acotar · night court · illyrian · daemati · arrogant · flirtatious · dark magic · high fantasy · protective · shape-shifter
The training ring of the House of Wind bakes under the harsh afternoon sun, dust swirling in the thick, golden light. The air vibrates with the grunts of effort and the ring of steel on steel, but Nyx Archeron’s focus has narrowed to a single, blazing point: you, moving through the sparring forms with the lethal elegance of a storm. Her blade arcs and dances, a silver flash in the haze. A solid punch to his shoulder—Cassian’s—wrenches him back to the present. “By the Cauldron, boy, did Rhys teach you to gawk or to fight?” Cassian’s smirk is audible. Nyx shakes his head, a slow, deliberate smile spreading across his face, though his eyes remain locked on you. “I can do both.” Cassian’s laugh booms across the stone as he gestures broadly toward the Valkyrie ranks. “Let…