eclipsed nova (UTM Feysand)

16

I tossed and turned for what must have been at least an hour before I gave up with an exasperated huff, yanking the blanket off of my body and swinging my legs so that my feet made contact with the bone-achingly cold stone floor. I had no idea where he'd be, but I had to go and find Rhysand. The way he'd left the room earlier had been haunting me, ricocheting through my mind nonstop. I just had to know that he was okay and that he hadn't drunkenly stumbled into the chasm and drowned.

I slid my shoes onto my feet, searching Rhysand's drawers until I found a plain sweatshirt, yanking it over my head and trying not to feel ill at the smell of him all around me like an embrace. I wanted to understand. I'd pieced together by now that Rhysand wasn't necessarily here by choice, and that his relationship with Amarantha was nowhere close to being what it seemed.

I despised that I cared so much. I shouldn't care what happens to him, but I couldn't stop myself. I was never going to get any sleep if I didn't check. So, I entered the hallway as quietly as I could, banking on everyone having been intoxicated from Amarantha's party and hopefully dead to the world.

I had no clue where to look for him. I hoped he'd only been conveying his hurt feelings when he'd suggested he'd find someone else- hoped he hadn't gone to Amarantha. The thought made my stomach turn sour. Amarantha grated a nerve inside of me that lit a short fuse these days.

Entering the Great Hall, the huge chamber echoed with an unfamiliar emptiness. The sounds of my footsteps echoed off the stones and bounced around the room. Very few sconces were still lit, and I squinted into the darkness as I pondered where he might have gone. There was a lesser occupied wing that broke off from the back corner of the Great Hall, and my instincts told me that was likely where he'd gone. It looked moody and brooding enough.

I lifted a torch from the wall, using he small flame as a light source as I wandered deeper into the cave system, hoping I didn't get lost or worse. Who knew what could be lurking in these caves this late at night. I shuddered thinking about it.

I walked a way into the hallway before I heard a faint clinking sound. I froze, eyes wide and body stiff. Whoever was around the corner had likely already seen the flickering light of the flames I held in my hand. I took a deep breath, slowly peeking around the corner and squinting into the darkness. I heard groaning and my knees nearly went weak.

"Fuck," I hissed, rushing down the hallway, stashing my torch in a holster along the wall above the spot where Rhysand was slumped against the wall. He looked barely conscious, his head lolling against the stone and a look of misery on those beautiful features. It knocked the air from my stomach to see him like this.

"Feyre," he said happily, eyes glassed and far away. He was beyond plastered. "What are you doing here?" I swore under my breath again as I took in how cut and bruised his knuckles were. Blood had dried along the backs of his hands and along the grip of the now empty whiskey bottle. I wasn't even sure it was the same bottle as before.

"I'm looking for you, you prick," I murmured, mentally strategizing for how I was going to get him up and out of here unnoticed. Not that they'd laid out a drinking policy, but I was certain it would not be good if Amarantha found him like this.

"That's so nice," he sighed. "You're so pretty." He reached his hand up to cup my cheeks and I wish it wasn't quite as endearing as it was. He looked at me with a glimmer in his eyes I'd never seen there before. It was likely just the whiskey, but it warmed my heart all the same.

"Okay, Rhys, I'm gonna need you to stand up and put your arm around my shoulders, okay?" I said slowly and he gave a sappy smile. I helped him to his feet, and he did as I asked. I realized quite quickly how our huge height difference might make this hard. He swayed on his feet; his brows furrowed like he wasn't quite sure how he'd lost his footing.