Hey if you’re taking prompts would you do Nesta finally telling Cassian about Tomas and him comforting her?
To kill two birds with one stone... Nessian snippet. TW for sexual assault.
...
‘You could try being nicer.’
One word. Three letters. Try. Hadn’t she tried enough?
Cassian shrugged. ‘I’m just saying they’re used to their females being meek and looking at the ground rather than staring directly in their eyes. You don’t have to be their friends, just be a bit nicer and don’t take everything they say as an insult.’
That familiar flare of her nostrils came as her knife sliced through a tomato for dinner. ‘I’m sorry aren’t these the same males you said you wished you could push off a cliff?’
‘That was last week. Now, we are in Illyria playing peacemakers so be nice.’
‘I was nice to somebody once who didn’t deserve it. Never again, Cassian.’
The grating tone of her voice had Cassian pausing from peeling cloves of garlic. He glanced sidelong at her, worry furrowing his dark brow.
‘Who?’
Nesta pushed the tomatoes to the edge of the chopping board then attacked the onion with more force than it warranted. ‘Are you asking me for a list of people that I’ve ever been nice to?’
‘No. I’m asking who has made you clench that knife so hard that your knuckles are white.’
Suddenly, Cassian wasn’t her mate anymore. They weren’t in an isolated cabin in Illyria with only the wild, rugged nature for company. She was a mortal receiving a faerie general in her bedroom, waiting expectantly for a letter from her estranged sister. Cassian had crossed the room that day and she had dared to brush her body against his, to press her hand against his chest. Then the memory of Tomas had threatened to drown her and Cassian – somehow – had recognised that brief moment of blind fear. He had held her wrist to his body, demanding to know who had caused that terror to flare behind her eyes. Cassian hadn’t even known her then. But he’d have found Tomas and made him pay.
‘I’m not hungry,’ she declared, releasing the knife and leaving Cassian to prepare a dinner alone.
It took Cassian all of three minutes to follow her up the stairs, move her away from the dresser, and sit her on the edge of the bed. It groaned under his heavy weight as he settled beside her.
‘We’ve had this conversation many times, Nes. You need to open the door, not shut me out.’
‘Why do you care?’
‘Because you know more about my five hundred years than I know about your twenty.’ His knuckles grazed her cheek. ‘Were you talking about Rhys?’
‘My life doesn’t resolve around Rhysand.’
She tried to stand, but Cassian slunk his arm around her waist, pinning her. ‘Tell me.’
‘It was my fault,’ she said, voice as brittle as she felt. ‘I was nice to him. And look where it got me.’
‘Who?’
She forced a breath out from between her pursed lips. It was a wound she’d avoided looking at, even when it ached and pulsed.
‘Why do you still hide from me? You’ve been my mate for a year. Why do you think I won’t support you?’
Nesta couldn’t look at the kindness in his eyes. She still struggled with these declarations because Cassian was always genuine. He would always give rather than take. Her fingers edged closer to his then tangled with them.
‘A boy from the village. There were no options for girls like us – poor girls with no dowry. I was beautiful and untouched but that was all I had to offer. Tomas was poor too. Not as bad as we were, but not rich by any means – not like Graysen. Feyre warned me off of him but then she left.’
Then it fell to Nesta to figure out a way to feed her and Elain’s starving bellies. If she had known that Tamlin would have sent a treasury of gems and jewels, Nesta never would have been nice to Tomas.
‘He hunted like Feyre in the woods. After she’d gone, he caught up with me once and offered to walk me home. I would have said no. I never let boys walk me home. But he had two pheasants hanging in his hand and we were starving. So I was nice to him. I smiled at everything he said, batted my eyelashes when he complimented me, and told him at the end I’d hope to see him again.’ Nesta let out a low laugh. ‘The next day, he brought me a dead pheasant. What a catch.’
Cassian shrugged his shoulders. ‘You did what you needed to so that you were both fed. It’s not the end of the world.’
‘Tomas continued to court me - small walks so I wouldn’t be sequestered in that awful cottage with my father. His mother was often bruised, but I hoped that Tomas was not like his father. If I married him and left then maybe father would do something to feed his precious Elain and I would have a husband to take care of me. But Tomas could speak cruelly about other villagers. He would laugh at the elderly when they struggled, would sneer at the poorest children. I don’t know if he thought it would impress me.’
