured us both some wine and handed me my glass. "Well I'm jealous of him."

"I'm sure everyone is." I took a sip and nodded.

"Does he tell you he loves you often enough?" He asked and fiddled with the hem of my skirt.

I thought for a second before saying, "No. I don't think he does. I wouldn't mind it if he said it more often."

He tilted his head to a side, "Well, that's just outrageous. He should really start doing that."

"Maybe." I shrugged and watched the wine swirl in the glass. "But he calls me his "wishing star" and tells he doesn't need anything else in his life as long as I'm by his side. Sometimes when I'm trying to sleep I feel him watching me and he often kisses me at midnight. Sometimes I catch him looking at me like he might die for me-" I looked at him and found him holding his breath, "- makes one wonder how often he does that." Again, I returned to looking at my cup because if I looked at him right now, I would forget the words. "He does this thing when he's stressed where he traced my collarbone or my ears or my cheeks, that's really adorable. Sometimes I find him sleeping on the couch with our daughter on his stomach and I can't ask him for more. In those moment, I don't think there is anything else worth asking for."

I slowly looked up to see Azriel staring at me, his cheeks tinted red in the warm glow of the candles.

I smiled and leaned forward. He hookedan arm around my torso and pulled me forward until our lips met and I felt his breath on my cheek.

He cradled my face gently as we pulled back and I left a small kiss on his nose. I fell back on the sofa and he smiled. "He sounds like he would make one hell of a husband. "

I nodded. "He's good in bed too."

He snorted and opened the brown box, revealing chocolates. "I would be horribly disappointed if he wasn't. " He grinned as he passed the box to me.

I put it on my abdomen so we can both reach it and plop on in my mouth. "I like that thing he does where he doesn't let me touch his wings in bed. It's fun when I finally do." I smirked and he rolled his eyes.

"Well, it isn't like I just let you get away with that." He glareed at me playfully.

"You can't stop me." I say it in a sing-song voice and he pushed my legs off his lap before climbing on top of me. "If you crush these chocolates, I will murder you."I threatened.

"I'm not going to do that." He chuckled and kissed me again. This time I could taste the wine and chocolate on his lips.

He pulled back and frowned. "Did you eat something with cinnamon?"

"I was tasting a few things I had baked before everyone decided to flood my restaurant." I sighed and put the box of chocolates back on the table.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his head on my chest.

I mumble, "I can't drink."

He refused to move so I just sighed and left the glass on the floor by the sofa and ran my hand through his hair.

Right when I felt his breath becoming more even, I carefully traced the curve of his shoulder and quickly went for the spot on his wings that I knew will get a reaction out of him.

He nudged my hand away at first but I reached again. This time he caught my hand and pushed himself up on his elbows.

"Stop doing that." He said sternly.

I barely held in my laugh. Slowly, she shook his head and laughed with me. His beautiful voice travelled into my ribcage, curled around it and pushed at my heart, making me feel like I was choking on happiness.

He pressed his lips against my cheek then and I pulled myself closer to him, the heat of his body more tempting and comforting that that of the fire.

His wings curled around the two of us and it felt like I was inside a cocoon of warmth and comfort. I wished that the cocoon would stay forever.

His lips traced the curves of my mouth, my jaw, my neck, my collarbones and beyond. I relaxed my body under his touch and felt like I was floating.

His legs were tangled with mine and my fingernails were digging into his bare back when I realised that it wasn't that I couldn't ask for more. There was nothing to ask for. I felt the world crumbling and rebuilding between the two of us.