A Court of Chaos and Confusion - An ACOTAR Rewrite

Chapter 19

Everything about the stranger radiated sensual grace and ease. High Fae, no doubt. His short black hair gleamed like a raven's feathers, off-setting his pale skin and blue eyes so deep they were violet, even in the firelight. They twinkled with amusement as he beheld me.

For a moment, we said nothing. Thank you didn't seem to cover what he'd done for me, but something about the way he stood with absolute stillness, the night seeming to press in closer around him, made me hesitate to speak – part of me screaming to run the other direction, the other part begging me to press my body into his. Madness - the drums, the dancing fires, and the run-in with those faeries were all making me lose my senses.

He wasn't wearing a mask – from another court, then.

A half smile played on his lips. "What's a mortal woman doing here on Fire Night?" His voice was a lover's purr that sent shivers through me, caressing every muscle, bone, and nerve.

I took a step back but smiled, "What everyone is doing - celebrating."

The drumming was increasing in tempo, building to a climax I didn't understand. It had been so long since I'd seen a bare face that looked even vaguely human, and what a face it was. His clothes – all black, all finely made – were cut close enough to his body that I could see how magnificent he was. As if he'd been molded from the night itself. It was an effort to stop drinking him in.

"Oh, is that so?" He was still smiling at me – a predator sizing up prey.

"I didn't thank you for saving me," I said. Night Court, that place on the mural with cold, shadowy mountains - I bet that was the court this High Fae was from. A shiver traveled up my spine. 

"And who brought you?" He prowled closer, slipping his hands into his pockets. I retreated a little more. Had I just traded three monsters for something far worse? I simply blinked at him in response, feigning confusion.

When it became apparent I wouldn't answer, he chuckled. "You're welcome," he said. "For saving you."

I retreated another step, close enough to the bonfire that I could make a break for it if I sprinted. Maybe someone would take pity on me – maybe Lucien or Alis were there.

"Strange for a mortal to be friends with two faeries," he mused, and began circling me. I could have sworn tendrils of star-kissed night trailed in his wake. "Aren't humans usually terrified of us? And aren't you, for that matter, supposed to keep to your side of the wall?"

I was terrified of him - terrified and intrigued - but I wasn't about to let him know. "I never said I was friends with two faeries."

He paused his circling. He now stood between me and the bonfire – my escape route. "And yet they brought you to the Great Rite and abandoned you?" As if I hadn't even spoken. How had he known I was friends with two faeries? 

"They went to get refreshments," I said, my first lie, feeding into the story he laid before me, and his smile grew. Whatever I'd just said had given me away. I'd spotted the servants hauling off the food, but – maybe it wasn't here.

He smiled for a heartbeat longer. I had never seen anyone so handsome – and never had so many warning bells pealed in my head because of it.

"I'm afraid the refreshments are a long way off," he said, coming closer now. I didn't want him to stop talking to me, his voice alluring. "It might be a while before they return. May I escort you somewhere in the meantime?" He removed a hand from his pocket to offer his arm.

He'd been able to scare off those faeries without lifting a finger. I'd come here hoping to find Lucien, but now with this otherworldly, beautifully intimidating High Fae showing me a weird amount of attention with exceptionally nosy questions... I wanted to take his arm, accept his offer, go off with him wherever he was heading, all thoughts of logic and reason leaving my mind. "No, thank you, though," I said, my tongue thick and heavy - surprising myself at my answer.