b4e5812
|
If you were going to die, I was going to die with you. I couldn't stop thinking it over and over as you screamed, as I tried to kill her: you were my mate, my mate, my mate.
|
|
acomaf
rhysand
feyre
mate
|
Sarah J. Maas |
90c1338
|
No one was my master-- but I might be master of everything, if I wished. If I dared.
|
|
acomaf
feyre
|
Sarah J. Maas |
04d3da3
|
"Rhysand stared at me for long enough that I faced him. "Be glad of your human heart, Feyre. Pity those who don't feel anything at all."
|
|
heart
rhysand
feyre
rhys
pity
|
Sarah J. Maas |
dbbde10
|
And I wondered if love was too weak a word for what he felt, what he'd done for me. For what I felt for him.
|
|
love
acomaf
rhysand
feyre
mate
|
Sarah J. Maas |
a68f35e
|
His first words to me-- not a lie at all, not a threat to keep those faeries away.
|
|
rhysand
feyre
|
Sarah J. Maas |
c117917
|
I see all of you, Rhys. And there is not one part that I do not love with everything I am.
|
|
yafantasy
acowar
rhysand
feyre
quotes
|
Sarah J. Maas |
788a020
|
"Well, good-bye for now," he said, rolling his neck as if we hadn't been talking about anything important at all. He bowed at the waist, those wings vanishing entirely, and had begun to fade into the nearest shadow when he went rigid. His eyes locked on mine wide and wild, and his nostrils flared. Shock--pure shock flashed across his features at whatever he saw on my face, and he stumbled back a step. Actually stumbled. "What is--" I began. He disappeared--simply disappeared, not a shadow in sight--into the crisp air."
|
|
rhysand
feyre
shock
rhys
mystery
|
Sarah J. Maas |
be882b6
|
When you spend so long trapped in darkness, you find that the darkness begins to stare back.
|
|
darkness
acomaf
feyre
|
Sarah J. Maas |
0ea8e4d
|
I was as unburdened as a piece of dandelion fluff, and he was the wind that stirred me about the world.
|
|
romance
feyre
tamlin
new-adult
|
Sarah J. Maas |
4054cec
|
I was not prey any longer, I decided as I eased up to that door. And I was not a mouse. I was a wolf.
|
|
acomaf
feyre
|
Sarah J. Maas |
3d8e0b4
|
Lucien had been prepared to take me against my will. Fae males were territorial, dominant, arrogant--but the ones in the Spring Court ... something had festered in their training. Because I knew--deep in my bones--that Cassian might push and test my limits, but the moment I said no, he'd back off. And I knew that if ... that if I had been wasting away and Rhys had done nothing to stop it, Cassian or Azriel would have pulled me out. They would have taken me somewhere--wherever I needed to be--and dealt with Rhys later. But Rhys ... Rhys would never have not seen what was happening to me; would never have been so misguided and arrogant and self-absorbed. He'd known what Ianthe was from the moment he met her. And he'd understood what it was like to be a prisoner, and helpless, and to struggle--every day--with the horrors of both.
|
|
ianthe
azriel
cassian
rhysand
feyre
lucien
rhys
|
Sarah J. Maas |
4d8568a
|
Come on, Feyre. We don't bite. Unless you ask us to.
|
|
azriel
cassian
acomaf
feyre
|
Sarah J. Maas |
088853c
|
"I sipped from my wine. "And if he had grabbed me?" There was nothing but uncompromising will in his eyes. "Then I would have torn apart the world to get you back."
|
|
rhysand
feyre
|
Sarah J. Maas |
933d41f
|
"Because I wouldn't want to die alone," I said, and my voice wobbled as I looked at Tamlin again, forcing myself to meet his stare. "Because I'd want someone to hold my hand until the end, and awhile after that. That's something everyone deserves, human or faerie."
|
|
tamilin
feyre
|
Sarah J. Maas |
84aecb3
|
He had stayed. And fought for me. Week after week, he'd fought for me, even when I had no reaction , even when I had barely been able to speak or bring myself to care if I lived or died or ate or starved. I couldn't leave him to his own dark thoughts, his own guilt. He'd shouldered them alone long enough.
|
|
feyrhys
feyre
rhys
|
Sarah J. Maas |
332f2fd
|
"But I forgot to tell him," I said quietly, opening the door, "that the villain is usually the person who locks up the maiden and throws away the key."
|
|
acomaf
rhysand
feyre
|
Sarah J. Maas |
95ae3e9
|
"So I said, "He is lucky to have all of you." "No," she said softly--more gently than I'd ever heard. " are lucky to have him, Feyre." I turned from the door. "I have known many High Lord," Amren continued, studying her paper. "Cruel ones, cunning ones, weak ones, powerful ones. But never one that dreamed. Not as he does." "Dreams of what?" I breathed. "Of peace. Of freedom. Of a world united, a world thriving, Of something better--for all of us."
