𝙲𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝙱𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚘𝚖(𝙰𝙲𝙾𝚃𝙰𝚁)

𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔯𝔱𝔢𝔢𝔫

i just want to say thank you to everyone that consistently votes and comments. i looove reading all your comments, especially funny ones i laugh at them sm. im so grateful for yall 🩵
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Feyre's second task arrived. I spent the hour she was gone having a panic attack. When she came back, she was in tears.

She wept on my shoulder for hours, refusing to tell me what happened.

I felt the ripple in the darkness without having to look up, and didnt flinch at the soft footsteps that approached us.

"Still weeping?" Rhys asked her.

She didn't raise her head from my shoulder, didn't stop her tears or sobs. I pressed a comforting kiss to her forehead, holding her closer to me.

"Youve just beaten her second task. Tears are unnecessary," he pointed out.

She wept harder, and he laughed. The stones reverberated as he knelt before us, and though we both tried to fight him, his grip was firm as he grasped hair, raising her head from my shoulder.

He leaned forward, his mouth meeting her cheek, and he licked away a tear. I stared as he licked the tears from her face.

It was only when his tongue danced along the damp edges of her lashes that she jerked back. He chuckled as she scrambled for the corner of the cell. She wiped her face as she glared at him.

"I figured that would get you to stop crying," he shrugged.

"It was disgusting." She wiped her face again.

"Was it?" He quirked an eyebrow and pointed to his palm—to the place where our tattoos would be. "Beneath all your pride and stubbornness, I could have sworn I detected something that felt differently. Interesting."

"Leave her alone," I grumbled.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say I detected some jealousy from you, Mary," he teased me. I flushed. "Would you like me to lick your tears away, as well?"

"Get out," I snapped.

"As usual, your gratitude is overwhelming."

"Do you want me to kiss your feet for what you did at the trial? Do you want me to offer another week of my life?" Feyre demanded.

"Not unless you feel compelled to do so," he said, his eyes like stars. "Who would have thought that the self-righteous human girl couldnt read?"

"Keep your damned mouth shut about it," Feyre said.

"Me? I wouldnt dream of telling anyone. Why waste that kind of knowledge on petty gossip?"

"Youre a disgusting bastard."

"Ill have to ask Tamlin if this kind of flattery won his heart." He groaned as he stood. "I'll spare you the escort duties tomorrow. Mary, you'll have to do it yourself. But the night after, I expect you to be looking your finest, Feyre."

The idea of being his harlot without her there to ground me made me sick. At least with her, I had support.

"I've been thinking of ways to torment you when you come to my court. Im wondering: Will assigning you to learn to read be as painful as it looked today?"

He disappeared before Feyre attacked him for that.

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This party was making me anxious. Faeries drank and lounged and danced, laughing and singing bawdy and ethereal songs. Tomorrow was Feyre's last task.