Wind Wielder

Chapter 36 - Brothel Baby

The plan to stay with Cassian, Feyre, Mor and Rhys until Zara drank herself stupid lasted about half an hour. To be fair, Zara had made excellent progress in that half an hour, knocking back half a bottle of red.

But the winds whispered in her ear, and her already restless heart grew unbearably antsy. And Zara tried, really– she did try– to stay still. But soon the anticipation won out, and she slinked silently off to her room, where she changed into more fitting attire for her task in mind, and donned a heavy cloak over top.

When Zara slid her shoulder soundlessly around the corner of the living room, Mor, Cassian and Feyre were laughing boisterously at the couches, a drink of choice in hand.

Feyre, Zara hissed in her mind's eye, willing the High Lady to hear her thoughts if she screamed them loud enough. Feyre!

An obsidian claw scratched against her mental shields, but it wasn't Feyre's silky voice that brought her to attention. "And here I was thinking you had scampered off to your room in order to change into pajamas," Rhys drawled into her mind, though an element of curiosity stroked down her spine as Rhy's intrigued but tipsy eyes met hers as he glanced as where she was half hidden behind the wall.

"I don't have plans of going to bed anytime soon," Zara confessed.

She felt Rhy's focus shift to her more intensely. "Oh?" He questioned haphazardly.

"I want you to do me a favor, Rhys." Zara said. In truth, she had wanted Feyre to be the one to do it, but she supposed Feyre was already lost to her liquor, her delighted high pitched giggles matching Cassian's boisterous roars of laughter.

Zara steadied herself. "I want you to take me back to the Hewn City."

She felt Rhys's languid focus turn razor sharp in an instant. "Why." He demanded in an instant.

But Zara hesitated. "Just trust me." She settled on saying.

Rhys bristled in her mind, his finger even beginning to drum softy on his seat, where Feyre lay cuddled up next to him.

But Rhys had promised. He had promised her autonomy over his need for control. His desire for information. And Zara practically felt the switch in his brain the moment he recalled that fact.

"When?" Rhys asked simply.

"Now."

Rhys stood from the couch, yawning slightly to himself. "I'll be back in a moment." He declared to Feyre and Cassian, who were too busy laughing about the tremendous burp Cassian had just let out to be too concerned when Rhys undoubtedly went to change into his pajamas.

He stepped out of the living room, down the hall casually where Zara stood waiting. She intentionally matched her footsteps like she was a mere extension of his shadow as he continued to walk down the hall, his curious eyes briefly catching on her bare leg peeking out from beneath her cloak.

Rhys continued to stroll right towards a balcony, where he stopped waiting for her there.

When she met him, Rhys raised a single slender brow. "Only one question," He began. "Do you have a plan to be safe?"

Zara nodded. Though she was staring her contingency plan in the face, not that she'd ever tell him that. "Yes."

Azriel was busy, why couldn't she be? Especially when she was avidly searching for ways to run from her own mind. Alcohol wasn't cutting it, so she might as well be productive.