|
|
pg427
rhysand
feyre
|
Sarah J. Maas |
4053db8
|
"Rhys gave no warning as he gripped my arm, snarling softly, and tore off my glove. His touch was like a brand, and I flinched, yielding a step, but he held firm until he'd gotten both gloves off. " I heard you begging someone, anyone, to rescue you, to get you out. I heard you say no." "I didn't say anything." He turned my bare hand over, his hold tightening as he examined the eye he'd tattooed. He tapped the pupil. Once. Twice. " I heard it loud and clear."
|
|
sarah-j-maas
rhysand
feyre
new-adult-romance
new-adult
|
Sarah J. Maas |
2c4242d
|
I once lived in a place where the opinion of others mattered. It suffocated me, nearly broke me. So you'll understand me, Feyre, when I say that I know what you feel, and I know what they tried to do to you, and that with enough courage, you can say to hell with a reputation. You do what you love, what you need
|
|
mor
feyre
|
Sarah J. Maas |
1adfb67
|
"What do you care?" I barked, and his grip tightened enough on my wrists that I knew my bones would snap with a little more pressure. "What do I care?" he breathed, wrath twisting his features. Wings - those membranous, glorious wings - flared from his back, crafted from the shadows behind him. "What do I care?" But before he could go on, his head snapped to the door, then back to my face. The wings vanished as quickly as they had appeared, and then his lips were crushing into mine. His tongue pried my mouth open, forcing himself into me, into the space where I could still taste Tamlin. I pushed and trashed, but he held firm, his tongue sweeping over the roof of my mouth, against my teeth, claiming me - The door was flung wide, and Amarantha's curved figure filled its space. Tamlin - Tamlin was beside her, his eyes slightly wide, shoulders tight as Rhys's lips still crushed mine. Amarantha laughed, and a mask of stone slammed down on Tamlin's face. void of feeling, void of anything vaguely like the Tamlin I'd been tangled up with moments before."
|
|
kiss
amarantha
rhysand
feyre
tamlin
rhys
|
Sarah J. Maas |
365073a
|
Rhysand yelled my name again - yelled it as though he cared. I blacked out, but she brought me back, ensuring that I felt everything ensuring that I screamed every time a bone broke.
|
|
rhysand
feyre
rhys
|
Sarah J. Maas |
8343ddc
|
"Was I interrupting? I thought it was over." Rhys gave me a smile dripping with venom. He knew-through that bond, through whatever magic was between us, he'd known I was about to say no. "At least Feyre seemed to think so."
|
|
sarah-j-maas
rhysand
feyre
new-adult-romance
decisions
|
Sarah J. Maas |
2d06e61
|
Azriel would likely love Mor until he was a whisper of darkness between the stars.
|
|
love
pg487
mor
feyre
|
Sarah J. Maas |
0dec402
|
"What have you done to me?" Rhysand stood, running a hand through his short, dark hair. It's custom in my court for bargains to be permanently marked upon flesh." I rubbed my left forearm and hand, the entirety of which was now covered in swirls and whorls of black ink. Even my fingers weren't spared, and a large eye was tattooed in the center of my palm. It was feline, and its slitted pupil stared right back me. "Make it go away," I said, and he laughed. "You humans are truly grateful creatures, aren't you?"
|
|
the-night-court
rhysand
feyre
tattoo
rhys
|
Sarah J. Maas |
c81af06
|
"I waited for the fear to hit; waited for my body to shriek to find a way to get out of this dinner, but ... nothing. Maybe it'd be a mercy to be ended-- A broad hand gripped my face--gently enough not to hurt, but hard enough to make me look at him. "Don't you think that," Rhysand hissed, his eyes livid. "
|
|
pg149
rhysand
feyre
|
Sarah J. Maas |
11dea10
|
"God afternoon," I said cheerfully, with an especially saccharine smile for the High Lord. He blinked at me, and both of the faerie men murmured their greetings as I took a seat across from Lucien, not my usual place facing Tamlin. I drank deeply from my goblet of water before piling food on my plate. I savored the tense silence as I consumed the meal before me. "You look . . . refreshed," Lucien observed with a glance at Tamlin. I shrugged. "Sleep well?" "Like a babe." I smiled as him and took another bite of food, and felt Lucien's eyes travel inexorably to my neck. "What is that bruise?" Lucien demanded. I pointed my fork to Tamlin. "Ask him, he did it." Lucien looked from Tamlin to me and then back again. "Why does Feyre have a bruise on her neck from you?" he asked with no small amount of amusement. "I bit her," Tamlin said, not pausing as he cut his steak. "We ran into each other in the hall after the Rite."
|
|
sarah-j-maas
feyre
tamlin
lucien
|
Sarah J Maas |
a8118df
|
I came to claim the one I love.
|
|
acotar
feyre
tamlin
|
Sarah J. Maas |
cbca62a
|
Females and males watched Rhysand throughout the hall--and the shadowsinger and I made a game of betting on who, exactly, would work up the nerve to invite the High Lord home.
