Darkness Rises

Chapter 7

We walked back to the manor and Mor took me into a small sitting room.

"Feyre, you're here too, good," Mor said with a wide smile.

The High Lord was sat with the brown-haired woman from earlier. They both gave me warm smiles. Mor beckoned for me to sit as she flopped onto a sofa. I elected to sit in the chair furthest away from the High Lord and I refused to look him in the eye as I curled my power up. I knew he thought I had his power, but he wasn't sure, so I was still going to hide it.

"Would you like some tea?" Feyre offered but I shook my head.

"I'm sorry if I scared you earlier," the High Lord said.

I shook my head again, if I opened my mouth to tell him that he didn't then he would ask why, and I couldn't tell him.

"Jasmine, who did that to you?" Feyre asked softly.

I couldn't tell her, not because I didn't know his name, but I was ashamed, and I was little scared of what he would do if he found out.

I wrapped my arms around my middle wishing I could just vanish.

"I can go into your head if you don't want to say it out loud," Rhys offered.

"Stay away from my head," I almost growled as my head snapped up.

He looked stunned at my reaction but dipped his chin, he wouldn't go into my head. I curled my power in tighter.

"Why were you at my border?" He asked.

"He thought I was your spy." I told him quietly.

"Why would he think that?" Feyre asked with a frown.

Crap, I had backed myself into a corner, but I couldn't show him. This was a nightmare, I had to be dreaming.

"Does it have something to do with the power you are trying so hard to glamour from us?" Rhys asked with his brows raised.

This could not be going any worse, what was the worst that could happen if I showed him though, he would kill me, but I realised I wouldn't mind that outcome. I unspooled my power and with a small wave of my hand I sent a tendril of darkness over to the High Lord.

He reached out and touched it gently before I made it vanish. His eyes had gone wide as he looked back at me.

"You have my power," he said with a small gasp, I guess he wasn't quite expecting that after all.

I just nodded; this was not going to end well.

"How do you have my power?" He asked, and I inwardly groaned, why was this happening.

I thought about the best way to answer and decided that being blunt would be the best way to go.

"Your father had many lovers before he mated your mother. One woman fell pregnant. When she found out she went to him, but he had just found your mother and wanted nothing to do with her or the baby. She was thrown out of his court and ended up in Autumn. She had a baby girl who she left with the cook of a noble house before she died. The little girl grew and vowed to never have children so the power she possessed would never be passed on, but she was raped over and over by the master of the house. Thirteen years ago, she fell pregnant with a little girl of her own, ten years later she was murdered by the male who had raped her and the cook once again made the child her own. That child is me." I couldn't stop the tears that escaped me as I told them of my mother's murder.

"You're only thirteen?" Mor gasped as tears ran down her own face, I just nodded, and she vanished.

He stared at me in stunned silence as tears still ran down my cheeks, I hated this, I should have just died in that clearing. I looked down wishing the ground would swallow me whole.

I heard movement and a pair of shoes appeared in front of me. A finger hooked under my chin and tilted my head up, so I was looking into his eyes.

"You're my niece." He said quietly, letting go of my chin.

"Yes," I replied, just as quietly.

"Please tell me who hurt you," he said, sadness in his face.

"You can go into my head, just please don't make me see it again." I told him as I hung my head once more.

He sat next to me and took my hand. I closed my eyes, and his grip tightened a little. I opened up my shields and I felt him slip in. A few minutes later I felt him leave and I pulled my shields back up.

"Therian Vanserra?" He said as I opened my eyes.

"Yes, he's also my biological father" I whispered, and he pulled me against his side.

His embrace made me feel so safe, I couldn't stop the tears that fell down my cheeks, he was so kind and gentle.

"You are my family Jasmine, you will always be safe here," he promised me.

I had no words to express my thanks, so I just held him tighter. My whole life I had listened to how much of a monster this male was, but he was the opposite.

"Would you like to meet the rest of the family?" He asked once I had let him go.

"Ok," I said softly.

"They are on their way over now, appart from a couple of them, my son and general of my armies, they are in the Illyrian mountains and won't be back for a month." He replied.

There was a sharp knock on the door and Feyre stood. Rhys stayed sat next to me, an arm round my shoulders. Four people walked in, Mor, who I already knew, then a large, winged male, a short black-haired female with stunning silver eyes and a female who looked a little like Feyre.

They all sat and their eyes pressed in.

"Guys, this is Jasmine, she is my niece. Jasmine meet Amren, Azriel and Nesta." He said with a small smile.

"You have a niece?" Nesta questioned.

"His half-sister was my mother," I replied, not needing to give the long-winded explanation again.

"Rhys don't get mad, but Nyx may have gotten wind of everything and he is on his way back with Cassian now," Azriel said with a small sigh.

"I knew I couldn't keep him away forever." Rhys replied, squeezing my shoulder.

"How old are you girl?" Amren asked, Feyre shot her a look.

"Thirteen," I replied.

Amren opened her mouth to say something else but the door burst open and a male with wings ran in closely followed by a second male. I couldn't stop my squeak and I tucked myself closer to Rhys.

"Nyx, what have we said about just bursting in." Feyre said with a frown.

"Uncle Cassian wouldn't stay still so I made him tell me what was wrong then he said that something had breached our border, what did you expect me to do?" Nyx asked, hands on hips.

"There is no threat Nyx," Rhys replied as I tucked further behind him.

Rhys's large build hid my tiny body easily, I watched the male through the small gap over Rhys's shoulder.

"Then what came through?" Nyx replied.

"If you hadn't stormed in boy, you would have found out," Amren hissed at him.

Nyx scanned the room, and I ducked my head back down so he couldn't see me.

"It's just you lot here," he said sounding a little fed up.

"That would be because you scared her," Rhys replied.

"Her?" Nyx said sounding shocked.

"Yes, her now stop almost yelling and sit down," Feyre hissed at him, I watched as she beckoned to the seat next to her.

He grumbled something incoherent but sat anyway. As he did, I glanced at the second winged male who was scanning the room, obviously looking for me.

"Nyx, Cassian meet my niece, Jasmine." Rhys said and I shifted out from behind him.

Nyx was staring at me in shock, but Cassian looked overjoyed. He ran over and lifted me up, swinging me around. I panicked, lashing out at him with my magic. As soon as he dropped me, I ran for the door and into the forest next to Velaris, looking for a place to hide.