CHAPTER ONE

Darkness stretched in all directions, cold and deep.

Even after all the years of searching, the space between worlds still made my nerves sing and stomach clench. My legs wobbled as I strode across the gaping black.

An ancient wind called me forward and back, up and down. Then amidst the ringing darkness, a hand of smoke pushed me forward, and I stepped into the realm of the living once again.

The smell of fresh flowers hit me first. I'd stepped through the pocket between worlds into a field of grass that danced in a soft wind. The late afternoon sun streamed downward, warming my bare shoulders. On one side of the field stood a forest lush from spring rains. Opposite the trees, a handsome estate towered over manicured bushes and lines of vivid flowers – the source of the sweet fragrance in the breeze.

I could sense him, the powerful male inside that grand house, and I did need to regain my strength... But I needed to be careful about how and where I chose to replenish my power if I was going to be successful. Nostrils flaring, I studied the estate, the gardens, the shuttered windows, the soldiers flanking the gate.

And like an arrow through my gut, it pierced me – the dark power crowning the island. I turned my gaze northward and took a long breath.

Maybe this time I'd find what I needed. Maybe this time.

#

I shot up in bed, lungs sucking in air, heart pounding. Rhys sat up beside me and laid a soothing hand on my back as he scanned our darkened room for threats.

But my eyes were locked on the bassinette in the corner. No tossing and turning. No cries. Only the gentle flow of air in and out of our daughter's lips.

"Nightmare?" Rhys kissed my forehead.

I ran my hand through his dark hair. "Not like the ones I used to have."

And it was true. I was no longer plagued with nightly terrors and fits of sickness that kept me plastered to the toilet. Though I had been having dreams of another sort lately, after our daughter was born. I'd wake with a start, heart pounding, and no recollection of what I'd been dreaming about.

"What kind then?" Rhys asked as he nudged me back down on the bed.

I tucked myself into his side and clasped the hand that came to rest on my chest and swallowed. "I'm not sure."

I worry about her, too. Rhys said down the bond, claws caressed my mind. It's normal. What are parents for if not to worry? If she's anything like me, she'll be terrorizing us by the time she's two. The way Cassian dotes on her, she'll have him wrapped around her finger and completely on his side.

I laughed despite the echoes of fear in my mind. In the hundred years since the final war with Hybern, more and more humans had been immigrating to Velaris and the city was in need of expansion, and Cassian and Rhys had been working on a new quarter for the last year. Cassian – who had read as much literature in the library about child rearing as possible in nine-months 0 had fashioned himself a parenting expert and insisted on holding my daughter when he mulled over the city plans. He swaddled her just so, burped her in an expert manner and even bought her special toys to help with her sight. And she was his good luck charm for working through tough design problems – until she started crying or—

"He's going to need to learn to change a diaper when he has children." I ran a finger over the wing cocooned around me.

"Cauldron help us if Cassian ever reproduces. Can you imagine too arrogant Illyrians prancing about."

"I already have to deal with three."

Rhys gasped in mock shock. "Azriel doesn't prance."

I laughed again and let my body sink back into the mattress. Outside our window, Velaris slept. It wouldn't be dawn for hours, and the fire crackling in the corner kept our room warm despite the winter snows outside.

Sleep, Feyre. We've had peace for a hundred years. There are no threats lurking on our borders. And Kyrene has made sure we haven't gotten much rest of late. Apparently, babies tend to do that.

I exhaled and closed my eyes, warmth spreading through my chest.

Kyrene.

An ancient word for hunter, something I had once been to save my family and the act that brought be across the wall.

Kyrene.

Our daughter.

The two loves of my life slept nearby, one curled around my back, the other a few feet away. Rhys was right. We lived in peace. My nightmares meant nothing.

So I slept.