|
|
friendship
feyre
|
Sarah J. Maas |
0da2093
|
For him, I had done this-for him I'd gladly wrecked myself and my immortal soul. And now I had an eternity to live with it.
|
|
young-adult
sacrifice
sarah-j-maas
feyre
tamlin
immortal
|
Sarah J. Maas |
4c2be6c
|
Why does anything cling to something? Maybe they love wherever they're going so much that it's worth it. Maybe they'll keep coming back, until there's only one star left. Maybe that one star will make the trip forever, out of the hope that someday--if it keeps coming back often enough--another star will find it again.
|
|
fiction
fantasy
velaris
rhysand
feyre
rhys
|
Sarah J. Maas |
bd1c2e1
|
It was easier to not have to explain, anyway. To not have to tell him that though I'd freed him, saved his people and all of Prythian from Amarantha... I'd broken myself apart. And I didn't think even eternity would be long enough to fix me.
|
|
sarah-j-maas
feyre
new-adult-romance
emotional
heartbreaking
|
Sarah J. Maas |
fa3109e
|
Maybe I'd always been broken and dark inside. Maybe someone who've been born whole and good would have put down the ash dagger and embraced death rather than what lay before me.
|
|
young-adult
dark
sarah-j-maas
feyre
beautiful-quote
broken
beginning
introduction
|
Sarah J. Maas |
b84a53e
|
"What - what was I doing the whole time?" So much for Alis's warning. Lucien let out a sharp breath, running a hand through his red hair. "He had you dance for him for most of the night. And when you weren't dancing, you were sitting in his lap." "What kind of dancing?" I pushed. "Not the kind you were doing with Tamlin on Solstice," Lucien said, and my face heated. From the murkiness of my memories of last night, I recalled the closeness of a certain pair of violet eyes - eyes that sparkled with mischief as they beheld me. "In front of everyone?" "Yes," Lucien replied - more gently than I'd heard him speak to me before."
|
|
the-dance
rhysand
feyre
lucien
rhys
|
Sarah J. Maas |
937c25f
|
"He stalked closer, his movements feline, those violet eyes turning subdued-lethal. "You're welcome, you know." "For saving you when asked." I stiffened. " I didn't ask for anything."
|
|
sarah-j-maas
rhysand
feyre
new-adult-romance
rescue
|
Sarah J. Maas |
ab52c3a
|
Thus I became Rhysand's plaything, the harlot of Amarantha's whore.
|
|
rhysand
feyre
rhys
|
Sarah J. Maas |
70a7806
|
To the stars who listen-and the dreams that are answered
|
|
azriel
elain
cassian
nesta
rhysand
feyre
tamlin
morrigan
lucien
|
Sarah J. Maas |
90c17c8
|
I love my people, and my family. Do not think I won't become a monster to keep them protected.
|
|
court-of-mist-and-fury
rhysand
feyre
monster
|
Sarah J. Maas |
54796fd
|
Rhys casually released me with a flick of his tongue over my bottom lip as a crowd of High Fae appeared behind Amarantha and chimed in with her laughter. Rhysand gave them a lazy, self-indulgent grin and bowed. But something sparked in the queen's eyes as she looked at Rhysand. Amarantha's whore, they'd called him.
|
|
rhysand
feyre
rhys
|
Sarah J. Maas |
c1eca24
|
That girl that had needed to be protected, who had craved stability and comfort . . . she had died Under the Mountain. I had died, and there had been no one to protect me from those horrors before my neck snapped. So I had done it myself. And I would not, could not, yield that part of me that had awoken and transformed Under the Mountain.
|
|
feyre
|
Sarah J. Maas |
8acc155
|
"So is this what you do with your lives? Spare humans from the Treaty and have fine meals?" I gave a pointed glance toward Tamlin's baldric, the warrior's clothes, Lucien's sword. Lucien smirked. "We also dance with the spirits under the full moon and snatch human babes from their cradles to replace them with changelings-"
|
|
acotar
feyre
lucien
|
Sarah J. Maas |
0e44371
|
"Faeries began calling foul play, demanding Tamlin be released from the curse, calling her a liar. Through the haze, I saw Rhysand crouching by Tamlin. Not to help him, but to grab the- "You are all pigs - all scheming, filthy pigs." Then Rhysand was on his feet, my bloody knife in his hands. He launched himself at Amarantha, swift as a shadow, the ash dagger aimed at her throat. She lifted a hand - not even bothering to look - and he was blasted back by a wall of white light. But the pain paused for a second, long enough for me to see him hit the ground and rise again and lunge for her - with hands that now ended in talons. He slammed into the invisible wall Amarantha had raised around herself, and my pain flickered as she turned to him. "You traitorous piece of filth," she seethed at Rhysand. "You're just as bad as the human beasts." One by one, as if a hand were shoving them in, his talons pushed back into his skin, leaving blood in their wake. He swore, low and vicious. "You were planning this all along."
