A Court of Mist and Fury
by Sarah J. Maas
Published by Bloomsbury
Book 2 in the Court of Thorns and Roses Series
Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost.
Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.
Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.
With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.
RATED: 18+ CATEGORY: MOOD:
Steamy #Fantasy Thrilling
Violence #Romance
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas is the second book in her Court of Thorns and Roses series, and centers on Feyre, a newly turned high fae, suffering from the mental scars of what she did and went through during her three months of torture under Amarantha's watch. What was supposed to be her happy ending is tarnished, and she still has that bargain she made with Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court, in exchange for saving her life. As Feyre tries to heal and figure out who she is, she learns of a dark new force that threatens everything she holds dear, and the only way to stop it, is if she learns to control her new gifts.
I say this with as much sweetness as I can, but, what the fuck Sarah Maas? Why you gotta do that?!?!? Haha. That being said, I can't write further without getting into slightly spoiler-y territory. Here is you warning
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Seriously, spoilers below.
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Okay. So A Court of Mist and Fury was thoroughly thrilling, and somewhat unexpected. I was predicting a love triangle. But nope. Sarah Maas doesn't dangle Feyre's heart in the arena, forcing her to choose. Not at all. I had this theory at the end of A Court of Thorns and Roses, that Rhysand, when he got all wide eyed and saying "shit" before disappearing, was that he realized Feyre was his mate. And I was so right. But how we get to the point where Feyre also knows ... I had no idea. I love it as much as I hate it, because this book ruins my opinion on Tamlin. A Court of Mist and Fury is fast paced, exciting, full of new characters you will love, and a beautiful woven arc, from a woman who is suffering from severe depression and PTSD, to a fierce, strong woman who learns to accept her new life.
A Court of Mist and Fury made me reflect on some things from the first book. Some things, I was kinda surprised I was okay with. Other things, I think Feyre was being a bit too tough. I do hope that Tamlin's actions are because he was broken by Amarantha, and not because of his actual nature. But looking back, he did just stand there while Feyre was being tortured. He may have begged for her life, but he didn't fight, like Rhys did. That one moment that Feyre wasn't being watched, he didn't try to get her out of there. He tried to sleep with her. So it's not looking great for Tamlin's character. It just sucks to see the Tamlin Feyre fell for turn into a beast. This being said, Feyre's thoughts and feelings on Tamlin are valid. She is a changed woman now, and while she needed and loved Feyre before, she doesn't anymore. I DO think she is being too tough on Lucien. Lucien might follow Tamlin's orders, even when he doesn't want to, but Lucien is ultimately a loyal person and friend. Tamlin saved his life, and gave him a home and purpose when his family tried to kill him. That would be hard to put aside. He did try to help Feyre Under the Mountain, unlike Tamlin.
That being said, I now understand WHY we didn't get too many moments between Tamlin and Feyre during A Court of Thorns and Roses.
Let's start with Feyre. I love that Sarah Maas didn't just throw Feyre into the next part of her story, just being okay with what happened. Feyre might be immortal now, but she was human. A human heart. A human mind. She was tortured for three months. Her suffering was very real. Brutal and raw. Her progress throughout the book is beautifully written, and while one can argue it was because of Rhys, it was really because Rhys gave Feyre what she needed the most: time, support, and freedom to discover who she is and how to put the past behind her, while showing her she is strong. Which brings me to Rhysand. I knew I liked him for a reason. His sacrifices for him home and chosen family shows the kind of man he is, and I could see why Feyre falls for him before she even knows he is her mate. His compassion and love isn't only for Feyre, but his people. The two of them together ... their friendship AND romance, is full of passion, fun, and deep affection and love, and I knew, that was why I felt like I was missing something in the first book between Tamlin and Feyre. They didn't have what Rhys and Feyre have.
Rhys's inner circle was a delight, and by the first meeting between Cassian and Nessa, I have this feeling that something is there. Now, with what has happened to her sisters, I know something will happen. And Lucien discovering Elain is his mate, is a clever way of "saving" Lucien from whatever Feyre has planned for the spring court. I do have a soft spot for him.
In the end, A Court of Mist and Fury left me excited. If you are looking for a high-fantasy story, with well thought out characters, intriguing and unpredictable plot, excitement, romance and intense passion, you will love this book/series. I can't wait to start the next book!
Where to Buy
Paperback (Amazon)
Paperback (Chapters/Indigo)
Hardcover (Chapters/Indigo)
Tamlin: "You are - you're everything to me. I need ... I need you to be all right."
Lucien: "He's terrified. Terrified of seeing you in his enemies' hands. And they know it, too - they know all they have to do to own him would be to get a hold of you."
Feyre: "You think I don't know that? But does he honestly expect me to spend the rest of my life in that manor, overseeing servants and wearing pretty clothes?"
Lucien: "Isn't that what all human women wish for? A handsome faerie lord to wed and shower them with riches for the rest of their lives?"
Feyre: "Good to know you're still a prick, Lucien."
