Chapter 5.1

Staring at him with disbelief, I wondered how this could even happen.

In my mind, I retraced everything I had done tonight, starting with waking up in the middle of the night to check the front door, and ending with finding a floating ball of light in our garden and being transported to a magical place. No matter how many times I tried to comprehend the whole situation, nothing was adding up.

I was perfectly aware that Rhysand was a character from a series of books I read, not a real person. He was supposed to be just a figment of imagination, not a man made of flesh and blood who was standing in front of me and keeping his violet eyes on me. He was… He was there. Dark, beautiful, and alive. And I was talking with him.

Frowning, Rhysand said, "You know my name."

"I heard about you," I replied, slightly too quickly, since the son crossed his arms and flashed me a suspicious look. Rhys Jr probably knew that I was lying. "I mean I heard stories about you and your Court."

"On Earth?" Rhys Jr asked.

I shrugged, feeling a bit too warm on my cheeks. "Maybe someone had been brought to Prythian as well. I'm not sure."

Rubbing my eyes, I realised that the hall seemed brighter than before. I didn't know when had the chandelier been illuminated, but now I could see all the fairies around me.

Downstairs, apart from Rhysand and his son, I noticed two Illyrians, a man and a woman. Tall and dark-haired, both of them were observing me attentively from the back of the hall. They hadn't spoken a word since I learnt that we had company, but judging by the way they stood, they were ready to take action if need be.

Looking up at the first floor, I fixed my eyes on the small blondish girl and adult woman whom I had noticed previously. Though the girl was remaining a mystery to me, I knew that the woman had to be Feyre. Dressed in black armour, the High Lady of the Night Court was quite a beauty. She had sharp cheekbones and a soft mouth, yet her face was now serious. Her long brown hair was braided and flipped over her shoulder, and her blue eyes were looking straight at me, wary and focused.

Thanks to the chandelier, I spotted now three more people upstairs. Two women and a dark-haired man didn't take their eyes off me as well. They all had pointy ears, but only the man and woman with dark hair were wearing black leather armour, just like Feyre. The second woman had a light blue dress with a brown cloak over it, and seemed to be the most interested in me among the three of them.

"Have you ever heard of others who might have travelled to Prythian?" Rhysand asked. "Especially using the same way as yours."

I shifted my eyes back to him.

"No, I haven't. After I saw you," I looked at Rhys Jr, "I didn't even know that I ended up in the Night Court. Such handsome men like you can be found anywhere." Belatedly, I realised what I had just said. Knowing that my cheeks were warm and red, I peered down at my hands.

"I can assure you," he replied with amusement in his voice, making me glance at him, "that such handsome males can be found only in the Night Court."

Not daring to look at any of them, I fixed my eyes on my hands again. "So, is there any way you can possibly send me back home?"

"No."

Suddenly horrified at the thought of staying forever in a made-up world, I raised my head and met Rhysand's violet eyes. "No?"

"First and foremost, I did not bring you to Prythian," he said, taking a few steps towards me. "I don't know how and why you appeared here, but I wasn't the one who brought you to our Court. Maybe, somehow, you did it on your own."

I looked at him helplessly. "I didn't. I don't even have magic."

"Then who did it?" Rhysand regarded me carefully.

"I did, Father."

Looking up, I set my eyes upon the small girl that was standing next to Feyre. I had no idea there were more children. I knew the two of them were supposed to have a dark-haired son who was standing in front of the staircase, but there was nothing else about others.

The girl had a round beautiful face with a small nose and full mouth. She didn't look like Rhysand, so I figured that the little one was more alike her mother. Her hair was long and left loose, giving the impression of being made of pure gold. Giving the circumstances, I wouldn't be surprised if that was true.

She straightened up and said louder, "I brought this girl to our Court."

"You did?" Rhysand asked, having turned towards the girl.

She nodded, and, suddenly, disappeared. A second later, she was standing right in front of the High Lord. Taken aback, I moved back towards the wall behind me and gasped.

