Hey guys! I wasn't planning on doing another chapter so soon but I am so excited about continuing to see where this story takes us. I know my chapters haven't been very long so far but the shorter they are, the more regularly I can update so hopefully that will compensate for them being fairly short. Please let me know if you see any mistakes so I can change them. I hope you enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think!
Chapter 2
I woke up to the feeling of hard stone beneath my face and quiet mumbles nearby. 'Go get Lord Tamlin,' one of them demanded in a harsh whisper before footsteps followed, scurrying out of the room. I kept my eyes firmly shut as I tried to remember what had happened and how I had got there. Think Feyre, think, I silently commanded myself. Suddenly, a wave of memories burst into my mind, almost causing me to open my eyes, before I hastily regained my composure. I was still in the Spring Court, still without Rhys and still stuck with Tamlin. Great! And not only that, but my nightmares had returned, night after night, haunting me not only in my sleep but in my waking hours also. An empty feeling filled my body as I thought about how Rhysand's nightmares will have come back too. We were both suffering yet too far apart to do anything to ease the other's pain. I gently stroked the bond between us. It was weak but still there and I was determined to make it strong again.
My mind flicked back to the fact that I was woken by voices and I muttered a savage curse in my head as I thought about how Tamlin still refused to leave me unattended. I am not a child! I do not need babysitting! How dare he assume I was a delicate little doll, so easy to break. If only he knew who I really was, the powers I possessed, maybe then he wouldn't be so quick to make all my decisions for me. As though my thoughts had summoned him, heavy footsteps sounded from outside the room. 'What do you mean she's laying on the floor?' he demanded, his voice hard and commanding. He must have seen me because before I even had time to process what was happening, Tamlin was beside me, pulling me onto his lap. It was an effort not to cringe and flee from his grasp as he stroked my hair and murmured what I was sure was meant to be calming words into my ear. I wanted to vomit my guts up all over again at the breath that caressed my cheek but I just clenched my jaw as he lifted me and carried me back into the room he had stuck me in upon arriving back in the Spring Court last week. That thought struck me and I realised with a jolt that it really had been a week. A week without my mate. A week without my family. A week without my home. I had no idea how long I would be able to last in this prison. Tamlin must have sensed my distress as he laid me down onto the bed because he began stroking my hair again and resumed his murmuring.
When he realised I wasn't going to wake any time soon, he finally left my side and shut the door, probably to make me think I was alone, but I knew there were at least two guards stationed outside my doors to alert their almighty High Lord that I was awake. Once I heard the door snick shut, I waited at least five minutes before slowly opening my eyes. I was relieved when I looked around the room and found it empty; so relieved that I finally allowed my face to fall back into the permanent scowl I had acquired since arriving here and now reserved for when I was alone.
My heart leaped into my throat as I heard a cheery 'Hello' followed by Alis' small form breezing out of the washroom. I quickly scrambled to plaster a smile on my face as I dipped my head in a greeting. 'How are you feeling?' Alis asked. 'You looked deathly pale when we found you this morning,' she stated. I was so taken aback by the fact that Alis had been here this whole time and yet even my fae hearing hadn't sensed her, that I just stared at her. 'Oh dear, do close your mouth, all your gawking ruins that pretty face of yours,' she said, winking at me as I continued to stare. 'Oh, and do tell me why I found you passed out on the floor this morning,' she said. Her tree bark skin glistened in places like strands of silver as she pulled open the curtains, letting the sunlight pour into the room. She was so motherly that I replied before I could stop myself, 'I- I had a nightmare and…' my words trailed off into silence as I recalled last night's dream. Alis' face softened as she came and sat beside me on the bed. 'I hadn't realised your nightmares had returned dear,' she said softly, placing a hand on my knee whilst the other tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. A nodded silently in understanding and my heart swelled as she said, 'If you ever wake up like that again and you need someone, I'm always here.' I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around her neck as I mumbled, 'Thank you Alis' into her neck. Gently, I released her and she held my hands in hers. 'Now,' she began shaking her head, to clear the emotion from her face. She gripped my hands firmer as she looked into my eyes and said, 'Why were you pretending to be asleep when Tamlin was here? Why did you lie Feyre?' At that, my heart stopped and my breath caught painfully in my throat as she continued to stare deep into my eyes.
So that is all for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Hopefully I will be adding another chapter soon but I would love to hear what you guys think about the story so far as well as your thoughts and feelings on ACOTAR and ACOMAF as I loved reading them and would love to discuss them with you guys. Thanks!