Feyre: "I don't want to marry a High Lord. I just want to marry him."
Lucien: "What does not exist without the other. He is what he is. He will always, always seek to protect you, whether you like it or not."
Feyre: "How dare you -"
Rhys snorted.
Rhys: "I certainly missed that look on your face."
Mor: "You look like you were getting under Rhys's skin. Good thing I came along. Though I'd enjoy seeing Rhy's balls nailed to the wall."
Feyre: "You're a High Lord - don't you have better things to do?"
Rhys: "Of course. But none as enjoyable as seeing you squirm."
Feyre: "You're a real bastard, you know that?"
Rhys huffed a laugh
Rhys: "I've been called worse. In fact, I think you've called me worse."
Feyre: "What, exactly, is your stake in all this? You said you'd tell me if I worked with you."
Rhys: "I didn't specify when I'd tell you."
He shrugged
Rhys: "Maybe I resent the idea of you letting those sycophants and war-mongering fools in the Spring court make you feel inadequate. Maybe I indeed enjoy watching you squirm. Or maybe -"
Feyre: "I get it."
Rhys snorted.
Rhys: "Try to read it, Feyre."
Prick. I snatched the paper to me, nearly ripping it in half in the process.
Feyre: "Y-you ... look ..."
Rhys: "Good."
Feyre: "I didn't ask for your approval."
Rhys chuckled
Feyre: "Ab ... Absolutely. De ... Del ..."
I deigned a glance at him, brows raised.
Rhys: "Delicious."
My brows now knitted. I read the next two words, then whipped my face toward him.
Feyre: "You look absolutely delicious today, Feyre?! That's what you wrote?"
He leaned back in his seat. As our eyes met, sharp claws caressed my mind and his voice whispered inside my head
Rhys: It's true, isn't it?
Feyre: "Stop that!"
Rhys: The fashion of the Night Court suits you.
Feyre: "You're a pig."
Rhys: "Oh, most definitely. But look at you - you read that whole sentence, kicked me out of your mind, and shielded. Excellent work."
Rhys: "Start copying the alphabet. Until your letters are perfect. And every time you get through a round, lower and raise your shield. Until that is second nature. I'll be back in an hour."
Feyre: "What?"
Rhys: "Copy. The. Alphabet. Until -"
Feyre: "I heard what you said."
Prick. Prick, prick, prick.
Rhys: "Then get to work. And at least have the decency to only call me a prick when your shields are back up."
Rhys: "You have a skill set that I need. Rumor has it you caught a Suriel."
Feyre: "It wasn't that hard."
Rhys: "I've tried and failed. Twice."
Feyre: "There have to be at least a dozen other hunters more experienced and skilled - "
Rhys: "Maybe there are. But you're the only one I trust."
I blinked
Feyre: "I could betray you whenever I feel like it."
Rhys: "You could. But you won't."
Rhys: "You are no one's subject. I will say this once - and only once. You can be a pawn, be someone's reward, and spend the rest of your immortal life bowing and scraping and pretending you're less than him, than Ianthe, than any on us. If you want to pick that road, then fine. A shame, but it's your choice. But I know you - more than you realize, I think - and I don't believe for one damn minute that you're remotely fine with being a pretty trophy for someone who sat on his ass for nearly fifty years, then sat on his ass while you were shredded apart -"
Feyre: "Stop it -"
Rhys: "Or, you've got another choice. You can master whatever powers we gave you, and make it count. You can play a role in this war. Because war is coming one way or another, and do not try to delude yourself that any of the Fae will give a shit about your family across the wall when our whole territory is likely to become a charnel house. You want to save the moral realm? Then become someone Prythian listens to. Become vital. Become a weapon. Because there might be a day, Feyre, when only you stand between the King of Hybern and your human family. And you do not want to be unprepared."
I lifted my gaze to him, my breath tight, aching.
Rhys: "Think it over. Take a week. Ask Tamlin, if it'd make you sleep better. See what charming Ianthe says about it. But it's your choice to make - no one else's."
Tamlin: "Do you not want to marry me, then?"
Feyre: "Of course I do. Of course I do. But you ... Tamlin ... I'm drowning. I am drowning. And the more you do this, the more guards ... You might as well be shoving my head under the water."
Rhysand just brushed an invisible fleck of dust off Tamlin's sleeve. Part of me admired the sheer nerve it must have taken. Had Tamlin's teeth been inches from my throat, I would have bleated in panic.
Rhys cut a glance at me.
Rhys: "No, you wouldn't have. As far as your memory serves me, the last time Tamlin's teeth were near your throat, you slapped him across the face."
Tamlin: "Shut your mouth. And get out."
Rhy's face became unreadable as he extended a hand.
Only for Tamlin to appear behind me, and shove that hand down.
Tamlin: "You end her bargain right here, right now, and I'll give you anything you want. Anything."
Feyre: "Are you out of your mind?"
Tamlin didn't so much as blink in my direction.
Rhysand merely raised a brow
Rhys: "I already have everything I want."
