My entrance into the family library in the House of Wind is certainly a dramatic one even though it's not my intention. I burst in to find Cassian with the ladies and brandy held in their hands, but all three blanches at the sight of me. "By the Mother." Feyre gasps, but Cassian seems like the only person who can move. He stomps towards me, but I hold up a hand before he can touch me.
"It's not my blood," I tell him and he stops in his tracks, but only a slice of worry slakes off his shoulders. "You're alright?" My eyes look between the two females sitting in the soft armchairs. Nesta is pale with her grey-blue eyes scanning me from head to toe while Feyre just seems to be in shock. Still, she manages to nod and I release a long, relieved breath at the fact.
"Is the king—the city—"
"No sign of him," Cassian answers the High Lady and more relief floods my heart before all eyes go to the door. Shadows swarm around me as I turn, but settle slightly when I see its Rhys, despite the rage coming off him in waves.
"What did you give it." He asks Feyre and I've never heard him use such a voice—devoid of anything but ice-cold anger. Not with her, I think.
"It—it said is wanted company. Someone to tell it about life. I said yes."
"Did you volunteer yourself."
"No," Feyre answers and downs the rest of her glass of brandy. "It just said someone. And it didn't specify when. Are the Ravens dead?" She questions and Rhys glances to me when he answers.
"They nearly were when I arrived. It left enough of their minds functioning for me to have a look. And finish them when I was done." His eyes are steady on mine, but he doesn't try to reach into my mind. I'm grateful. I'm not sure what I'd say or what he wants me to tell him. Despite his assurances, I find myself reaching out to Azriel now that I'm free of the warding from the library.
"Are you alright? Are you safe with Mor and Elain?" I ask and don't have to wait more than a second for a response.
"Kaira." The relieved sigh soothes my heart more than anything else. "Yes, we're safe. You. Where are you? Are you hurt?"
"I'm with the others. We're all unharmed." I respond even though my voice is flat across the bond just how I'm sure it would be if I'd spoken.
"I need you. To see you." He says and I've never heard such a strain in his voice. My head shakes slightly before I respond.
"Soon." I'm not sure how soothing it would be to see me stained with steadily drying blood.
"What's wrong?" Rhys thunders and my attention snaps to him. "What's wrong is that those pieces of shit got into my house and attacked my mate. Attacked my sister. What's wrong is that my own damn wards worked against me, and you had to make a bargain with that thing to keep yourself from being taken. What's wrong—"
"Calm down," Feyre commands gently. He takes a deep breath that barely loosens his shoulders, but it's something.
"Did you see what it was—that thing down there?" Bryaxis. I name it and push the things that it said to the side. Not the time.
"I guessed enough about it to close my eyes. I only opened them when it had stepped away from their bodies to reveal..." He looks to me and I stand tall under his gaze. I'm not ashamed of what I did. "Kaira did most of the damage. Nearly all of it, actually." Eyes turn to me and I focus on them rather than the skin still piled under my fingernails. I nearly tell them then what Bryaxis said, but Rhys barely shakes his head. He saw what I did, part of it anyway, and apparently knows more about it than I do. Did he hear what Bryaxis said?
YOU ARE READING
Shadowsinger
Fanfiction"Perhaps this is death and it's playing a game with me. Maybe that's all death is, reliving the moment it took those that you most loved." Kaira's life ends with her family in the cold snow on the edge of the wall dividing fae and human lands. She's...
