A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)

by Sarah J. Maas

Had Tamlin’s teeth been inches from my throat, I would have bleated in panic.

“But I’ll always make time for you.”

But it had filled my time—given me quiet, steadfast company with those characters, who did not exist and never would, but somehow made me feel less … alone.

I was burning through books every day—stories about people and places I’d never heard of. They were perhaps the only thing that kept me from teetering into utter despair.

“Did you think his shield would keep us from you? Rhys shattered it with half a thought.”

“He locked me in that house,” I managed to say. A shadow of mighty wings spread behind Rhys’s chair. But his face was calm as he said, “I know. I felt you. Even with your shields up— for once.” I made myself meet his stare. “I have nowhere else to go.” It was both a question and a plea. He waved a hand, the wings fading. “Stay here for however long you want. Stay here forever, if you feel like it.”

“Take me with you.”

“Where are we going?” Rhys’s smile widened into a grin. “To Velaris—the City of Starlight.”

“Welcome to my home,” Rhysand said.

Rhys entered a few of the jewelry shops, looking for a present for a friend, he said. I chose to wait outside each time, hiding in the shadows beneath the Palace buildings.

“Cassian, Azriel, and Amren.”

The most powerful High Lord in history.

In the countless millennia they had existed here in Prythian, Rhys—Rhys with his smirking and sarcasm and bedroom eyes …

Rhys’s wing curved around me, herding me closer to where I could nearly feel the heat of his powerful body. “I promise I won’t let the wind destroy your hair.” He lifted a hand as if he might tug on one of those loose curls, then lowered it.