I would like to personally thank CrystalShadowStar for all of your reviews and support. It means so much to me as a young author working on my first book and all the wonderful things you've said really help me to feel that I'm not completely failing in my writing, even if this isn't my main project. Thank you so much. 3
"Explain yourselves," Nesta ordered, crossing her arms. Titus sat in a chair, shirtless to show the other love bite. There was also another one he hadn't noticed on the side of his ribs. Beside him sat Danas, having come out of hiding the moment Cassian started yelling. So they'd both been dragged by their ears into a meeting full of the Courts. All had left but the High Lords and Ladies of Night and Winter, Titus's parents, Lucien, Elain, Mor, and Azriel.
Titus was blushing so madly he thought his head might explode but Danas only stared hard at the floor.
"Damianas," Viviane said through her clenched teeth. Titus whipped his head over to him. He'd never known his full name.
"What the hell went through your head when you decided to fuck the Night Court Heir?" Kallias demanded. "You're supposed to be smart, Danas. You're inheriting a kingdom."
"And you," Nesta snapped, vicious as a whip, "I expected better of you."
Titus hung his head, hands limp in his lap. His blush slowly drained till his face was positively bloodless. He was about to apologize, but Danas spoke up.
"Don't act like none of you had affairs with other Courts. Lady Autumn herself sired the Day Court's child while she was married to Beron."
"You're eighteen, Danas!" Kallias shouted. "Titus is seventeen!"
Danas's icy eyes slid to Feyre. "She was nineteen."
Rhysand growled, low and vicious, but Danas wasn't backing down. "What makes this any different? If anything, it should be less of a deal than you all are making it." He looked Titus over, smirked, and glanced back at the gathered royalty. "It was just a meaningless fuck, it's not like-"
His own mother slapped him across the face but the damage had already been done.
Titus stared hard at the stone floor, trying to keep his expression in check. Around him, everybody seemed to be yelling at Danas and he yelled back, equally impassioned. Equally vicious.
Titus closed his eyes, blocking it out. Blocking it all out.
He let the night cool him, let bursting starlight illuminate the back of his eyelids. It swept away the worst of the day, swept away Danas entirely. Until it was only Titus that existed in this darkness, a forever kind of solitude.
Someone said his name. He couldn't answer. There were hands on his shoulders, shaking him, but they were nothing compared to the hand of night that had taken him.
Pain exploded across his cheek, yanking him back to the here. The now.
Azriel stood before him, scarred hands on his shoulders, hazel eyes wide.
"We're leaving," Rhysand was saying to Viviane, an arm around his mate. Viviane was trying to apologize while Kallias shoved Danas from the room, growling something at him too low for Titus to hear.
"Get me Aralyn, tell her to pack her and her brother's things," Nesta ordered one of the guards, who bowed and raced off.
Azriel pulled Titus to his feet, a rock to keep him from swaying. Cassian nodded to him, a silent conversation passing between them. Mor approached too, taking hold of Titus's other arm. Before he could open his mouth to protest, they winnowed him out of the Winter Court.
X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X
Titus buried himself in his blankets, trying again and again to read nad failing again and again when tears clogged his vision. He'd given up in fear of them falling onto the precious pages.
He staying in his room for hours, marked only by the sunset now in his window. When his stomach screamed at him, he finally bothered to make his way down stairs.
Only his Aunt Mor was there, sipping from a glass of what was probably wine. "Evening, beautiful," she sang.
He scrubbed at his eyes, hoping he didn't look as miserable as he felt. "Where is everyone?" he croaked, going to the pantry.
Mor swirled her gold glass, looking at him over the rim. "At the House of Wind, having a meeting."
"Aralyn?"
"She's there too. You're dad left frosting for a cake he's planning in the icebox. I won't tell anyone if you eat some. Or most. Or all."
A hint of a smile touched his lips as he pulled out the tub and went in search of a spoon.
He sat beside his aunt, poking at the frosting. "So you're on babysitting duty."
"I'm on heart-break duty, and idiot duty-which is what you are. A heart-broken idiot."
He took a spoonful of frosting. "I'm not," he said as he shoved it into his mouth, letting the sugary goodness dissolve on his tongue.
"You just spent seven hours in your room crying and only came out to eat sugar. Believe me, I know what it's like." She tapped her long nails on her glass, giving him a half smile.
He ate another spoonful but left the spoon in his mouth as he asked, "They're talking about me, aren't they?"
She nodded, her full lips pulling into a frown. "Yes, but other things too. Don't worry, there have been problems like this before."
He stabbed at the tub of frosting. "I hate that I caused all this trouble."
"Then you've learned your lesson." She looked at him for a long moment, then put her hand over his, pausing his stabbing. "You can cry, Titus. I would too."
He nodded solemnly, leaned into her arms, and let what he hoped were the last of his tears flow.