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“You knew I was his mate when we went. I don't see how being High Lady alters anything.'

'It does.'

I put my hands on my hips, ignoring his motion to continue. 'Why?'

Cassian dragged a hand through his hair. 'Because... because as his mate, you were still... his to protect. Oh, don't get that look. He's yours to protect, too. I would have laid my life down for you as his mate- and as your friend. But you were still... his.'

'And as High Lady?'

Cassian loosed a rough breath. 'As High Lady, you are mine. And Azriel's, and Mor's and Amren's. You belong to all of us, and we belong to you. We would not have... put you in so much danger.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“Lucien asked, 'What is this place?'

We all looked at him. 'Home,' I said. 'This is- my home.'

I could see the details now sinking in. The lack of darkness. The lack of screaming. The scent of the sea and citrus, not blood and decay. The laughter of children that indeed continued.

The greatest secret in Prythian's history.

'This is Velaris,' I explained. 'The City of Starlight.'

His throat bobbed. 'And you are High Lady of the Night Court.'

'Indeed she is.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“You declared yourself High Lady.'

'Was I not supposed to?'

He released my arm to brush his knuckles across my cheek. 'I've wanted to roar it from the rooftops of Velaris from the moment the priestess anointed you. How typical of you to upend my grand plans.'

A smiled tugged on my lips. 'It happened less than an hour ago. I'm sure you could go crow from the chimney right now and everyone would give you credit for breaking the news.'

His fingers threaded through my hair, tilting my face up. That wicked smile grew, and my toes curled in their boots. 'There's my darling Feyre.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“I was there that day, you know,' Alis said, folding her spindly arms across her chest. 'I saw the Morrigan arrive. Saw her reach into that cocoon of power and pick you up like a child. I begged her to take you out.'

My swallow wasn't feigned.

'I never told him that. Never told any of them. I let them think you'd been abducted. But you clung to her, and she was willing to slaughter all of us for what had happened.'

'I don't know why you'd assume that.' I tugged the edges of my silk robe tighter around me.

'Servants talk. And Under the Mountain, I never heard of or saw Rhysand laying a hand on a servant. Guards. Amarantha's cronies, the people he was ordered to kill, yes. But never the meek. Never those unable to defend themselves.'

'He's a monster.'

'They say you came back different. Came back wrong.' A crow's laugh. 'I never bother to tell them I think you came back right. Came back right at last.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“Too bad there isn't room in the tub for two.'

'A design flaw, and one I shall remedy tomorrow.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Mist and Fury

“Lucien rubbed his eyes. 'I've seen Rhysand do such... horrible things, seen him play the dark prince over and over. And yet you tell me it was all a lie. A mask. All to protect this place, these people. And I would have laughed at you for believing it, and yet... this city exists. Untouched- or until recently, I suppose. Even the Dawn Court's cities are nothing so lovely as this.'

'Lucien-'

'And you love him. And he- he truly does love you.' Lucien dragged a hand through his red hair. 'And all these people I have spent my centuries hating, even fearing... They are your family.'

'I think Amren would probably deny that she feels any affection for us-'

'Amren is a bedtime story they told us as younglings to make us behave. Amren was who would drink my blood and carry me to hell if I acted out of line. And yet there she was, acting more like a cranky old aunt than anything.'

'We don't- we don't enforce protocol and rank here.'

'Obviously. Rhys lives in a town house, by the Cauldron.' He waved an arm to encompass the city.

I didn't know what to say, so I kept silent.

'I hadn't realised I was a villain in your narrative,' Lucien breathed.

'You weren't.' Not entirely.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“We are the same, you and I,' Amren said.

I wasn't sure I was breathing. Through the bond, I wasn't sure Rhys was, either.

'Not in flesh, not in the thing that prowls beneath our skin and bones...' Amren's remarkable eyes narrowed. 'But... I see the kernel, girl.' Amren nodded, more to herself than anyone. 'You did not fit- the mold that they shoved you into. The path you were born upon and forced to walk. You tried, and yet you did not, could not, fit. And then the path changed.' A little nod. 'I know- what it is to be that way. I remember it, long ago as it was.'

Nesta had mastered the Fae's preternatural stillness far more quickly than I had. And she sat there for a few heartbeats, simply staring at the strange, delicate female across from her, weighing the words, the power that radiated from Amren... And then Nesta merely said. 'I don't know what you're talking about.'