The girl grabbed Rhysand's hand, making him look down at her. "Don't be mad at me, Father."

Frowning, he replied, "Meleri, what do you mean that you brought this girl to our Court? What exactly did you do?"

The girl lowered her head and remained silent, still holding Rhysand's hand.

"Meleri, sweetie, send her back," Feyre said, addressing the little girl. She started descending the stairs.

"I can't."

"Sweetie, you have to do this." Keeping her gaze fixed on her daughter, Feyre stopped next to Rhys Jr. "She doesn't belong here, and you know that."

"I do. But, Mother, I swear," Meleri said, "I don't know how to send her back."

Feyre's voice was calm but stern. "The same way you brought her to us."

"It's not… It's not that simple. I made a bargain with–"

"What have you done?" Rhysand demanded.

Now, I saw that Meleri was really scared. To be honest, I was too when I looked at him. Though his beautiful face was an oasis of calm, showing only serenity and self-control, his whole body was surrounded by dark smoke which was moving and swirling angrily around him. It seemed that Rhysand was about to explode, yet he wasn't sure if he should do this in front of his own daughter. Well, as for me, I preferred him not to.

"I made a bargain with Bryaxis, Father," Meleri whispered, letting go of his hand and taking a few steps back, "to summon a female that was worthy my brother. Bryaxis called her 'the girl beyond the stars,' and Lexi has two tattoos on her wrists. I saw them. Three stars on each wrist. Three stars," she repeated, drawing near me. "Three."

Worthy her brother? What was he now? A damn Mjölnir?, I thought and opened my mouth, but they didn't let me speak.

"It doesn't mean anything," Feyre cut in, evidently getting annoyed. "It's just a tattoo. Anyone can have one. I have several. So does your father."

"Three stars on each wrist, Mother," the girl repeated in a strangled voice and looked at my hand. Then, she took more steps towards me, saying, "Rian has the same ones. Three on each wrist. It has to mean something."

Meleri glanced at me again, before she turned around to face her parents.

"I just couldn't let him marry that female because of a duty," she added loudly, fighting back tears. "I couldn't let him marry without love. You have to understand."

But I didn't.

Looking back and forth between Meleri and her parents, I was trying to comprehend everything that was going on, but, sadly, it was quite difficult. For starters, I couldn't get it why neither Rhysand nor Feyre was aware that their youngest child made a bargain with a shadowy being. And that it promised to bring a living creature to Prythian who turned out to be a person out of space. Well, literally.

Then, there was also the brother I was supposedly brought for. I knew they called him Ryan, but I had never heard of or found him in the books. Maybe, I thought, glancing at the dark-haired son, it was Rhys Jr.

One more time, Meleri turned towards me and extended her hand. "My name is Meleri. I am the one who is responsible for bringing you to Prythian. To the Night Court. I am truly sorry for doing it in such a way, but I wanted to save my brother from a loveless marriage and the bargain seemed to be the only solution to this problem. Please, forgive me." After saying that, she took a deep breath and looked at me expectantly, her hand still outstretched.

Staring at her, I didn't know what to say. Of course, I was angry with this little kidnapper for lots of things. For bringing me to a made-up world without asking my permission. For involving me in her rescue plan. For telling everyone that sending me back wouldn't be simple because she was assisted by a freaking monster.

What's more, I was even angry with her for thinking I would be worthy her brother and eventually save his handsome arse. Yet, at the same time, I felt quite flattered. Deep inside, I liked the idea that something – even something as imaginary as Bryaxis – decided I was valuable enough to be brought to their world. That I wasn't just a random girl picked by chance, simply because I would do.

In a way, I got it that she was worried about her brother. As a sister, I completely understood her need to protect her sibling, but I wasn't sure if I would ever consider kidnapping a boy to make Jasmine happy.

Slowly, I took her hand and shook it. "Hello, Meleri. I'm Lexi."

"I know," she said quietly, letting go of me.

Then, there was silence.

