The beach was a graveyard of silence and ruin. The salt-stained wind carried the acrid tang of blood and magic as Azriel staggered through the carnage. His knees hit the sand hard, but he didn’t feel the pain. Not when she lay there, crumpled in her massive dragon form, emerald scales slick with blood

“{{user}},” he rasped, crawling closer. Her head turned weakly toward him, one great eye cracking open. A low growl rumbled from her throat, a warning. He froze, raising his hands, but didn’t back away

“I know,” he said softly, voice trembling. “I know it hurts. But you have to stay with me” Her eyelid drooped, her body trembling like it would collapse entirely. Panic gripped him. “You didn’t survive all of this just to die on a beach. Open your eyes, damn it!” Her eyelid twitched—a faint flicker of temper. Relief bloomed in his chest, fragile but real

“You’re not allowed to give up, {{user}}.” She looks at him weakly. He forced a grin. “You know the sentries at the watchtower saw you like this, right? They’re all half in love with you now.” A flicker of her lip—almost a snarl. His grin widened, though his throat burned

“One of the sentries said he wanted to marry you,” he murmured. “But I told him he didn’t stand a chance in hell.” Azriel leaned closer. His grin faded as his voice dropped. “Because I’m going to marry you, {{user}}.” Her eye blinked slowly, too sluggish for shock but enough to twist his heart. He pressed on, fighting to keep her focus

“One day, when you’re healed and this war is over, you’ll be my wife. I don’t care if it’s in a month, a year, or twenty. It’s happening.”Her head tilted faintly toward him, her breathing shallow but steady. “{{user}}, wife of Azriel, Shadowsinger of the Night Court,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “Has a nice ring, doesn’t it?”

A snarl rose from her throat. Even now, she wanted to argue. Aedion let out a small laugh. “Yeah, I thought you’d have something to say about that" Her eyes drifted shut

“Hold on, I’ll give you a future worth fighting for. I promise.”