Tethered to the Starlight: A Court of War and Starlight

Chapter 16: Feyre

"Rhys?" I had nudged him, deep in a blissful sleep. He simply moaned in response while simultaneously pulling my body closer to his. It was still pitch black in the Night Court and the stars were glistening outside our balcony.

"Rhys, please'" I tried again. He huffed against my neck and rubbed the exhaustion from his eyes.

"Did you have a nightmare again?" He breathed into my ear, smoothing any stray hairs away. I shook my head in response and clasped onto his hand.

"I heard something downstairs- will you check on Damaris?"

Sighing deeply, Rhys caressed my cheek. "Feyre Darling I'm sure it's-"

"Please Rhys? Something doesn't feel right. I can't put my finger on it...I just- I want to know our daughter is safe." My tone had grown grave at this point, and even the High Lord of the Night Court knew not to question me.

With nothing more than a quick ok, he exited and returned with a sleeping Damaris; who happened to have a rather full diaper.

Taking her in my arms, I looked to my husband once again. "Anything?" He shook his head sheepishly and rustled his unruly bedhead. "Can you-"

Stopping me before I could finish the question, his silken voice filled in the gaps of the sentence. "I was on my way downstairs, I just wanted you to have her. She seems to calm you down. Plus, I figure if I am protecting the house, you get the job of changing the poopy diaper." Gesticulating with his hands to form a balance like sign, he added, "everybody wins."

I couldn't help the radiant smile that formed on my lips as he descended the stairs. How did that man have such a beautiful heart? How was I so blessed? How-

"Feyre, hide the baby!" Rhys' voice sounded over the mind link in obvious panic, an audible crash accompanying chills running down the bond. The crash was apparently loud enough to wake Damaris, who was now screaming.

Rhys- what is going on?

"Not now Feyre- hide her! And if anyone gets into our room you scream bloody-murder. Do you understand?"

Damaris' screaming had subsided slightly into harsh whimpers- which were quickly shushed by a warm embrace. The sound of feet mounting the stairs immediately reminded me of Rhys' cries; hide the baby. Throwing my body onto the floor, I payed no mind to the sickening crunch of my hipbones. Suppressing the pain that flooded my nerves into some dark recess of my mind, I crawled to a corner of the bedroom.

Laying a tentative hand on the floorboards, I pressed, searching for the plank of wood that had come loose. When my hand found the hollow board, I threw aside the plank of wood.

"Mommy is so sorry," I whispered before laying my newborn into the dark crawl place that I hoped no one would find.

Crawling back to the bed as fast as I could, I mounted the bed, and buried deep within the sheets. My heart was pounding and my breathing was labored. The pain in my hips kept me teetering on the brink of passing out.

"Where is she?" A gruff voice bellowed throughout the room. No.

Getting closer, a beastlike mouth nipped at my ear. "I said, where is she!" The voice reverberated throughout my ear.

Turning over so I could properly face the nightmarish creature before me, I cringed. "Where is who exactly?" I mocked.

How the hell did Tamlin get past Rhys?

Rhys! I screamed blindly throughout the bond but I was not rewarded with a reply. Leaning his face toward mine, Tamlin's eyes widened in anger. His once rich brown pupils were ringed red in fatigue and intoxication.

"The child!" He bellowed again, this time grasping onto my shoulders so that his claws would dig into my skin.

My voice wavered slightly as I tried to address him, "there is no child here."

Roaring, he drug his claws down my skin, revealing deep scarlet rivulets. Suppressing my whimpers, I threw myself at his mental shields. There is no child here, I coaxed.

However, his body movements remained unchanged, yet he bore a look of confusion. A look that dissipated rather quickly as he charged toward me. Tamlin's mental shields were fortified articulately, yet Tamlin did not possess the knowledge to know how to perform this skill.

I defended myself pitifully as he landed a hard punch and another crunch sounded. "You can make this stop, Feyre. Just tell me where she is."

"Never."

Pulling his hands from my body, they found their target on an object perched inconspicuously on his hip as he flashed me a valiant smile. "Last. Chance."

Shaking my head, I braced my body for the impact of a sword slicing through my flesh. Unsheathing the sword, Tamlin grasped the hilt with ease and raised it above his head.

"Any last words?" He chided, his victory and bloodshed looming.

"Not for you," I spat.

And he let the sword fall. And at some point Damaris cried.

But the pain never came. Sure my hip was radiating pain and the gashes that ran from my shoulders downward ached- but the sword never made contact with my body. And yet- hot, sticky, blood spattered the floor instantly as a chocking sound filled the room.

Somehow I knew I was alive, but somewhere deepinside, I knew Rhys was not.