Amren's red lips parted in a wide, serpentine smile. 'When you erupt, girl, make sure it's felt across worlds.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“I forgot the city around us as he met my eyes, lips hovering over my skin, and murmured, 'We will keep planning for the future, war or no war. I will keep planning for our future.'

My throat burned and I nodded.

'We deserve to be happy,' he said, his eyes sparkling enough to tell me what he recalled the words I'd given him on the town house roof after the attack. 'And I will fight with everything I have to ensure it.'

'We will fight,' I said hoarsely. 'Not just you- not anymore.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“I'd always thought death would be some sort of peaceful homecoming- a sweet, sad lullaby to usher me into whatever waited afterward.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“My aching, bloodied fingers dug into dented armour and clammy, stiff flesh as I heaved away the last of the High Fae corpses piled atop the fallen Illyrian soldier.

The dark hair, the golden-brown skin... The same as Cassian's.

But it was not Cassian's death-grey face that gaped at the sky.

My breath whooshed from me, my lungs still raw from roaring, my lips dry and chapped.

I needed water- badly. But nearby, another set of Illyrian wings poked up from the piled dead.

I mumbled and lurched toward it, letting my mind drift someplace dark and quiet while I righted the twisted neck to peer at the face beneath the simple helm.

Not him.

I picked my way through the corpses to another Illyrian.

Then another. And another.

Some I knew. Some I didn't. Still the killing field stretched onward under the sky.

Mile after mile. A kingdom of the rotting dead.

And still I looked.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“The longest day of the year, I said into the bond, sending along flickers of all that had occurred atop that hill. I wish I could spend it with you.

He would have enjoyed my performance- would have laughed himself hoarse afterward at the expression on Ianthe's face.
...
Rhysand's voice filled my mind.

It'd be an honour, he said, laughter in every word, to spend even a moment in the company of Feyre Cauldron-blessed.
...
Rhysand's faint voice filled my head once more. I wish I could spend today with you, too.

The words wrapped a fist around my heart...”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“I know better than to tell you to be careful, or to come home. But I want you home. Soon. And I want him dead for putting a hand on you.

Even with the entirety of the land between us, his rage rippled down the bond.

I answered, my tone soothing, Technically, his magic touched me, not his hand.

The bathwater was cold by the time his reply came through. I'm glad you have a sense of humour about this. I certainly don't.

I sent back an image of me sticking out my tongue at him.

My clothes were back on when his answer arrived.

Like mine, it was wordless, a mere image. Like mine, Rhysand's tongue was out.

But it was occupied with doing something else.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“Lucien leaned his head back against the rock wall behind us. 'And then I'll ask your mate how he survived it- knowing you were engaged to someone else. Sharing another male's bed.'

I tucked my freezing hands under my arms, gazing toward the gloom ahead.

'Tell me when you knew,' he demanded, his knee pressing into mine. 'That Rhysand was your mate. Tell me when you stopped loving Tamlin and started loving him instead.'

I chose not to answer.

'Was it going on before you even left?'

I whipped my head to him, even if I could barely make out his features in the dark. 'I never touched Rhysand like that until months later.'

'You kissed Under the Mountain.'

'I had as little choice in that as I did in the dancing.'

'And yet this is the male you now love.'

He didn't know- he had no inkling of the personal history, the secrets, that had opened my heart to the High Lord of the Night Court. They were not my stories to tell.

'One would think, Lucien, that you'd be glad I fell in love with my mate, given that you were in the same situation Rhys was in six months ago.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“He leaned down, nuzzling my throat. 'Don't you want to comfort your mate, who has missed you terribly these weeks?'

I planted a hand on his face and pushed him back, scowling. 'I want my mate to tell me where the hell he was. Then he can get his comfort.'

Rhys nipped at my fingers, teeth snapping playfully. 'Cruel, beautiful female.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“Rhys pressed a kiss to my hair. 'You're home.'

A shuddering, small sound came out of me as I nodded, squeezing him tighter. Home. Not just Velaris, but wherever he was, our family was.

Ebony claws stroked along the barrier in my mind- in affection and request.

I lowed my shields for him, just as his own dropped. His mind curled around mine, as surely as his body now held me.