Feyre: "Don't you have other things to deal with?"
Rhys: "Of course I do. I have so many things to deal with that I'm sometimes tempted to unleash my power across the world and wipe the board clean. Just to buy me some damned peace. But I'll always make time for you."
Rhys: "Tell me what to do. Tell me what to do to help you. Months and months, and you're still a ghost. Does no one there ask what the hell is happening? Does you High Lord simply not care?"
Feyre: "He's giving me space to sort it out."
Rhys: "Let me help you. We went through enough Under the Mountain -"
I flinched
Rhys: "She wins. That bitch wins if you let yourself fall apart."
Feyre: Conversation over.
Rhys: "Like hell is it."
A thrum of power caressed my fingers, and then the book sealed shit between my hands. My nails dug into the leather and paper - to no avail.
Bastard. Arrogant, presuming bastard.
Slowly, I lifted my eyes to him. And I felt ... not hot temper - but icy, glittering rage.
I could almost feel that ice at my fingertips, kissing my alms. And I swore there was frost coating the book before I hurled it at his head.
He shielded fast enough that it bounced away and slid across the marble floor behind us.
Rhys: "Good. What else do you have, Feyre?"
Ice melted to flame, and my fingers curled into fists.
Rhys: "Any time you need someone to play with, whether it's during our marvelous week together or otherwise, you let me know."
I waited for the fear to hit; waited for my body to shriek to find a way to get out of this dinner, but ... nothing. Maybe it'd be a mercy to be ended -
A broad hand gripped my face - gently enough not to hurt, but hard enough to make me look at him.
Rhys: "Don't you ever think that. Not for one damned moment."
Feyre: "Take your power back. I don't want it."
A sly smile
Rhys: "It doesn't work that way. The power is bound to your life. The only way to get it back would be to kill you. And since I like your company, I'll pass on the offer."
Feyre: "I'm thinking that I must have been a fool in love to allow myself to be shown so little of the Spring Court. I'm thinking there's a great deal of that territory I was never allowed to see or hear about and maybe I would have lived in ignorance forever like some pet. I'm thinking ... I'm thinking that I was a lonely, hopeless person, and I might have fallen in love with the first thing that showed me hint of kindness and safety. And I'm thinking maybe he knew that - maybe not actively, but maybe he wanted to be that person for someone. And maybe that worked for who I was before. Maybe it doesn't work for who - what I am now."
Rhys: "This bond is ... a living thing. An open channel between us, shaped by my power, shaped ... by what you needed when we made the bargain."
Feyre: "I needed to not be dead when I agreed."
Rhys: "You needed to not be alone."
Feyre: "I heard the crack."
Rhy's head whipped toward me.
Feyre: "I heard the crack when she broke my neck. It was in my ears, but also inside my skull. I was gone before I felt anything more than the first last of pain. And then it was dark. A different sort of dark than this place. Bit there was a ... thread. A tether. And I yanked on it - and suddenly I could see. Not through my eyes, but - but his."
I inclined my head toward Rhys.
Feyre: "And I knew I was dead, and this tiny scrap of spirit was all that was left of me, clinging to the thread of our bargain."
The Bone Carver: "But was there anyone there - were you seeing anything beyond?"
Feyre: "There was only that bond in the darkness."
Rhysand's face had gone pale, his mouth a tight line.
Feyre: "And when I was Made anew, I followed that bond back - to me. I knew that home was on the other end of it. There was light then. Like swimming up through sparkling wine -"
The Bone Carver: "Were you afraid?"
Feyre: "All I wanted was to return to - to the people around me. I wanted it badly enough I didn't have room for fear. The worst had happened, and the darkness was calm and quiet. It did not seem like a bad thing to fade into. Bit I wanted to go home. So I followed the bond home."
Feyre: "When Amarantha made me kill those two faeries, if the third hadn't been Tamlin, I would have put the dagger in my own heart at the end."
Rhys went still.
Feyre: "I knew there was no coming back from what I'd done. And once I broke their curse, once I knew I'd saved them, I just wanted enough time to turn that dagger on myself. I only decided I wanted to live when she killed me, and I knew I had no finished whatever ... whatever it was I'd been born to do."
Rhys: "You are my salvation, Feyre."
Rhys: "With Cassian, he's probably more interested in fucking you than protecting you."
Feyre: "You're a pig."
Rhys: "You could, you know. If you needed to move on in a physical sense, I'm sure Cassian would be more than happy to oblige."
Feyre: "Then tell him to come to my room tonight."
Rhys: "If you survive this test."
Feyre: "You seem pleased by the idea that I won't."
Rhys: "Quite the opposite, Feyre. I'll let Cassian know you're ... open to his advances."
Feyre: "Good."
Feyre: "I could have used some help."
Rhys: "You survived. And found a way to help yourself. "
Feyre: "That's what this was also about. Not just this stupid ring."
I reached into my pocket, slamming the ring down on the table.
Feyre: "or my abilities, but if I can master my panic."
Cassian swore again, his eyes on that ring.
