Rhysand had no hesitation in his grip. The talons I knew he hid beneath his skin dug into my neck, his teeth bared.
"I- I don't kno-"
"Don't lie to me!" He shouted, tightening his hold. I felt like my eyes bulged, my chest vibrating with the need to suck in air.
"Rhysand."
Cassian's demanding voice rose from behind Rhysand. There was no stopping a male ready to protect his family, though. Rhysand's teeth ground together in front of me, a hatred I'd never seen directed at myself filling his eyes.
"Windhaven," I croaked, unsure if the word came out clear. Rhys shoved me back into the wall before tearing his hand from my throat. He turned to Cassian, body stiff as though he were about to make an order.
"With Odessa. She's- Freyja's with your mother. She isn't safe here, Rhys. You need to understand that," I rasped, rubbing my throat.
"You think I don't know that? You think I'm fine with my sister staying in this fucking manor? I saw her, Azriel. But I am thinking with my responsibility in mind; mine and hers. You may have just assisted in an act of war."
"Is war not worth her safety?"
Rhysand spun, fury-filled eyes directed on me.
"Her safety is worth everything, but what of the innocents in our court? Aled will tear the Night Court apart for this. It was one thing to hide her away, but to steal her from her betrothed?"
Cassian stepped forward and laid a hand on Rhys's shoulder. Our brother flinched, though his eyes didn't fall from me.
"Tamlin heard you yell. He knows she is gone," Cassian muttered. All of our eyes turned to the corridor. It was true- Tamlin stood there, throat bobbing as he gripped the decanter of whiskey. Rhys cursed under his breath.
"Tamlin, you understand I did nothing, right? I'd been here with you."
"I know. I know it wasn't an act against our court." Tamlin's eyes shifted to me. "I don't blame you for wanting her out of here. If it was only myself in this manor, she would be well cared for, but I have no power here. I can't protect her. I don't love her like you do, but I would've taken her away, too."
My throat ran dry at his words. Love her. I did. I loved Freyja and I'd go to war for her. I'd end this court and the next to keep her safe. She was, for now. I couldn't help the suspicion in Tamlin for knowing she was gone and that I'd assisted her escape.
My hesitation cost me. I pushed from the wall the moment Rhysand walked to the blonde male. His hand clapped onto Tamlin's shoulder.
"I trust you. You know I do. I trust that you want her as safe as I do, so I trust you will not mention it to anyone. As far as you know, Freyja left supper for bed and was not there when you joined her. Do you understand?"
Tamlin nodded. "Yes, I do. I want to keep her from here. An alliance is not worth what has been done to her."
"There's no alliance needed, right? We're friends," Rhysand urged. The way he looked into Tamlin's eyes had me suspecting he was using some sort of compulsion, but his eyes flickered to Cass and I.
"Right."
Rhysand nodded, turning back to me. "They won't be safe in Windhaven. It's the first place my father will look."
I cleared my throat as I looked over his shoulder at Tamlin. I didn't trust him to know the truth of our plan. He may consider them friends, but he already claimed he had no power here. They'd beat the truth out of him.
"Tamlin, could you give us a moment?" Rhysand spoke tightly. Tamlin gave a curt nod before turning away and retreating down to the vestibule.
"They will make their way down to the villages until they reach the sea. I planned to meet them and escort them to another court or even the mortal lands. Freyja cannot fly, though. They cut her wings."
The words burned my tongue as I spoke them. That knowledge still filled me with a rage that would burn this court down.
"They cut her wings?" Cassian repeated, stepping forward. I nodded tightly.
"Odessa will carry her when she can, and then they will walk or run. I know it is risky, but I suspect that Alcaeus may have wards on the court to know when one winnows in or out."
Rhysand nodded slowly. "I would agree with that. I may be grateful that you're putting my family first, but I do not like that you made these choices without my knowledge."
I could understand his anger with that. I sent his sister and mother away without telling him, but I knew he'd stop me. Now that it was already done, he would be glad. I'd done many wrong things, but protecting Freyja would never be one.
You hurt her.
She will perish in your name.
He will kill you for what you'd done.
Tamlin will kill you for stealing his bride.
Alcaeus will kill you for what you've done.
My heart beat in time with the chant of my shadows in my ears.
"I'm sorry for not telling you, but it had to be done."
Rhys glared down at me, nostrils flaring as he tried to cool himself. Cassian cleared his throat, shifting on his feet. Rhys turned and nodded his head.
"Okay. What's done is done. I want you and Cassian to return to Velaris. I will go speak with Tamlin. We give them two days to move and then you and I will both find them in the villages. Understood?"
"Understood," I grit out. I didn't like the order, not when I had been the one to save them, but I couldn't argue. No matter what, Rhys outranked me. Cassian slowly stepped to my side. I heard his heavy breaths as he closed a hand around my forearm. I wanted to scream at his touch, but I steeled myself.
