Son of Night and Daughter of Stars

Chapter 6: The Camaraderie

"Sorry I'm late, Mother," Nyx murmured as he walked into the room and kissed his mother's cheek. She smiled at him, her arms crossed over her chest. 

"You're actually on time, for once," She teased. "Aidan has yet to arrive." 

"Aidan is always late, though," Elsebeth said as she darted forward and laced her arm through Nyx's. "Hello, Nyxie!" 

Nyx laughed and leaned down to kiss his friend on her cheek. "Hey, Elsie. How're things in the Winter Court?" 

"Perfectly boring," Jasper drawled as he stood beside his sister, his arms crossed. "Mother made me come today." 

"Let me guess," Nyx said, raising an eyebrow at the two children of Winter. "She put Elsie in charge?" 

"Obviously," Elsebeth preened, fluffing her startling white hair. 

"You are all far too informal," Nyx stiffened at the smooth female voice behind him. Sure enough, when he turned, Delilah stood in front of him, her emerald-green eyes painted with lines of dark kohl. 

"Well, you're far too formal," Jasper replied. "Why are you even here, anyway?" 

The daughter of Spring inspected her nails, her red lips curled in a smile. "Father saw fit to send me today. Seemed to think it'd be good for me." 

"Delilah, must you always be so serious?" Elsebeth sighed. Delilah shrugged and tossed her thick golden hair over her shoulder. 

"Someone has to," She said. There was a moment of silence. Then Elsebeth threw back her head and laughed, shooting forward to pull Delilah into a group hug with her, Nyx, and Jasper. Delilah joined in the laughter and laced her arm around Elsebeth's waist. 

"Oh, I've missed you all," She groaned. "Father has been insufferable." 

"Not more marriage talk?" Jasper asked. Delilah nodded, rolling her eyes as she stepped back from them all. Out of the corner of his eye, Nyx saw his mother turn to leave the room, a slight smile on her face. 

Nyx knew exactly what Delilah's father had done to his mother. But Delilah wasn't anything like Tamlin. The first time he'd met her, they'd been in a meeting their parents had organized, barely children. 

"Who is this?" Nyx's mother had asked, crouching to smile at Delilah, who hadn't smiled back. She'd had a red rose tucked behind her ear, which is what Nyx focused on, rather than the tall male in green beside her. 

"This is my daughter, Delilah," The male had said. Nyx had felt the surprise coming from his parents, and his mother had stood abruptly. 

"Daughter?" Nyx's father had repeated. The male laughed, but it didn't sound like a laugh from joy. It sounded bitter, which is what made Nyx finally look at him. He found the male was already staring at him, his green eyes flashing in the sun. 

"Yes, daughter," Tamlin, High Lord of Spring, had told them. "Don't act so shocked. I am a male, not a monster." 

Nyx couldn't quite recall what had happened after that. All he remembered was that after the adults had sat down to discuss... whatever it was High Lords and Ladies discussed, he and Delilah had snuck out of the meeting and explored the moonstone palace above the Court of Nightmares. She'd been braver than he had, going straight into rooms he'd been told were off-limits. They'd had a grand old time, chasing each other through the halls and playing hide-and-seek in the massive corridors. 

Finally, they'd come to the door Nyx's father had locked with magic. Nyx had no idea what was behind it, but he knew he wasn't allowed in there. 

"Delilah, we can't go in there," He protested when she'd tugged on the handle. She'd scoffed. 

"Says who?" She said. She reached out and grabbed his hand, then winnowed them behind the door. Instantly, Nyx knew they'd made a grave mistake. 

The guards of the Court of Nightmares turned, surprised to see the two children standing there. The prisoner they'd been escorting turned as well, his face twisted in a feral sneer. Before either Nyx or Delilah could move, the prisoner used the guard's surprise and broke free of them, racing towards the children with his hands outstretched. The guards yelled and tried to grab him, but he was too quick. 

His fists closed around Delilah and Nyx's necks, and he turned back towards the guards with them in tow. Nyx let go of Delilah's hand and clawed desperately at the rough hand around his throat. He could hear Delilah choking beside him, and he kicked out his feet and wings, trying to make the male let them go. 

"You will let me leave," The male croaked, shaking the children roughly. A garbled noise came from Nyx's mouth, his vision turned fuzzy, and just when he thought panic might take over, he had a moment of clarity. He threw down the mental shields his mother had taught him to raise and screamed out into the void. Mother!! Help!!

There was a snap of wind, and the pressure on Nyx's throat disappeared. He fell to the ground, coughing and gasping for air. He looked up and found his mother standing in front of him, still in her High Lady regalia, with the prisoner's head between her hands. 

"Don't you dare touch my son," She snarled, her eyes glowing bright blue as she sharply twisted his neck to the side. The prisoner's eyes widened, and he crumpled to the ground. Feyre's gaze turned to Nyx, and her mouth popped open, as if only just seeing him. The glow in her eyes faded.

"Oh, Nyx," She whispered. She fell to her knees and grabbed him up in a hug. "I'm so sorry, love." 

Nyx buried his face into his mother's shoulder, a sob escaping from his mouth without his consent. He didn't know why his mother was apologizing. He was the one who had gone where he wasn't supposed to. 

Nyx felt his mother turn her head to look at Delilah. "Are you hurt?" 

Nyx let go of his mother to look at the daughter of Spring. She was gently touching her neck, examining the cuts the male's jagged nails had left on her pale skin. 

"I'm fine," Delilah said, though there were also tears running down her cheeks. She met Nyx's eyes, her expression mournful. "I'm sorry, Nyx. You were right." 

Feyre reached out and took Delilah's hand. "Let's get those cuts looked at, alright?" 

At Delilah's nod, Feyre had winnowed them back to the meeting room. Tamlin had been furious, but not at Delilah. He'd called Nyx's parents everything from irresponsible to whores, then winnowed his daughter home without so much as a goodbye. To Nyx's shock, his parents hadn't gotten angry or upset. Rhysand had actually smirked. 

"It seems he can love something," He'd said. 

From then on, Delilah and Nyx had become inseparable. Despite the prejudice for her father, Nyx could tell his family loved her. And the moment she'd met Jasper and Elsebeth, their friendship became cemented. He couldn't imagine a life without her now. 

"What wretch has he invited this time?" Nyx asked, crossing his arms. Delilah leaned forward conspiratorially. 

"Actually, you're not going to believe it. He invited-" 

Before she could finish, Aidan, High Lord Eris's son, winnowed into the room. He raised his eyebrows at them when they all froze. 

"Well?" He straightened the lapels of his jacket. "Let's get this over with." 

Any Swifties out there? Red (TV ) has been on a constant loop for me ever since it came out 😢 I Knew You Were Trouble, Message in a Bottle, I almost Do, Holy Ground, Stay Stay Stay, and the 10-minute version of All Too Well are my favorites.