A Court of Lies and Secrets | ACOTAR fanfic [Girl x Girl]

Stupid Fucking Mating Bond

"Rhys, I need your Daemati powers." He turns and frowns in question.

"A male- man won't take my help, can you-"

"Ali. No, I won't make him."

"Just calm him so we can convince him easily."

"Ali, my answer is no. I will not force any of them to accept our help. Find humans who want your healing powers instead of wasting energy convincing the old and uptight ones." He smiles playfully. I can't just let him die- these people are injured badly because of our kind.

"Rhys, he'll die without our help." He sighs and still shakes his head in response.

"I will not take the basic right of choice from him. If he wishes to die in pain than to take your help, then let him."

"Let him die? No!" I shout and gain a few glares from passing healers and limping humans.

"Ali, I understand how hard this is for you but you don't have a choice. Trust me, it pains me to see these people in this state because of me-"

"Rhys," In my peripheral vision, a dark and slender female figure stands,  "you gave your home to these people, you didn't cause this." Renae soothes.

"This happened because they're here. Because I asked them to stay."

Renae gives me a glance that tells me 'see what you've done?' and I turn and walk from them both. I refuse to listen to her whine about his feelings. I have better things to be doing than trying to convince the High lord to help his people.

~~~

The daylight fades and gradually healers disappear back to the warmth of their houses and humans doze off in their tents.

Rhys had winnowed home hours ago to have a meeting with Jurian and Lucien to make a better plan to keep the humans safe.

Renae helped out in the healers tent, putting packs of supplies together as the healers strode in and out taking them to the injured humans and bringing back the used packs.

The day had gone by so fast and we had made it over halfway down the list by the time to sun fell.

"You ready to go?" Ren yawns and throws down the final pack of supplies on the pile.

"Some of the healers are staying overnight."

"No, Ali. Some of them have to. We don't." I give her disgusted frown.

"I'm staying. To help. You can leave if you're not bothered."

"I didn't say that. I just meant you've been running around like a headless chicken all day and now you're telling me you want to stay all night too. It's too much, you'll make yourself sick, which none of the healers have time for right now if you haven't noticed." I roll my eyes and pick up a pack of supplies so I can head back out.

"Ali! Stop, we're going home." She runs out of the tent after me.

"There are still humans in need of out help."

"And we have brilliant healers on the case, but you won't be any help passed out from exhaustion."

"I'm not going, good luck trying to-" Before I can finish, her hand snakes around my arm and she winnows us all the way back to the House of Wind– supplies still in my clutch.

"Ren! What the hell!"

"Go on, scream at me. I don't care, but you're putting your arse to bed-"

"And if I winnow back to the camp?" She rolls her eyes.

"You can try. You're already exhausted and your winnowing powers are shit." She crosses her arms and she knows she's won.

I want to hit and scream at her to tell her how much I hate her for this, that any deaths will be on her hands. I want to let her know how annoyed I am that she thinks she has the power to control me, that she thinks she owns me. I hate this stupid mate bond that makes her so protective.

I want to do all that, but the last of my energy goes into breaking down into tears– falling to the ground, surrounded by scattered healing supplies.

"Ali." She falls to my side and begins rocking me against her chest and runs her hand through my hair which is no doubt drenched in sweat and blood of humans.

"He died." I pushed the words out between sobs and she knows exactly who.

"You can't save all of them, Ali. You need to make time for yourself to make sure you can give them your best." I have a lot to say and do in response but my energy is falling lower and lower by the second.

I need to push away from her before I pass out in her arms. I need to yell at her to leave me alone and to get her hands away from me.

My vision fades from lack of energy but I notice the feeling of her arms around my back and beneath my knees, carrying me through the house. If I had it in me, I would leap from her grasp and run so far she'd never catch up. Stupid fucking mating bond.

~Renae~

That plump mouth of hers is definitely more attractive when it isn't moving. Although, her round hazel eyes are more beautiful when they're open and not laced with guilt over the loss of human lives.

After the many screaming matches, it's been nice to have a whole day without any arguments– excluding the last half an hour. It's strange to be this close to her.

I managed to get the heavy layers off of her limp body. Leaving the lighter (and much nicer to sleep in) under-layers. I didn't need to be gentle– she was too deep into sleep to be awoken any time soon, but I felt strange stripping her weak figure and laying her inside her bed.

Just leave already!

My mind has been screaming how strange it is for me to be sat, gawking at her whilst she sleeps.

But look how peaceful she is.

I fight back and restrain the urge to run a finger over her forehead ; her lips. If she were to wake up now, push through the exhaustion to open her eyes, she would snap my neck faster than I could run.

Whether it's the bond, or me– she is attractive.

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