The Prophecy - ACOTAR

Chapter 58

"And where have you been?" Rhys drawled from a chair in the corner, a glass tumbler in hand that held an amber liquid, the moment Astrid reappeared in the House of Wind.

Astrid startled and spun around to find him, startling the two halves of her Night Cat into puffed up, hissing balls. She held a hand over her rapidly beating heart, "Fuck Rhys, you scared the absolute shit out of me. Not cool dude. Not. Cool."

Rhys let out an irritated huff as he narrowed his violet eyes at her, "Don't make me ask again Astrid."

Astrid rolled her eyes and flopped down on the nearest sofa, "Cauldron, you're acting like my dad. Quit it."

"I wouldn't have to if you didn't go disappearing into walls of shadows without telling anyone!" His voice crescendoed into a yell.

"I told Az where I was going, he knows my whole plan. I'm not an idiot." Astrid snapped at him.

Rhys ran a hand over his face with a tired groan, "You've completely corrupted my spymaster, Astrid. You and I both know he won't tell me shit, not unless he thinks you're in trouble."

Astrid bit the inside of her lower lip in a horrible attempt to hide her grin, "You can't corrupt a spymaster Rhys."

Rhys's glare at her increased, "You can too, that's not even the point here dear sister. Where. Were. You."

"You'll get mad when I tell you." Astrid informed him.

"I'm already mad, try me." Rhys retorted.

Astrid clicked her tongue, debating the fall out of her visit to the Spring Court before she started speaking. "I was in the Spring Court. Needed to pay Feyre a visit."

Rhys's eyes widened in horror, "What the fuck Astrid!" He bellowed. "You could have just ruined everything, you could have put her life at risk, blown her fucking cover.... What the hell have you done...."

Astrid rolled her eyes, "Enough with the dramatics, brother. She's fine, Tamlin suspects nothing, and Lucien thinks I was just being a brat."

"How could you possibly know this?" Rhys's grip on the tumbler tightened until his knuckles were white.

Astrid let out a long, exasperated sigh, "You do remember I spent a chunk of time there, right? Those two are more than aware of my bullshit. They all think I went there to torment my cousins." Astrid sneered the last word.

"The prince and princess are there?" Rhys asked, "How'd you know that?"

Astrid tapped her head with an almost evil grin, "I might have severed my mental link with them so they can't bother me anymore, but I can still tell when they've gotten closer to me. Happy drawback from the centuries of them being in charge of my training." Astrid pushed herself so she was sitting up and forced her face to a more serious expression, "I know you're worried about Feyre, but I think it's time we all gave her the benefit of the doubt. She's stronger than any of us probably realize, even before she was fae. She's going to be ok Rhysand. And we need to look at this from a strategical standpoint."

Rhys scrunched his eyebrows together, more than likely in surprise since Astrid didn't tend to let this side of her brain take control very often, or at least she didn't show others. "What do you mean?"

"Anyone who has spent an extended period of time with me would know, there's no way in hell that I would just let those two incestuous dirtbags skip around the Spring Court without doing something. I literally stalked Lucien for no other reason than I was bored. I've also made the majority of the Vanserra's and Azriel's father and stepbrothers sterile." Astrid paused, letting that marinate in Rhys's brain before she continued, "So it's the perfect opportunity for me to pop in and out of Tamlin's court. All they'll think is that I'm tormenting Dagdan and Brannagh before their untimely death. And Lucien will be too busy pleading with me to spare Elain to think anything different."