Amren shook her head
Amren: "Brutal, but effective."
Rhys: "now you know. That you can use your abilities to hunt out objects, and thus track the Book at the Summer Court, and master yourself."
Cassian: "You're a prick, Rhysand."
Nesta: "So you can't eat normal food anymore - or are you too good for it?"
Rhy's fork clanked on his plate. Elain made a small, distressed noise.
I laid my hand flat on the table.
Feyre: "I can eat, drink, fuck and fight just as well as I did before. Better, even."
Cassian choked on his water.
Azriel shifted on his seat, angling to spring between us if need be.
Nesta let out a low laugh.
Nesta: "What are you looking at?"
Cassian: "Someone who let her youngest sister risk her life every day in the woods while she did nothing. Someone who let a fourteen-year-old child go out into that forest, so close to the wall. Your sister died - died to save my people. She is willing to do so again to protect you from war. So don't expect me to sit here with my mouth shut while you sneer at her for a choice she did not get to make - and insult my people in the process."
Rhys: "Feyre is whoever she chooses to be."
Feyre: "We'll move things around. This one,"
I added with a glare in Rhys's direction
Feyre: "is only cranky because he's old and it's past his bedtime."
Rhys: "Now I know where Nesta gets it. Honestly, it's a shame we can't stay longer - if only to see who'll be left standing: her or Cassian."
Feyre: "My money's on Nesta."
A soft chuckle that snaked along my bones - a reminder that he' once bet on me.
Rhys: "So's mine."
Rhys: "Give a shout down the bond if you get anything accomplished before breakfast."
I frowned at the eye on my palm
Rhys: "You could try rubbing it on certain body parts and I might come faster."
He vanished into nothing before I could hurl the candle at him.
Alone in the frost-gilded forest, I replayed his words and a quiet chuckle rasped out of me.
Writing a note back and forth
Feyre: Poor baby High Lord. Life is so hard.
Rhys: Life is better when you're around. And look at how lovely your handwriting is.
I blinked. I'd forgotten - forgotten that strength in my panic. Just like with the Weaver. I'd forgotten how strong I was.
Rhys: "Yes, you did. You forgot that strength, and that you can burn and become darkness, and grow claws. You forgot. You stopped fighting."
Feyre: "Isn't that what High Lords do? Whatever they please?"
Rhys: "There are a great many things that I wish to do, and don't get to."
Feyre: "You. You sent that music into my cell. Why?"
Rhys: "Because you were breaking. And I couldn't find another way to save you."
The music swelled and built. I'd seen a palace in the sky when I'd hallucinated - a place between sunset and dawn ... a house of moonstone pillars.
Feyre: "I saw the Night Court."
He glanced sidelong at me
Rhys: "I didn't send those images to you."
Feyre: "Thank you. For everything - for what you did. Then ... and now."
Rhys: "Even after the Weaver? After this morning with my trap for the Attor?"
My nostrils flared
Feyre: "You ruin everything."
Note:
Rhys: I might be a shameless flirt, but at least I don't have a horrible temper. You should come tend to my wounds from our squabble in the snow. I'm bruised all over thanks to you.
Feyre: Go lick your wounds and leave me be.
Rhys: I'd much rather you licked my wounds for me
I clamped my lips shut to keep from smiling as I wrote
Feyre: Lick you where, exactly?
Rhys: Wherever you want to lick me, Feyre. I'd like to start with 'Everywhere.' but I can choose, if necessary.
Feyre: Let's hope my licking is better than yours. I remember how horrible you were at it Under the Mountain.
Lie. He's licked away my tears when I'd been a moment away from shattering.
Rhys: I was under duress. If you want, I'd be more than happy to prove you wrong. I've been told I'm very, very good at licking.
I clenched my knees together and wrote back
Feyre: Goodnight.
Rhys: "Try not to moan too loudly when you dream a bout me. I need my beauty rest.
I got up, chucked the letter in the burbling fire, and gave it a vulgar gesture.
I could have sworn laughter rumbled down the hall.
Cassian: "Get back in the ring. No core exercises. Just fists. You want to mouth off, then back it up."
Rhys: "You will feel that way every day for the rest of your life. And I know this because I have felt that way every day since my mother and sister were slaughtered and I had to bury them myself, and even retribution didn't fix it."
He wiped away the tears on one cheek, then another.
Rhys: "You can either let it wreck you, let it get you killed like it nearly did with the Weaver, or you can learn to live with it."
Rhys: "I have two kinds of nightmares: the ones where I'm again Amarantha's whore or my friends are ... And the ones where I hear your neck snack and see the light leave your eyes."
Rhys: "Will it into being."
I gave him a flat stare
He shrugged
Rhys: "Try thinking of me - how good-looking I am. How talented -"
Feyre: "How arrogant."
Rhys: "That, too.
He crossed his arms over his bare chest, the movement making the muscles in his stomach flicker.
Feyre: "Put a shirt on while you're at it."
