P.S. You don't have to read my previous one-shot "Drowning in Air" at all to understand any of this fanfiction, but I will reference it occasionally if you want to see my backdrop.

The Dark Side of Steel

This...this was awkward.

Cassian took great strides not to alter his gaze from the scenery of firs flying past each of his sides, else his vision catch a glimpse of the sleeping female in his arms. At least he assumed she was sleeping. After all, the moment he had picked her up (to neither of their particular enjoyment), she had turned away from him in his arms and refused to say a word for the entire trip, which totaled almost two hours at this point.

He still didn't quite believe Feyre's strong protests that the Inner Circle couldn't spare a single person to winnow them to the camps; he had a far greater suspicion that this travel method was chosen from a combination of Feyre meddling and Rhys/Mor not wanting to spend a single minute of their time around Nesta.

The thought made him grit his teeth. He understood how Nesta's situation looked on the outside, how much pain she caused Feyre with her behavior. But it was inexcusable how cold the rest of the Inner Circle were towards her, even without knowing...

Cassian shook his head to clear his mind. He was already failing at the one job he had set himself to do when they started this flight, as his eyes were now squarely on her immobile form. He groaned and tucked his wings in as he maneuvered through a familiar sharp cut in the tree formations. It would be a long trip for him. But then, this year...this year had been a long year for him as well.

Even when not accounting for Nesta, he'd had to deal with Illyrian discontent, seemingly-infinite funerals for the fallen, his feeling of hopelessness at continuing to see the females growing up with scars on their wings, despite Rhys's and his new policies... It made eternal life seem a little bit more eternal, and certainly not in a pleasant manner.

"Why are we stopped?"

Her voice, sharp and piercing in the thin air, shook him back to his senses. She hadn't deigned to turn around to speak to him, but it seems she hadn't been sleeping after all either. He realized he had begun hovering in air halfway above the ground at some point – his inner troubles finding their way into his instincts – and replied in a cool manner.

"I was debating where in the camp to touch down."

"Hmph."

He heard in her tone she could sense he was lying. Of course she did – she always knew. But then, she had embraced that side of her during the War, embraced that side of him during the War. Now...

"I should think you would not be in need of debating – I'm sure my sister's eviction notice was planned out well in advance." He sighed. Now, her retorts were cold and emotionless, long since devoid of any form of banter or wit, even in these few times she dared to call him out. But it was better than silence, he thought as he resumed flying.

"As much as I'm thrilled that we will be sharing a small shack, sweetheart–" He slightly paused, hoping for a familiar respondent huff that never came. "–I don't particularly enjoy the idea of a non-Illyrian female living yards away from those who would love nothing more than to spill her blood in the dirt."

"You say that as if this wasn't your idea." She shifted in his arms as Cassian's heart stung with the wound from her comment. He found himself abruptly changing his mind as a result; perhaps, communication was the enemy after all.

"Believe what you want." His voice droned backin a monotone growl, and he found himself taking off in a suddenacceleration, hoping for the first time in his life that he could soon take a break from her presence.

Her resulting silence indicated the experience was mutual.

He was tense.

She hadn't been able to understand why, but this maddening anxiety had lasted for several minutes, and her pride was too stung from this trip even existing to bother inquiring into the reason. But, as the village came into her vision along the horizon, Nesta saw the scene at its opening gate and realized what Cassian had undoubtedly scented from miles away. Six...no, seven, as she squinted her eyes, Illyrian warriors manned the entrance, staring expectantly at the two of them. She narrowed her eyes as she began to make out Devlon's face in front, his expression no doubt just as pleasant as hers.

Her stomach nearly gave out as Cassian dipped into a sudden dive, riding the winds down into a smooth glide a few feet above the ground. She had instinctively clenched the front of his riding leathers, but she immediately released her grip and cursed at herself for the crutch, her words thankfully disappearing into the torrent from their landing. Still, his arms tightened around her in response, leading to a second string of curses, this time ones she made sure he heard. Unfazed, he glided them into a soft landing, his wings folding in for stability.

However, no sooner had Cassian dropped his feet to the ground than she was set down beside him, his wings flaring out in a warning stretch in front of her. Annoyed, she walked around him and glared directly at Devlon, who matched her gaze with equal disdain. The camp leader opened his mouth to undoubtedly mock her, but it was lost in Cassian's deep growl.