Rhysand met my eyes over his shoulder one last time before entering the corridor. My breath burned my throat as I slowly loosened it, bringing Cass and I into the shadows. He did not speak as I walked us through their realm, our bodies dropping in weightlessness as we appeared above the mountainside.
Cassian's hand fell from me as we both plummeted. A part of me, despite my hope and desire for a future with Freyja, almost wanted to keep my wings tucked. The rooftop training ring rose above me and I spread my wings, catching myself in the air. Cassian was already bringing himself to the House, but I let myself hover for just a moment.
It was that sense of unknown. That horrifying realization that I'd just changed the course of the two courts and I didn't know what was next. My mind felt heavy as I flew up, stepping on the edge of the ring. Cassian was there, sat on the edge and boots dangling over the several hundreds of feet drop. His hands sat limply in his lap as he stared to the dying sun's rays on the ridge of the mountain beyond us.
"They cut her wings," he croaked, barely more than a whisper. The next breath that left me hurt.
"Yeah, they did."
I dropped down beside him. If I could not go to my love, I'd settle for the comfort of my brother. Cassian hung his head, dark hair brushing over his cheeks. I felt his pain for her. I'd never met anyone that wanted to end such a crime than Cass. He and I would be the vigilante for the females of the villages if we could. It made me wonder if the Peregyn in the Dawn Court also dealt with such cruelty.
"How was she? When you left her?"
I wished I'd done more for her. I wished I'd kissed her lips longer and held her closer to me. I'd wished I'd told her how deeply I loved her like I'd never loved anyone. What I felt for Mor held no comparison to Freyja. Freyja was the air I breathed, the blood in my veins. She was the wind against my wings and the kisses of snow on my cheeks. Gods, she was everything.
"She didn't understand what was going on. She was afraid. I heard her when she was with her mother, though. They seemed happy, and that's all I can hope for them," I answered my brother, my voice no more than a sorrowful call into the night.
"What do you expect from this? Will you continue a relationship with her? Visit her wherever they may go?"
I grit my teeth, closing my eyes. They yearned to cry. With a slow breath, I turned to look at the side of his face.
"I don't know. I don't think Rhys will allow a relationship with her, but Cass, I don't think I can stay away. I love her. I do, with more than the strength I have. That won't change, even if she lives in the mortal realm."
A calm breeze kicked up my brother's hair, giving me a glimpse at the tears gathering in his eyes.
"I'm happy you have love," he spoke with a thick voice. Cassian swallowed hard, blinking back the tears. "You know, after the war, I didn't think you'd ever find something positive. We'd all gone through it, and I think we all coped differently. I found myself between thighs and drowning in ale, Rhys buried himself in assisting his father and training, and you... Az, you were drowning. For your sake, I hope Rhys will see that and allow you two to continue this, whatever it may be."
My tears fell freely and I let them. I didn't have the strength to smother them anymore. My heart and soul yearned- begged- for a life with Freyja at my side. I could see it now: Her in a small cottage on the edge of the Day Court, children with her eyes and smile running amok. The only thing they'd have from me is love for their mother.
"I hope so, too. I can only imagine what Rhysand would allow when they're finally safe."
Cass left it silent after my words, letting them linger in the air. My heart pounded as we both sniffled and wiped our cheeks in time with one another. It was nice to simply just let emotions fall beside someone like Cassian. He would let me cry, even if it surprised him. Before finding my love for Freyja, my emotions were smothered and held down by the heaviest of weights. The only thing I ever felt was anger, which I used on those males in the villages and whoever would let me find release, like Flora.
I was shocked when after long moments, Cassian moved closer to me and slid his arm around my shoulders. My wings went limp, my chest loosening even further as another tear slipped down my nose. He tugged my head onto his hard shoulder, sniffling and using his other hand to wipe at his face. We sat there until the moon and stars were bright in the sky, the sun far past fallen.
Rhysand returned not long after Cassian and I stopped our tears. His wings were gone the moment he stepped onto the platform, dropping down beside me. I copied my other brother and threw my arm around his shoulders, pulling him into me. Cassian had held me as I cried, now we held Rhys. He allowed his emotions to fall into sobs and shaking cries, smothered by the fabric on my shoulder.
"Thank you," he whispered against me between shaking breaths. I responded only by laying my head against his. Cassian moved then, rising and crossing over to Rhysand's other side.
Our strongest brother, our toughest friend, fell apart between us. We held him up, clasping his chest and arms when he leaned forward to shout into the empty night. I realized then that maybe I had experienced that strong love I felt for Freyja, but in an entirely different way. Because as we sat there, holding each other up, I imagined my life with them, too. I imagined all of us having children, my brother's with faceless females I knew they'd do anything for. I imagined us taking their children to visit mine, a table full of food and laughter.
I smiled into Rhys's hair as he cried, imagining how wonderful our lives would be eventually.