Chapter 14
"Maybe if we fist fight you'll feel better." That's how Tamlin started the morning. Nesta had been in a poor mood after Elain and Azriel left yesterday. She burst out laughing the second the words left his mouth.
"What do you mean?" She asked, giggles still leaving her mouth. "Why would I fist fight you?" Let alone the fact that she hasn't trained in weeks and he would probably kick her ass.
"Figured you might feel better." He shrugged. Nesta felt terrible for making Elain leave. She should have asked Azriel to leave but knew that he would never leave Elain there. Not with Tamlin lurking.
"It won't make me feel better." She confirmed. "However, that was funny."
"Glad I could help." He watched as she scooped some eggs onto her fork and shoved it in her mouth. "Are you angry with Feyre?" He asked.
"Why would I be angry with Feyre?" She asked. He didn't answer. "Fine. Yes. But it's my own fault."
"No it's not. Not what you're angry about." She looked up at him. His eyes were soft. Like he was waiting for her to explain her anger.
"It's just…" She started but stopped. He slowly nodded for her to go ahead. "She's happy."
"You're angry at her for being happy?"
"She just… moved on." Nesta set her fork down. "I'm happy that she's happy. Her marriage is a happy one. She's so in love. But I feel like she just left me. They all just left me."
"Have either of you ever told each other how the other felt?" He asked.
"No." She answered, taking a sip of juice. "When would I? I rarely see her alone." She shook her head. "It doesn't really matter, does it?"
"Yes it does."
"Trying to get rid of me?" For some reason that pulled on her heartstrings. She didn't want to leave. He made her feel welcome here. Like he was actually her friend. She doesn't know what she's going to do if he doesn't want her here. He saw the panic flash through her eyes.
"Of course not. I just think that eventually you're going to want to make things right with them."
"And what if I don't want to?"
"Then I guess we'll both be miserable for the rest of existence."
"Glad to have you by my side, my friend." She lifted her glass towards him.
"What?"
"What?"
"You think we're friends?" He asked.
"Are we not?" They spent almost all of their time together. She would start looking at things differently if they weren't. "Sorry." She lowered her glass and set it on the table. "I'll figure something out. I don't have to stay here."
"I want you too." He rested his hand gently on top of hers. "I like having you here. I just think you need to make amends with your sisters. And mate." She wasn't sure how she was going to do that. Given that she wasn't allowed anywhere near the Night Court. And there is no way Rhysand would allow Feyre to come here.
They needed a plan.
"We need a plan." Elain said to Lucien, barging into the sitting room he was sitting in. The entire time he's been here she's been trying her hardest to ignore him but she needed to take her sister's advice.
"Why do we need a plan?" He asked, closing the book he was holding to look at her. Her hair was perfectly styled with a few flowers stuck in the braid on the side of her head.
"We have to save Nesta." He just looked at her. "She doesn't deserve to be banned." Lucien ran his hand through his hair.
"It's not up to me who is banned."
"But maybe you could talk to Rhys. He'll listen to you before he listens to me." She whined, leaning over the back of the couch across from him.
"He won't listen to me. Not when it comes to Nesta. We all know he doesn't like her." He commented, setting the book to the side. He thought the conversation would be a quick one. With the way Elain was looking at him he knew that he was in trouble. He would do anything for her and she was going to use it to her advantage.
"And she doesn't like him. But know who likes each other?" She asked, raising her eyebrows at him. He was amused by this conversation. "Nesta and Cassian." She confirmed with one single nod of her head.
"Didn't they break up?" He asked.
"Yes." She moved around the couch and sat on it across from him, leaning towards him. He didn't make a move. He didn't want to scare her away. Not when she was asking for his help. "But we could at least try to get them back together." Thankfully Lucien had not seen Elain when she came home crying, or her fight with Cassian because she knew that there would have been a fight and that was more than she could handle at the moment.
"I don't know if I wanna get in the middle of whatever is going on in this court."
"I personally think we should be right there in the middle of it." He sighed.
"Look, I am all for you seeing your sister but I think we need to take a step back when it comes to her and Cassian. He is the lord of bloodshed and I like my blood inside my body."
"He won't hurt me."
"Yeah, you. He could hurt me if he wanted." She sighed.
"Come on, Lucien!" She whined. The way she said his name made his heart clench. Fuck they were both in way over their heads.
"Okay, fuck it. What's the plan?"
Nesta was dying. Not really but she couldn't stand being in the house for one more second. The gardens weren't helping. It had been weeks since she saw Elain and Elain hadn't tried coming to see her again.
"What if I broke into the Night Court?" Nesta asked Tamlin as they walked through town.
"I think you would be killed immediately." He answered. He kept close to her. Close enough that she could feel the heat coming off his body.
"Really?"
"I don't think Rhys would hesitate."
"But Cassian would." He looked over at her.