The walks became insufferable. She began to dread the knock at the door. Any other man would have spoken to her father to gain his permission, would have been polite, would have ensured they had an escort. Any decent or proper man would have.
The more time that they spent in each other’s company, the more Nesta despised him. She had to listen to his insufferable arrogance in exchange for a lump of stringy meat. Had to listen to him talk about the other girls in the village as if he was comparing cattle. It became apparent that, rather than being his father’s opposite, he was moulding Tomas into something worse than him.
Then he had tried to kiss Nesta.
He’d grabbed her suddenly at the edge of the narrow path leading to their cottage.
It had happened so quickly that Nesta barely had enough time to swoop her head upwards. Tomas’ lips had clattered against her jaw. The flush on her face had not been from modesty but sheer mortification that Tomas would dare to grab her like a possession and stake a claim on her without proper courting or permission. Nesta had feigned shyness, but had seethed that night in bed beside Elain. She had barely slept through anger.
‘I was nice to him, Cassian, and do you know what he did?’
Nesta remembered her mother’s teachings. Always smile and agree with what the men say. Never show anger because a man can always match it and then some. Be palatable. Be agreeable. Be nothing at all - except his.
In the square, where it was quiet but visible, Nesta spoke clearly to Tomas that day. She no longer wanted to spend time with him. There was no dowry to be offered therefore no marriage to occur. It was unfair of her to take his time when a future was impossible. It was the nicest way she could think of that wouldn’t invoke anger. What Nesta had wanted to say was that he was arrogant and rude, and any woman that was forced to spend another moment in his company had likely been cursed. Tomas had taken it well. He’d agreed, dipped his chin and agreed. In fact, when Nesta looked back, it had been too agreeable. Too unlike Tomas Mandray.
He'd emerged that afternoon from the woods like a beast. Nesta had jumped out of her skin. But she had seen the anger in his eyes.
‘Our cottage veered off from the others. It was isolated from anybody else. Tomas knew that.’
Cassian’s fists clenched.
‘Tomas called me a stupid slut who deserved everything I got for leading him on then he dragged me into the forest.’
When they’d been in the war and she’d first heard the healers ripping cloth for bandages, her heart had felt like it was caving in as she remembered the way Tomas’ hands had clawed at her dress, tearing the ribbons clean off and splitting the gown at its seams. It had exposed her chest and the worn chemise below.
‘I managed to get away from him. I wasn’t nice then.’
Only blind terror had helped her navigate that situation. Negotiation was not an option. No niceness would have got her through it. Nesta had scratched and kicked even as Tomas pressed her against tree roots. He bruised the inside of her thighs trying to pin her with his knees. When her forehead made contact with his nose, the sudden burst of his blood on her face gave them pause. It was enough for Nesta to raise her knee with enough force to have him double over, wheezing. She’d run home, blood on her ruined gown. Elain was out. Father paid her no attention even as she threw the gown on the fire. They only had five dresses between them but that one needed to burn.
Nesta massaged her face. ‘I will not be nice to males anymore to please them. I will not be nice because it makes their lives easier if I am. Because the last time I was nice to a boy, look what happened. If I hadn’t been nice then I never would have put myself in that silly situation. I should have known better.’
Like a petal in the sun, Cassian unfurled his fingers from the fists they’d been balled into. Gently, he took both of her hands. The warmth of his skin was always welcome. Always comforting.
‘Nes, none of that was your fault. It was all him. Don’t ever blame yourself for somebody else’s actions. It’s easy to wish you’d done things different with hindsight. You could have been horrid to him and he still might have done it. It wasn’t your niceness that made him do that. He did it because he’s an animal.’ Cassian leaned forwards and kissed her forehead. ‘Now tell me where I can find him because I’d like to peel every inch of skin from his bones.’
When Cassian wrapped an arm around her shoulders, she sunk into her mate’s embrace. These arms were home. She wouldn’t tell him where Tomas could be found because nobody deserved the sort of pain that Cassian’s eyes promised.
‘I’m sorry that I asked you to be nicer to the males. It’s not on you to change to suit them.’
Nesta nodded in agreement. She was nice, when she wanted to be, to those who deserved it. Not males who wanted to keep her submissive.
‘I’m sorry that you had to go through that as a mortal. You should never have had to experience these things, Nes. I promise, as your mate and a bastard-born lesser fae, to always protect you. And I’ll never ask you to be nice again.’
‘Thank you.’
‘And to show you how nice I can be, read your book. I’ll cook.’
