Rhys leaned in to kiss my neck again. “Earlier today—at the loft,” he said, pulling back to meet my eyes. Unflinching. Open. “I didn’t mean to insult her.”
“I’m sorry I snapped at you.”
He lifted a dark brow. “Why in hell would you be? I insulted your sister; you defended her. You had every right to kick my ass for it.”
“I didn’t mean to … undermine you.”
Shadows flickered in his eyes. “Ah.” He twisted toward the Sidra, and I followed suit. The water meandered past, its dark surface rippling with golden faelights from the streetlamps and the bright jewels of the Rainbow. “That was why it was … strange between us this afternoon.” He cringed and faced me fully. “Mother above, Feyre.”
My cheeks heated and I interrupted before he could continue. “I get why, though. A solid, unified front is important.” I scratched at the smooth wood of the rail with a finger. “Especially for us.”
“Not amongst our family.”
Warmth spread through me at the words—our family.
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—”
“I won’t undermine you in public. And you won’t undermine me.”
He remained quiet, letting me think, speak.
“We can question each other through the bond if we’re around people other than our friends,” I said. “But for now, for these initial years, I’d like to show the world a unified front … That is, if we survive.”
“We’ll survive.” Uncompromising will in those words, that face. “But I want you to feel comfortable pushing me, calling me out—”
“When have I ever not done that?” He smiled. But I added, “I want you to do the same—for me.”
“Deal. But amongst our family … call me on my bullshit all you want. I insist, actually.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s fun.”
I nudged him with an elbow.
“Because you’re my equal,” he said. “And as much as that means having each other’s backs in public, it also means that we grant each other the gift of honesty. Of truth.”
I surveyed the bustling city around us. “Can I give you a bit of truth, then?”
He stilled, but said, “Always.”
I blew out a breath. “I think you should be careful—working with Keir. Not for how despicable he is, but because … I think you could truly wound Mor if you don’t play it right.”
Rhys dragged a hand through his hair. “I know. I know.”
“Is it worth it—whatever troops he can offer? If it means hurting her?”
“We’ve been working with Keir for centuries. She should be used to it by now. And yes—his troops are worth it. The Darkbringers are well trained, powerful, and have been idle too long.”
I considered. “The last time we went to the Court of Nightmares, I played your whore.”
He winced at the word.
“But I am now your High Lady,” I went on, stroking a finger over the back of his hand. He tracked the movement. My voice dropped lower. “To get Keir to agree to aid us … Any tips on what mask I should wear to the Hewn City?”
“It’s for you to decide,” he said, still watching my finger trace idle circles on his skin. “You’ve seen how I am there—how we are. It is for you to decide how to play into that.”
“I suppose I’d better decide soon—not just for this, but the meeting with the other High Lords in two weeks.”
Rhys slid a sidelong glance to me. “Every court is invited.”
“I doubt he’ll come, given that he is Hybern’s ally and knows we’d kill him.”
The river breeze stirred his blue-black hair. “The meeting will occur with a binding spell that forces us all into cease-fire. If someone breaks it while the meeting occurs, the magic will demand a steep cost. Probably their life. Tamlin wouldn’t be stupid enough to attack—nor us him.”
“Why invite him at all?”
“Excluding him will only give him more ammunition against us. Believe me, I have little desire to see him. Or Beron. Who perhaps is higher on my kill list than Tamlin right now.”
“Tarquin will be there. And we are pretty high on his kill list.”
“Even with the blood rubies, he wouldn’t be stupid enough to attack during the meeting.” Rhys sighed through his nose.
“How many allies can we count on? Beyond Keir and the Hewn City, I mean.” I glanced down the river walkway. The diners and revelers were too busy enjoying themselves to even note our presence, even with Rhys’s recognizable wings. Still—perhaps not the best place for this conversation.
“I’m not sure,” Rhys admitted. “Helion and his Day Court, probably. Kallias … maybe. Things have been strained with the Winter Court since Under the Mountain.”
“I assume Azriel is going to be finding out more.”
“He’s already on the hunt.”
I nodded. “Amren claimed she and Nesta needed help researching ways to repair the wall.” I gestured to the city. “Point me toward the best library to find that sort of thing.”
Rhys’s brows lifted. “Right now? Your work ethic puts mine to shame.”
I hissed, “Tomorrow, smartass.”
He chuckled, wings flaring and tucking in tight. Wings … wings he’d allowed Lucien to see.
“You trust Lucien.”
Rhys angled his head at the not-quite question. “I trust in the fact that we currently have possession of the one thing he wants above all else. And as long as that remains, he’ll try to stay on our good side. But if that changes … His talent was wasted in the Spring Court. There was a reason he had that fox mask, you know.” His mouth tugged to the side. “If he got Elain away, back to Spring or wherever … do you believe, deep down, that he wouldn’t sell what he knows? Either for gain, or to ensure she stays safe?”
“You let him hear everything tonight, though.”