It took three weeks. An agonizing three weeks, for Azriel to get just enough evidence to promise Amarantha wouldn't get away. Videos came in like clockwork. Every third day between 10 AM and 11 AM a message from an untraceable email would come to his mail box. He watched as the promise Feyre would be safe was long forgotten. Those emails had gone straight to Azriel after Rhys had watched them through. Azriel took the videos apart, broke apart the code, searched for any clues to the location as he gathered what evidence Amren would need to go after Amarantha once more.

Then something strange happened. Rhys received a text on his phone from a number he didn't know, but he knew by the number itself it wasn't an untraceable one. He opened the message and was greeted with a dark lit room just like Feyre was always in, except the angle was all wrong and the message was being sent to him at 1 AM on the third day rather than the normal time. He was further away from the one lit spot in the room where Feyre indeed was tied to a chair. Bodies were somewhat in front of him but he could still see.

"Tell me what I need to know, Feyre," Amarantha spoke and the screen was pulled back enough Rhys could see it was Amarantha holding a gun to Feyre's temple. Feyre simply turned her head and spit in Amarantha's face. Something Rhys both loved and winced at. Amarantha pulled the trigger and Rhys audibly cried out as Feyre flinched. But no, Feyre's temple had not been shattered by a bullet and she was very much alive. "How many chances at survival do you have Feyre? There is one bullet in here, where is it? How long will you hold out?"

Amarantha repeated the questions and Feyre didn't answer a single one. She flinched each time and Rhys did too, horrified at what had happened. Worse, he could see the light leaving Feyre's eyes with every click of the unloaded gun, the light he had worked so hard to bring back. He counted the number of clicks and realized at the same moment Amarantha did, that there was no bullet in the gun. Someone on her end had failed miserably.

"Looks like you get to live today, Feyre. Perhaps we will try again tomorrow," Amarantha purred. "You know what I want Rhysand. Arrange to meet with me."

Then it went quiet in the room but the video still played. Feyre was carried out and then the lights were brought up. It was then that Rhys saw them all. Saw the faces of every single person in the room. Amarantha and several others he recognized so well from his time dealing with her. Her personal body guard Mr. Attor likely was the one that kept hauling Feyre around. And then he saw Tamlin standing right next to where the phone was shooting and Rhys would bet good marks Lucien Vanserra had had enough of watching someone get tortured, enough to risk his own life.

"Someone didn't load the gun with a blank as I instructed," Amarantha turned around to face them all. "Next time I want every chamber filled with blanks. I want her to scream and I want to see her question which bang will be the one that ends her."

"I will see to it personally this time," Mr. Attor's rasping voice responded.

"Good. Tamlin, come, we have business to discuss. Bring your dog," Amarantha left the room and everyone else filed out, the screen following Tamlin's broad back as they walked, then the camera flashed by a digital clock on the wall with a calendar date digitally displayed and stopped playing. End of video. 12:46 AM that same day. 14 minutes before. And below the clock on the wall was a desk with mail sitting on it, with addresses.

Rhys wasted not one moment as he sent the message on to Azriel and then called him. Azriel to his credit was awake though it was a Tuesday night.

"I don't have enough yet," Azriel reminded him firmly.

"But you will," Rhys promised. "I have reason to believe Lucien Vanserra might be feeling some guilt. I sent you a video I just received anonymously."

"Give me a few minutes," Azriel promised.

Rhys threw himself from the bed and went to the kitchen to wait, rather than sit and feel the cold side of the bed where he had gotten far too used to Feyre being in too short of a time. Her pillow had been pulled into her spot, something for him to hold at night that smelled faintly of her hair, but it was never enough to keep him asleep the way she was.

Azriel's answer came not by phone but by Cassian barging in the door half an hour later. He said nothing as he gripped Rhys' hand and Rhys only had enough time to thank the Mother he had thought to get dressed before his brother dragged him out to the car. They drove for roughly thirty minutes before he saw the commotion Cassian was aiming for. Police cars with flashing lights were surrounding a large manor. A good number of people had been arrested but when Rhys stepped out, Azriel caught him.

"Amarantha is still inside with Feyre," he murmured. "She's got Feyre and herself in some sort of windowless room and has the doors barricaded. They need someone to go in to try and reason with her but the negotiator isn't here yet.

"I'll go. It's me she wants anyway," Rhys stepped forward. He would go, and see Feyre, and try and get her free. Amarantha could have him, if it meant Feyre would have a fighting chance to survive far away from Amarantha and Tamlin.

He went to find the nearest officer and offered himself up. He thought there would be more arguing about him going in but everyone simply nodded and he was given a bullet proof vest under his sweater, a wire to let them hear everything, and let through the caution lines to walk in. Behind him, SWAT teams followed quietly to point him in the right direction.

The manor was something out if a horror film. Dark hallways, old furnishings that gave off creepy feelings, and skulls he wasn't sure were fake held decorations. But he walked through, down into a basement to a closed door.

"Am?" He called through the door. "I'm here to talk. You wanted a meeting right?" He spoke and instantly the door opened. To his surprise she didn't bother looking beyond him to where SWAT members held position.

"Good, we can talk like we did in old times," Amarantha purred at him, seemingly unaware she was in danger at all. "So you got my messages." She led him in to a circular room, the same one Feyre was tortured in and now laid on the floor half conscious. Her head lolled to the side and her dull eyes focused on him.

"Don't," her voice came out a breathy rasp.

"A delight this one has been to make scream. I hope she's still usable for you after we negotiate your company away," Amarantha chuckled.

"Is that what you want? My company?" Rhys asked.

"Your shares, your position, and control of your Board of Directors," she laid out for him. "In exchange, I will leave you in peace."

"How about this?" Rhys grinned at Amarantha. "Don't you remember what fun we had together? Perhaps we should resurrect that arrangement."

"I must say, you're still tempting to this day, but I have my eyes on another. So your company it is." Amarantha circled Feyre as she spoke and finally sat down behind her, pulling Feyre's head onto her lap and began stroking her hair. It was an oddly tender thing for her to do, which made Rhys fear for Feyre all the more.

"I believe my skills have improved. I bet I could make you scream my name over and over again tonight alone," Rhys stepped forward, tried to seduce her. Anything that once would have worked to get her to focus on him and him alone. "I've been quite hungry lately."

"I'd believe that," Amarantha chuckled. "Or I would if there weren't police outside and I wasn't holding the head of your lover in my lap. Oh, don't think I didn't see the way you two looked at each other that day. I knew what she was the moment I laid eyes on you two. Funny little thing never let on, but I could sense it." Amarantha chuckled. "But perhaps I should remove temptation from you. She is a distraction."

Rhys felt his heart quicken as Amarantha's hands went down to the sides of Feyre's head. He needed to lunge in, he needed SWAT to bust through the door, he needed to buy time. But then Amarantha snapped Feyre's head to the side with an audible snap.