A Court of Shadows and Secrets (ACOTAR FANFIC)

Chapter 6

"I want you to know, I think this is a horrible idea," Kali said as she watched her sister prepare from Feyre's bed. 

"It's just a party." Feyre rolled her eyes at her overprotective sister. Kali had not been pleased about the growing infatuation between her sister and Tamlin. Not at all. Now Feyre was trying to attend Calanmai, some party that she was specifically told not to go to.

"We don't know that Feyre darling. Fae are weird it might be a battle to the death or an orgy or something." Kali fell back in annoyance, Feyre continued to drown out her whining.

Feyre's curiosity apparently won out against her self-preservation as she chose to ignore her sister's sound advice.

Oh, what a mistake that was. 

Feyre stood amongst the celebrating fae surrounded by three predators looking like they wanted to devour her. 

She wondered why Kali hadn't swooped in to rip out their hearts yet when she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders.

Kali did see, she did want to help her sister but something stopped her in her tracks. 

Antares?

She saw him, her brother, her other half, her twin... no. 

Not Antares. Antares was dead. She felt him die, watched him die. She looked closer and noticed the differences. The man's hair wasn't curly like hers and Antares'. Antares had more delicate features than the man currently approaching her sister. 

No it was not Antares... It was her father, the High Lord of Night Rhysand. 

"There you are, I've been looking for you everywhere." a sultry voice crooned as he pulled Feyre close.

Feyre looked up to see the most beautiful man she had ever seen. 

After a moment of looking at the High Fae, she recognized the violet eyes, the tan skin, the black hair. She saw the tattoos crawling up his neck and smiled, thinking this was one of her sister's glamours. 

She decided to keep the momentary lust for her sister, a secret until she died. She knew that Kali was beautiful but if this is what she would have been as a male-

"Feyre! Get away from him now!"

She was startled at her sister's voice in her head. Horror took over her face as she realized her protector was not in fact her sister.

"What the hell-"

"What is a mortal woman doing here on fire night." The man gave a half-smirk as he stared down at her. 

Without a word Feyre turned to leave, hearing the panic in her sister's voice.

"Now is that any way to say thank you to your Savior?" The man said blocking her way of escape.

"You were told not to come here." She heard another male voice behind her. 

She turned to see an unknown female approach. She had wood bark for skin and vines for hair, "Follow my lead, little star."  She heard Kali's voice in her head as she moved toward her. 

"Sorry I wandered off," Feyre replied, playing along. 

"Whatever, we have to go before we are caught. Run along back home." Feyre noticed her sister refusing to make eye contact with the High Fae male who had helped her. 

Feyre nodded leaving ahead of her sister. 

An arm shot out and grabbed Kali, "Now where are you going off too so quickly?" 

Anger shot through her. It was his fault. All of it. Her birth, their imprisonment, Antares' death,  every bad thing that happened to her was directly his fault.

There was a time when she had hope that one day the violet-eyed bastard before her would save them. That was before he allowed Antares to die. 

~~~~Flash Back~~~~

Antares sat huddled close to his sister's shaking body. It was a cold night in the cells and the Guards had drenched them with water earlier because they 'smelled so damn bad'. 

"When he saves us, the first thing I'll do is fly up high enough to catch a star." The hopeful seven-year-old Alya whispered in her brother's mind. 

"He won't come for us, Alya darling. He's a High Lord, you saw what the others did to their children." They had had this conversation daily since they knew how to talk. Even in her head, Alya felt Antares' hatred for the High Lords. Especially their father.

Antares was an angry child, he hated everyone except for his sister. 

She was his entire world. Trapped within the confines of the small stone cell they had nothing else. 

They had used their Daemati powers to steal information from the minds of the guards. What the outside world looked like, how to read and write, everything they learned through the eyes of those keeping them prisoner. 

And Antares hated it. 

He always picked fights with them, always refused to do what they want, he refused to cry or scream, he would not give them the satisfaction. 

He held so much hatred in his heart. He never understood why his big sister refused to give up on the sperm donor on who their lives depended.

"He hasn't killed us yet. Maybe he intends to save us in time."  Antares wasn't entirely sure his sister even believed those words. 

His kind-hearted sister who they had begun to punish in his stead every time he stepped out of line. 

"He's a High Lord... He will kill us eventually." Antares said, for the first time in months using his out-loud voice. 

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Alya... No... Kali didn't want to remember. She didn't want to think of her brother or the man who looked just like him. 

After her brother's death, she realized the truth of his words. 

There was no hope for High Lords.

"If you would excuse me my lord I must ensure that the mortal makes it home, safely. Excuse me." She left her father behind, praying to the cauldron he didn't see through her glamour.

It was the first time she met her father, and once was enough to never wish to see him again.