If Tamlin deserves a redemption arc then personally I think Tomas Mandray deserves one too. I mean he was dealing with an abusive home life and who knows what else? He deserves some empathy for that.
When Nesta doesn't want to be around Cassian, or when she's ignoring him, she's MeAn or a she's a HaTeFuL bItCh.
But when Elain doesn't want to be around Lucien, or when she's ignoring him, she's TrAuMaTiZeD or it's the AnGsT.
It's not angst, it's hypocrisy.
Keep in mind, Nesta was traumatized too. She was abused by her grandmamma, used by her mother, neglected by her father, sexually assaulted by Tomas, tortured by the Cauldron and forced to become High Fae against her will, and then you have all the trauma she endured during the war: feeling like a failure for not stopping the wall from coming down and not being able to protect the humans, only being able to save Cassian and not all the other Illyrian warriors, seeing her father murdered right in front of her, seeing Cassian almost murdered (thrice), and Nesta herself was almost murdered by the King of Hybern.
If Elain gets a free pass because she's traumatized then why doesn't Nesta?
have you ever wrote something about Tomas Mandray? It would be nice to read about Cassian acting out on his promise to hunt down and shatter every bone of the man who hurt Nesta🤭🤭
Tomas has been the antagonist in multiple fics! There's another period piece that I want to write soon where he's really the antagonist, but here are a few that this vibe has been present in:
lmao I WAS SO TEMPTED TO POST THIS 5 DAYS AGO. thank God I didn’t or else I’d have to speed write the rest of the chapters (?)
as usual, any ideas to this would be very much appreciated! and should i start a taglist for any of these chapters/upcoming stories?
AO3 version: Steel and Fire [3]
Chapter 1 // Chapter 2
Nesta was lying on her bed, reading, when a knock sounded on the door.
She placed the book down after marking the page and walked towards the door. Unlocking it, she swung it open and her mate stood there. Cassian held up a half drank coconut shake in one hand, and a mango shake in the other.
“I didn’t know what you liked, so I got you two shakes that I like.”
Typical.
Nesta held the door open for him and he walked in, smelling of the streets below. Did he walk here?
“In case you were wondering, sweetheart, I decided to take a stroll on the streets you usually take. Quite a scene, I would say. So unlike the mortal Nesta Archeron I had known earlier on.” She tried not to dwell on the thought that he was learning her routine. It was actually nice to know that. Nesta just nodded and grabbed the mango shake from his hand, which she had to admit, she absolutely adored. Nesta was already a regular for the vendor who sold this particular shake.
He smiled as she said thank you, and took a seat on one of the chairs at the small dining table. She took the one on his left. Genuine surprise coloured his face for a short second before he made it neutral again.
“I met Amren. More like caught her on the dining table. She mentioned you. . barged into her.” Cassian looked at Nesta, waiting for her to continue. Did he know about her dilemma? It would make so much sense to him if she told him. About why she couldn’t accept the bond yet.
Nesta wouldn’t burden Cassian with the pain her heart had felt. Feyre and Rhysand were both broken, but they climbed out that abyss together. As far as she was concerned, Cassian didn’t have any emotional baggage with him.
“I have unfinished business,” Nesta said. That was all she would allow him to know.
Cassian took her by surprise, however. “With that mortal.”
She blinked at Cassian, who looked worried. “Look, Nesta, I know you won’t accept the bond yet. I know why you won’t accept it. And I’ll damn well keep my promise about him, if that’s what you want. Hell, I’ll be glad to do it. But as your mate, I’m giving you the choice. We can go to the Mortal Lands together, and you can get closure, or, you know, skinning him alive would be fun,” he smirked at that. Trust Cassian to get a joke out of everything, even if it annoyed her at first. Now, that’s exactly what she needed. “That aside, you need to confront him. Your acceptance for the bond is not a priority now.”
This winged Fae was putting her needs first. The Cauldron must have been pranking her, because no way in her forced immortal life did she ever deserve this. She got up, prompting Cassian to get up as well.
“I’m sorry, I think I overstepped with what I said.” Cassian was rumbling now, his face red. The Illyrian Commander was embarrassed. “I think it’s better if I—”
He cut short as Nesta pulled him into a hug, taking care not to touch his wings. Her time at the camps has taught her to never touch an Illyrian’s wings without permission. He wrapped his arms around her, his wings stretching to cover the both of them. She breathed in his scent, the scent that reminded her of the times her father had come home from his business travels. She never realized it until now.
