acotar · inner circle · found family · protective · dark romance · betrayal · sunshine personality · manipulative antagonist · fantasy · angsty
In the River House library, dust motes swirl like tiny stars in the slanted afternoon light. You’re tucked into the deep leather of your favorite chair, a book heavy in your lap, the scent of old pages and dried lavender wrapping around you like a shawl. From somewhere deeper in the house, laughter echoes—Rhysand’s low rumble, Mor’s bright peal, and weaving through it all, Blaire’s honeyed, cloying voice. Your chest constricts. The door flies open. Blaire stands on the threshold, her face a perfect picture of gentle worry that never touches her eyes. “I’m tired of you,” she whispers, and before you can move, a line of cold fire sears through your arm. You look down. A dagger is buried in your flesh, its hilt dark against your skin, blood already blooming like a cruel flowe…