𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚎(𝙰𝙲𝙾𝚃𝙰𝚁)

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖜𝖔

Rhsyand spent the next few months adjusting to life in the Night Court. He had to remember how to live like he had before.

Rhys would go to Astraea's room when he had nightmares, and she would let him open up to her. Astraea and Evelina were the only ones he found himself able to truly open up to about his time Under the Mountain. Either because they were sympathetic without pitying him, or because they'd both been through similar experiences. No matter what his reason, the girls were there for him through it all.

Astraea was the eldest of her family, besides Amren. She had held all of them while they cried countless times, so she had been putting all her energy into helping Rhys heal. She knew what he was going through, and she knew how hard it was to forget.

He didn't want the others to know how hard it had been for him, so Astraea kept it secret, letting him cry on her shoulder at three in the morning, then acting as though it hadn't even happened the next day.

Astraea was washing her breakfast dishes at the sink of the townhouse while Azriel and Cassian drank coffee at the kitchen table. The two were in the middle of a conversation that Astraea had tuned out when she felt Evelina scraping at her mental shields.

"You need to come to the Moonstone Palace, now," Evelina said into her mind. "You need to get Rhys in line before I kill him." Astraea smiled in amusement.

"You know I can't leave Velaris, Eve," Astraea replied. "He could find me."

"I will come back there and winnow you here myself," Evelina said. "None of us will leave your side. The wards of the palace are powerful; he wouldn't be able to break them. And he won't even know you're there. Please."

"Fine," Astraea responded. "But get here soon."

Astraea sighed, strolling over to the chair that she had thrown her cloak on. She threw it over her shoulders, preparing for Evelina to arrive.

"Where are you going?" Azriel asked his older sister.

"Your mate wants me to come to the Moonstone Palace," she explained. "She's coming back to winnow me."

"You never leave Velaris," Cassian pointed out, his hazel eyes studying her.

"She sounded desperate," Astraea sighed, shrugging her shoulders.

"Why didn't she ask me?" Azriel grumbled.

"She needs me to put Rhys in line," Astraea snorted. "You can't handle a night away from your mate?" Azriel just grumbled something under his breath, staring down at his cup of coffee.

Evelina winnowed directly into the house, shivering and letting out a huff as she settled. Azriel got to his feet, going to greet his mate with a kiss.

"Hello, my love," Evelina smiled as they pulled away. "I just came to fetch Astraea."

"Is everything alright?" Azriel asked her, his shadows fussing over the girl, searching for any signs of harm.

"He kidnapped the human girl from her wedding," Evelina announced. The room went silent.

"He what?" Astraea demanded.

"He claims he could feel her through the bond, asking for somebody to help her," she explained. "So he showed up and called in his bargain."

"What bargain?" Cassian questioned.

"He saved her life Under the Mountain," Evelina said. "And in exchange, he said she had to spend one week out of every month back here with him. He wasn't actually going to call the bargain in until he heard her crying for help. But she isn't very happy with him."