“Thank you,” she whispered, and Cassian’s only reply was to hold her tighter.
“If you want, we can go tomorrow. I’m not trying to rush the bond, but I don’t want you to suffer any longer.” She nodded. The bond was calling to her now, especially when she’s with Cassian. The longer she held out, the stronger its call. Nesta looked up to Cassian and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. He stiffened and smirked.
“What?”
“Can I have another one?”
Fucking prick.
“Are you serious?” Nesta felt her temper rising, and it didn’t help that he was still smirking at her.
Cassian just leaned down and kissed her nose softly, before letting her go. Her temper died down at the softness of his kiss, his lips and his face. A year ago, she would’ve slapped him.
Things were different now.
Nesta turned away and headed to the front door, hiding her blush. She opened it, motioning for Cassian to leave. She needed the time to compose herself for tomorrow.
Cassian walked towards where she stood and winked at her. “See you, sweetheart,” he said, leaving. She half wondered if he’d fly back or take to the roads.
Closing the door, she walked to her bed, placing the mango shake on her bedside table and picking up where she left off. Cassian was a prick, but maybe having him as her mate wouldn’t be so bad. It’d definitely spice up her long life, and she wouldn’t have a dull day of burying herself in novels anymore. And if Feyre was right about the wingspan. . then her nights wouldn’t be boring either.
She smiled at that.
*
Nesta woke slightly before dawn to get ready. Confronting Tomas Mandray meant that she would finally end whatever ties she had to her mortal life.
With Cassian at her side.
Cassian had always been there for her—when the King of Hybern, who had taken her innocence and mortality away, was about to tear her world apart. When she needed help getting into the bathtub at the Illyrian Camps, still struggling after being forced into the Cauldron. And now, with confronting the man she was supposed to marry.
The Cauldron had truly planned all these.
Nesta picked up a deep blue gown, much like Azriel's siphons, before she did a double take. She had always donned dresses and gowns, and it was one of her favourite gowns that was ripped under Tomas' hands when he had attempted to rape her. She had worn that gown and met Tomas in hopes that he would propose, even after Feyre had warned her not to. She thought that she could keep him in check, but clearly not. Nesta placed the gown back down, and picked up something else she had been accustomed to wear.
She hoped the Illyrian leathers she began to strap up made a statement, not only to Tomas, but also to Cassian.
*
Cassian was staring at Nesta at the doorway.
Nesta was lounging around, waiting for him to pick her up when he knocked. The look on his face?
Fucking priceless.
She took the mango shake from his hand before asking, "What?"
He kept gaping at her, coconut shake forgotten in his other hand. She had to hold his arm before he snapped out of it, the easy smile coming back. "You look hot," Cassian said.
"Is that all you could come up with? Five hundred fucking years of living and the only adjective that's swimming in your head is hot?"
Cassian laughed before saying, "Sweetheart, I can tell you how I think you look with my tongue, if you'd prefer. Or I can fuck you well enough so you'd get my point." Nesta stumbled at that. She had fallen right into his bait. "Wearing that is going to make the mortals talk, you know. We're twinning now," he continued and added a wink.
Nesta surveyed his outfit. Illyrian leathers as well.
"Let them talk," she crooned, closing the door behind her and walking down the street towards the townhouse.
Cassian grinned. She could tell he liked that idea very much. "Feyre's going to winnow us to the Mortal Lands," he said, taking a step behind her. Thank the Cauldron. Nesta had learnt to winnow between short distances only, and there was no way she was taking flight across Prythian. Not with Cassian pressed against her. Nesta nodded, continuing the rest of her journey keeping quiet. Cassian had caught up to her and the citizens of Velaris kept looking at them.
Scratch that, they were staring at them in awe.
Cassian smiled at everyone once in a while, greeting some he personally knew. Nesta plastered a smile, but soon it became genuine. Anyone who walked by Cassian and Nesta waved or said hello. Nesta knew the city loved their High Lord and High Lady, but it never occurred to her their love extended to the Inner Circle. To the Illyrian Commander standing beside her.
Her Illyrian leathers weren't the only statement. Walking beside him in the City of Starlight was a whole other statement on its own, both for Nesta and Cassian. And he was proud to wear this one. The war Cassian had fought in for this city, the stakes he would go against for his court, he truly deserved this.