'I missed you every moment, ' Rhys said, leaning down to kiss the corner of my mouth. 'Your smile.' His lips grazed over the shell of my ear and my back arched slightly. 'Your laugh.' He pressed a kiss to my neck, right beneath my ear, and I titled my head to give him access, biting down the urge to beg him to take more, to take faster as he murmured, 'Your scent.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“I love you,' he said. And if I hadn't already believed him, felt it in my very bones, the light in his face as he said the words...

Tears burned my eyes again, slipping free before I could control myself.

Rhys leaned in to lick them away. One after another. As he'd once done Under the Mountain.

'You have a choice,' he murmured against my cheekbone. 'Either I lick every inch of you clean...' His hand grazed the tip of my breast, circling lazily. As if we had days and days to do this. 'Or you can get into the bath that should be ready by now.'

I pulled away, lifting a brow. 'Are you suggesting that I smell?'

Rhys smirked, and I could have sworn my core pounded in answer. 'Never. But...' His eyes darkened, the desire and amusement fading as he took in my clothes. 'There is blood on you. Yours and others'. I thought I'd be a good mate and offer you a bath before I ravish you wholly.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“Well? Where shall I begin, Feyre darling?”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“After a while, Rhys lifted his chest enough to take my right hand. To examine the tattoos inked there. He kissed one of the whorls of near-black blue ink.

His throat bobbed. 'I missed you. Every second, every breath. Not just this,' he said, shifting his hips for emphasis and dragging a groan from deep in my throat, 'but... talking to you. Laughing with you. I missed having you in my bed, but missed having you as my friend even more.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“I assume Cassian or Azriel has explained that if you threaten anyone in this house, this territory, we'll show you ways to die you've never even imagined.'

Indeed, the Illyrians smirked from where they lingered in the dining room threshold. Azriel was by far the most terrifying of the pair.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“I don't think Nesta will ever forgive me for what happened in Hybern. To her- but mostly to Elain.'

'Your wings were shredded. You were barely alive.' For that was guilt- ravaging and poisonous- in each of Cassian's words. What the others had been fighting against in the loft. 'You were in no position to save anyone.'

'I made her a promise.' The wind ruffled Cassian's hair as he squinted at the sky. 'And when it mattered, I didn't keep it.'

I still dreamed of him trying to crawl toward her, reaching for her even in the semi- unconscious state the pain and blood loss had thrown him into. As Rhysand had once done for me during those last moments with Amarantha.

Perhaps only a few wing beats separated us from the broad landing veranda, but I asked, 'Why do you bother, Cassian?'

His hazel eyes shuttered as we smoothly landed. And I thought he wouldn't answer, especially not when Rhys gracefully landed beside us and strode in ahead with a wink.

But Cassian said quietly as we headed for the dining room, 'Because I can't stay away.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“Rhys only peered over his broad shoulder, to the cheerful restaurant behind us. 'That first night we were all here,' he said, and I followed his gaze, watching the workers set the tables with loving precision. 'When you told Sevenda that you felt awake while eating her food...' He shook his head. 'It was the first time you looked... peaceful. Like you were indeed awake, alive again. I was so relieved I thought I'd puke right onto the table.'
...
I linked arms with him before saying, 'You and this city helped wake me up- helped bring me back to life.' His eyes flickered as I smiled up at him. 'I will fight with everything I have, too, Rhys. Everything.'

He only kissed the top of my head, tugging me closer as we crossed the Sidra under the starry sky.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“Pressed closer, loathing every place where our bodies touched. I didn't know how Rhys had endured it- endured Amarantha for five decades.

'You look beautiful today,' Tamlin said.

'Thank you,' I made myself peer up into his face. 'Lucien- Lucien told me that you didn't complete the rite at Calanmai. That you refused.'

And you let Ianthe take him into that cave instead.

His throat bobbed. 'I couldn't stomach it.'

And yet you could stomach making a deal with Hybern, as if I were a stolen item to be returned. 'Maybe this morning was not just a blessing for me,' I offered.

A stroke of his hand down my back was his own reply.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“That half smiled danced on his mouth. 'Well?'

'As much as I'd like to see you attempt to lick off a week's worth of dirt, sweat, and blood...' His eyes gleamed with the challenge, and I laughed again. 'Normal bath, please.'

He had the nerve to look vaguely disappointed.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“I was in love with Feyre,' Rhys said quietly, 'long before she ever returned the feeling.'

Lucien crossed his arms. 'How fortunate that you got what you wanted in the end.'