|
|
rhysand
feyre
rhys
fight
|
Sarah J. Maas |
8e8097c
|
"I'd forgotten that human minds are easy to shatter as eggshells," Rhysand said, and ran a finger across the base of my throat. I shuddered, my eyes burning. "Look at how delightful she is - look how she's trying not to cry out in terror. It would be quick, I promise."
|
|
mind-reading
rhysand
feyre
rhys
mind-control
|
Sarah J. Maas |
5324384
|
"I frowned at the eye in my palm. "What, literally shout at the tattoo?" "You could try rubbing it on certain body areas and I might come faster." --
|
|
the-night-court
sjm
sarah-j-maas
a-court-of-thorns-and-roses
acomaf
acotar
rhysand
feyre
rhys
|
Sarah J. Maas |
a8bca0d
|
"I glanced at Tamlin, biting my lip. I'd practically floated into my bedroom that morning. But Tamlin's gaze now roved my face as if searching for any tinge of regret, of fear. Ridiculous.
|
|
sarah-j-maas
acotar
feyre
tamlin
|
Sarah J Maas |
6cdd55d
|
"If Feyre can't be bothered to listen to orders, then I can't be held accountable for the consequences." "Accountable?" I sputtered, placing my hands flat on the table. "You cornered me in the hall like a wolf with a rabbit!" Lucien propped an arm on the table and covered his mouth with has hand, his russet eye bright.
|
|
faith
funny
sarah-j-maas
feyre
tamlin
lucien
|
Sarah J Maas |
404d26e
|
"I want to share this bed with you, though," I breathed. "I want you to hold me." Stars flickered to life in his eyes. "Always," he promised, kissing my brow, his wings now enveloping me completely. "Always."
|
|
a-court-of-wings-and-ruin
acotar
acowar
rhysand
feyre
rhys
|
Sarah J. Maas |
308a149
|
It didn't excuse what he'd done. Even if he'd...saved me-I choked on the word-from having to refuse Tamlin. Having to explain.
|
|
sarah-j-maas
rhysand
feyre
tamlin
new-adult-romance
new-adult
|
Sarah J. Maas |
da0ba28
|
There are those who seek me a lifetime but never we meet, And those i kiss but who trample me beneath ungrateful feet. At times i seem to favor the clever and the fair, But i bless all those who are brave enough to dare. By large, my ministrations are soft-handed and sweet, But scorned, i become a difficult beast to defeat. For though my strikes lands a powerful blow, When i kill, I do it slow....
|
|
amarantha-s-riddle
feyre
tamlin
|
Sarah J. Maas |
8990943
|
"Feyre," he said--softly enough that I faced him again. "Why?" He tilted his head to the side. "You dislike our kind on a good day. And after Andras . . ." Even in the darkened hallway, his usual bright eyes were shadowed. "So why?" I took a step closer to him, my blood-covered feet sticking to the rug. I glanced down the stairs to where I could still see the prone form of the faerie and the stumps of his wings. "Because I wouldn't want to die alone," I said, and my voice wobbled as I looked at Tamlin again, forcing myself to meet his stare. "Because I'd want someone to hold my hand until the end, and awhile after that. That's something everyone deserves, human or faerie." I swallowed hard, my throat painfully tight. "I regret what I did to Andras," I said, the words so strangled they were no more than a whisper. "I regret that there was . . . such hate in my heart. I wish I could undo it--and . . . I'm sorry. So very sorry."
|
|
sorrow
feyre
tamlin
|
Sarah J. Maas |
722929b
|
"Amren," Rhys drawled, "sends her regards. And as for this one ... " I tried not to flinch away from meeting his stare. "She's mine," he said quietly, but viciously enough that Devlon and his warriors nearby heard. "And if any of you lay a hand on her, you lose that hand. And then you lose your head." I tried not to shiver, as Cassian and Mor showed no reaction at all. "And once Feyre is done killing you," Rhys smirked, "then I'll grind your bones to dust."
|
|
funny
a-court-of-thorns-and-roses
rhysand
feyre
funny-quotes
|
Sarah J. Maas |
a652a3b
|
But I wouldn't sit in my room, couldn't allow myself to mourn and mope and weep and sleep. So I would venture out, even if it was an agony...
|
|
feyre
|
Sarah J. Maas |
db1b304
|
"I needed not to be dead when I agreed." "You needed not to be alone."
|
|
sarah-j-maas
rhysand
feyre
|
Sarah J. Maas |
3093ec2
|
"My wings," the faerie whispered. "You'll get them back." The Faerie struggled to open his eyes. "You swear?" "Yes," I breathed. The faerie managed a slight smile and closed his eyes again. My mouth trembled. I wished for something else to say, something more to offer him than my empty promises. The first false vow I'd ever sworn. But Tamlin began speaking, and I glanced up to see him take the faerie's other hand. "Cauldron save you," he said, reciting the words of a prayer that was probably older than the moral realm. "Mother hold you. Pass through the gates, and smell that immortal land of milk and honey. Fear no evil. Feel no pain." Tamlin's voice wavered, but he finished. "Go, and enter eternity."