She could see the townhouse now. There were less faeries in the residential area. Nesta walked silently, Cassian still at her side when he placed a hand on her lower back. She turned to look up at him.
"Nesta, before we go, I want you to know that when we meet Tomas, I'll be by your side. If you need help, just say it. No questions asked. Alright?" Cassian said softly. She continued looking at him, his hazel eyes shining with understanding and determination. Deep down, Nesta knew that Cassian would do anything she asked for. If she decided not to go on with this confrontation moments before, he'd listen. He'd bring her back here. Home.
Home? Was Velaris her new home?
She never felt that way. Her old house in the Mortal Lands didn't feel that way either.
Standing underneath Cassian, however. . she felt more at home than she ever did. She unconsciously placed a hand on his cheek, feeling the rough start of a stubble underneath.
"Thank you," she whispered. He brought his hand up to hold the hand on his cheek, pulling it away slightly to kiss her palm. She shivered a little, feeling the bond shine faintly. She could tell he felt the same by the way he was staring at her, his lips still brushing her palm. Maybe she should accept the bond now. Confront Tomas as a mated couple. She could just turn back to buy him a kebab, or she could ask if there was a more Illyrian tradition he'd prefer to—
“Ready to leave?” Feyre called from outside the townhouse. Cassian whipped his head towards his High Lady, slowly dropping Nesta’s hand. Nesta gradually turned her head, unable to get her eyes off Cassian.
Rhysand walked behind Feyre and sighed. “Look what you've done, Feyre, darling. You've ruined their moment.” Feyre looked up sheepishly to Rhysand, muttering a sorry to the both of them. Cassian just smiled and sauntered towards them, unaware of the choice Nesta almost made.
Rhysand, however, knew. He gave her an apologetic look before she heard his voice in her mind. Feyre has told me never to tell you things in your head, but Cass would have more pride in accepting the bond after your confrontation. Don't feel obligated to accept the bond now. Nesta’s only reply was a slight dip in her head. She and Rhys had a tough relationship at the beginning, but she soon grew to like the High Lord. Trust was what the foundations of his court was built on, and she had no reason not to believe him.
Feyre gave a knowing look to Nesta, which resulted in Cassian demanding a “What the hell are you two saying?”
“Do you really want to know, Cass? I could show you what Rhysand plans to do —,” Feyre started, only to have Cassian waving his arms in the air to not know, Rhysand chuckling behind. Nesta was grateful for that save.
She walked towards her youngest sister and looked at her. “I’m ready.”
Feyre nodded, kissing Rhysand on the cheek before holding Nesta and Cassian’s hand. “I’ll winnow both of you to Lucien and Jurian’s house. It’s near enough to Tomas,” she said, eliciting a grunt from Cassian. Approval in his language of grunts.
“Don’t kill him, Cass. Let Nesta do it,” Rhysand said, winking at Nesta. Shadows consumed them before she could answer.
*
The house Lucien and Jurian lived in was cosy.
Warm colours bedecked the house, curtains and rugs of varying oranges and browns painting the home.
This was where the so-called “Band of Exiles” lived at. Nesta knew it was more of an official home, but the atmosphere in this house was lively. She let go of Feyre’s hand, who was unfazed with winnowing them this far, and turned to admire the house, finally setting her eyes on a waiting Lucien by the chimney.
“Hello, Feyre. Nesta. Cassian.” Lucien nodded at each name he listed out, striding over. Feyre merely looked at him before enveloping him in a hug.
“Lucien! Cauldron, I missed you. Why don’t you ever visit?”
Lucien just laughed while Cassian and Nesta awkwardly stood beside each other. “I have other matters to worry about, Feyre. I’ll visit soon, I promise,” he said, glancing towards Cassian towering behind his High Lady. “Um, I’ll let the both of you get on with the things you need to do. I’ll keep Feyre safe.”
Cassian grinned at that, holding Nesta’s shoulders to turn around, pushing her towards the door. Feyre and Lucien broke into laughter at the fact that Cassian had accomplished doing that to Nesta without her snapping at him. But with Cassian, Nesta didn’t seem to mind. She let him lead her out, opening the front door.
It was the middle of spring, and there were flowers blooming everywhere. She recognized most of the flowers that grew here, but with her Fae eyesight, the colours were more extravagant, making her appreciate them even more. Was this what Elain saw in flowers since the beginning? What beauty could she see now? Nesta breathed in, savouring the floral smell. Elain’s garden in Velaris was better, no doubt, but the flowers here reminded her of her mortal life. When all she knew was how to be human.
