Feyre

I had coaxed dinner down Anwyn, a slow process which resulted in her getting sick. Majda arrived soon after and declared only small portions of food until she could eat without throwing it back up.

The room was tense due to Anwyn's anxiety, but I couldn't blame her. Kier and Eris stole her from her home and used her for who knows how long. Fae have never had a good representation in the mortal realm, and with the deaths of Jurian and Vassa several years ago, we have not had a strong voice. This was not helping.

It pained me to give Anwyn a tonic to help her sleep, her anxiety bursting through as she drank it. She had allowed me to hold her hand until the tonic worked through her and she fell into a deep slumber.

Looking at her, I couldn't help but see me. A scared girl being taken from her home and thrust into a new world she didn't understand. Never, ever, would I want someone to go through what I did, yet it has happened again.

Brushing her hair away from her face, I leave the room, blowing out candles as I went. The door clicked shut behind me and I left for my room, stopping by the nursery to retrieve Janus.

Rhysand was not in the room when I arrived meaning it would just be me and Janus for a while. I tried to reach for him through the link, but ultimately was met by his shield. It did not worry me as much as it should, knowing he would be back eventually.

I turn my attention back to Janus who was smiling up at me from my arms. He was a surprise to us. After Laila we had decided to be done having children. All of them had been easy to care for, and aside from Nyx, they were all easy pregnancies. Janus was no different, although a surprise. The one time I happened to not take my tonic was the one time I happened to also get pregnant. Perhaps I was a little too trusting on my fae body.

Regardless, Janus has been a joy, and a surprisingly easier baby than his siblings. He had Rhys's purple eyes, but lighter hair than his; harking back to a lineage possibly somewhere on my side. At less than a year, he has grown so much. Beginning to crawl and sit up, reaching for objects. The quickest learner out of all of them.

Although I know he has already eaten, I prepare a small bottle for him. He seems to sleep better when we do this routine, and tonight I would need him to sleep well so Rhys and I could talk.

Janus quickly finishes the bottle and soon after passes out in my arms. I stand from the bed and walk back into the nursery, laying him down in the crib when Rhys enters. He watches me from the doorway which connects our room with the nursery, his arms folded across his chest.

"Where did you go off to?" I ask quietly, moving away from the crib.

"Flying with Nyx," he responds simply as he wraps his arm around my waist and closes the door behind us.

"And?" I ask.

In the early mornings, I often watch Nyx fly off without a word. He never says anything about it, and hardly talks to us. While I know we've been busy with the Night Court and Janus, and every thing in between, but he will always come before that.

Rhys gives a heavy sigh as he sits on the edge of the bed and begins to take off his boots.

"There's something going on that he doesn't want to tell us," he says. "But, I think we both needed the silence and space tonight."

I give a nod and sit next to him, running a hand through his black, almost blue hair. "I just don't want him to think we don't care or we're not here for him."

Rhys shakes his head. "He knows we're here for him, he's just not ready to talk to us. If I remember anything from when I was his age is that I just needed space. I would come around eventually, but he just needs time." He turns his head to look at me. "I know business is not for the bedroom, but we do need to discuss Anwyn."

It's my turn to sigh as I drop my hands to my lap. "I just can't believe what's happening. The last thing we need is for the fae to have a bad reputation again. It's already not good."

"I know. Azriel went back to the Hewn City tonight to figure out what to do with Kier and how we go about Eris. If we blame him for the kiddnapping when he had nothing to do with that part then we face the potential for war with the Autumn Court, something I would like to avoid."

"But we can't let Eris go unpunished."

Rhys nods. "We'll figure something out for him. Even if it's just making the rest of his immortal life miserable."

The room suddenly becomes thick with the topic, and I stand to busy myself. Deciding to dress for bed I change into the silk night gown and lay down on the bed.

"Anwyn is terrified," I say. "She hasn't said much about where she lives or her family. I hope she'll open up with time as her body heals." Rhys doesn't say anything. "What do you think we should do? Find her family now or wait until we're sure she will be alright?"

Still more silence as Rhys lays back, his head resting on my lap. His eyes were closed and I knew he was probably thinking. I rub his forehead and he opens his eyes.

"Let's be done talking about this for tonight. We'll have time tomorrow," he finally says.

I give a nod, and sit up in the bed. "Tomorrow," I confirm.

Besides, nothing would happen tonight even if we decided on a plan. So instead, we laid in bed, enjoying each other's company late into the night.