"Are you sure?" Was she sure? She had no idea if he would hurt her. He was so angry with her she had no idea.
"No." It pained her that she didn't know what he would do. Any other time Cassian would have protected her. He would have gone to war to make sure that she was safe. Now she wasn't so sure. "He hates me so much."
Nesta would never know peace. Not now, knowing that Cassian didn't love her anymore. She hated herself. Hated that she was the reason that Cassian broke the bond. She wished they had just talked it out. She knew that they could have made it all better if they had just talked.
For a while she thought that he would come and save her. That he would come and take her away from Tamlin and bring her back. That he would protect her from Rhys and Mor. But when that didn't happen, she had lost all hope. No one was coming to save her.
Lucien knew it was a bad idea. But, Elain had her bag packed and was ready to go.
"You remember the plan?" She whispered, meeting him in the hallway just as the sun was starting to rise.
"Yes." He whispered back. He had no idea if they were going to make it to the Spring Court but they were going to try. He had no idea how to get them out of Velaris without anyone seeing them or realizing.
"What are you doing?" Azriel asked, making Elain jump. Lucien sighed. They hadn't even left the house yet.
"None of your business." Elain tilted her chin up at him. Lucien found her very amusing.
"Where are you going, Elain?" He looked at her bag.
"Anywhere but here." She answered. The plan was to get out of Velaris and head to the Spring Court. Hopefully Tamlin would take them both in.
"You're just going to leave your pregnant sister?" He asked. He knew that he could use Feyre to try to change her mind.
"She has Rhysand. She'll be fine."
"It's not the same as having a sister."
"She should have thought about that before banning one of them." They were wasting too much time and someone was going to wake up and find the three of them in the hallway. "Goodbye, Azriel."
Azriel watched them go before going to get Rhys.
"Elain!" Nesta shrieked the second she saw her sister walking up the walkway. "What are you doing here?" She smiled.
"Came to save you."
"I didn't realize I needed saving." Nesta joked.
"Well I guess it's not saving if I'm staying." Elain smiled.
"What? You're staying?" Tamlin was going to have an aneurysm. Lucien was right behind her, holding a bag. Elain just nodded. Nesta thought that Elain would be happy here. But knew that they needed to watch their backs.
Rhys swears he's never had a day of peace since he got back from Under the Mountain. Azriel woke him up way too damn early. He didn't like the fact that he was naked wrapped around his mate when Azriel barged in.
By the time Rhys had gotten dressed, Lucien and Elain were gone. He didn't think that it would take them very long to get out of here. He shoved Azriel out into the hallway. He did not need Feyre upset the second she woke up. He really just wanted everyone to fuck off. They did not need this added stress.
"If Elain has decided to leave then she has the right to make that decision."
"We need to go after her." Azriel argued.
"No. We do not." Rhys answered. "We are not storming into Tamlin's court and demanding that he give us back Elain. She wasn't stolen. She left of her own free will."
"What's going on?" Feyre asked, wrapping a robe tighter around her body as she opened the door. Her hair was all over the place and she looked exhausted.
"Nothing."
"Elain just left with Lucien."
"To go where?"
"I'm assuming to the Spring Court." Azriel answered.
"Oh." Rhys sighed. "Was she stolen?"
"No." Feyre nodded. "She left with Lucien." He confirmed.
"I want to go see Nesta." Feyre said, turning to Rhys.
"No. Absolutely not." He shook his head.
"I wasn't asking." She headed off to get cleaned up.
"I'm going to kill you." Rhys muttered to Azriel before slamming the bedroom door. He really did not like this idea.
Nesta didn't even get to enjoy Elain's presence for two hours before Rhys was busting down the front door, Feyre hot on his heels.
"Great." Nesta muttered. She didn't care what either of them had to say. There would be no forgiving them for banning her from their court.
"How could you just leave?!" Feyre snapped at Elain. Elain just rolled her eyes.
"The same way you could just ban Nesta."
"You will not speak to your High Lady like that." Rhys always used their status to control them. "Nesta will stay banned and you will come home."
"No. I'm staying here with Nesta and Lucien." It broke Feyre's heart that neither of her sisters would be there.
"You don't want to be home anymore?"
"It was never home, Feyre." Elain answered. "We both know that."
"What about helping me through my pregnancy?" The selfish part of Nesta wondered why Feyre never said anything to her. Hadn't even looked at her.
"I'll be there whenever you need me. But you've made it clear who you would support and protect." Elain didn't blame Feyre. The Inner Circle would protect their own to their last breath. But Elain needed to be here with Nesta who was alone trying to protect herself from everyone.
"No. You're coming back with us." Rhys grabbed Elain and Feyre before winnowing them away.
"What the fuck!" Nesta jumped up. "He's so fucking controlling!"
"To be fair, I didn't think it would work."