𝔸 ℂ𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕎𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕙 (Book 2)

Fifty-two

I lost count of the hours as Elain ushered everyone out of the house. She'd told each of them to pack their bags and leave as swiftly as possible, she'd given each of them a pouch of money to hasten the process. Mrs. Laurent—the last to depart—promised to keep what she'd seen to herself, thank the mother.

    I didn't know what dark hole Rhys, Cassian, and Azriel had been hiding in, but when Mrs. Laurent had said her goodbyes and made her way into her carriage with the rest of the staff, there was a soft knock at the door.

    Feyre and I thought it was best that I brought them in and briefed them quickly since I'd "spent the most time with them" which may have been accurate, but don't think I forgot the circumstances that lead me to go to Rhys's court every month—he was an asshole. But he was a tolerable asshole.

    The light had already faded from the lands as I opened the door to the three males. They looked like lost little puppies with the look on their faces.

Nesta, Elain, and Feyre were waiting in the dining room. The anticipation and fear had thickened the air.

    They looked enormous compared to everything around me, maybe I was just weirded out that the three of them were in the mortal lands—the place we grew up. Everything in this world seemed so small compared to my new one.

    Rhys's brows lifted as he looked beyond me and into the pale walls of the house, "You'd think they'd been told the plague had befallen this house."

    I pulled the door open wider to let them in as I rolled my eyes. "Play nice, please," I added the please for emphasis. "We need this house."

    Rhys gave me an incredulous look, "And what makes you think we won't be nice Danika Darling."

    I turned to face them, stretching out my hand and waving it in their direction, "Because you're you."

    "Fair enough," Cassian added with a smirk. Azriel stood at his side, his eyes sifting through every corner of the room. Cassian followed en suite, letting out a low whistle as he turned in a circle.

    "Your father must be a fine merchant," Cassian commended, "I've seen castles with less wealth."

    Rhys was studying me when my eyes met with his, a silent question lay in his eyes. "My father is Neva on business—attending a meeting about the threat of Prythian."

    "Prythian?" Cassian questioned, turning toward me. "Not Hybern?"

    "That's the way they phrased it. They could have been mistaken, they merely said 'above the wall'. I assumed that was Prythian."

    Azriel came forward, silent as the wind. "If humans were aware of the threat, rallying against it, then that might give us an advantage when contacting the queens."

    Rhys was still watching me—so closely I wondered if I was as terrible at concealing the troubles that had pressed into me since arriving as I thought I was. I'd been human the last time I set foot into this house. So fragile and determined. It felt like a curse for whatever I was now to taint what I used to be.

I knew I wasn't wrong to ask this of my sisters. This was our only option, our only hope. And if I had to ask this of my sisters so that they would live and never see the horrors of war, I would.

    "Come," Rhys said, offering me a subtle nod before motioning to lead the way. "Let's make this introduction."

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

A/N: Short onnnneeee