A Court of Stags and Night

Feyre

We were in the middle of dinner when our three guests walked in. Celaena was laughing at something Evangeline said. I noticed Nesta narrow her eyes at the blonde, who immediately flashed her a grin and winked. A light warning growl from the leopard at her side turned my sister away.

Celaena's bright eyes gazed perceptively around the table, taking in the Inner Circle. There was no warmth in her eyes, but they were not necessarily cold either. Her face was carefully kept blank. Smart female.

Those eyes burned as they landed on Amren. A feral growl ripped through her lips that was quickly echoed by the feline. Amren glanced up and took a sip of her wine, as if an extremely powerful fae wasn't seconds away from attacking. Evangeline cowered behind them.

The room began to grow warm and I knew Celaena was behind it.

"Deanna," she snarled.

One of Amen's eyebrows quirked up. The rest of us looked between the two warily. I did not want to have to break up a fight with the scariest of our group and a practically unknown powerhouse.

"I assure you, girl, that I am not whoever that is," she answered calmly.

"Liar," Celaena snapped.

Oh Mother, we were going to boil in here. I let my ice and wind magic loose in an attempt to counteract this heat. This female had such control over her power.

"Leave her alone," Nesta spoke lowly. I'd noticed she and Amren had begun to patch things up recently and started lessons once more. "She's not who you say she is."

"Stay out of this, the adults are talking," the blonde retorted.

Wrong thing to say to my sister. Rhys held her down with his magic as hers began to flare. We still had a lot of work ahead of us with her power and we did not need that unpredictability to be released.

"Nesta, enough," I told her as calmly as I could. "Do not unleash your power."

She glared at me, but finally the rage simmered. Nowhere near gone, but at bay.

"Stop pretending to be who you're not, Deanna," Celaena continued.

"The Goddess of the Hunt has not reigned in this land for some time," Amren answered truthfully. "She was banished to another world."

Celaena's canines were on full display, but thankfully the heat lessened. I reigned in my own magic, but kept it ready, should the need arise once more. With this bunch, it was a likely scenario.

She sat down next to Mor, who was about the furthest one could get from Nesta and Amren without sitting away from the table. Mor offered her a smile. She let her lips fall over her canines, but remained tense. 

At least everyone was seated. 

"Who exactly is Deanna?" I asked.

"A gods damned bitch," Celaena hissed. "A fucking liar and a traitor."

Lysandra swatted her with a paw, looking over towards Evangeline who was intently focused on her plate.

"I've heard worse, mom," she said. "Besides, Rowan and Aedion can be worse if you get them started."

At the mention of Rowan, Celaena's eyes darkened for a moment, but I couldn't be positive there had actually been a change. She was brilliant at hiding emotion. I was curious about the fae in front of me and let my power tap against her mind. I was met with an impenetrable wall of flame.

Molten eyes turned to me at the same moment something sharp whizzed past my ear. The smell of my blood surprised me more than the pain, but the cut along my cheek healed almost instantly.