2_-_court_of_mist_and_fury_a_-_sarah_j._maas

matters more interesting.”
I dropped my gaze to the pale marble floor.
“If you hadn’t taken care of Tarquin,” he went on, “the odds are we’d be knee-deep in
shit right now.”
“It was my fault, anyway—I was the one who asked about the temple. I was only
cleaning up my own mess.” I shook my head. “It doesn’t feel right.”
“It never does. Or it shouldn’t. Far too many daemati lose that sense. But here—tonight
… the benefits outweighed the costs.”
“Is that also what you told yourself when you went into my mind? What was the benefit
then?”
Rhys pushed off the door, crossing to where I sat on the bed. “There are parts of your
mind I left undisturbed, things that belong solely to you, and always will. And as for the
rest … ” His jaw clenched. “You scared the shit out of me for a long while, Feyre.
Checking in that way … I couldn’t very well stroll into the Spring Court and ask how you
were doing, could I?” Light footsteps sounded in the hall—Amren. Rhys held my gaze
though as he said, “I’ll explain the rest some other time.”
The door opened. “It seems like a stupid place to hide a book,” Amren said by way of
greeting as she entered, plopping onto the bed.
“And the last place one would look,” Rhys said, prowling away from me to take a seat
on the vanity stool before the window. “They could spell it easily enough against wet and
decay. A place only visible for brief moments throughout the day—when the land around
it is exposed for all to see? You could not ask for a better place. We have the eyes of
thousands watching us.”
“So how do we get in?” I said.
“It’s likely warded against winnowing,” Rhys said, bracing his forearms on his thighs.
“I won’t risk tripping any alarms by trying. So we go in at night, the old-fashioned way. I
can carry you both, then keep watch,” he added when I lifted my brows.
“Such gallantry,” Amren said, “to do the easy part, then leave us helpless females to dig
through mud and seaweed.”
“Someone needs to be circling high enough to see anyone approaching—or sounding
the alarm. And masking you from sight.”
I frowned. “The locks respond to his touch; let’s hope they respond to mine.”
Amren said, “When do we move?”
“Tomorrow night,” I said. “We note the guard’s rotations tonight at low tide—figure out
where the watchers are. Who we might need to take out before we make our move.”
“You think like an Illyrian,” Rhys murmured.
“I believe that’s supposed to be a compliment,” Amren confided.