It Was ONE Building

Chapter 11

"She's my mate," he told me the second we landed, in shock.

"Who?" I asked, a little confused.

"Feyre, she's my mate," he whispered once more.

Well I didn't see that coming.

"Rhys, Selene!" Mor yelled, running over.

She tackled Rhys, he swung her round before setting her back on her feet, then she flung herself at me.

"I'm so glad you are back," she whispered.

"I'm glad to be back Mor," I whispered back.

"I don't know about you both, but I would very much like a tall glass of whisky," Rhys said from next to us, we both laughed as we walked into the sitting room.

"Where are the others?" I asked Mor as we sat.

"Amren is on her way over and the males are currently punching the shit out of each other on the House of Wind," she told me, I rolled my eyes at that.

On queue the door opened, and Amren walked in.

"Hi Amren," I told her quietly, pulling her into a hug whether she wanted it or not.

"Hello flower," she whispered into my hair as she returned the gesture.

"Hello to you too Amren," dad grumbled from behind me.

"Bryaxis misses you, I suggest you see him soon," she continued, ignoring my father, much to my amusement.

"I will," I promised, and she nodded.

"Rhysand, you complete idiot, what were you thinking!" She yelled at him, he flinched.

"That I was keeping you all safe," he muttered.

"Surely you felt Selene there with you before you sealed her out of Velaris," she yelled back.

"She cloaked herself so thoroughly that I didn't notice a single thing out of place, but don't you dare think for one second I haven't paid for that mistake over and over again for the past fifty years," Rhys was yelling now as well.

"And don't you dare start yelling at me as well because I also paid," I told her, going over to Rhys's side and taking his hand.

"And don't ask what she did to us because that is not something I will be telling you any time soon," he told her.

"I will tell you my side, but only if you stop taking her actions out on us," I told her coldly.

"Fine," she muttered.

I pulled my top over my head and turned my back to her, showing her my scars.

"Every day, appart from Feyre's three trials, she would take me out of my cell and whip me five times if I didn't tell Rhys that I didn't love him and mean it. As you may be able to guess I told him I loved him every evening." I told her quietly.

"I took away the pain, but I could do nothing about the scarring," Rhys carried on.

"And as me and Feyre were cell mates she cleaned me up for the last three months' worth of whippings, now if you don't mind, I've spent the past fifty years being tortured so I'm going to go and lie on my bed and sleep." I told them all, walking upstairs.

The next day I woke to find my father asleep in a chair beside my bed. I slowly stood and pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

He stirred a little before his eyes flicked open to meet my own.

"Morning," I whispered.

"Morning love," he whispered back.

"Were you here all night?" I asked.

"I didn't want to let you out of my sight," he admitted.

"I need to go and see Bryaxis today, but after that we can spend as much time together as you want," I promised him.

"I would like that very much," he said with a grin.

He left me to get changed then I winnowed to the small passageway that Bryaxis told me about before the whole Amarantha mess.

"Hey Bry, I'm back," I called softly into the darkness.

The shadow dog came bounding out of the darkness and leapt at me.

"I missed you too, now how about you fill me in on what has been going on around here," I offered.

'I would like that very much,' his voice filled my head.

We walked to the seating area in comfortable silence, Bryaxis made the fire in the corner flicker to life and we both curled up on a sofa together.

'Tell me what happened.' He urged.

"Quite a lot Bry, I followed Rhys Under the Mountain, she found me, made Rhys take my maidenhead as punishment for us both then told me she would whip me five times every night until I told him I didn't love him and meant it. Five lashings a night for fifty years, that's ninety-one thousand two hundred and fifty lashings in that miserable place, just because I love my father." I told him, running my fingers over his scales.

'I wish I could have gone to pay her a visit,' he growled.

"I wish you could've too, it would have made my time there a little more amusing." I replied with a low chuckle.

'You should have seen the General's face when he saw me.' He continued.

"I hear he screamed like a little girl," I laughed.

'That he did,' Bry replied.

"Now, what happened here?" I asked, going back to my original question.

'Amren kept everyone from fracturing while they all freaked about you and the High Lord. Morrigan had to take over running the Hewn City, Amren ran Velaris while Cassian and Azriel had to try and keep the peace in Illyria. The day you left Amren came down here and ranted to me for a long while about you being stupid and stubborn, but she also worried for you, she considers you a daughter and she didn't want to lose you.' He explained.

"I consider her a mother figure to me as well, and you a second father" I replied before standing with a sigh.

"I'm sorry for leaving so quickly but I'd like to spend some time with the rest of my family," I told him, he just nodded his head.

What I did next I had never done before, I kissed the top of his scaled head lightly and he froze.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly but he shook his head.

'No one has ever done that, no one ever dared to, thank you Selene, you have given me a gift,' he told me.

I kissed the top of his head again before leaving using the passage.

Once I was outside, I winnowed back to the townhouse.