In Her Shadow (ACOTAR)

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Out of Time

The room they'd given her at the River House had a crackling fire in the hearth, an ornate four poster bed with plush cushions and silk bedding. The carpet was thick and soft nothing like the scratchy, unforgiving carpet of her room at home. There was a painting on the wall, a landscape of breathtaking green land that bordered a river. It was beautiful.

But Isolde could not take any notice of that. She had been pacing for hours, waiting with her heart in her throat for Rhys or Azriel to come bursting through the door and drag her back to the dungeon. Or pack her up back to Valhallan.

She would not go easily, she decided. This may not be her home and she may not be a member of the Night Court, but she wasn't a citizen of Valhallan anymore either. She would run. Run deep into the woods of Prythian or find a way to the human lands or hell, she'd even take Hybern at this point. But she was not going back to a dungeon or back to the King. In fact, she'd throw herself from this tower before that happened.

She had to leave. Everything was unravelling and her walls were crumbling down before her eyes, but she had to take control back. There had to be one area of her life that she had any kind of say over. This would be it. She would run, even clad in this ridiculous gauzy dress and find a place to belong.

Calling up all her energy she rushed to the door and grabbed the handle, pulling it open to see Rhys standing there, red faced and covered in sweat, eyes wide as he saw her.

"Isolde..."

She backed up a few paces, "Get out of my way Rhys, I'm leaving,"

"You're... what, why would you do that?" he stepped into the room and closed the door.

Isolde searched his face for the rage she expected to be there after he returned from reforming the bonds around Velaris, but his expression remained completely neutral albeit exhausted.

She took a breath, "I know you've figured it out, what I've been hiding and yes I should not have kept it from you-"

He took a step towards her but she backed up again, closer to the fire that had always been her comfort, her friend and an odd amplifier to her magic.

He raised his hands with his palms out, a sign of peace, "I need you to calm down,"

"Do not tell me to calm down!" she burst out and the fire flickered angrily.

He slid into her head, tell me what you think I've figured out then.

"Get out of my head!"

"Why?" he suddenly snapped. "Are you scared of what I'll find in there, what I know you've been shielding all this time, why we can never get any deeper in our lessons?"

"You shouldn't go pushing yourself into peoples minds just because you-"

"Tell me the truth, Isolde, please!" Rhys suddenly advanced and grabbed her by the shoulders.

The fire burst from the fireplace and embers landed on her dress but neither of them cared. He was looking at her as though seeing her for the first time and it hurt her so much to see his expression. He looked... heartbroken.

Gone was the confident facade of the High Lord, in it's place was the pleading face of a boy who had put so much trust in someone and it had been snuffed out.

A sob shook her shoulders, "I'm his mate,"

She had not said those words out loud since the first time she had realised with the king and it felt like a hot knife was being pushed into her chest.

Rhys let her go and backed up a few paces, running a hand through his hair, his eyes closed. A long silence stretched before them, Isolde wondering if she would have to fight him to get him out of the way of the door so she could make a run for it.