A Court of Tears and Starlight

Violet stains

As I went to lay her down on my bed her hand came up and clutched at my shirt and a small fist gathered up the material in her hand. A soft sleepy smile graced her lips and she sighed out a single contented word. 

"Mine."

It blew a hole straight through my chest and left me reeling. I dropped her roughly and stepped back in horror as she fell to the bed. I felt sick and repulsed that she called me by the name of my beloved. 

The thud on to the bed was enough to bring her to. She sat up stunned and looked around in confusion. As her eyes locked on mine she began to tremble. Her knees were drawn up and her arms came protectively around them as she hugged them to her chest. 

"Don't you ever call me that again!" I snarled at her. 

A fat tear rolled down her check and she sniffled in her misery. 

"Rhys..." she began. 

I was so tired. It had been one hell of a first day awake after six months of being unconscious. I had awoken to find that not only was my mate dead but that her body had been destroyed beyond recognition and that some how the loss of her immortality had undone the bond between us. It was too much. I was so weary. Weary of the numbness and weary of this life without her. It had only been a single day and I was already desperate to give up on this life. I wanted to be with her. Even in death. 

I slumped down and sat on the edge of the bed. Too tired to give a damn what Elliana thought as my hands came up over my face and the sobs shook my body and made it hard to breathe. 

I was so deep in my sorrow that I didn't feel the bed shift. Didn't feel her crawl towards me and barely even noticed as her delicate hand pried my own away from my face. I was too far gone. Too deep in my despair. I didn't notice any of it. Not even her soft lips edging forward towards my face and almost brushing over my own. Except that she leant straight past them and at the last moment I felt her wet warm tongue on my cheek as she licked away my tears. 

My entire world shattered. 

I jerked back so violently that I fell off the bed and tumbled onto the floor. 

I couldn't breathe. 

My entire world stopped turning.  

"Oh come on Rhys, it wasn't that disgusting?" she said with a soft chuckle. 

My mouth wouldn't work. I kept opening and closing it but the words wouldn't come out. 

I was literally frozen to the place where I had fallen. I watched like a dumb-struck fool as she rose gracefully from the bed and then walked over to me, lowering herself into that familiar cross-legged pose on the ground beside me. 

Her fingers came up tentatively and she reached to stroke my face. I recoiled in confusion, my heart and my mind at odds with each other about what was taking place. 

She flinched back in hurt at my reaction. Her eyes suddenly down turned and her bottom lip pouted and trembled. 

"I'm sorry..." she said quietly. 

"...I didn't ask for this. Didn't plan for this to happen. I was meant to be dead."

Her words fell on my ears but my mind was having difficulty processing them.

"I know that you cared for her, but please believe me that I never meant for this to happen. I didn't mean to kill her. It was the magic that chose this for me." 

With these words her lovely doe eyes looked up at me and I registered that she was looking at me in exactly the same way Feyre had every time she thought she was about to lose me. 

As I looked deeper I was shocked to feel the pull of desire and longing towards her. Before I could stop her she launched herself into my arms and wept. My arms gathered round her reflexively and I cradled her against my chest. Some part of me registered that this was completely wrong. That I should pull back and push her away, yet another smaller firmer voice was telling me that this was mine to have. 

"It was even worse than that day under the mountains..." she sobbed, "... worse because this time when I woke up I thought that you never would."

I let her words wash over me, still too shell-shocked to truly comprehend what she was telling me. 

"For six months I waited for any sign that you would wake. But I couldn't reach you. Worse I couldn't feel you. You were gone! That tiny ball of you that had lived within me had disappeared. It broke my heart to look down at you and know that I had lost you in more ways than one. But I understand. I really do. If you don't want me anymore then I will leave. You don't have to stay with me now. The magic released you. We aren't mates anymore".

We aren't mates anymore. 

Those words were like a crack of thunder and a bolt of lightning striking me from my revere. My hands came up and pried her off of my chest so that I could look down into her face. 

Feyre?

A small smile spread across her lips as she gave an affirming nod. 

I could feel the surprise spreading across my face and she giggled, reaching up to flick my nose. 

________________________________

Hey Everyone, 

YAY!!! 

RHYS x FEYRE FOREVER!!!!!

Sorry that I keep lying about this being the end. It is totally unintentional. I have the plot in mind but the details and scenes keeping expanding when I put pen to paper. I was going to write the end within this chapter but decided to give it to you all as it is, despite being short, and save the rest for another day!

I just couldn't leave you all weeping and sad for Rhys! 

I'm so excited to hear Feyre's story about what happened on the day of the challenge and to write their reunion in the next chapter!

Will be sure to update over the weekend so stay tuned.

Till next time, 

Spinlight Xo