A feline smile
Rhys: "Does it makes you uncomfortable?"
Feyre: "I'm surprised there aren't more mirrors in this house, since you seem to love looking at yourself so much."
Azriel launched into a coughing fit. Cassian just turned away, a hand clamped over his mouth.
Rhys's lips twitched.
Rhys: "There's the Feyre I adore."
Cassian: "Keep talking, Amren, and I'll drag you into the ring and see how much practice you've actually been doing."
Amren just continued cleaning her nails - with a tiny bone, I realized.
Amren: "Touch me, Cassian, and I'll remove your favorite part. Small as it might be."
...
Rhys: "Sorry to interrupt while things were getting interesting."
Amren: "Fortunately for Cassian's balls, you arrived at the right time."
Feyre: "Any more traps I should know about before we go tomorrow?"
Rhys: "Here I was, thinking your notes the other night indicated you'd forgiven me."
Feyre: "One would think a High Lord would have more important things to do than pass notes back and forth at night."
Rhys: "I do have more important things to do. But I find myself unable to resist temptation. The same way you can't resist watching me whenever we're out. So territorial."
Feyre: "You haven't been able to keep away from me since Calanmai, it seems."
Something rippled in his eyes that I couldn't place, but he flicked my nose - hard enough that I hissed and batted his hand away.
Rhys: "I can't wait to see what that sharp tongue of yours can do at the Summer Court."
Tarquin: "Cresseida made many sacrifices on behalf of her people. Do not take her caution personally."
Rhys: "We all made sacrifices. And you now sit at this table with your family because of the ones Feyre made. So you will forgive me, Tarquin, if I tell your princess that if she sends word to Tamlin, or if any of your people try to bring her to him, their lives will be forfeit."
Tarquin: "Do not threaten me in my own home, Rhysand. My gratitude goes only so far."
Rhys: "It's not a threat. It's a promise."
They all looked at me, waiting for any response.
So I lifted my glass of wine, looked them each i n the eye, holding Tarquin's the longest
Feyre: "No wonder immortality never gets dull."
He braced a hand on either side of me, gripping the dresser. I refused to shrink away.
Rhys: "You have one task here, Feyre. One task that no one can know about. So do anything you have to in order to accomplish it. But get that book. And do not get caught."
Feyre: "Anything?"
His brows rose. I breathed
Feyre: "If I fucked him for it, what would you do?"
His pupils flared, and his gaze dropped to my mouth. The wood dresser groaned beneath his hands.
Rhys: "You say such atrocious things."
I waited, my heart an uneven beat. He at last met my eyes again.
Rhys: "You are always free to do what you want, with whomever you want. So if you want to ride him, go ahead."
Feyre: "Maybe I will."
Rhys: "Fine."
Feyre: "Fine."
Rhys: "He locked you up because he knew - the bastard knew what a treasure you are. That you are worth more than land or gold or jewels. He knew, and wanted to keep you all to himself."
Feyre: "He did - does love me, Rhysand."
Rhys: "The issue isn't whether he loved you, it's how much. Too much. Love can be a poison."
Tarquin: "Tell me what that look means."
Feyre: "I'm thinking it would be very easy to love you. And easier to call you my friend."
He smiled at me - broad and without restraint.
Tarquin: "I would not object to either."
Feyre: "What's the most valuable thing in here?"
Tarquin: "Thinking of stealing?"
I choked on a laugh
Feyre: "Wouldn't asking t hat question make me a lousy thief?"
Tarquin studied me
Tarquin: "I'd say I'm looking at the most valuable thing in here."
I didn't fake the blush
Feyre: "You're - very kind."
Tarquin: "You know, I think it might be very easy to love you, too, Feyre. Easier to be your friend."
Rhys: "What got under my skin, is that you smiled at him."
Feyre: "You are jealous."
He shook his head, stalking to the little table against the far wall and knocking back a glass of amber liquid.
Rhys: "I heard what you told him. That you thought it would be easy to fall in love with him. You meant it, too."
Feyre: "So?"
Rhys: "I was jealous - of that. That I'm not ... that sort of person. For anyone. The Summer Court has always been neutral; they only showed backbone during those years Under the Mountain. I spared Tarquin's life because I'd heard how he wanted to even out the playing field between High Fae and lesser faeries. I've been trying to do that for years. Unsuccessfully, but ... I spared him for that alone. And Tarquin, with his neutral court ... he will never have to worry about someone walking away because the threat against their life, their children's lives, will always be there. So, yes, I was jealous of him - because it will always be easy for him. And he will never know what it is to look up at the night sky and wish."
Feyre: "To the people who look at the stars and wish, Rhys."
Rhy: "To the stars who listen - and the dreams that are answered."
Rhys: "You sound as if you plan to stay here for a while."
Feyre: "I can find my own lodging, if that's what you're referring to. Maybe I'll use that generous paycheck to get myself something lavish."
Rhys: "Spare your paycheck. Your name has already bee added to the list of those approved to use my household credit. But whatever you wish. Buy yourself a whole damn house if you want."
