A Court of Moonlight Shadow

The Inner Circle

Rhysand could see the girl standing before him and wanted to rip out her heart. Yes, Feyre had blocked the dagger with a wall of wind but the fact that it had been thrown is what pissed him off. He was at the town house with his brothers when he felt her anxiety raise through their bond. He winnowed right away followed by Cassian and Azriel. He got there in time to see the the dagger hit the ground. Mor and Amren winnowed in as he told them to get their asses over here. He didn't even have to tell Amren that she was going to hear about not following Feyre tonight, his look was enough. Feyre didn't need protection , no, but she was still High Lady and Amren was still his second. Her second. She knew better.

They all stood in a circle surrounding Feyre and the hooded female. She held a dagger with a blue crystal between the blade and handle. 

"You really think that little knife is gonna work on us?" Cass said with a grin that didn't meet his eyes.

The female held her ground.

"Throwing a dagger at the High Lady was not a smart move, girl. Who are you?" Amren asked.

Rhysand could feel Mor's anxiety when she angled her head and took a good look at the female. He would ask her about that later. 

The female just kept her head down and didn't say a word.

 This was going to be interesting.

-----

Adustia was going to kill her if she was going to make it out alive.

If Adustia were here right now she'd say,    

"You're so stupid Lu! You can't win this without your magic! Use it or I'll help them skin you!" 

She'd never admit this out loud but, she missed Adustia, her sister. Bonded not by blood but by something deeper. Even if she was a nuisance.

Her body started moving before her mind could process what she was doing. She started fighting Cassian. She vaguely remembered him. Still cocky as ever. She managed to get in a few  good blows before he pinned her down. All in a matter of thirty seconds. Absolutely embarrassing. If it were anyone else in her place, she would've laughed at them.

But Cassian, the High Lord's General who commanded his armies, stood up. He was massive as he towered over her. To her surprise, Luna stayed down. She felt and saw ribbons of night wrapped around her wrists. They all walked over to her, her hood still over her face. It was Feyre who spoke first,

"Why did you try to harm that illyrian male?" She asked more intrigued than intimidating.

Mor straightened when Luna didn't answer. As if she was about to scold a child on their manners. Cassian inched closer to her as if to ask, 'What is it?'

Rhys, hands in his pockets, smirked, waiting for an answer and Amren just stared, looking bored.

Azriel, however, just stood back away from the circle, still close enough to grab her if she tried anything but it was almost like he wanted to keep his distance.

Amren sniffed. Then lifted a brow. She bent down.

 Everyone stiffened.

 So did Luna. 

The female was small but her presence made anyone cower. Luna had heard the stories.

Slowly she lifted Luna's hood and Luna tried to struggle from Rhysand's power. If any of them found out who she was, her whole world would change. And she would be even further from her freedom.

But it was already too late. The hood was off. And Rhysand's cold smirk fell like a mask to the ground. His hands were out of his pockets and he stumbled back. Absolutely speechless. 

"I knew it." Mor whispered to herself but everyone heard.

Cassian took a step back, eyes wide while Azriel took a step closer, his face unreadable. 

Feyre walked over to Rhysand to comfort him but he was already shouting.

"Luna!? How is this is even possible." He was angry. She could tell he was in shock. A part of her was too. She hadn't expected to come face to face with her brother again. Ever.

"Hello Rhys. I would say it's nice to see you but given the circumstances I gotta say I'm a little annoyed." Luna said half frustrated, half amused.

She was a woman now but her face would always be familiar to her brother. 

He didn't say anything, he just shook his head in utter disbelief. He looked...Hurt.

Then everything went black and she was suddenly sitting in a house with two female fae and a redheaded male fae also staring at her.

She was strapped to the chair by those same bands of night. She didn't try to struggle, it would be useless. So why not buy some time and think of a way out that wouldn't result in her getting killed. But Rhysand wouldn't kill her. Right?

"Explain. Now." Rhys commanded as he paced back and forth. Everyone just waited. 

Luna stayed quiet. She could lie but Rhys was a daemati. He could enter anyone's mind. And without her powers, her mental shields were useless. Her one strength besides knives was gone. Just like that, she felt helpless again. Just like she'd felt that night her mother died. 

Luna for once didn't know what to say. She just looked at him with hate in her eyes. At this moment she hated him for making her feel this way. 

Hurt flashed on Rhys' face as he looked at her. Really looked at her. Feyre scowled at what she saw. The others were still and quiet. Waiting.

"If you don't let me go, someone will find out I've been captured and report it back to my...boss. And then I'll be skinned alive." Luna said calmly.

"Oh, I know your boss." Mor drawled with an attitude that made Luna want to smack her across the head.

"I recognized your leathers. Hybern, right? I heard the princess had an orphan sister . Just never knew they trained you to be their assasin too, Lu." Mor said casually, trying to get a reaction out of Luna.

It worked.

"Don't call me that!" She snapped.

Rhys looked at Mor as if he was reading her mind. Concern, anger and wariness flashed on his face all at once.

Luna didn't know how Mor knew or found out that she had been raised with the princess of Hybern, Adustia. But what Mor didn't know, was that Luna used to wish that she was raised as a princess too. But Adustia got the dresses and Luna got the knives. At least she got to put jewels on her blades. The only pretty things she owned.

Luna would've retorted something back but her eyes locked on her target. The person she was supposed to capture. The Queen of Hybern, a mother figure, in certain ways to Luna, had made it very clear to get this done discreetly. Well too late for that. 

"What are you looking at ?" The male said with a calm tone.

Everyone began looking back and forth between the two of them.

Mor inched closer to Luna. Cassian gripped his sword, looking angry.

Luna only looked at Azriel picturing his head on a spike. Because that illyrian was the only way the Queen would allow her back into Hybern.