𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚.

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╰┈˚ · ° .  THERE IS A PARTICULAR WAY YOU FEEL when arriving home. Not just emotional—physical too, like you don't have to look over your shoulders anymore, you can relax and the weight of the world is lifted from your back.

Nothing— nothing, beats the feeling of going home.

When the night and the stars that wrapped tightly around us vanished and our feet touched the dark planks of the parquet, I knew I was at home. Velaris.

The morning sunlight streamed through the windows lining the front of the town house. The ornately carved wood door was inset with fogged glass that peeked into a small antechamber and the actual front door beyond it, shut and solid against the city beyond.

"Welcome to my home." Rhysand voiced, his violet eyes not so shielded anymore, and all his attention was focused on my sister.

"What is this place?" Feyre asked, her blue-gray eyes shifting all around, taking in the house.

Rhys leaned a broad shoulder against the carved oak threshold that led into the sitting room and crossed his arms over his chest creasing his tailored black shirt. "This is my house. Well, I have two homes in the city. One is for more... official business, but this is only for me and my family." Rhys explained, "Nuala and Cerridwen are here, but other than that, it'll just be the two of us."

Hearing the High Lord's words and understanding the implication, Feyre whipped her head in my direction, the question was crystal clear on her gaze that she had no need to voice it.

"I live in the other house." I told her. I had an entire wing to myself as Bloodsinger, but that I did not add. I had already thrown to her probably too much information at once, some things could come later now that she was here.

As Rhysand opened his mouth to speak, the silhouettes of two tall, powerful bodies appeared on the other side of the front door's fogged glass. One of them raised his fist and banged it on the surface.

"Hurry up, you lazy ass," The deep male voice was none other than Cassian. Between the two Illirians behind the door, from the shadowed figures behind the fogged glass, he was the larger, higher, and danced from feet to feet like he couldn't stay for a second still— the exact opposite of the other male with him.

Rhys didn't so much as blink toward the door, ignoring the two Illyrians to continue to talk with his mate. "Two things, Feyre darling."

But the pounding continued, followed by the second male murmuring to his companion, "If you're going to pick a fight with him, do it after breakfast."

"I wasn't the one who hauled me out of bed just now to fly down here," Cassian said, before he added, "Busybody."

The corner of my lips threatened to curl upwards as I heard the two Illyrians outside bantering like children.

I looked at my sister, her own focus had shifted to the males outside, or at least her eyes had, "Ignore them." I told her before motioning for Rhys to continue.

"One, no one—no one—but Mor, Maiven and I are able to winnow directly inside this house. It is warded, shielded, and then warded some more. Only those I wish—and you wish—may enter. You are safe here; and safe anywhere in this city, for that matter. Velaris's walls are well protected and have not been breached in five thousand years. No one with ill intent enters this city unless I allow it. So go where you wish, do what you wish, and see who you wish. Those two in the antechamber," he added, eyes sparkling with affection and mischief, "-might not be on that list of people you should bother knowing, if they keep banging on the door like children."

I snickered, not caring to conceal my amusement, and just then, another pound on the door was heard, emphasizing Cassian's voice, "You know we can hear you, prick." He knocked again, "Mai," he whined like a child, "Come on. Open the door."

I rolled my eyes enjoying Cassian antics even if I would have never dared to say it out loud— not even under torture– "Why would I do that?" I replied to the male with a scoff.

"Secondly," Rhys went on to Feyre, "in regard to the two bastards at my door, it's up to you whether you want to meet them now, or head upstairs like a wise person, take a nap since you're still looking a little peaky, and then change into city-appropriate clothing while I beat the hell out of one of them for talking to his High Lord like that."

A grin formed on my lips, almost impossible to contain, I let out a laugh, "I would love to see someone else other than me beat the crap out Cassian."

Hearing my words, from the other side of the door a laugh came almost covering Cassian shout, "Maiven!"

Feyre cleared her throat, "Just come get me when they're gone."

"You Illyrians are worse than cats yowling to be let in the back door." Amren commented, she too arrived at the door. The knob jangled but didn't open, making the female sigh sharply. "Really, Rhysand? You locked us out?"

When she passed by me, I squeezed my sister's shoulder in comfort. I knew this was a lot to assimilate— most of all after what she had just endured by the hands and magic of her fiance. "Go, they will take care of you." I said to her, nodding in the direction of Nuala and Cerridwen that stood immobile like statues at the top of the stairs.

Rhysand waited till we knew that Feyre was further down the hallway before opening the front door.

Cassian was the first to speak as he entered the town house, "Welcome home, bastard." He said, patting Rhys on his shoulder as he passed. His interest in his oldest friend to date was completely ignored when he grinned in my direction.

At that moment, I was distracted. My eyes were still trying to search for any sight of my sister, trying to hear if she was speaking with the twins. And It was too late to notice the Illyrian prowling forward to wrap his arms around me.

"Cassian!" I shrieked with surprise, but that was the only thing that I did. I was too stunned to do much more.

Cassian only widened the grin on his face when his arms unwrapped from me, because he wasn't done. As soon as my feet touched solid ground once again, he cupped the side of my head and left an overly dramatic kiss that made an obnoxious sound on the crown of my head, "I missed you, bird shit."

