Battle Scars

The Mask

Eve was back at the riverfront house by late afternoon and found herself pacing Rhys' foyer for one hour before he came out of his office, looking exasperated. "Your thoughts are too loud," he started, hands in his pocket. They were always in his pocket.

Eve glared at him. "Something is not right. God damnit Rhys! You should have let me go with them!" Rhys did a doubletake and looked at her with such concern in his eyes that her glare increased. She ran a hand through her now messy and open hair whose few strands shone golden in the sunlight, foregoing its usual black hue.

"Come on," he said, after assessing her with tilted head, "let's go get bloody."

Eve let out a cry of frustration, feeling panic build within her bones. "No! Rhysand I am telling you something is not right. You shouldn't have let them go all alone, you imbecile! I should be right beside him!" She refused to lose him like she lost Mike. She refused to have another death on her conscience.

Rhys had never seen her so out of it. He blinked. "He is alright. They will all come back soon."

She glared at him again and he noticed the glassy eyes, "and how would you know that?"

He shrugged, "because I do. Now, either you can throw glares at me or punch me."

She chose the latter. And while Rhys had planned to take them to the House of Wind for it, Eve thought different. Feyre was at her studio, and knowing this too, Eve launched onto him with punches he swore had become more strong and powerful overnight.

They were carranam. And as Rhys recently discovered, when angered, Eve' strength was just as good as his. And so, as of now, the fight he had suggested and she had initiated was not going in his favour. He just prayed to Mother that Azriel, Cass and Nesta would return safe and sound lest Eve might gut him.

He ducked yet another set of punches, all the while blocking her kicks with his hands that were now sore. He really needed to start exercising more. He groaned as Eve managed to punch him in the abdomen.

"That's it," he breathed, deciding he had given Eve more than enough time to be at offense. Growling, he charged back with his full force without magic. It was another set of punches, kicks, verbal cursing and glares. But, by the end of it, he had her pinned on the lawn where Elain' flowers were now mournfully trampled. Eve growled from where she was pinned and just as she, with a rush of breath, kicked the High Lord of the Night Court in his shins, shadows materialised on her right side.

Azriel, Nesta and Cassian had a quiet ride back home. None of them where above the somber atmosphere that had taken them hostage but the sight Az came to made him blink and forget his previous whereabouts momentarily.

Eve was on the ground with withered flowers all around her while Rhys pinned her to the ground. His shadows were already coming alive again, feeding him information of what had been gone while he had been away.

Eve' face morphed into one of concentration as she kicked his brother. Rhys let go with a pained groan before his attention went on to the three of them who were now completely visible, his shadows melting away. She looked relieved when he saw him.

Eve scrambled up from where she had laid, dusting away the small grass that had stuck to her knee-length shorts that were designed to look like a skirt. And before he could even utter a greeting, brows raised at the sight, she was onto him, clinging to him as if she had not seen him in ages.

He stood shocked at her intense display but Rhys smiled from where he stood. Just enjoy it, he mouthed to him. But Rhys did not need to tell him, as Az already was intending to do exactly that. He let his arms encase her in a bear-hug as Eve liked to call it, his shadows swarming around her.