I closed my eyes for a heartbeat.

Cassian and Azriel stilled, waiting for the order.

'I will only say this once,' warned the High Lord of the Night Court. Even Lucien flinched. 'I suspected Feyre was my mate before I ever knew she was involved with Tamlin. And when I learned of it... If it made her happy, I was willing to step back.'

'You came to our house and stole her away on her wedding day.'

'I was going to call the wedding off,' I cut in, taking a step toward Lucien. 'You knew it.'

Rhysand went on before Lucien could snap a reply. 'I was willing to lose my mate to another male. I as willing to let them marry, if it brought her joy. But what I was not willing to do was let her suffer. To let her fade away into a shadow. And the moment that piece of shit blew apart his study, the moment he locked her in that house...' His wings ripped from him, and Lucien started.

Rhys bared his teeth. My limbs turned light, trembling at the dark power curling in the corners of the room. Not fear- never fear of him. But at the shattered control as Rhys snarled at Lucien. 'My mate may one day find it in herself to forgive him. Forgive you. But I will never forget how it felt to sense her terror in those moments.' My cheeks heated, especially as Cassian and Azriel stalked closer, those hazel eyes now filled with a mix of sympathy and wrath.

I had never talked about it to them- what had gone on that day Tamlin had destroyed his study, or the day he'd sealed me inside the manor. I'd never asked Rhys if he'd informed them. From the fury rippling from Cassian, the cold rage seeping from Azriel... I didn't think so.

Lucien, to his credit, didn't back away a step. From Rhys, or me, or the Illyrians.

The Clever Fox Stares Down Winged Death. The painting flashed in my mind.

'So, again, I will say this only once,' Rhys went on, his expression smoothing into lethal calm, dragging me from the colours and light and shadows gathering in my mind. 'Feyre did not dishonour or betray Tamlin. I revealed the mating bond months later- and she gave me hell for it, don't worry. But now that you've found your mate in a similar situation, perhaps you will try to understand how it felt. And if you can't be bothered, then I hope you're wise enough to keep your mouth shut, because the next time you look at my mate with that disdain and disgust, I won't bother to explain it again, and I will rip out your fucking throat.'

Rhys said is so mildly that the threat took a second to register. To settle in me like a stone plunked into a pool.

Lucien only shifted on his feet. Wary. Considering. I counted the heartbeats, debating how much I'd interfere if he said something truly stupid, when he at last murmured, 'There is a longer story to be told, it seems.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“Stop baiting him, I shot down the bond.

But it's so fun, came the purred reply.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“I don't blame her,' Cassian said, shrugging despite his words. 'She was- violated. Her body stopped belonging wholly to her.' His jaw clenched. Even Amren didn't dare say anything. 'And I am going to peel the King of Hybern's skin off his bones the next time I see him.'

His Siphons flickered in answer.

Rhys said casually. 'I'm sure the king will thoroughly enjoy the experience.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“What does it say?'

'Utter nonsense,' Amren spat, scowling at the Book. 'It just likes to hear itself talk. Like most of the people cramping up my apartment.'

Cassian smirked. 'Did someone forget to feed Amren again?'

She pointed a warning finger at him without so much as looking up. 'Is there a reason, Rhysand, why you dragged your yapping pack into my home?”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“If you want to start convincing your sisters, get them out of the House. Being cooped up never helped anyone.'

Rhys said smoothly, 'I'm not entirely sure Velaris is prepared for Nesta Archeron.'

'My sister's not some feral animal,' I snapped.

Rhys recoiled a bit, the others suddenly finding the carpet, the divan, the books incredibly fascinating. 'I didn't mean that.'

I didn't answer.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“Lucien frowned at the remaining place setting at the head of the table, then at the blank, barren spot across from Nesta. 'I- shouldn't you sit at the head?'

Rhys raised an eyebrow. 'I don't care where you sit. I only care about eating something right'- he snapped his fingers- 'now.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“Azriel is the only polite one.' A few cries of outrage from Mor and Cassian, but a ghost of a smile danced on the shadowsinger's mouth as he dipped his head and hauled a platter of roast beets sprinkled with goat cheese toward himself. 'Don't even try to pretend that it's not true.'

'Of course it's true,' Mor said with a loud sigh, 'but you needn't make us sound like heathens.'

'I would have thought you'd find that term to be a compliment, Mor,' Rhys said mildly.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin