The Ends of the Earth

Chapter 27

After a long bout of silence, "What's the guarantee that you won't kill him, if I decide to bind my life," Feyre asked.

"That's not an option Feyre," Rhys was shaking with rage. "It will be me."

Feyre clenched her fist.

Before Amarantha could answer, Aelin's intake of breath could be heard from across the room.

"I will swear the blood oath if Rowan goes back home to Erilea, and a guarantee of his and my courts safety." Maeve raised her brows.

Rowan was slowly shaking his head, "Aelin please...please God please, we will find a way out of here." There were tears running down his face.

And when Feyre looked at Rhys, there were identical tears running down his.

"There won't be a guarantee, but Feyre it seems there's no room for bargaining here," Amarantha picked at her nails. "If it won't be you, or Rhys, it'll be the cute little inner circle of yours, including those sisters of yours Feyre. Would've been better to be human huh? To not know the wonders of immortality."

Rhys felt like he was dying with every word that left her mouth.

Feyre kneeled in front of Rhys, "You will move on."

Rhys shook his head, "Feyre, it will be me."

She leaned her head against his, wiping his tears, "Thank you for showing me joy-"

"No," he whispered.

"So it's settled, Feyre, come here," Amarantha ordered.

"It's not settled," Rhys growled, his violet eyes ablaze with fury.

Feyre stood up and walked over to Amarantha.

"Shall I wait for you?" She asked Maeve. Maeve didn't respond to her.

"I agree to your conditions," Maeve said.

"Then I will be your slave."

Rowan's head dropped. "I will kill you, I will rip your throat out if you lay a finger on her."

"Kneel, both of you," Maeve commanded to Feyre and Aelin.

Amarantha nodded to the guards waiting by the door, they walked over and held Rhys and Rowan down.

"Please Feyre, please, let it be me," Rhys pleaded one last time. The guard holding down Rhys kicked him in bid to shut him up.

Rowan fixed his eyes on his mate. "Fireheart," he whispered.

"Aelin Ashryver Whitethorn Galathynius, do you swear to protect me, to serve me, and to be a part of my court until the day I die?" Maeve seemed to be sparing the semantics and getting straight to the point.

Aelin looked back at Rowan and thought of the time he surprised her in Rifthold after a month apart, when he had not known they were mates.

She thought of Manon's sword clanging down on hers after Asterin shot an arrow through Rowan's shoulder.

She would tear apart hell for him. "I swear."

"Then drink," Maeve held out her wrist to her, bloody.

Aelin saw the words that weren't being spoken by Rowan in his teary eyes, I love you.

And she turned around and put her mouth to Maeve's wrist and tasted her bitter blood.

"And you, Feyre Archeron, do you swear to be my eternal slave?" Amarantha said to Feyre.

Feyre imagined a world where she, Rhys, and their kids would be playing hide and seek at the townhouse, and looked at him for the last time with a sane mind. He shook his head, "You don't have to do this," he whispered.

She turned back at Amarantha. "I do," Feyre said. A new tattoo appeared on the side of her neck.

Amarantha and Maeve then said at the same time, "Then rise."

Feyre and Aelin rose. And when they turned around to their mates, there was nothing human on their faces.