|
|
feyre
tamlin
faeries
|
Sarah J. Maas |
b047583
|
"Because what if you did let someone in? And what if they saw everything, and still walked away? Who could blame them--who would want to bother with that sort of mess?" He flinched. The most powerful High Lord in history flinched."
|
|
feysand
rhysand
feyre
i-can-t-even
|
Sarah J. Maas |
6ef71ce
|
"Is this necessary?" I said, gesturing to the paint and clothing. "Of course," he said coolly. "How else would I know if anyone touches you?" He approached, and I braced myself as he ran a finger along my shoulder, smearing the paint. As soon as his finger left my skin, the paint fixed itself, returning the design to its original form. "The dress itself won't mar it, and neither will your movements," he said, his face close to mine. His teeth were far too near to my throat. "And I'll remember precisely where my hands have been. But if anyone else touches you--let's say a certain High Lord who enjoys springtime--I'll know." He flicked my nose. "And, Feyre," he added, his voice a caressing murmur, "I don't like my belongings tampered with."
|
|
high-fae
high-lord
rhysand
feyre
paint
touch
faerie
|
Sarah J. Maas |
dc39638
|
"A pulse of surprise, of wicked delight against my mental shields, at the dark, membranous wings I knew were now poking over my shoulders. Every icy kiss of rain sent jolts of cold through me. Sensitive-so sensitive, these Illyrian wings. Lucien backed up at step. "What did you do to yourself?" I gave him a little smile. "The human girl you knew died Under the Mountain. I have no interest in spending immortality as a High Lord's pet"
|
|
feyre
lucien
|
Sarah J. Maas |
18ab413
|
"Wait," I repeated. The darkness vanished, leaving Rhysand in his solid form as he grinned. "Yes?" I raised my chin as high as I could manage. "Just two weeks?" "Just two weeks," he purred, and knelt before me. "Two teensy, tiny weeks with me every month is all I ask." "Why? And what are to ... to be the terms?" I said, fighting past the dizziness. "Ah," he said, adjusting the lapel of his obsidian tunic. "If I told you those things, there'd be no fun in it, would there?" I looked at my ruined arm. Lucien might never come, might decide I wasn't worth risking his life any further, not now that he'd been punished for it. And if Amarantha's healers cut off my arm ... Nesta would have done the same for me, for Elain. And Tamlin had done so much for me, for my family; even if he had lied about the Treaty, about sparing me from its terms, he'd still saved my life that day against the naga, and saved it again by sending me away from the manor. I couldn't think entirely of the enormity of what I was about to give--or else I might refuse again. I met Rhysand's gaze. "Five days." "You're going to bargain?" Rhysand laughed under his breath. "Ten days." I held his stare with all my strength. "A week." Rhysand was silent for a long moment, his eyes traveling across my body and my face before he murmured: "A week it is." "Then it's a deal"
|
|
deal
high-fae
high-lord
rhysand
feyre
price
faerie
|
Sarah J. Maas |
07f74d8
|
"He took my hand, interlacing our fingers. "We can make whatever rules we want. You have every right to question me, push me--both in private and in public." A snort. "Of course, if you decide to truly kick my ass, I might request that it's done behind closed doors so I don't have to suffer centuries of teasing, but--"
|
|
young-adult
love
rhysand
feyre
|
Sarah J. Maas |
8154a55
|
"I said to Lucien, low and quiet and as vicious as the talons that formed at the tips of my fingers, as vicious as the wondrous weight between my shoulder blades, "When you spend so long trapped in darkness, Lucien, you find that the darkness starts to stare back."
|
|
feyre
lucien
|
Sarah J. Maas |
a1ea514
|
There had once been a time when I'd dreaded the end of summer, had prayed it would hold out for as long as possible. Now the thought of endless warmth and sun made me . . . bored. Restless.
|
|
feyre
summer
|
Sarah J. Maas |
ec23516
|
"He sighed and grabbed my left arm, examining the tattoo. "What were you thinking? Didn't you know I'd come as soon as I could?" I yanked my arm from him. "I was dying! I had a fever--I was barely able to keep conscious! How was I supposed to know you'd come? That you even understood how quickly humans can die of that sort of thing? You told me you hesitated that time with the naga." "I swore an oath to Tamlin--" "I had no other choice! You think I'm going to trust you after everything you said to me at the manor?" "I risked my neck for you during your task. Was that not enough?" His metal eye whirred softly. "You offered up your name for me--after all that I said to you, all I did, you still offered up your name. Didn't you realize I would help you after that? Oath or no oath?" I hadn't realized it would mean anything to him at all. "I had no other choice," I said again, breathing hard. "Don't you understand what Rhys is?" "I do!" I barked, then sighed. "I do," I repeated, and glared at the eye in my palm. "It's done with. So you needn't hold to whatever oath you swore to Tamlin to protect me--or feel like you owe me anything for saving you from Amarantha. I would have done it just to wipe the smirk off your brothers' faces." Lucien clicked his tongue, but his remaining russet eye shone. "I'm glad to see you didn't sell your lively human spirit or stubbornness to Rhys."
