Chapter 10

To my horror, all corridors looked just the same. They were wide, scarcely lit, and stretched shitloads of miles to the left and right. Panic-stricken and exhausted, I couldn't go back to Meleri's bedroom or trace the way to the study. Wherever my feet took me to and whatever doors I opened on the way, I always ended up in the same place – a round dim room with a black table and two chairs in the middle and a couple of bookcases against the walls.

After wandering about for hours, or at least it seemed so, I had no idea where I was anymore. I had no map, no food, and surely no clue what I was going to do next.

Now, sitting on the floor cross-legged, all I could do was stare into space and try not to cry. I knew I was lost. I knew I should have stayed in Meleri's bedroom and waited for her to return with some clothes for me. But I was stupid enough to unleash my curiosity and look where it got me. Straight to hell.

I'm going to stay in this damn room forever, I thought and leant my head against the wall. And I'm going to die here and never go back home. Never see my family. Good God, I'm too young to die. With my eyes closed, I sighed but didn't hear a thing. My eyes popped open.

"What?" I said but nothing came out of my mouth. "Oh, no." And again.

Slowly, I rose up and looked around the room. I noticed there was only one table and two chairs inside because the bookcases were gone. "Where are they?" I asked inaudibly, having forgotten myself. Yeah, right.

Really frightened, I approached the three pieces of furniture that were left, and, setting my eyes upon the table in front of me, I touched its top with my fingertips. Yet, there was nothing odd about it – it was just a normal table.

So what is going on?, I thought, desperately wanting this to end. I closed my eyes and let out a sob. That was it for me. My mind was pushed to the limit and I was fed up to the freaking back teeth. "Please, stop it," I said speechlessly to no one in particular. "Please."

I sensed that something changed.

My eyes were still closed when I felt goose bumps all over my body. Then, I got the impression that something tingly and warm was pressing against the top of my hand and back.

"Took you long enough, princess." I heard a whisper in my ear and smelt something nice and sweet. "Come on, wake up, honey."

Unable to open my eyes, I noticed that the tingly sensation disappeared but I still felt warmth against my back and neck. It seemed like someone was nuzzled up to me but it was impossible. I was alone in the room, wasn't I?

"Alexandra, wake up," a husky male voice said in my ear. "Come on, lovely Alexandra. You can do it, honey."

I moaned, still lost in the room, still unable to open my eyes.

"Lexi?"

"Wake up."

"Lexi!"

Unexpectedly, I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was a worried face that belonged to a small girl. I didn't know where the hell I was or what I was doing. All I knew was that my heart was pounding and I heard a breath of relief from behind me. Looking around, I saw I was in a dim room, surrounded by some young people who were observing me intently but whom I didn't recognise.

"Thank the Mother," a female voice said. Then, I was approached by a dark-haired girl who looked really concerned. "Lexi, are you all right?" she asked.

I knew her voice.

"Give her a moment, Cerys," the male husky voice breathed again in my ear. Closing my eyes, I tried to clear my thoughts. I knew this voice too. "Sometimes it takes longer to come to your senses."

"Told you it was a very bad idea."

"Everything's fine. No one's got hurt."

"This time, Ciaran."

"Ah, stop it, sister. Rin had it all under control, didn't you?"

"Hmm."

"See? You can stop holding her, Rin. I don't know who's enjoying it more."

"Shut your mouth."

Slowly, everything was clearing in my head. The warmth I felt behind me disappeared and I was feeling cold. I remembered my journey through the light to Prythian and meeting Rhysand's family. I remembered I was invited to stay at Meleri's bedroom and decided to wander about the house when she offered to find some clothes. But I didn't remember how I got here. Or why I was now lying on my back dressed in the bathrobe Feyre gave me. Little by little, I opened my eyes and saw Meleri's face in front of me. "What happened, Melly?" I croaked, barely recognising my own voice.

"We–"

Cerys cut in, "We tricked you. Well, Rian did the whole thing but we participated in it."

"What do you mean you tricked me?" I asked, suddenly feeling scared.

"Well, we wanted to check if you're telling the truth and asked Rian to read your mind once again. This time… more personally." She started playing with her fingers and avoided eye contact. "He couldn't do this that way so he put you in some sort of… hallucination and tried to penetrate your mind. But it didn't work either."

"So we've decided to bring you back," Ciaran said. "For safety reasons, of course."

"That's very fucking kind of you," I spat and covered my eyes with my hand. Ciaran giggled. "How long have I been out?"

"About ten minutes," Rian answered.

I sat up on the sofa I was lying on and looked at him. The heir to the Night Court was sitting on a low chest of drawers with his arms crossed and regarding me carefully. The shadows around him were gone. "I thought it was hours," I said.

"No, just ten minutes. You might feel a bit uneasy now. But it will eventually go away."

Shooting him a discontent look, I grunted, "Thank you, Doctor House."

That was unbelievable. I had never thought that a bunch of idiots would someday decide to read my mind, naturally without asking for my permission, and no one would even apologise for that. They didn't seem remorseful at all. They were all just standing there and staring at me as if I were some kind of exotic animal brought for their entertainment.

