I watched her take in her surroundings—heard her reluctant awe.

"This is my private residence," I told her, attempting to be casual.

She scanned me with those cunning, calculating eyes. I didn't need to read her thoughts to see the anger boiling in her eyes.

"How dare you—" she started fiercely.

I snorted, fondly remembering her short temper. "I certainly missed that look on your face...you're welcome, you know"

"For what?" she asked, staring at me with those wide, blue-gray eyes.

"For saving you when asked."

She stiffened. "I didn't ask for anything."

I looked pointedly at her left hand before grabbing hold of it and ripping her glove off.

"I heard you begging someone, anyone, to rescue you, to get you out. I heard you say no."

"I didn't say anything."

I turned her bare hand over—the fingers thin and long like an artists'—, and examined the eye i'd tattooed. "I heard it loud and clear."

She wrenched my hand away as if she was burned by my touch. "Take me back. Now. I didn't want to be stolen away."

"What better time to take you here? Maybe Tamlin didn't notice you were about to reject him in front of his entire court—maybe you can now simply blame it on me." I replied, shrugging.

"You're a bastard. You made it clear enough that I had … reservations."

I fought to hide my smile. "Such gratitude, as always."

"What do you want from me?" she asked, sounding tired.

"Want? I want you to say thank you, first of all. Then I want you to take off that hideous dress. You look … You look exactly like the doe-eyed damsel he and that simpering priestess want you to be."

"You don't know anything about me. Or us." she said, though I could hear in her thoughts that a part of her agreed with me.

"Does Tamlin? Does he ever ask you why you hurl your guts up every night, or why you can't go into certain rooms or see certain colors?" I asked, the rage starting to show itself.

"Get the hell out of my head." She said, horrified.

Ha. "Likewise." I replied, lashing out in frustration. "You think I enjoy being awoken every night by visions of you puking? You send everything right down that bond, and I don't appreciate having a front-row seat when I'm trying to sleep."

"Prick."

I couldn't help but chuckle. She even adresses me like the rest of my family members.

"As for what else I want from you … " I gestured to the house behind us. "I'll tell you tomorrow at breakfast. For now, clean yourself up. Rest." I couldn't hide the rage in my eyes as I once again looked at that disgusting dress. "Take the stairs on the right, one level down. Your room is the first door."

"Not a dungeon cell?" She asked, sounding sincerely worried.

That she thought he would truly imprison her...after all she'd been through..

"You are not a prisoner, Feyre. You made a bargain, and I am calling it in. You will be my guest here, with the privileges of a member of my household. None of my subjects are going to touch you, hurt you, or so much as think ill of you here."

"And where might those subjects be?"

"Some dwell here—in the mountain beneath us." I told her, gauging her reaction. "They're forbidden to set foot in this residence. They know they'd be signing their death warrant."

I could smell her terror.

"Amarantha wasn't very creative. My court beneath this mountain has long been feared, and she chose to replicate it by violating the space of Prythian's sacred mountain. So, yes: there's a court beneath this mountain—the court your Tamlin now expects me to be subjecting you to. I preside over it every now and then, but it mostly rules itself."

"When—when are you taking me there?"

I'd beg him—beg him not to take me. I didn't care how pathetic it made me. I'd lost any sort of qualms about what lines I'd cross to survive.

As if i'd think she was pathetic...when I had crossed the most distasteful lines to survive Amarantha.

"I'm not. This is my home, and the court beneath it is my … occupation, as you mortals call it. I do not like for the two to overlap very often."

Her brows rose slightly. " 'You mortals'?"

Her heart was mortal as ever.

"Should I consider you something different?" I asked, amused by her indignation.

"And the other denizens of your court?" she asked, refusing to play along.

"Scattered throughout, dwelling as they wish. Just as you are now free to roam where you wish."

"I wish to roam home."

I laughed, unable to resist taunting her. "I'm willing to accept your thanks at any time, you know".

Something hard and small slammed into the back of my head.

I spun around to face her, touching my head where a bruise would definitely form.

Anger flared in my bones.

"I dare you." I snarled at her.

True to form, she took of her other shoe and flung it towards me. I snatched it up inches from my face, and dissolved it to dust.

It had been a long time since anything had surprised me...but that shoe…

I studied her carefully— that level of strength was not normal for regular high fae.

"Interesting," I murmured, turning away before she decided to throw something sharper.