Feyre: "I saw a pretty shop across the Sidra the other day. It sold what looked to be lots of lacy little things. Am I allowed to buy that on your credit, too, or does that come out of my personal funds?"
Feyre: "I was going to invite you to come shopping with me for said lacy little unmentionables, but ... sit up here forever, if you have to."
He didn't respond
Feyre: "Maybe I'll send a few to Tarquin - with an offer to wear them for him if he forgives us. Maybe he'll take those blood rubies right back."
His mouth barely barely tugged up at the corners.
Rhys: "He'd see that as a taunt."
Feyre: "I gave him a few smiles and he handed over a family heirloom. I bet he'd give me the keys to his territory if I showed up wearing those undergarments."
Rhys: "Someone thinks mighty highly of herself."
Feyre: "Why shouldn't I? You seem to have difficulty not staring at me day and night."
Rhys: "Am I supposed to deny that I find you attractive?"
Feyre: "You've never said it."
Rhys: "I've told you many times, and quite frequently, how attractive I find you."
I shrugged
Feyre: "Well, maybe you should do a better job of it."
The gleam in his eyes turned into something predatory. A thrill wet through me as he braced his powerful arms on the table
Rhys: "Is that a challenge, Feyre?"
Feyre: "Is it?"
His pupil flared. Gone was the quiet sadness, the isolated guilt. Only that lethal focus - on me. On my mouth. On the bob of my throat as I tried to keep my breathing even.
Rhys: "Why don't we go down to that store right now, Feyre, so you can try on those lacy little things - so I can help you pick which one to send to Tarquin."
Note:
Rhys: Thank you - for last night.
Feyre: What do the tattooed stars and mountain on your knees mean?
Rhys: That I will bow before no one and nothing but my crown.
Feyre: So dramatic.
And through our bond, on the other side of my mental shields, I could have sworn I heard his laugh.
Feyre: "Did you and Varian ... ?"
Amren: "Tempting, but no. The prick can't decide if he hates or wants me."
Feyre: "Why can't it be both?"
A low chuckle
Amren: "Indeed."
Eldest Queen: "You are young, child. You have much to learn about the ways of the world -"
Rhys: "Do not condescend to her. Do not insult Feyre for speaking with her hear, with compassion for those who cannot defend themselves, when you speak from only selfishness and cowardice."
The eldest stiffened.
Queen: "For the greater good -"
Rhys: "Many atrocities have been done in the name of the greater good."
Feyre: "Amren and More told me that the span of an Illyrian male's wings says a lot about the size of ... other parts."
His eyes shot to mine, then to pine-tree-coated slopes below.
Rhys: "Did they now?"
I shrugged in hiss arms, trying not to think about the naked body that night all those weeks ago - though I hadn't glimpsed much.
Feyre: "They also said Azriel's wings are the biggest."
Rhys: "When we return home, let's get out the measuring stick, shall we."
I pinched the rock-hard muscle of his forearm. Rhys flashed me a wicked grin before he tilted down.
A breathless scream came out of me as we plummeted. Throwing my arms around his neck was instinct. His low laugh tickled my nape.
Rhys: "You're willing to brave my brand of darkness and put up one of your own, willing to go to a watery grave and take on the Weaver, but a little free fall makes you scream."
Feyre: "I'll leave you to rot the next time you have a nightmare."
Rhys: "No, you won't. You liked seeing me naked too much."
Feyre: "Prick."
His laugh rumbled against me.
Amren: "When Rhys came back, after Amarantha, he was a ghost. He pretended he wasn't, but he was. You made him come alive again."
Feyre: "He thinks he'll be remembered as the villain in the story."
She snorted
Feyre: "But I forgot to tell him, that the villain is usually the person who locks up the maiden and throws away the key."
Amren: "Oh?"
I shrugged.
Feyre: "He was the one who let me out."
Feyre: "Do you - do you want to dance with me?"
He was silent for long enough that I lifted my head to scan his face.
Rhys: "You want to dance?"
I pointed with my chin toward the celebration below
Feyre: "Down there - with them."
Rhys: "Of course I'll dance with you. All night, if you wish."
Feyre: "Even if I step on your toes?"
Rhys: "Even then."
He leaned in, brushing his mouth against my heated cheek.
Rhys: "I am ... very glad I met you, Feyre."
Rhys: "Amren sends her regards. As for this one ..."
I tried not to flinch away from meeting his stare
Rhys: "She's mine. And if any of you lay a hand on her, you lose that hand. And then you lose your head. And once Feyre is done killing you, then I'll grind your bones to dust."
I almost laughed.
Feyre: "I want to paint you."
Rhys: "Nude would be best."
Lucien: "Feyre. Let's go home."
I didn't move.
Feyre: "That stopped being my home the day you let him lock me up inside of it."
Feyre: "You saw what was happening to me. But you were too afraid of him to truly do anything about it. I begged you. I begged you so many times to help me, to get me out of the house, even for an hour. And you left me alone, or shoved me into a room with Ianthe, or told me to stick it out."
