I wake up to the sound of sobbing. I slowly lift my body off the cold stone floor. I try to remember where I am, but all I can remember is the sweet scent of roses before pain.
My skull pounds, I quickly turn my head to figure out what is going on.
"Look who decided to wake up." Nesta sneers.
"What is going on?" I ask.
"We were kidnapped. You were unfortunate to be at the wrong place at the wrong time." She states.
I sigh "Yeah that sounds like something that would happen to me. Is Elain here too?"
The sobbing gets louder at the mention of her name. I turn my head and open my arms. Soon Elain is in my arms crying into my shoulder. I quietly start to stroke her head.
"You tried to give my life away for hers," I state plainly. The memories of last night suddenly clear in my head.
The only sound that could be heard was Elain's whimpering. With what felt like an eternity Nesta responds.
"Yes, and I would do it a thousand times over. You are nothing compared to Elain. She is the only thing that I must protect."
Her words sting, but I know it only stems from the deep love she has for Elain.
I nod, "I understand. I will play your game if it means she can survive."
Nesta doesn't say anything, but she crawls over to where we sat and holds my hand as we silently comfort the sweet Elain who did not deserve this treatment.
Eventually, the guards loudly separate us and lead us to another room. We are shoved to the ground and roughly kicked around. As I try to stand up I hear a desperate voice shouting to let us go.
I wish I was able to see what was going on, but the only thing around me was darkness.
"Nesta. Elain. Annalise. Hybern, let my sisters go." A voice demands. I try to remember where I have heard that voice.
"My sweet Feyre. You have been keeping secrets. Ianthe only told me of two sisters, not a third." A sinister voice calls.
"Never mind, we are here for a bigger show. Our lovely queens want to see that the power of the Cauldron holds. Put the pretty one in first." Hybern sneers.
I hear the sounds of Elain sobbing until there is a sickening silence. Nesta is thrashing around trying to get to her. I hear the sound of a giant splash before I hear Elain's gentle breath again.
I didn't realize I was not breathing until felt the relief that Elain was okay.
"Now the hellcat," Hybern demands.
Nesta has been pulled away from me and I can hear the struggling of her going into the water. She is still screaming as she is submerged.
For what seemed like an eternity I hear the slosh of the cauldron.
"Finally the secret sister. Just to prove that the power holds." Hybern states nervously. Almost as if he didn't think it would work a third time.
I felt hands lift me in the air. I had no idea where I was going. Until I felt the burning of the water surrounding me. It was as if all my senses were cut off. I got used to the darkness, but not being able to hear or smell anything let me break.
I thrashed around until a soft voice entered my head.
"My darling. You have lived a life of despair. Yet your heart is still pure. You have fought for so long. Please don't give up now. Fight."
It was a voice I thought was lost forever. My mother. The one I watched die in front of my eyes.
Thousands of memories flood into my mind. Every moment in my life I get back with striking detail. It was as if I was woken up from a nightmare that would not end.
"You don't have a lot of time. You need to decide. Are you going to continue fighting? Or do you want to join your family in the afterlife? They are waiting for you."
I see the faces of my siblings I never thought I would see again. I wanted that more than anything, but then I saw my Fae.
The magic I thought was lost. She needed me more than ever. I started to try to pry my way out of the water. As I blindly start to thrash in the water I let out a scream.
The water in the cauldron started to bubble over. The steam rose from the upper lip. Everyone in the throne room gasped as Annalise floated from the depths. The scars that covered her body disappeared. She was glowing as the steam lifted her out of the darkness.
Her piercing scream ripped through the throne room. Hybern and Rhysand quickly lifted a protective shield over those in the room as the steam turned into daggers and shout from the air and struck those unprotected in the heart. Dozens of guards lie dead around the room.
Without missing a beat, Annalise dropped gently to the ground and opened her golden eyes, and looked right into the eyes of her chosen sister.
"Hello Feyre," she whispered "Did you miss me?"
People in the room were deadly silent. She scanned the room taking in her new eyesight. Everything was crystal clear.
Her gaze finally met those of the golden man. The man she thought she would never see again. The golden glow was brighter than it was under the mountain. He was breath-taking.
His jaw was on the ground as he muttered softly. "Mate"
Hybern let out a laugh that seemed to bring the room back into focus. "It seemed you choose the wrong sister Tamlin."
With those words, the room erupted into chaos. I saw Elain and Nesta disappear into thin air and the men surrounded by Feyre disappear.
I was left in the room with Feyre, Tamlin, and Lucien. Tamlin still was staring at me like I was the sun. The golden cord that bound us together showed brightly.
However, the awe was shattered when Feyre ran into his arms and sobbed into his shoulder about the horrors of the night court.
He held her in his arms as he stared at me. Eventually, he broke eye contact with me and stabbed me in the heart with his words.
"I will never let you go again, my love." He whispers and kissed Feyre. She kisses back, but I hear her soft voice in my head.
"Trust me, Anna. Please." Feyre's voice fills my head. I straighten my back like I have done all my life and put that cold mask right back onto my face.
I am Annalise. A killer.