To Kill A Kingdom | ACOTAR ✔️

Chapter 14 - "All of us? No."

Many days had passed, and a lot had happened over those days. But the main thing she knew that happened was that Feyre had accepted the Mate Bond with Rhys - Mor had told her so before they all sat down in the dining room to wait for Rhys and Feyre's arrival. Another thing that had happened over these days was that her uncle had to return home - something about learning the location of her aunt and cousins.

She was very worried and slightly paranoid, but she tried to not show that. Though, as she had taken her seat at the dining room table, Cassian had asked her if she were okay. She supposed he could see it in her expression - he was a commander of a great army, so it didn't surprise her.

Evette simply told him she didn't wish to talk about it as it was all Fey business. Amren had also glanced at her upon hearing this - but she hadn't said a thing.

Finally, Feyre and Rhys had arrived and everyone around the table rose as one, while she stayed seated. She watched as they all bowed to Feyre and Rhys. "We will serve and protect." Amren told Feyre, before they all placed a hand over their hearts.

"Thank you." Feyre said. "But I'd rather you were my friends before the serving and protecting."

"We are." Mor said with a wink. "But we will serve and protect." Feyre smiled warmly at them all, and then her gaze fell upon Evette, and she smiled at her, too. Evette could barely manage a smile back, and Feyre saw this and frowned. Feyre raised a brow back at her, and Evette sucked in a sharp breath and shook her head.

"Now that we've settled that can we please eat?" Rhys drawled, and Amren opened her mouth with a wry smile. "Do not say what you were going to say, Amren." Rhys glanced over at a bruised Cassian. "Unless you want to have it out on the roof."

Amren clicked her tongue and looked to Feyre instead. "I heard you grew fangs in the forest and killed some Hybern beasts. Good for you, girl."

"She saved his sorry ass is more like it." Mor said as she filled her glass with wine. "Poor little Rhys got himself in a bind."

Feyre held her glass out for Mor to fill. "He does need unusual amounts of coddling." She mused, causing Azriel to choke on his wine.

As Evette glanced around the table, she saw a happy family. A nice and peaceful family - and she was just intruding on them. She was the odd one out. And she figured that this was exactly what a family should be - close, joking around the table happily with not a care in the world. Her own family had never - and she had squandered any chances of that happening by killing her aunts lover. She knew that whenever her aunt saw her...she simply saw the young girl that had murdered her lover and his family. Her cousins saw the girl that they once loved - the girl that had murdered their father.

Her family were estranged - and she had only concreted that by murdering a secondary member of it. She supposed they were a broken family, and seeing those around the table acting so...normal and lovingly...it made her feel sickened. They were so ridiculously Fae...it made her feel uncomfortable.

Evette stood from the table and everyone grew silent as they looked at her - she felt the way Magdelena looked at her...as if she knew. "I'm not hungry." Evette said simply. "I will wait...for when we depart." Evette then turned and left the dining room.

It didn't take them all long to finish dinner and join her, and as they did Feyre approached her. "What is wrong?" Feyre asked her softly. "You don't have to come with us to see the Queens...you can sit this one out if you're not feeling up to it."

"I can go." Evette replied.

"What's wrong?" Feyre asked her kindly. "And don't give me that you don't want to talk about it, or the fact that it's Fey business. You're my friend - our friend - and you're very clearly upset. Talk to us, to me, to someone about it. Don't keep it all bottled up."