Lucien: "And I suppose the Night Court is so much better."
Feyre: "When you spend so long trapped in darkness, Lucien, you find that the darkness begins to stare back."
A pulse of surprise, of wicked delight against my metal shields, at the dark, membranous wings I knew were now poking over my shoulders.
Lucien backed up a step.
Lucien: "What did you do to yourself?"
I gave him a little smile
Feyre: "The human girl you knew died Under the Mountain. I have no interest in spending immortality as a High Lord's pet."
Lucien started shaking his head.
Lucien: "Feyre -"
Feyre: "Tell Tamlin, if he sends anyone else into these lands, I will hunt each and every one of you down. And I will demonstrate exactly what the darkness taught me."
There was something like genuine pain on his face.
Rhys: "I love it when you look at me like that."
Feyre: "Like what?"
Rhys: "Like my power isn't something to run from. Like you see me."
I had loved the High Lord who had shown me the comforts and wonders of Prythian; I had loved the High Lord who let me have the time and food and safety to pain. Maybe a small part of me might always care for him, but ... Amarantha had broken us both. Or broke me so that who he was and what I now was no longer fit.
Feyre: "Did you think I would go with him?"
Rhys: "I heard every word between you. I knew you could take care of yourself, and yet ... And yet I found myself decided that if you took his hand, I would find a way to live with it. It would be your choice."
Feyre: "And if he had grabbed me?"
Rhys: "Then I would have torn apart the world to get you back."
Feyre: "One thought in exchange for another. No training involved, please."
Rhys: "I'm thinking that I look at you and feel like I'm dying. Like I can't breathe. I'm thinking that I want you so badly I can't concentrate half the time I'm around you, and this room is too small for me to properly bed you. Especially with the wings."
Feyre: "I'm thinking that I can't stop thinking about you. And that it's been that way for a long while. Even before I left the Spring Court. And maybe that makes me a traitorous, lying piece of trash, but -"
Rhys: "It doesn't."
Rhys: "You cruel, wicked thing."
Rhys: "I wanted to do that when I felt how drenched you were at the Court of Nightmares. I wanted to have you right there in the middle of everyone. But mostly I just wanted to do this."
His eyes held mine as he brought those fingers to his mouth and sucked on them.
On the taste of me.
I was going to eat him alive. I slid a hand up to his chest to pin him down, but he gripped my wrist.
Rhys: "When you lick me, I want to be alone - far away from everyone. Because when you lick me, Feyre, I'm going to let myself roar loud enough to bring down a mountain. And when I lick you, I want you splayed out on a table like my own personal feast."
I whimpered
Rhys: "I've had a long, long time to think about how and where I want you. I have no intention of doing it all in one night. Or in a room where I can't even fuck you against the wall."
Feyre: "I don't walk away - not from you."
Rhys: "What did you paint for yourself?"
Feyre: "I painted the night sky."
He stilled
Feyre: "I painted the stars and the moon and clouds and just endless, dark sky. I never knew why. I rarely went outside at night - usually, I was so tired from hunting that I just wanted to sleep. But I wonder ... I wonder if some part of me knew what was waiting for me. That I would never be a gentle grower of things, or someone who burned like fire - but that I would be quiet and enduring and as faceted as the night. That I would have beauty, for those who knew where to look, but to only fear it ... Then I didn't particularly care for them, anyway. I wonder if, even in my despair and hopelessness, I was never truly alone. I wonder if I was looking for this place - looking for you all."
...
Rhys: "I was looking for you, too."
Mor: "Is it so bad - to be his mate? To be a part of our court, our family, tangled history and all?"
Feyre: "No. No, it's not."
Rhys: "And then - then I learned you name. Hearing you say it ... it was like an answer to a question I'd been asking for five hundred years."
Rhys: "It killed me, Feyre, to send you back. To see you waste away, month by month. It killed me to know he was sharing your bed. Not just because you were my mate, but because I ... I knew ... I knew I was in love with you that moment I picked up the knife to kill Amarantha."
Feyre: "You love me?"
Rhys nodded.
And I wondered if love was too weak a word for what he felt, what he'd done for me. For what I felt for him.
I set the bowl down before him.
Feyre: "Then eat."
Feyre: "I was going to tell you what I'd decided the moment I saw you on the threshold."
Rhys: "And now?"
Feyre: "And now I want you to know, Rhysand, that I love you. I want you to know ..."
His lips trembled, and I brushed away the tear that escaped down his cheek.
Feyre: "I want you to know, that I am broken and healing, but every piece of my heart belongs to you. And I am honored - honored to be your mate."
His arms wrapped around me and he pressed his forehead to me shoulder, his body shaking. A stroked a hand through his silken hair.
Feyre: "I love you. And I'd endure every second of it over again if I could find you. And if war comes, we'll face it. Together. I won't let them take me from you. And I won't let them take you from me, either."
Rhys looked up, his face gleaming with tears. He went still as I leaned in, kissing away one tear. Then the other. Ash e had once kissed away mine.
