"Is it just me, or are the Guys ignoring each other?" Celeste noticed, leaning closer to Sienna and Estelle.

Estelle sought out the males quickly. Nyx, Corbin, and Lysander were in one ring while Calden and Mikael were in another. "I haven't seen them speak to each other very much today," Sienna replied. "I wonder what happened."

"They're males. Do they need a reason to fight?" Estelle rolled her eyes with a sigh.

The shadows tugged on her arm. She pursed her lips. Were they arguing about...me? I know Nyx, Corbin, and Lys aren't used to all of this yet, but they wouldn't argue with Mikael about it, would they?

Estelle straightened and sheathed Znaniya at her thigh. "I'll be right back." She strode through the marked rings, heading towards her brother and cousins. They ceased sparring when she arrived.

"Do you plan on training with us?" Nyx asked. Estelle shook her head. "I didn't think so." He crossed his arms, his starlit sapphire gaze becoming guarded. "Get on with it."

"Don't be using your daemati powers on me, Nyx," Estelle grumbled.

"I'm not. I can tell you want to talk to us about something just by looking at you."

"All right." Estelle mirrored his stance. "You three are ignoring Mikael and Calden. Why? What happened?"

"Nyx and Mikael got into an argument last night," Lysander explained. Nyx flashed him an irritated look.

"Over what?" Estelle urged.

"You. Specifically about you learning to use your magic."

Estelle brought her attention back to Nyx. "Why would you argue over that?"

Nyx sighed, averting his eyes. "I'm worried that wielding your magic will result in more problems than benefits."

"Learning to use my magic is a good thing. I'll be able to control it better until I receive siphons, and when I do have siphons, I'll already know a few tricks to help myself out."

"Maybe, but suppose you're upset by something...or get in another fight with Ze'ev. You might let your anger get the better of you. If you summon your magic, you could kill someone." Nyx stepped closer to her, lowering his voice. "And that doesn't need to happen again unless your life depends on it."

Estelle watched him through narrowed eyes. "Others' lives could depend on me knowing how to use it. I'm less likely to lose focus now than I was then. I have an idea of what I'm doing. Thesan and Mikael are helping me."

"And what if you hurt them? The High Lord or his Heir? What will happen to you?"

"If I did hurt them, it would be an accident and they would know that," Estelle spat. "Nothing would happen to me. You should know that I wouldn't let that happen, and neither would Mikael." She studied him, then glanced at Corbin and Lysander. "This isn't actually about my magic, is it?"

None of them answered. Estelle massaged her temples wearily. "You don't want me learning things...adapting to this place...because you're afraid I'll leave if I do." They still didn't answer. "Like I told you before, you don't have to worry about that. Mikael and I might be together now, but that changes nothing. My home is still in the Night Court with you possessive pricks."

Corbin and Lysander gave her sheepish grins. Estelle merely shook her head and embraced them. "Besides, I wouldn't want to leave you behind to handle Mom and Dad on your own," she whispered to Lysander. He laughed as she pulled away.

Nyx didn't move towards her. He ran his thumb over the edge of his blade. From the corner of her eye, Estelle saw Lysander and Corbin leave the ring. They joined Celeste and Sienna, then carried on towards the ring Mikael and Calden were sparring in.

"I appreciate your concern, Nyx, but you don't have to worry," Estelle repeated.

"What are your plans for your relationship?" He asked, still staring at his blade.

"I don't know. We'll see what comes of it. You don't have to have a plan for everything."

"If you marry him, you know what you'll become."

"If I marry him and if he chooses to share his power. You don't need to worry about that. That's in the future and we may never reach that point."

Nyx gave her a sad and skeptical look. One that she thought she could interpret, but didn't care to. He sighed, sheathing his blade. "I'm more worried for his sake than yours, if it comes to that."

"Why?"

"Because his people already don't accept him. How will their perception of him change if he marries an Illyrian halfbreed and makes her High Lady? Many of his people might think you're a spy for my father, or me." Nyx shook his head, gritting his teeth. "There's more to this than just how you and Mikael feel. You need to consider the political side of it too."

"Do you think that matters to me?"

"It had better matter to you if you plan on marrying him!"

Estelle narrowed her eyes. "What's wrong, Nyx? Why are you acting this way?"

"Nothing is wrong."

"You're lying." She came closer to him. "There's something bothering you and it has nothing to do with Mikael or I. You're tearing our relationship down to the foundation, pointing out to me all of the bad things that could go happen. You're critiquing my decisions. You're being overly protective. Why?"