"What's the meaning of this, Devlon?"

Some of the other Illyrians backed up at Cassian's snarl, but Devlon didn't flinch as he kept his stare fully on Nesta. Their eyes remained locked, a battle of endurance neither one of them was willing to concede.

"I should ask you the same thing." Devlon finally tilted his head to the commander, firmly meeting eye contact. She could feel Cassian's blood rise in response. "You should know better to bring the witch here without notice. She has no business being here among us."

"She's staying with me for the next few months, as I'm unsatisfied with your lack of progress and wish to take a more...hands-onrole with your unit." Cassian drawled, drawing a firm line with his words.

"No." Devlon stepped forward and the six Illyrians behind him smirked, their wings flexing in preparation for conflict. "I don't care what you do, but your consort isn't–"

"I'm not his consort." Nesta spit out the words with force, but Devlon dismissed her with a snort.

"Fine. Your courtesan isn't welcome here."

"I'd be careful, if I were you–" Nesta glared at Cassian cutting her retort off, but his eyes remained squarely on the other Illyrians. "–if you want to stay above ground."

Devlon grinned, a wolf craving a fight for his pack,as his attention switched back to the Illyrian commander. "Threatening your own kind, Cassian? I always knew you were a traitor to your race, through and through."

"I'm not talking about myself." Cassian's words came out steady, even as Nesta felt each of Devlon's words hit their intended target. She didn't allow herself to be distracted, though, instead focusing her attention on making eye contact with each of the soldiers for maximum impact. Several spat at her in response, but Devlon merely laughed and raised his eyebrows.

"The witch? " He scowled. "I'd have her sprawled on the ground before she could move." He smiled darkly. "Or maybe sprawled on m..."

Devlon's eyes bulged as his words cut off rapidly, he and Nesta now locked in a cube of black steel, shadow flickering off the edges, their companions nowhere to be found. Not that Nesta noticed her surroundings at all, as she'd immediately jumped him mid-sentence. Her power had him pinned to the ground as one hand wrapped around his throat, clenching tightly and forcing his breathing to come out as bare whimpers. She smirked as she felt the muscles in his neck begin to give under her grip, as she kept pushing, as his head rolled over, as his eyes rolled back, as…

"Nesta." Her grip loosened, her head turning to see Cassian grabbing the cube they were in tightly and shaking it with force. "C'mon Nesta, snap out of it." She turned her head back to the...other Illyrian, his chest barely moving and in intense labor, his body lying motionless on the ground beneath her, and contemplated finishing the job. It would certainly be easy; he was unconscious, and she was inches from his neck. All it would take was a simple twist of her hands, maybe even a snap of her fingers, and she could strip the remaining life from his body. She could show these Illyrians just what the consequences were to go after her, to see her as an easy target.

Her power screamed at her to do it, to kill the bastard who dared mock her, but...it didn't feel right anymore. She couldn't do it this way, not like this. Not with him here. She stared at her hands, glowing in purple and black darkness, and willed the embers of shadow to slowly fade away, struggling to fight their resistance even as they obeyed her commands. Her power contained, she spat on Devlon and movedto back up from him, pushing off his motionless body and falling backwards.

...onto the grassy field, exactly where she'd be standing moments before, the black cube nowhere to be seen. Exhaustion had gripped her in a tight vice, her eyes feeling like dead weights on her face and her vision blurring. She mildly registered Cassian falling down beside her on his knees and gripping her shoulders as she fell into his arms, her weight too much for her to hold up on her own. Her eyes slid up to his face, concern lining every edge of his expression.

"...Ca...?"

"Nesta, don't speak righ...w. You've...a lot...and..." As his voice faded in and out of her ears, she closed her eyes and felt his other arm slip underneath her legs. Her body lifted into the air, her neck leaning limply against his chest. He kept speaking, but she let his words drift along the field's calm wind, far away from her. Its breeze was softly caressing her face, and she found its invitation much more appealing than fighting her fatigue.

She vaguely heard a loud boom of wings before her body settled into a quiet slumber.

Author's Note

With the postponement of our Nessian novel until 2020, I figured I'd try my hand at a second lengthy fanfiction. Please let me know if you enjoy the fanfiction or if you have any pointers, criticism, or wishes. I love comments!

Thanks so much for reading!

P.P.S: My tumblr is ritamordio19 if you want to come hang out :).