Come to think of it, I did feel like a unique specimen around them. After all, they were High Fae, very powerful magical creatures able to walk into another person's mind, control the elements and shapeshift, and I was a boring human being. Well, I was told I was merely an ordinary mortal, wasn't I?

Setting my eyes upon Rian, I waited for him to look at me. When our eyes met, I stood up and started walking towards him. "Did you get the answers you were looking for, Tinkerbell?" I asked, coming to a stop right in front of him.

With Rian still sitting on the chest of drawers, our eyes were at the same level. Only now did I notice the vast blueness of his eyes and his incredible mouth that had just quirked to the side. It wasn't a smile yet but it made his face even more beautiful. It's a shame that you are such an arsehole, I thought, studying him.

Suddenly, his shadows reappeared as if someone switched on some dark light. I trembled and wanted to draw back but I wasn't going to satisfy him with my reaction so I didn't move. Sadly, Rian noticed the shiver that ran through me because he leant forward slightly and said quietly, "No, I didn't."

I gritted my teeth and then answered, "Well, that was your one and only chance, Tinkerbell. Next time, I don't know how, but you're gonna regret doing that."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Got it."

I took a step back, ready to return to the sofa when I heard a door creak open behind me. Turning around, I saw a tall, well-built guy with wings tucked in tight to his body who was standing in the doorway. He stepped into the room and grunted with a Scottish accent, "Rinny, we have a pro–"

His dark eyes immediately darted to me and a flirty smile touched his lips. "Hello, there," he said. "I didn't know we had company."

The winged Illyrian – because he had to be an Illyrian – had black hair and was dressed in dark leather. There was a long sword sheathed down his back and gAuntlets with blue stones on his hands. For a moment, I wondered if that was the famous Cassian or Azriel but a movement behind me drew my attention from that.

Turning around, I saw that Rian stood up and faced me. I had to lift my head to look at him when he said, "You know, lovely Alexandra, I suspected you would sneak out of her room so I waited for you and used my magic. Though I can't read your mind, apparently, I'm able to play tricks on it." He flashed me a cocky smile and winked.

"Fuck off," I snapped.

Rian laughed and approached the Illyrian who asked him in awe, "Where by the Cauldron did you find this woman?"

But it was Cerys who answered him, "Meleri kidnapped her." Then she got out of her chair and joined the two guys with Ciaran at her side.

"Did she? I didn't know you were able to go rogue, little cousin." The tall Illyrian flashed Meleri a smile.

"Well, it wasn't exactly a kidnapping," Meleri muttered, glancing at me. "It was more of… a journey."

"Cousin? He's your cousin?" I asked.

"This is Conri, Aunt Nesta and Uncle Cassian's son," Ciaran explained and slid his hands into his pockets. "Our cousin."

"So they are together?" I beamed and came closer to the door. "Nesta and Cassian are together. Like together together?"

Cassian's son exchanged a look with Rian and lifted his brows. "Err… Yes?"

"So you're their child? Their only one?" When he nodded, I exclaimed, "Wow. You're Nesta and Cassian's baby. That's so sweet! I have been always shipping them."

"Shipping?" Conri asked with uncertainty in his voice.

"Yeah. I mean… you know, supporting their relationship and everything." I stared at him for a while. "That's so fucking awesome. Cassian's baby. Rhysand's babies. Who else has a baby? Morrigan? Does Morrigan have a child? What about that golden-hair bastard? Does he too?"

Rian sighed. "He's dead."

I looked at him. "Tamlin's dead?"

"Yes."

After a while, I said, "I'm not even sorry."

"Me neither." Rian crossed his arms and set his eyes upon the Illyrian. "So what's the problem, Conri? Is it serious?"

"I'll tell you on the way to the House." Conri left the room and the five of us followed him. "I'll need the help of the grown-ups, Melly." He stopped when he spotted my little kidnapper at the back of the group. "And those who are dressed properly." Conri's eyes were moving up my body and I realised I was still wearing that damn bathrobe. I really had to change.

Crossing my arms, I said, "What? It's not my fault I'm wearing a damn robe."

Cerys rolled her eyes. "Melly will show you to her bedroom again where you'll find some clothes, Lexi, and in the meantime, we will deal with the problem." She cast a smile at Conri and opened her arms. Reluctantly, Cassian's son embraced her, and before anyone of us could say anything, the four of them had disappeared.

"I hate when you're doing that," I told Meleri.

She started walking down the corridor so I followed her. "And I hate when they're leaving me behind," she said angrily.

"Hey, don't worry." I flashed her a smile but she didn't even look at me. "Your siblings care about you and that's why they don't want to expose you to any kind of danger."

When Meleri didn't say anything, I went on, "I always try to protect both of my sisters. And sometimes they don't like it either, just like you. But I'm their elder sister. It's my job to look after them."

I glanced at my little kidnapper to see if I convinced her, even to a small degree, but she was still angry so I stopped babbling.

After some time, we reached her bedroom. There, I saw lots of clothes on her bed. "You can choose anything you want," she said and sat down in the armchair next to a big window. "The bathroom is over there. I'll wait here."

So I grabbed the clothes and entered her bathroom. I knew I sucked with children.

Pronunciation guide:

Conri = [cun - ree] (meaning: wolf king)