"She's my mate," he whispered. "She's my mate and I don't know what to do." Nyx ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry. I'm...I'm taking it out on you and Mikael, all of my confusion and concerns. I don't want you to walk into the same mess I'm in. I'm sorry. I have no idea what to do."

Estelle rested her arm on his shoulder. Tears rimmed her cousin's eyes. "Let's go somewhere we can talk in private. We'll figure this out. I'll help you." Nyx squeezed his eyes shut and nodded. Shadows swathed them in comforting darkness, carrying them away from the Peregryn training grounds.

They landed in a wooded clearing, somewhere within the mountains. Estelle wasn't entirely certain how far from the training grounds they'd traveled, but it didn't matter. Nyx slumped onto the grass and she sat beside him.

"When did you find out?" She asked.

"A few weeks ago. I began to suspect shortly after we started training with the Peregryns." Nyx drew his knees up to his chest and rested his forehead against them. "I haven't told her that I know. I don't know if she does or not. I'm afraid that the minute we both acknowledge the Bond, we'll begin to carry the mating scent. If that happens, there's no way we can keep our relationship hidden. No one but you knows the full extent of what's going on."

"Maybe you should tell your parents. If you know she's your mate, they'll be more willing to listen to you." Estelle sat close to Nyx, but didn't reach out to him. Her shadows did. They wound around his arms and brushed across his face. "They would listen to you anyway. They love you and want you to be happy. You know they'll support you and Venelia, regardless how they feel about Tamlin."

"Maybe, but what will Tamlin do to her?" Nyx pressed his cheek to his knees, meeting Estelle's gaze. "I can't ask her to leave the Spring Court. She doesn't want her father to be alone. She's already told me that. Maybe someday, but not now. Not anytime soon."

He swiped a hand across his eyes. "The only thing I can think of that will keep her safe is if I break the Bond. It's not fully developed, but I could still reject it. I...I asked Amren about it, just to make sure."

"No." Estelle gripped his hand tightly. "No, you can't destroy that Bond. She's your mate, Nyx. She is a gift. One that you may never be given again. Finding your mate is rare but finding another mate after rejecting the first? Rarer still. Besides, you care for Venelia, don't you?"

"I love her," he whispered.

"Then you know how badly this will affect her. If you break the Bond, you know she will feel it, regardless if she's accepted it or not. She will feel it and know. She may never speak to you again."

"Better that than Tamlin hurting her because of me."

"Do you really think he would? He's her father. She's the only family he has."

"All the more reason for him to tighten his hold on her!" Nyx shook his head angrily. "I don't know, Estelle. I don't know anything anymore. I don't know if she'll be all right or if Tamlin will lock her away for the rest of her life. I don't know if she knows the truth, or if she even suspects it. I don't know how my parents will react."

He inhaled sharply, rubbing at his eyes again. "I don't want to give her up. I don't want to. But if it keeps her safe, I will. Somehow."

Estelle slipped her arms around Nyx's shoulders, hugging him tightly. After a moment, he leaned into her. "You are not going to give her up. I saw the way she looked at you when we were in the Spring Court. Venelia loves you just as much as you love her. If she doesn't know you're mates, she must at least suspect it."

"If you break the Bond, you'll be taking something precious away from both of you. You might not know what will happen if you accept it, but you do know what will happen if you don't. You have to tell Rhys and Feyre, Nyx. They'll understand and help you. They aren't going to be mad at you for falling in love."

"But Tamlin..." Nyx began.

"Talk to your parents, then talk to Venelia. Tell her your concerns. Ask her how she thinks her father will react. Make your decision together. Accept the Bond or reject it."

Nyx measured his breaths, not answering. Estelle just continued to hug him. The shadows were offering what comfort they could as well. His fears run deep and deeper still, they murmured.

"I'm sorry, Estelle," Nyx said at last. "I am worried about you and Mikael and everything you're doing, but I shouldn't have expressed those concerns like I did."

"I understand. So will Mikael."

Nyx lifted his head, meeting her gaze. "I can't tell him."

"He already knows you're seeing someone in the Spring Court."

Nyx hesitated. "Well, actually, he's the first person I told when I began suspecting Venelia and I were mates."

Estelle gave him a prompting look. "Don't you think he deserves to know, then?"

"I don't know. I'll think about it, but I make no promises."

"All right. At least apologize to him."

"I will." He gave her a halfhearted smile, finally returning her embrace. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Probably something stupid," Estelle snickered. "But I share the sentiment."