He literally saw me less than two days ago.

That motherf—

I blinked once, twice, before palming the knife strapped on my thigh ready to stab Cassian in the heart.

"Shit." He mumbled, Seeing my movement, the General shrieked, sliding his body behind Azriel in an attempt to hide.

"Oh my god." Rhys groaned, but it was Azriel that stopped me from murdering Cassian when a tendril of shadows gripped my wrist coiling up until middle forearm leaving a trail of goosebumps.

"You can kill him later, love. Somewhere where his blood will not stain a hundreds of years old handmade carpet." He chuckled, pink lips titling into a soft, almost shy smile.

"Right." I nodded looking down at the floor. I actually liked the carpet.

"Are you all done now?" Amren snapped, her heeled feet tapping against the board of the parquet.

Azriel sighed, all the emotion bleaching from his features as he turned towards Rhys, "I sensed you were back. Mor filled me in, but I—" He had just started when Amren cut him off.

"Send your dogs out in the yard to play, Rhysand. You and I have matters to discuss."

"As do I." Az rebutted.

"We were here first. Wait your turn, Tiny Ancient One." Cassian taunted, having the guts to go against both Amren and I in the span of a minute was very... Cassian.

"By the Cauldron. Can we do this in a couple of hours? It's still too early, and I'm tired." I groaned. "And I'm hungry."

"Didn't you want to kill him less than a minute ago?" Rhys questioned, violet eyes crinkled at the corners in confusion.

"Yes, but killing is fun and quick and—"

"That's disturbing."

"Do you want to die, Cassian?" I snapped seeing the unnecessary comment the male had made.

Out of nowhere Mor yawned and with a still sleepy tone she asked, "Why is everyone here so early? I thought we were meeting tonight at the House."

"Trust me, there's no party. Only a massacre, if Cassian doesn't shut his mouth." Rhysand grumbled, gaze moving from both an enraged Amren and I.

"We're hungry," Cassian complained, apparently already forgetting his death sentence, "Feed us. Someone told me there'd be breakfast."

"Pathetic," Amren quipped. "You idiots are pathetic."

Mor said, smiling an expecting grin at his cousin, "We know that's true. But is there food?"

"Yes, Rhys." I added myself to the complaints, "We want food, give us the food."

With an exasperated sigh, Rhysand walked towards the dining room and with a snap of his fingers, the table filled instantaneously with freshly made and still fuming food making the house smell magnificent.

Cassian, Mor and I were the first to sit down at the table, filling their plates high with various amounts of mouthwatering food.

"What exactly happened yesterday?" The General asked as he added more and more stripes of crispy bacon to his plate.

"The High Lord of mask and flowers finally revealed his true colors to his fiance by trapping her in the house." I murmured with distaste, almost snarling the words out.

"Yeah but out of nowhere?" Mor questioned, stopping from a second before the fork could touch her lips.

"He wasn't home." I started to explain, "It happened before that my sister wanted to follow him outside, help the people of his court and he denied her. I guess she just fought back more this time." I said, feeling the anger boil in my veins and magic stir when the heart of the people in the room became much more powerful sounds to my ears.

Unknown to me, I relaxed a fraction when shadows wrapped themselves around my calf. They were incorporeal— thanks to the magic and will of the shadowsinger— but on a subconscious level, I could feel them.

"All of this is making a headache bigger than Prythian form." And then, under my breath I mumbled, "I need to read." or have an orgasm, but I don't say that outloud. From the way Rhys grimaced, I had apparently sent that thought straight to him.

"Sorry." I chuckled to him, to which he rolled his eyes.

"What type of book do you need to read?" Cassian cleared his throat, a knowing smirk twisting his lips.

"Cauldron boils me." I groaned, almost on the verge of hitting my head on the table. "Can't you mind your own business?"

"The one with the very description se-" Before he could continue to run his mouth wild, I cut him off by shoving an entire muffin in his mouth.

"You were hungry, weren't you?" She asked with a condescending smirk.

"Children." Amren tsk with distaste.

"You adore me. Don't deny it." I grinned at her— wide and sly— and with a movement of my hand, I collected the drops littering the side of her chalice, using them to produce more blood, enough to fill it again up to the brim.

The focus was brought back to the table when Rhys spoke.

The Inner Circle— we spent the following hour talking and working out the different problems around the Court, and once we were done, everyone went their ways— but not before listening to the High Lord many warnings about appropriate behaviors for the dinner that we would all attend that evening with Feyre. 

✎

˗ˏˋ 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 ˊˎ˗

Hello everyone!

Welcome back guys!! This is the beginning of Act two!!

As always, Cassian is ready to start shit with Maiven, I swear that man lives to piss everyone off. (And we love him for that)

A little information before we continue! This Act will not follow the chapter count of the book. I split it in half because I actually had no motivation lately to write and I fell behind with all my books. Since I wanted to give you guys something, this was my solution! I swear, I am already writing Act 3 right now!

How do you like the new cover? Let me know, please!

One more thing, I decided to update only once a week for this act to give myself a bit more time! I hope you guys can understand that.

Thank you for reading this chapter, I'll see you on Tuesday!

˚ · ° . 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 . ° · ˚

𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞!

– 𝐋𝐨𝐥𝐚 ☾