Seeing her blue eyes fixed on me, I sighed. "Honestly, I'm not sure what to do with your apology," I admitted. "I know that you meant well. That you wanted to help your brother. If my own sister had a problem, I would probably try to find a solution as well. But you can't just kidnap people, because they might prevent Ryan from getting married. Where I come from, it's illegal to do such a thing."

Meleri frowned. "I didn't mean to kidnap you, Lexi. I swear."

"I believe you. You do seem to be a very nice girl." I flashed her a small smile. "But I shouldn't be standing here. I shouldn't be talking with you. Meleri, I should be at home."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, tears falling down her tears.

"Melly?"

I looked up and saw Rhys Jr approaching us.

Tall and muscular, Rhysand and Feyre's eldest son was truly a handsome man. His whole body was moving gracefully and confidently. I caught myself staring not only at his wonderful shredded arms that Captain America wouldn't feel ashamed of, but also at his remarkably muscled legs visible through his dark trousers.

As he came closer, I noticed that his eyes were strikingly blue and his black hair was a bit too long, yet it didn't take away his charm. As a matter of fact, I knew men who looked really sexy in longer hair and those who always failed in looking okay, no matter how hard they tried to do so. Luckily, the black-haired sex god fell into the first group.

The heir to the Night Court finally reached me and Meleri, and fell on one knee in front of his younger sister. Immediately, an incredible smell of something sweet and fresh flooded my nostrils, making me think of those hot summer evenings in July where you sit in the summerhouse and inhale deeply the amazing night air. I sighted quite loudly, but the smell was still there.

With his left arm resting on the other knee, Rhys Jr studied Meleri for a while and said, "Melly, sweetheart, you can't bring people to our Court just because something told you they are perfect for me."

Gently, he lifted the girl's chin and made her look at him.

"Though I'm flattered you wanted to save my pretty face from marrying Eirwen, promise me you'll never do this again."

"I promise, Rian," she whispered. "I'd never intended to cause trouble or make all of you angry. I was worried about you. I know now that bringing Lexi to Prythian was a very bad idea, but it was the only one I had."

"I completely understand, sweetheart," he cut in and tucked Meleri's hair behind her ear. "And that's why we're going to send this lovely young lady back to her family as soon as possible." He flashed his sister a reassuring smile and then stood up.

When our eyes met, Rian said in that sexy voice of his, "Welcome to the Night Court, lovely Alexandra."

"Hi," I breathed, feeling nervous about him standing so near me.

He smiled to me wickedly, evidently aware of what I felt, and added, "By the way, I'm Rian."

"Rian," I repeated. "A sexy name for a sexy guy." Immediately, after saying that, I covered my mouth with a hand.

Shit, I thought. I said that aloud. I really said that aloud.

"Sorry."

"Oh, you think I'm sexy," Rian said with amusement. "But, honey, you're not my type. Even though my sister and Bryaxis believe otherwise."

His words really stabbed me. Avoiding eye contact, I looked at my own hands and I started regretting saying those words aloud.

And to think I told that handsome muppet that he is sexy.

"Alright, Meleri." I raised my head and saw Rian taking his sister's hand. "In the morning, we'll go to Bryaxis and solve that problem together."

"Will we take Lexi with us?" she asked, glimpsing at me.

"We will. But first, we have to find her something decent to wear. She can't just walk around in her underwear, can she?"

"That's not my underwear," I protested, feeling a bit pissed off. To highlight it, I crossed my arms. "I'm wearing my pyjamas. Since I was kidnapped in the middle of the night."

"Your pyjamas," he repeated, staring at me. "You've got a peculiar taste in clothes in your land, lovely Alexandra."

"You have no idea, mate." I spat the last word.

Rian regarded me for a while, yet his only answer was a quiet, "Hmm."

Having cleared his throat, Rhysand said, "I believe it's time to discuss the arrival of our guest in my study."

Stepping towards me, Feyre fixed her eyes on me. "Please, Alexandra, follow us."