A.N. I honestly don't think you guys are ready for this chapter, but I know I am! Reviews make the world go round.

My ex-man brought his new girlfriend

She's like "Oh, my god!" but I'm just gonna shake.

And to the fella over there with the hella good hair

Won't you come on over, baby? We can shake, shake, shake

"Shake It Off" -Taylor Swift

This is possibly the worst day in a long while Nesta decides. She can really only think of a handful of times worse than this, and certainly none since "The Incident" with 'He-whom-we-do-not-speak-of'. And now, on top of everything that's happened tonight, that particular he is standing before her. She wants to vomit.

The panic is back in full force, but the area around the bar is too crowded for her to squeeze through again, especially now that he's noticed her. She steels herself, forcing the terror into a much more familiar feeling. Rage. She can do this, Nesta tells herself. Can get through seeing him, and whatever nonsense he wants to spew at her. And if he wants to be a shit and cause a scene, well then she'll let him have it, then get the hell out of here.

And if she's lucky he'll avoid running into either of her sisters. Feyre can take care of herself and on the off chance she can't, then she's got her husband. But if he does happen upon Elain, then the Mother and the Cauldron save him. She'll make what she did to Cassian look like nothing.

"Nesta," he says, and her skin crawls at the proprietary tone he's using. She needs a shower, or seven, or maybe just dumped into a vat of sanitizer from the lecherous way he's ogling her.

"Tomas," she spits. There's enough venom in her voice to stop an elephant, but somehow he's not even phased. Instead the smirk on his face just grows wider.

"Fancy seeing you here," he says.

"Save it," Nesta says. She squares herself, like a solider bracing himself for battle, and shoots him her darkest look, hoping that if she pours enough fire and ice and steal behind her eyes that it will scare him off. But Tomas hasn't ever been the smartest guy around. Not for the first time Nesta wonders what she really saw in him when they'd started dating.

"Aw come on baby," Tomas says, reaching to stroke a finger down her cheek. Nesta flinches and tries to slap his hand away.

"No." The word is firm and so is her stance.

Tomas looks like he's going to say something, but a red headed woman, who looks to be barely more a girl and is dressed in an impossibly small dress, shimmies to his side. He looks down with a smirk, and graces Nesta with the sight of possibly what is the most revolting kiss she's ever seen. There's tongue and saliva and slurping sounds that will haunt Nesta's nightmares. A perfect time for her to escape while he's distracted, but his eyes remain open, watching her, as he makes out with this girl. When she moves to leave, turns away from the bar and takes a single step, Tomas grabs her hand. He won't let go, and he's still making out with the girl. She must have her eyes closed because his eyebrows crinkle in a devious smile, and winks at Nesta. She's going to be sick. Throw up right on his shoes and then he'll leave her the hell alone. But before she gets the chance the girl peels back from his face with a wet sticky sound.

"Have you met my new girl?" he asks. His voice is sickeningly sweet, and Nesta's stomach turns again at the sound. "Ammie, this is Nesta. You know. The one I was telling you about."

He still has her hand, and now he's rubbing the back of it with his thumb. Tomas's free hand wraps around the bare skin of Ammie's waist, knuckles brushing against the underside of her breast. She needs to get out of here, get out of there right now or she's going to be sick. So she attempts to jerk her hand free, but pain shoots up Nesta's arm as he tightens his grip. His girlfriend's grin is almost a vicious as Tomas' is and now Nesta is frantic. A feeling she's not used to and never wants to feel again.

Tomas goes to say something more, but doesn't get the chance before someone calls her name. While she doesn't need some knight in shining armor to save her, she's never been happier to hear her own name in her life and she could sob in relief.

Cassian.

Cassian makes it to the bar. With her short stature, he isn't sure if he'll be able to find Nesta right away, or even if he's gone in the right direction. But something in his gut tells him that's she's gone this way, and his gut has yet to steer him wrong. Sure enough, he finds her, but something in his soul screeches at him that there's something wrong with what he's seeing. He pauses, surveying the scene to gather more information before jumping headlong into battle.

Her stance is wrong. She's standing there like a warrior princess braced for battle and while he expected that after their encounter earlier, it's who the look is directed at that's got him so confused. Nesta is glaring daggers at some guy, some guy who Cassian can only describe as some douche who's got some chick clinging to his arm and who's looking at Nesta like he owns her. From what Cassian can tell, and the look she's giving him that he'd never want to be on the receiving end of, she's holding her own.

But regardless of how well she's handling herself, Cassian isn't about to abandon her. No man left behind. Cassian calls her name and when her head whips to the side and her posture shifts, he knows that his presence is more than welcome. He strolls up to her, adjusting his gait to a lethal causality, and slides up to her side.

"Cassian," Nesta breathes, and it sounds too much like a sigh of relief for his comfort. "Tomas, this my boyfriend Cassian. Cassian, Tomas."

She gives him a look, that if he's interpreting correctly screams, 'For the love of all things holy just please, please, play along,' at him. So he wraps an arm around her shoulder, drawing her into the protective hollow beneath his arm. Cassian presses a kiss into her hair. Just an act, he tells himself, this is just an act and that he stops to breath in her scent is just part of the show. If he enjoys the way her shampoo smells of vanilla and a floral scent he can't place, or the way that she leans into his side, small frame fitting snugly into the nook beneath his arm like she's been made for it, it's not that big of a deal.

Cassian reaches to shake Tomas' hand, and squeezes it hard. Enough to feel the bones shift and Tomas winces. It may be petty and incredibly alpha male of him to establish dominance like this, but the hungry glint in his eye that he has when he looks at Nesta, even with a girl on his own arm makes Cassian want to wring the scrawny bastard's neck.

"You left for drinks and when you didn't come back to the table, Nes, I got worried," he says looking down at her. Something flashes in her eyes, and Cassian figures he's pushing it with the nickname.

"I ran into Tomas, and we got to talking," Nesta explains.

She shifts on her feet, pressing in closer to his side. One hand goes around his side, the other resting on his chest with a casual grace and something deep inside him purrs at the contact, however small. If Cassian didn't feel her trembling, out of fear or anger he can't tell, he'd believe their act. That this is just a normal Friday night out for the two of them and that they're happily in love. But then she says something, so minuscule and in such an offhanded tone that he almost doesn't catch it.

"You remember me telling you about Tomas," she says, and it's then that Cassian realizes who he is, and why Nesta's clinging to him; why she's shaking. In an instant, he's consumed with rage. Complete and utter rage that boils through his veins. His fist clenches, so tightly that his knuckles turn white.

"Really?" he asks, a growl building in the back of his throat.

He's shaking now. Shaking with the pent up need to pound the asshat in front of him, the one who doesn't even have the decency to look concerned at his tone, into the ground.

But Nesta sees it. Feels the muscles in his chest pull taut, his grip on her shoulder tighten to where it's almost painful. Feels the growl rumbling and the overall atmosphere of the conversation shift to a much more hostile one. And for all her talk of wanting to cause a scene, Nesta just wants to get out of there.

"Cas," she says, and he's too busy glaring at Tomas to hear her, so she calls his name again, this time with more force behind it. "Cassian." Cassian looks down at her, sees the almost imperceptible shake of her head. He goes to ignore her, but she flashes her pretty blue eyes at him and says, "I changed my mind. I'm not thirsty anymore. Still up for that dance?"

Nesta graces him with a half smile, and adds a please. There's so much desperation and meaning behind that one word that he can't help but give in. So without another word, he takes her hand, and walks her out to the dance floor.