𝙲𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝙱𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚘𝚖(𝙰𝙲𝙾𝚃𝙰𝚁)

𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔯𝔱𝔶-𝔢𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱

     I woke in Feyre's arms. She was already awake, but she didn't move. She just held me close, letting me nuzzle my face in her neck.

     We stayed like that until lunch, finding comfort in one another. Her chin rested on the top of my head, her fingers playing with my hair.

     When we finally got out of the bed, the two of us bathed together, neither of us wanting to leave the other's side. It had become so normal that it didn't even seem strange anymore, seeing her completely bare.

     When I got dressed, a sense of panic filled me as I realized the glamour had worn off of my arms and shoulder. I wasn't going to find Rhys and ask him to do it again; I was too proud for that. Also too jealous and hurt.

     I opted for a long sleeved dress that was still breathable enough. I didn't care if I was miserable in this heat; nobody was seeing my scars.

     Feyre didn't object this time, seeming to finally understand just how deep my insecurities ran. She only took my hand and led me out of our room.

     We met the group in the main hall. Rhysand's violet eyes swept over the both of us, noting our Summer Court clothing. Neither Feyre nor I met his eyes, or Cresseida's.

"You're both looking well today," Tarquin said, inclining his head.

     I could feel Rhys's eyes on us, assessing us. I put up my mental shield,

"I hope we're not interrupting," Feyre said to Amren.

"We were finishing up a rather lively debate about armadas and who might be in charge of a unified front," Amren shrugged. "Did you know that before they became so big and powerful, Tarquin and Varian led Nostrus's fleet?"

"You didn't mention you were a sailor," Feyre said, sounding intrigued.

"I had planned to tell you during our tour," he said, holding out an arm. "Shall we?"

     I let go of her hand, and she turned to me, blue eyes meeting mine. She gave me a reassuring glance. One that reminded me she was just flirting with him to get the Book.

She smiled at Tarquin, a real smile. A smile like I hadn't seen in a very long time. I couldn't help but frown a bit, and I could feel Rhys assessing my reaction.

"See you later."

     The two left, leaving me with the rest of them. Cresseida was staring me down. I finally turned my gaze to focus on her. A smirk fell upon her lips, one that told me exactly what she'd done last night. I broke our eye contact, trying to ignore how much everything hurt.

     When she turned to Rhys, flashing him a flirtatious smile, I decided I couldn't take it anymore. I spun on my heel and left without saying a word.

     I'd forgotten just how cruel some girls could be. Feyre was my very first female friend--one of my first friends at all--and that wasn't just because I'd been locked up for so long.

      My mother had made me attend lessons with other girls on the grounds of our manor when I was a child. The girls were cruel and awful to me. They'd pull my hair, mock me, and shove me. I had to beg my mother to let me take private lessons.

     Mother finally relented after a girl cut a chunk of my hair off with a pair of scissors while sitting behind me during our lesson. Hurting me was fine in my mother's eyes, but damaging my beauty was too far.

     Cresseida reminded me of those girls. After being around Mor, Feyre, and Amren, I had forgotten that some females were just as unkind as males could be. Every female interaction I'd had in Velaris had been so wonderful.