|
|
risk
rhysand
feyre
tamlin
lucien
hurt
help
oath
name
|
Sarah J. Maas |
c86919a
|
"Going somewhere?" Tamlin asked. His voice was not entirely of this world. I suppressed a shudder. "Midnight snack," I said, and I was keenly aware of every movement, every breath I took as I neared him. His bare chest was painted with whorls of dark blue woad, and from the smudges in the paint, I knew exactly where he'd been touched. I tried not to notice that they descended past his muscled midriff. I was about to pass him when he grabbed me, so fast that I didn't see anything until he had me pinned against the wall. The cookie dropped from my hand as he grasped my wrists. "I smelled you," he breathed, his painted chest rising and falling so close to mine. "I searched for you, and you weren't there." He reeked of magic. When I looked into his eyes, remnants of power flickered there. No kindness, none of the wry humor and gentle reprimands. The Tamlin I knew was gone. "Let go," I said as evenly as I could, but his claws punched out, imbedding in the wood above my hands. Still riding the magic, he was half-wild. "You drove me mad," he growled, and the sound trembled down my neck, along my breasts until they ached. "I searched for you, and you weren't there. When I didn't find you," he said, bringing his face closer to mine, until we shared breath, "it made me pick another." I couldn't escape. I wasn't entirely sure that I wanted to. "She asked me not to be gentle with her, either," he snarled, his teeth bright in the moonlight. He brought his lips to my ear. "I would have been gentle with you, though." I shuddered as I closed my eyes. Every inch of my body went taut as his words echoed through me. "I would have had you moaning my name throughout it all. And I would have taken a very, very long time, Feyre." He said my name like a caress, and his hot breath tickled my ear. My back arched slightly. He ripped his claws free from the wall, and my knees buckled as he let go. I grasped the wall to keep from sinking to the floor, to keep from grabbing him--to strike or caress, I didn't know. I opened my eyes. He still smiled--smiled like an animal. "Why should I want someone's leftovers?" I said, making to push him away. He grabbed my hands again and bit my neck. I cried out as his teeth clamped onto the tender spot where my neck met my shoulder. I couldn't move--couldn't think, and my world narrowed to the feeling of his lips and teeth against my skin. He didn't pierce my flesh, but rather bit to keep me pinned. The push of his body against mine, the hard and the soft, made me see red--see lightning, made me grind my hips against his. I should hate him--hate him for his stupid ritual, for the female he'd been with tonight ... His bite lightened, and his tongue caressed the places his teeth had been. He didn't move--he just remained in that spot, kissing my neck. Intently, territorially, lazily. Heat pounded between my legs, and as he ground his body against me, against every aching spot, a moan slipped past my lips. He jerked away. The air was bitingly cold against my freed skin, and I panted as he stared at me. "Don't ever disobey me again," he said, his voice a deep purr that ricocheted through me, awakening everything and lulling it into complicity."
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moaning
pick
high-lord
feyre
tamlin
intimate
bite
wild
scent
|
Sarah J. Maas |
4cc6ee2
|
"You can leave if you're just going to insult me." "But I'm so good at it." He flashed one of his grins."
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rhysand
feyre
|
Sarah J. Maas |
749d346
|
"Lucien kept rubbing at his temples as he ate, unusually silent, and I hid my smile as I asked him, "And where were you last night?" Lucien's metal eye narrowed on me. "I'll have you know that while you two were dancing with the spirits, I was stuck on border patrol." Tamlin gave a pointed cough, and Lucien added, "With some company." He gave me a sly grin. "Rumor has it you two didn't come back until after dawn." I glanced at Tamlin, biting my lip. I'd practically floated into my bedroom that morning. But Tamlin's gaze now roved my face as if searching for any tinge of regret, of fear. Ridiculous. "You bit my neck on Fire Night," I said under my breath. "If I can face you after that, a few kisses are nothing." He braced his forearms on the table as he leaned closer to me. "Nothing?" His eyes flicked to my lips. Lucien shifted in his seat, muttering to the Cauldron to spare him, but I ignored him. "Nothing," I repeated a bit distantly, watching Tamlin's mouth move, so keenly aware of every movement he made, resenting the table between us. I could almost feel the warmth of his breath. "Are you sure?" he murmured, intent and hungry enough that I was glad I was sitting. He could have had me right there, on top of that table. I wanted his broad hands running over my bare skin, wanted his teeth scraping against my neck, wanted his mouth all over me. "I'm trying to eat," Lucien said."