When my lips were wet and salty with them, I pulled back far enough to see his eyes.
Feyre: "You're mine."
He looked me over, naked, covered in paint, his own face and body smeared with it, and give me a slow, satisfied male smile.
Rhys: "You're mine."
Rhys: "Say it again."
Feyre: "You're mine."
Rhys pulled out slightly and thrust back in slow. So torturously slow.
Feyre: "You're mine."
Again he pulled out, then thrust in.
Feyre: "You're mine."
Again - faster, deeper this time.
I felt it then, the bond between us, like an unbreakable chain, like an undimmable ray of light.
With each pounding stroke, the bond glowed clearer and brighter and stronger.
Feyre: "You're mine."
My friend through many dangers.
My lover who had healed my broken and weary soul.
My mate who had waited for me against all hope, despite all odds.
Rhys: "I think I fell in love with you, the moment I realized you were cleaving those bones to make a trap for the Middengard Wyrm. Or maybe the moment you flipped my off for mocking you. It reminded me so much of Cassian. For the first time in decades, I wanted to laugh."
Feyre: 'You feel in love with me because I reminded you of your friend?"
He flicked my nose
Rhys: "I fell in love with you, smartass, because you were one of us - because you weren't afraid of me, and you decided to end your spectacular victory by throwing that piece of bone at Amarantha like a javelin. I felt Cassian's spirit beside me in that moment, and could have sworn I heard him say, 'If you don't marry her, you stupid prick, I will.' "
Feyre: "At least the rumors about wingspan correlating with the size of other arts were right."
His back muscles tensed as he choked out a laugh
Rhys: "Such a dirty, wicked mouth."
Feyre: "Even if every assassin in the world hunts us ... It's worth it. You are worth it."
Rhys: "Thank you."
Feyre: "I must have you wrapped completely around my finger."
His eyes danced with feline amusement.
Rhys: "Cruel, beautiful thing."
Rhys: "You have no idea how many things I've thought up when it comes to you."
Feyre: "I remember mention of a wall."
His laugh was a sensual promise.
Rhys: "Next time, Feyre, I'll fuck you against the wall."
Feyre: "Hard enough to make the pictures fall off."
Rhys barked a laugh.
Rhys: "Show me again what you can do what that wicked mouth."
Feyre: "You don't want to leave this house."
Rhys: " I want to stay in that bedroom and fuck you until we're both hoarse."
Cassian: "Well, it's about time."
The savage, wild snarl that ripped out of Rhys was like nothing I'd heard, and I gripped his arm as he whirled on Cassian.
Cassian looked at him and laughed.
Cassian: "Hard ride?"
Feyre: "When he bashes your teeth in, Cassian, don't come crying to me."
Cassian crossed his arms
Cassian: "Mating bond chafing a bit, Rhys?"
Rhys said nothing.
Cassian snickered.
Cassian: "Feyre doesn't look too tired. Maybe she could give me a ride -"
Rhys exploded.
Wings and muscles and snapping teeth and they were rolling though the mud, fists flying, and -
And Cassian had know exactly what he was saying and doing, I realized as he kicked Rhys off him, as Rhys didn't touch that power that could have flattened these mountains.
He'd seen the edge in Rhy's eyes and known he had to dull it before we could go any further.
They were a sight to behold, two Illyrian males fighting in the mud and stones, panting and spitting blood. None of the other Illyrians dared land.
Cassian laughed as Rhys slammed a fist into his face, blood spraying. Cassian slung one right back at him, and I cringed as Rhy's head knocked to the side.
Mor: "They'll be at it for a while. Welcome to the family, Feyre."
Mor: "She saved his sorry ass is more like it. Poor little Rhys got himself in a bind."
Feyre: "He does need unusual amounts of coddling."
Azriel choked on his wine.
Cassian: "Five hundred years ago, I fought on battlefields not far from this house. I fought beside human and faerie alike, bled beside them. I will stand on that battlefield again, Nesta Archeron, to protect this house - your people. I can think of no better way to end my existence than to defend those who need it most."
Note:
Feyre: How do I tell Cassian and Azriel I don't need them here to protect me? Company is fine, but I don't need sentries."
Rhys: "You don't tell them. You set boundaries if they cross a line, but you are their friend - and my mate. They will protect you on instinct. If you kick their asses out of the house, they'll just sit on the roof.
Feyre: "You Illyrian males are insufferable.
Rhys: Good thing we make up for it with impressive wingspans
Feyre: I'm missing that impressive wingspan in my bed. Inside me.
Rhys: Of course you are.
I hissed
Feyre: Prick
Rhys: "You might be my mate, but you remain your own person. You decide your fate - your choices. Not me. You chose yesterday. You choose every day. Forever."
Feyre: "I will light your pyres myself for what you did to my sisters."
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#lovetriangle #mates #friendstolovers #trauma #touchheranddie #squad #slowburn #onebed #new #distress #chosenfamily #alpha