The Devil You Know

Part I: Chapter 4

"The twins will come around later to prepare you for tonight," Rhysand told Irelia as he knotted his tie. "The two wraiths who brought you clothes the first night."

Right now, she was wearing another one of Rhysand's shirts and cotton pants. It was almost comical how large they were on her frame, despite her being a bit taller than the average fae female with long, slender limbs and a lithe build due to her nymph heritage. She lounged in an armchair with her knees curled up, drinking a hot cup of tea as she watched him with a frown.

"Where will you be all day?"

He turned to look at her. "I have some...matters to attend to."

Her frown grew. "Will you be alright?"

The question took him by surprise. Not only was it the first time she had shown any amount of concern for him, but it was also a question he hadn't been asked in the years he had been stuck under here. Not since he had left that fateful night in Velaris, by Mor who had watched him get ready to leave.

He cleared his throat. "Yes. Prepare yourself for the things you will witness tonight as best you can. I'll be back."

Rhysand left the room then, locking it behind him. He had taken to locking it again after that first day. For her sake. Amarantha's guards would still be able to get in, as they could get into any room she ordered. But it prevented other fae from entering. Anyone who might have malicious intentions for the girl inside. He had explained that to her and was grateful she didn't fight him on it.

Just as he said, hours later the twins had appeared in the room. They guided Irelia into the bathing chambers, gesturing at her to get in the bath. She did what they wanted, let them scrub her down using the oils and soaps that she knew Rhysand used because she had smelt them on him many times. She knew they were doing what they could to put his scent on her, to make it seem as though they had been sleeping together.

After her bath, they pulled out a gossamer black dress made from a single cut of fabric and helped her into it. Despite its dark color, the sheerness left little to the imagination. It hung down her body, barely wide enough to cover her breasts. It joined together at her waist and fell between her thighs to the floor.

They decorated it with a belt made of cobalt blue jewels and two golden brooches at each shoulder. It covered enough to not leave her bare to the eyes of others—but not by much. Her legs all the way up to her hipbone were exposed, the sides of her breasts, a hint of her backside. They had done their job well. By fae standards, she was dressed like a whore.

Amongst the nymphs, they would consider this beautiful and free as they danced with the wind, if not for the metal collar around her neck and the chain attached to it.

But it was her body on display, as it would be tonight at the festivities, she realized. She felt the nausea settling into her stomach at the thought. Shame, humiliation, embarrassment. It would only get worse as the night went on. She realized she should've asked Rhysand what exactly would be required of her tonight—how far they would take things to be believable.

She wasn't a virgin, nor prude but she was young. She only had a small handful of sexual encounters in her life. Nymphs weren't like the High Fae in the sense that virginity wasn't seen as some symbol of purity. Sex was more normal, being bare and free was encouraged. Her mother had raised her among her kind—darting from river beds to meadows to stay hidden for her sake.

But this was different. She was to be his whore—his plaything. There was no freedom in this, no joy. She would be sneered and spat at, demeaned by the other fae. What choice did she have though? She had already been lucky that Rhysand had no interest in her and now he was going as far as to protect her from the others. She had to do her part in that. Not just for herself, but for him to. To repay the kindness he was showing her, the risk he was taking.