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|
feyre
tamlin
intimate
nothing
reaction
lucien
|
Sarah J. Maas |
da73aef
|
"They'll be at it for a while," Mor said, leaning against the threshold of the house. She held open the door. "Welcome to the family, Feyre." And I thought those might have been the most beautiful words I'd ever heard."
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|
family
mor
sarah-j-maas
feyre
morrigan
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Sarah J. Maas |
f0bb944
|
And though his face was calm, his shoulders thrown back, I said, I see all of you, Rhys. And there is not one part that I do not love with everything that I am. His hand squeezed mine in answer before he laid my fingers on his arm, raising it enough that we must have painted a rather courtly portrait as we entered the chamber. You bow to no one, was all he replied.
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|
young-adult
love
rhysand
feyre
|
Sarah J. Maas |
a488710
|
"What?" Lucien laughed. "Yes--all those female faeries around you were females for Tamlin to pick. It's an honor to be chosen, but it's his instincts that select her." "But you were there--and other male faeries." My face burned so hot that I began sweating. That was why those three horrible faeries had been there--and they'd thought that just by my presence, I was happy to comply with their plans. "Ah." Lucien chuckled. "Well, Tam's not the only one who gets to perform the rite tonight. Once he makes his choice, we're free to mingle. Though it's not the Great Rite, our own dalliances tonight will help the land, too." He shrugged off that invisible hand a second time, and his eyes fell upon the hills. "You're lucky I found you when I did, though," he said. "Because he would have smelled you, and claimed you, but it wouldn't have been Tamlin who brought you into that cave." His eyes met mine, and a chill went over me. "And I don't think you would have liked it. Tonight is not for lovemaking."
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great-rite
maiden
high-lord
feyre
tamlin
lovemaking
lucien
power
instincts
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Sarah J. Maas |
483f46f
|
"Tam would gut me if he caught you drinking that." "Always looking after your best interests," I said, and pointedly chugged the contents of the glass. It was like a million fireworks exploding inside me, filling my veins with starlight. I laughed aloud, and Lucien groaned. "Human fool," he hissed. But his glamour had been ripped away. His auburn hair burned like hot metal, and his russet eye smoldered like a bottomless forge. That was what I would capture next. "I'm going to paint you," I said, and giggled--actually giggled--as the words popped out. "Cauldron boil and fry me," he muttered, and I laughed again."
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faerie-wine
feyre
tamlin
lucien
drunk
faerie
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Sarah J. Maas |
be42cd0
|
"My wings," the faerie whispered. "You'll get them back." The Faerie struggled to open his eyes. "You swear?" "Yes," I breathed. The faerie managed a slight smile and closed his eyes again. My mouth trembled. I wished for something else to say, something more to offer him than my empty promises. The first false vow I'd ever sworn. But Tamlin began speaking, and I glanced up to see him take the faerie's other hand. "Cauldron save you," he said, reciting the words of a prayer that was probably older than the mortal realm. "Mother hold you. Pass through the gates, and smell that immortal land of milk and honey. Fear no evil. Feel no pain." Tamlin's voice wavered, but he finished. "Go, and enter eternity." --
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feyre
tamlin
|
Sarah J. Maas |
ef76785
|
"I couldn't talk about it, about them--not yet. So I breathed "Later" and hooked my feet around his legs, drawing him closer. I placed my hands on his chest, feeling the heart beating beneath. This--I needed this right now. It wouldn't wash away what I'd done, but ... I needed him near, needed to smell and taste him, remind myself that he was real--this was real. "Later," he echoed, and leaned down to kiss me. It was soft, tentative--nothing like the wild, hard kisses we'd shared in the hall of throne room. He brushed his lips against mine again. I didn't want apologies, didn't want sympathy or coddling. I gripped the front of his tunic, tugging him closer as I opened my mouth to him. He let out a low growl, and the sound of it sent a wildfire blazing through me, pooling and burning in my core. I let it burn through that hole in my chest, my soul. Let it raze through the wave of black that was starting to press around me, let it consume the phantom blood I could still feel on my hands. I gave myself to that fire, to him, as his hands roved across me, unbuttoning as he went. I pulled back, breaking the kiss to look into his face. His eyes were bright--hungry--but his hands had stopped their exploring and rested firmly on my hips. With a predator's stillness, he waited and watched as I traced the contours of his face, as I kissed every place I touched. His ragged breathing was the only sound--and his hands soon began roaming across my back and sides, caressing and teasing and baring me to him. When my traveling fingers reached his mouth, he bit down on one, sucking it into his mouth. It didn't hurt, but the bite was hard enough for me to meet his eyes again. To realize that he was done waiting--and so was I. He eased me onto the bed, murmuring my name against my neck, the shell of my ear, the tips of my fingers. I urged him--faster, harder. His mouth explored the curve of my breast, the inside of my thigh. A kiss for each day we'd spent apart, a kiss for every wound and terror, a kiss for the ink etched into my flesh, and for all the days we would be together after this. Days, perhaps, that I no longer deserved. But I gave myself again to that fire, threw myself into it, into him, and let myself burn."