Twigs crunched under Cassian’s feet, pulling Nesta out of her thoughts. She realized he was waiting for her.
“This way,” Nesta said, turning west and trudging on. Cassian followed silently.
Throughout the walk, she thought about all those times she had walked to Tomas’ house, excited to meet him. She’d take an hour to get ready, putting effort into what she wore and how she did her hair. All that went to shit the moment he crossed the line.
Now it's her turn to give him shit.
It was a fifteen minute walk to his house. Did she really take the time to come to him last time? It felt like forever, but each step she took towards his house only fueled her need to look him in the eye and square up to Tomas.
Nesta reached a familiar brick home, spotting a woodpile on the lawn. She walked up the pathway to the front door and stopped, turning to Cassian. It was then she realized he did not bother glamouring his wings away. He grinned at her acknowledgement.
She grinned back at him and knocked on the front door.
Moments passed before a woman opened it. Tomas' mother. There were faint bruises on her face and arm, hastily covered up with powder. It may fool the mortal eye, but Nesta and Cassian could see it as clear as stars in the night sky. His mother looked at Nesta, recognizing her yet not in her otherworldly Fae beauty, fear striking in her eyes at Nesta's pointed ears and Cassian's wings.
A small smile tugged at Nesta's mouth before she said, "I'd like to see Tomas, please." His mother nodded before closing the door. Through the brick walls, Nesta heard his mother say, Tomas, Nesta's here. Nothing else. Good. A great day to get someone shitting their pants.
Nesta turned to Cassian and motioned him to stand beside the pillar, obscuring him from the view at the front door. Let Tomas think she came alone.
Two minutes went by and the door opened. Out walked Tomas.
"Nesta Archeron. What pleasure do I owe—" Tomas started, cutting short when he took note of her pointed ears. Her predatory stillness. The promise in her eyes.
"It's true then," he whispered, running an eye over Nesta and noting the warrior clothes she had chosen to wear in place of her usual dresses.
Nesta didn't care what was true and what wasn't as she smiled at him. The feline smile she had seen Amren use, one that would get someone running in the opposite direction.
"Tomas Mandray," Nesta just said, side stepping and forcing Tomas to turn, right into Cassian's view. Tomas had paled at the sight of Nesta, but he blanched as he beheld Cassian's towering height and massive wings. Cassian took a step closer but Tomas held his ground, either from his ego or because he wasn't in the right mind to step back.
"What do you want?" Tomas spat out, his heart racing fast.
Oh, she was going to enjoy this.
"Remember that night you came after me in the barn? When you tore my favourite dress and tried to rape me?"
Anger flashed in his face. "I didn't try to rape you. You wanted it as much as I did."
Men and their ever changing stories.
"You know I didn't want it. I said no, yet you still came after me."
"What do you want?" he repeated.
"I want you dead." His eyes were filled with terror now, but she had to give him credit for attempting to keep a neutral face. If it weren't for his eyes, his scent definitely gave it off. "But I'm not that kind of person, so an apology would do." Nesta had settled on that. No good would come if she were to kill him, and attempted rape had no closure. So yes, an apology.
Tomas laughed darkly. “What makes you think you deserve that? You were meant to marry me. I was allowed to take whatever I wanted from you.”
Nesta had to stare at him coolly and take a few seconds before answering, only so she wouldn’t explode. She could feel the waves of rage coming off from Cassian, yet he remained still, unspeaking, out of the respect he had for Nesta’s wishes.
Only when she asked for help would he interfere.
“As far as I’m concerned, a woman is not yours if she has not been legally married to you. I was still under my father’s care, and I remember our laws as clearly as you do.”
Tomas smirked as he said, “I may not have gotten what I wanted from you, but I’m certain half of Prythian had.”
Before she could register the sentence, Tomas slapped her. Pain sparked through her cheek, shock keeping her in place.
And that was when Cassian striked.
Tomas was pinned against the brick wall in seconds, both their faces red with rage. He clawed at Cassian's hand around his throat, but Cassian was far stronger than him. The Commander was snarling at his face as he gritted out, "Apologize."
Nesta sighed. "He can't apologize if you're blocking out his airway."
Cassian realized the science behind that and loosened his grip ever so slightly. Tomas turned his head towards Nesta, still trying to claw his way out, and spat at her feet.
