Chapter 4: Helpless
-Violet's POV

Violet had been staring down at a sleeping Nyx for a good twenty minutes, and hadn't said a word. Rhys stood on the other side of the crib his eyes flitting from his son to his sister in disbelief. Still not quite accepting she was actually here. After a few more minutes, Violet raised a shaky hand towards the baby and gently ran a finger over the top edge of his wing. Nyx released a giant sigh causing Violet's hand to snap back quickly as if she'd been burned, and she placed it back to its original place at her side. She looked like she was going to faint.

Rhys huffed out a quiet laugh. "He's not going to break you know. You're not going to hurt him."

"No, I know." She responded softly. "He's just so tiny."

"He'll get bigger."

"He looks just like you."

"He does. He acts a lot more like his mother though. He's very well-mannered for a babe."

"Give it time. He's still young. I'm sure he'll be sliding down banisters and jumping off roofs before you know it." She reassured jokingly.

"Do you want to hold him?"

Violet eyes shot up to meet Rhys's and she took a few steps away from the crib. "No, not right now. He looks so peaceful. Just let him sleep."

"Feyre mentioned something about Elain making tea if you want to head back downstairs?"

"Yeah, sure. Tea sounds lovely."

Rhysand and Violet made their way down the stairs when two distinct booms sounded loudly in the front yard. "Oh boy…. Here we go…" Rhys muttered to himself.

It was Cassian that entered the house first. He ripped the front door open so aggressively that the foundation of the house shook. Azriel followed in right behind him his shadows surprising still. The general scanned the room for a second before his eyes landed on Violet, and then he broke into a run racing down the hallway. When he made it to the stairs, he tackled Violet before picking her up and swinging her in circles.

"I missed you too Cass, but if you don't put me down, I think I'm going to be sick."

"Fuck, sorry!" He said placing her back down on the ground and hugging her again. "I can't believe you're actually here."

Cassian squeezed her tight once more and stepped aside allowing Azriel to make his way over. Az threw his arms around Violet and neither of them said anything. They didn't need to. They never had. Violet pulled away from the hug.

"I missed you." She sniffled with tears running down her tanned face.

Azriel reached up to gently wipe them away. "We missed you too."

Cassian cleared his throat wiping at his own face. "Well, I don't know about you, but I need a drink."

"Elain made tea." Rhys announced bringing them all to the family room.

"Tea's good. You got anything to put in it?"

Azriel just rolled his eyes and sat on the couch with Cassian. Feyre had come in shortly after to sit with them. Rhysand offered Violet the chair across from the couch while he decided to stay standing.

"Where's Nesta?" Feyre asked her friend pouring him a drink.

Cass drained the glass before replying. "Nesta's still up at the house. We had a long day of training with her Valkyries, so she's exhausted. She also thought it might be best if it was just us for now anyway. She said she'd come down tomorrow if Violet was up for it."

"Rhys said you were mated. Congratulations Cassian."

"Thanks Princess." He said with a wink.

"Oh god please don't start up with that again!" Violet begged.

Feyre looked at them both confused. "Princess?"

"It's a stupid childhood nickname these three idiots used to call me. My father always said I was the 'Princess of the Night Court'. I hated it, so of course they had to mock me with it every chance they got."

"It's what brothers do." Rhys smirked.

"If you don't shut up about it, I'm going to painfully remind you what sister's do." Violet shot back.

"I would expect nothing less."

A comfortable silence settled over the group. Everyone taking turns drinking from their respective glasses. A certain emotion Violet couldn't pinpoint gathered on her brother's face.

"Penny for your thoughts Rhys?"

"I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"How are you here?"

"You don't remember do you?"

The high lord brows pulled together. "Remember what?"

"When you died."

The entire room tensed. "You know about that?"

"I was there brother. On the other side I mean. I saw you after you died. I don't know how it happened. I tried yelling at you, but you couldn't hear me. It was like you were stuck somewhere in between. Then this big portal looking thing opened up in front of us. I just remember feeling like you weren't supposed to be there, so I pushed."

"You pushed?" Rhys clarified.

"I pushed. The portal started closing, so I tried to shove you through it as hard as I could, but at the last second you grabbed my arm. I wasn't sure whether you could actually feel me, or if you just did it out of instinct."

"I don't remember any of this." Rhysand said finally plopping down into a chair. "So, you've been alive for two years?"

"Yes."

"Where have you been all this time?"

"Well, the first thing I remember was waking up in the middle of the woods somewhere in Illyria. Safe to say I was distraught and disoriented, so I started running. When I couldn't run anymore, I tried to winnow. Then I just kept winnowing again and again, and before I knew it, I ended up on the outskirts of the Day Court. Helion found me a few days later."

Rhys's fingers started biting into the armrests of the armchair he was sitting in. "Helion found you? You've been at the Day Court for the last two years? I've seen him countless times since then. I've even been there. Why didn't he say anything?"

"Please don't be mad at him Rhys. He didn't say anything, because I asked him not to."

"What the hell for?!" Cassian yelled finally. Azriel put a hand on Cass's shoulder in an effort to calm him down and asked. "Violet why didn't you tell us you were alive? Why did you wait until now?"

Violet looked to her at her brother and spoke. "I wasn't ready to come home."

Rhysand released the arm rests and took a few breaths. "And you're ready now?"

"More or less."

"Ok, well I'm glad you're here now." He stood from the chair. "I think that's enough for tonight. You should get some sleep. You can use Nesta's old room if you'd like. It's right down the hall from ours."

"Yeah, that'll be fine."

"Do you need anything else?"

"Actually, I sort of have a small favor."

"What kind of favor?"

"There's someone I need to see. I'd appreciate if you could summon them here."

Rhys's eyes flashed and his heart started hammering in his chest. "It's not Tamlin is it?"

"No, not Tamlin. Not yet."

"Then who?"