𝒜 𝒞𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝑅𝑒𝓈𝒾𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒮𝒸𝒶𝓇𝓈 | ᴀᴢʀɪᴇʟ

Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Arwen knew Rhysand was pissed. 

She sat on the small, spare chair in his office, feet curled underneath her, and she hid her mouth behind her fisted fingers. Arwen's eyes were sore but dry and she could barely focus on anything beyond keeping them open and staying awake. Cassian stood right next to the chair, his hand lain gently on her shoulder, constantly rubbing his thumb over the bone even as he spoke with her brother.

Rhysand paced behind his desk. He had run his hand through his hair one too many times and it sat in a disarray, strands spiking in all directions. Scattered across his desk were the papers he had spent weeks drafting—the copies of the ones he had taken to the meeting to solidify relations between the Solar Courts. Which was now more strained than it had been in centuries. After she had calmed, it became his turn to panic and she didn't know how to help. So she chose to just be there with him as he had been there for her. But something had been churning in her stomach for a few hours and it made it hard to concentrate.

Arwen winced as he swore again.

Cassian seemed to be on a mission of pacifying, answering everything that Rhysand said but the High Lord barely listened.

"I can't apologise," Rhysand declared, stopping his pacing momentarily to ensure that Cassian heard him. "I won't apologise. It's a weakness and it's not deserved."

"Thesan owes you one," Cassian concurred. "Owes you both one. And he will give it. The Dawn Court and Night Court have always been on good terms."

Rhysand shook his head wildly. "He won't see it like that. Won't see it as his fault."

Arwen turned from sitting with her weight on her side to her back. She moved a hand over her stomach. It felt as though a small flame lay inside of her, like that of a candle.

"Helion will report back to his father," Rhysand continued, hands braced on his desk. "His court borders ours and I needed to make sure that I could count on them as allies."

Cassian sighed and stepped forward, leaving Arwen. "Thesan was at least right in saying that there is no rush. We're not at war and you have time to rebuild this. Who knows—Amun might get pushed off a mountain sometime soon and Helion will be High Lord, and we both know that he would prefer being your friend over your enemy."

Rhysand slumped into his seat, hand covering his mouth as he looked down at the papers again.

Arwen closed her eyes as the feeling inside of her spread. "Rhys... I don't feel so well."

He let out a sharp breath. "It's probably your powers again. Cassian can take you down."

She shook her head and peeled her eyes back open. This feeling inside of her was foreign and not supposed to be part of her. Arwen slipped her legs from the chair, shaking her head at Cassian who moved forward to do as her brother suggested. Her legs still held firm, but the flame inside had moved up into the pit of her chest. It wasn't hot. Not in the way she would feel if she stood before a fire. It felt like something was burning though. Scorching and charring inside of her.

"I have to figure out why that bastard was there in the first place. What was so important that he had to barge in on another High Lord's meeting."

"Rhys, I really don't feel good."

Rhysand dropped his hands from his face, letting them slam against the desk. "Arwen, I have just destroyed my relationship with two other courts. I don't have time to sit here and worry about how you're feeling."

Arwen shrunk under his fiery gaze. Her eardrums thudded with each heartbeat. "I'm sorry," she murmured, shifting on her bare feet. Her heels had been discarded somewhere between now and their first arrival. "Something just doesn't feel right."