Females were very rare in the night court's ruling family as it was, all either die young or end up forgotten in the abyss of history.
Rhysand ever thought he'd have to father one of these, in fact, he did't believe he even deserve to be a father, u...
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CHAPTER NINETEEN
no other sadness in the world would do
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Turned out, Rhysand's request letter to visit Summer hadn't been replied to by the new High Lord, Tarquin. Elayla didn't know if she should feel relieved or suspicious about it, until they had to go to Feyre's family estate.
In all honesty, her knowledge of the mortal family of her father's mate was solely based on that conversation on the dinner table a few weeks ago, and from the scrap of information she collected, she didn't manage to like them much.
Layla might have had her flaws, wickedly fatal ones at that, but she recognized the Archeron's family neglect towards Feyre for what it was, deliberate emotional abuse and unpardonable carelessness.
They wanted to convince the Cursebreaker's sisters to let them invite the mortal queens over for what Rhysand preferred to call 'diplomatic meetings.' Insisting to make Cassian and Azriel come over, he also ended up including her in his little family trip.
She didn't know of what use she could be to Rhysand, Feyre and her two uncle, it's not like she had any connection with the mortals, neither was she the most reliable when it came to social interactions, and even if her powers were getting more powerful day after day, she still didn't want to acknowledge it.
The night before their flight, while she struggled to fall asleep, nerves and rage kept her nerves functioning, depriving her from the reprieve of reality that was sleep.
She had spent days in this house, waiting for the sudden clarity to hit her and get over with those suffocating emotions. Well, until someone knocked on her window. Her eyes snapped open, muscles tense as she tentatively opened.
Alaric was there, flying over the night sky in all his ruthless glory. It had been days since she had saw him, and the fact that he dared to ghost her after all of the time they spent apart left a sting of betrayal and bitterness in her tongue.
"Alaric." She stated flatly, watching as he got inside the room. "Elayla." He acknowledged quietly, his eyes scanning her meticulously, as if searching for the smallest sign of a mortal injury on her.
She was still slightly bruised, and the sight of his scowl was clear enough sign that he was unhappy with it. "Does it still hurt?"
"The fact that you haven't reached out for me in days?" She scoffed. "It's not like I'm worth sticking around, it wouldn't be the first time someone did so, anyways."
"Why is it everytime I worry about you, you're too busy self-deprecating," He grunted. "I am the one who should be angry here and now?"
"Oh and would you enlighten me over why the hell do you have the right?" She snapped, ire rising through her in threatening waves. "Why is it every time something happens, everyone around me makes it about themselves?!"
"Because you almost died, damn you." Alaric raised his voice on her for the first time ever, his hand gripping her delicate jaw. "You were battered, Elayla, by the way Rhysand called up on me, he was thinking you were dying." His voice trailed down.
"What difference would it make," She whispered, her voice breaking slightly. "It's not like I am the one that light up your lives, I'm rather the endless cold darkness."
"The world is not ready for what I'd become if this ever stops." He murmured, thumb pressing against her racing pulse. His lips were merely a breath away from her, and she could smell vividly the rich, earthy smell of his.
"You should go before Rhysand catches you..." She said against her own will, tracing a finger along the strong outline of his jaw.
"I know," He muttered. "Stay safe, when in the mortal territories. Do not die on me, or else."
"I am master of my own demise, Alaric." She managed a small smile, "And humans will not be my undoing, at least not this time."
His face softened slightly, "You, Elayla Astraea Anwar, are something else." He teased, pulling away slightly.
"Same goes to you, Illyrian." She gave him a wink. The door of her room started to crack open, Elayla caught sound of it before suddenly pushing Alaric outside the window, knowing that he was capable of flying himself up. "Go." She mouthed.
He waved her goodbye before disappearing into the night sky of Velaris. Rhysand appeared at the door, looking ragged and tired, as if he just woke from a terrible reality.
Elayla kept her mouth closed. She often felt his nightmare, the emotion radiating from him strangled her even in her sleep.
"Elayla," He breathed out, frantically examining her stance, as if he couldn't believe that she was standing in front of him. She grasped at the panic, hoping that he didn't notice when she took it away, only to receive it like a punch in the guts.
His face relaxed considerable. "I was just..." He stuttered. "I thought..."
"I'm fine." She managed a smile. Insomniac but fine." She added.
"Of course you are." He clenched his jaw. "I'm going back to bed. Sorry for disturbing you, nightingale."
She wanted to say something smart back, to push away the heart wrenching vulnerability of the moment. "Goodnight." She nodded, watching him walk out before she could finish her sentence. "Goodnight, Baba."
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AUTHOR'S NOTE
Hi everyone! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Hopefully 2025 will be a year full of happiness and joy for all of wherever we are. How were your holidays this year?
This was a small chapter, sorry, Med School and my original romantasy work are taking all of my time, but I set a schedule to post at least once every two weeks, pretend this is a new year resolution.