No apology then, not when there’s no remorse. She had suspected as much and had kept a back up plan. Time to do this her way. With threats. Just like what she did to the King of Hybern.
She walked to Cassian's side and pulled out an Illyrian dagger from its sheath on his thigh, angling it right between Tomas' legs. He began to struggle against Cassian's hold to no avail.
"If I hear you attempt to rape some other poor girl, I'll cut your piss poor favourite part and feed it to the crows. If I hear you raped someone, I'll skin you alive with this very blade, and feed you to the many, horrifying creatures we have in Prythian. Understood?" Tomas only stared at her, so she pressed the blade harder against him. "Understood?"
Tomas nodded, keeping his body rigid underneath the sharp dagger. She released the hold she had on him, prompting Cassian to do the same.
Tomas held his throat, red from Cassian's iron grip. He quickly opened the door and ran in, but not without whispering, "Cunt," at Nesta. The door was shut quickly and she was sure Cassian would burn down the house with the entire Mandray family in it, seeing that he was about to grip the handle. She reached out and grabbed his arm.
"Cassian. It's fine. It's settled." As good as it can get. Some people will never change, she's learnt, but she truly hoped her threats had scared Tomas enough so no one else would fall victim to his flirtatious smiles. Nesta walked down the patio, Cassian falling in step. She fingered the blade before declaring, "I'm keeping this."
He stopped and watched her strap it to her thigh, just like he had done before. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. Why wouldn't I be?" Cassian nodded and walked towards Lucien's house, Nesta following closely.
*
They had dinner at Lucien's, Jurian nowhere to be seen.
He's at the continent, checking up on Vassa's curse, Lucien had claimed.
After a good laugh about Nesta's threats, and many promises between Lucien and Feyre about visiting each other, Feyre winnowed the both of them and herself back to Velaris. Cassian had only bade them goodbye and flew off to the House of Wind, mumbling something about seeing Azriel regarding his reports.
Nesta stood in the sitting room, dumb founded at Cassian's abrupt leaving.
"What's that all about?" Feyre asked Nesta, and she shrugged. Nesta felt like the trip to Tomas had been eventful, and she felt more at peace than she ever did. She had enjoyed Cassian's overprotectiveness, but never had the chance to thank him. Not when dinner had circulated around Feyre and Lucien’s antics.
She smelled the faint scent of rain and citrusy salt before she saw Rhysand come through the doorway.
"How was the trip, ladies?" Rhysand said, walking over to kiss Feyre on the top of her head. He surveyed her from the top to bottom, and then moved on to do the same to Nesta.
His eyes stopped at the Illyrian dagger strapped to her thigh.
"Did he give you that."
Feyre turned to look at the blade, then back to her mate. "Why? What's wrong?" Rhysand stayed quiet, until Nesta quietly said, "I took it from him."
"He let you do that?" She nodded and his breath hitched.
Feyre's face whitened as Nesta knew Rhysand was explaining everything to her through the bond. "Well, spit it out," Nesta said, patience running thin.
They glanced at each other before Rhysand said, "In Illyrian traditions. . mating bonds are accepted when the female takes an Illyrian weapon from a male." Nesta understood before he finished. "And he let you take his."
Fuck.
She had accepted the bond without knowing.
“Didn’t Azriel lend his blade to Elain last year?”
Rhysand knew what she meant. “There’s no bond between them and she gave it back.”
Nesta unsheathed the dagger and looked at it. The rare steel, the craftsmanship and design, and most importantly, the intricate words of a forgotten language written into it. She wondered what it said.
"And what is supposed to come next?" she dared ask.
It was Feyre, this time, who answered.
"The actual mating."
Trailing her fingers along the sharp end, Nesta knew. She knew from the bottom of her heart, she wanted Cassian. The confrontation with Tomas only gave her more reason to want Cassian by her side. To face their fears together.
The faces of the High Lord and High Lady lit up when Nesta said, “Take me to the House of Wind. I want to see my mate.”
OKAY, but what happened to Tomas Mandray? If he died off page in the war, I'm gonna be mad.
You know why? Because I’m petty. And I want to see him pissing and shaking in his boots when Nesta shows up flanked by three Illyrians, the Morrigan, High Lady Feyre, and Elain like, “Told you we'd find a rat in this house.”
[I low-key want him to have been winnowed to Adriata... where he's unknowingly awaiting a horrible death.]