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kissing
passion
high-fae
high-lord
feyre
tamlin
intimate
late
making-love
|
Sarah J. Maas |
4aab1ce
|
"Why don't you just hide in one of those pocket-realms for a bit?" "It doesn't work like that. There's no air there." I gave him a look to say he should definitely do it then, and he laughed."
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sarah-j-maas
rhysand
feyre
|
Sarah J. Maas |
024b0cc
|
"You can't write, yet you learned to hunt, to survive. How?" I paused with my foot on the threshold. "That's what happens when you're responsible for lives other than your own, isn't it? You do what you have to do." He was still sitting on the table, still straddling that inner line between the here and now and wherever he'd had to go in his mind to endure the fight with the Bogge. I met his feral and glowing stare. "You aren't what I expected--for a human."
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|
human
high-lord
feyre
tamlin
responsible
survive
write
|
Sarah J. Maas |
eb33dc8
|
"But Amarantha rolled her eyes and slouched in her throne. "Shatter him, Rhysand." She flicked a hand at the High Lord of the Summer Court. "You may do what you want with the body afterward." The High Lord of the Summer Court bowed--as if he'd been given a gift--and looked to his subject, who had gone still and calm on the floor, hugging his knees. The male faerie was ready--relieved. Rhys slipped a hand out of his pocket, and it dangled at his side. I could have sworn phantom talons flickered there as his fingers curled slightly. "I'm growing bored, Rhysand," Amarantha said with a sigh, again fiddling with that bone. She hadn't looked at me once, too focused on her current prey. Rhysand's fingers curled into a fist. The faerie male's eyes went wide--then glazed as he slumped to the side in the puddle of his own waste. Blood leaked from his nose, from his ears, pooling on the floor. That fast--that easily, that irrevocably ... he was dead. "I said shatter his mind, not his brain," Amarantha snapped. The crowd murmured around me, stirring. I wanted nothing more than to fade back into it--to crawl back into my cell and burn this from my mind. Tamlin hadn't flinched--not a muscle. What horrors had he witnessed in his long life if this hadn't broken that distant expression, that control? Rhysand shrugged, his hand sliding back into his pocket. "Apologies, my queen." He turned away without being dismissed, and didn't look at me as he strode for the back of the throne room. I fell into step beside him, reining in my trembling, trying not to think about the body sprawled behind us, or about Clare--still nailed to the wall. The crowd stayed far, far back as we walked through it. "Whore," some of them softly hissed at him, out of her earshot; "Amarantha's whore." But many offered tentative, appreciative smiles and words--"Good that you killed him; good that you killed the traitor."
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|
mind
punish
rhysand
feyre
kill
|
Sarah J. Maas |
ea9726e
|
"Even as he said my most private thoughts, even as I burned with outrage and shame, I trembled at the grip still on my mind. Rhysand turned to the High Lord. "I'm curious: Why did she wonder if it would feel good to have you bite her breast the way you bit her neck?" "Let. Her. Go." Tamlin's face was twisted with such feral rage that it struck a different, deeper chord of terror in me." --
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mind-reading
rhysand
feyre
tamlin
private-thoughts
rhys
mind-control
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Sarah J. Maas |
d3af221
|
I walked out of Rhys's touch--realizing he'd kept silent to let me sort it out. Let me figure out how to deal with both of them, as family, but mostly as their High Lady.
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|
young-adult
love
rhysand
feyre
|
Sarah J. Maas |
d0480fa
|
"So I laid a hand on his forearm, savoring the corded strength beneath, and nestled my head back against his chest. "I wish I had days to spend with you-- like this," I managed to say as my eyelids drooped. "Just me and you." "We will." He kissed my hair. "We will."
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|
young-adult
love
rhysand
feyre
|
Sarah J. Maas |
91a162c
|
"Say that you don't love him!" Amarantha shrieked, and the blood on my hands became the blood of that rabbit--became the blood of what I had lost. But I wouldn't say it. Because loving Tamlin was the only thing I had left, the only thing I couldn't sacrifice. A path cleared through my red-and-black vision. I found Tamlin's eyes--wide as he crawled toward Amarantha, watching me die, and unable to save me while his wound slowly healed, while she still gripped his power. Amarantha had never intended for me to live, never intended to let him go. "Amarantha, stop this," Tamlin begged at her feet as he clutched the gaping wound in his chest. "Stop. I'm sorry--I'm sorry for what I said about Clythia all those years ago. Please."
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killing
love
feyre
tamlin
emotional
beg
hurt
angry
blood
|
Sarah J. Maas |