Rhys leaned forward and kissed me. “Always.”
The stars seemed to burn brighter in response, creeping closer to watch. His wings rustled as he shifted us in the chair and deepened the kiss until I was breathless.
And then I was flying.
Rhys gathered me up in his arms, shooting us high into the starry night, the city a glimmering reflection beneath.
Music flitted out from the riverfront cafés. People laughed as they walked arm in arm down the streets and across the bridges spanning the Sidra. Dark spots still stained some of the glimmering expanse—piles of rubble and ruined buildings—but even some of those had been lit up with small lights. Candles. Defiant and lovely against the blackness.
We would need more of that in the days to come—on the long road ahead. To a new world. One I would leave a better place than how I’d found it.
But for now … this moment, with the city below us, the world around us, savoring that hard-won peace … I savored it, too. Every heartbeat. Every sound and smell and image that planted itself in my mind, so many that it would take me a lifetime—several of them—to paint.
Rhys leveled out, sent a thought into my mind, and grinned broadly as I summoned wings.
He let go of me and I swept smoothly out of his arms, basking in the warm wind caressing every inch of me, drinking in the air laced with salt and citrus. It took me a few flaps to get it right—the feel and rhythm. But then I was steady, even.
Then I was flying. Soaring.
Rhys fell into flight beside me, and when he smiled at me again as we sailed through the stars and the lights and the sea-kissed breeze, when he showed me all the wonders of Velaris, the glittering Rainbow a living river of color beneath us … When he brushed his wing against mine, just because he could, because he wanted to and we’d have an eternity of nights to do this, to see everything together …
A gift.
All of it.
There are more tales to be told in the land of Prythian …
THE SERIES WILL CONTINUE IN
2018
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Even after nine books, it never gets any easier to express my tremendous gratitude to the people in my life, both personally and professionally, who make my world brighter just by being in it.
To Josh: Every moment with you is a gift. Long ago, when I looked up at the stars and wished, it was for someone like you to be in my life. I truly believe those stars listened, because getting to share this wild adventure with you has been a dream answered. I love you more than words can convey.
To Annie: Thank you for the cuddles, the sass, and the constant demands for more treats that keep me on my toes. I love you forever and ever and ever, babypup (and no matter what anyone says, I swear you can read this).
To my agent, Tamar, who works so tirelessly and is the fiercest badass I know: none of this would be possible without you, and I will never stop being grateful for it. Thank you for everything.
To Cat Onder: Working with you was such an enormous privilege and joy. Thank you for being such a creative, caring, and insightful editor, and for all the years of friendship.
To the genius team at Bloomsbury worldwide: Cindy Loh, Cristina Gilbert, Kathleen Farrar, Nigel Newton, Rebecca McNally, Sonia Palmisano, Emma Hopkin, Ian Lamb, Emma Bradshaw, Lizzy Mason, Courtney Griffin, Erica Barmash, Emily Ritter, Grace Whooley, Eshani Agrawal, Emily Klopfer, Alice Grigg, Elise Burns, Jenny Collins, Beth Eller, Kerry Johnson, Kelly de Groot, Ashley Poston, Lucy Mackay-Sim, Hali Baumstein, Melissa Kavonic, Diane Aronson, Linda Minton, Christine Ma, Donna Mark, John Candell, Nicholas Church, and the entire foreign rights team—thank you for the hard work to make these books a reality and for being the best damn global publishing team ever. To Jon Cassir and the team at CAA: thank you for championing me and my books.
To Cassie Homer, assistant extraordinaire: thank you for all of your help and for being such a delight to work with!
To my parents: thank you for the fairy tales and folklore, for the adventures around the world, and for the weekend mornings with bagels and lox from Murray’s. To Linda and Dennis: you raised such a spectacular son, and I will be forever grateful for it. To my family: I’m so lucky to have all of you in my life.
To Roshani Chokshi, Lynette Noni, and Jennifer Armentrout: thank you for being such bright lights and wonderful friends—and for all your invaluable feedback with this book. To Renée Ahdieh, Steph Brown, and Alice Fanchiang: I adore you.
A massive thank-you to Sasha Alsberg, Vilma Gonzalez, Alexa Santiago, Rachel Domingo, Jessica Reigle, Kelly Grabowski, Jennifer Kelly, Laura Ashforth, and Diyana Wan for being supremely awesome and lovely people. To the marvelous Caitie Flum: thank you so much for taking the time to read this book and for providing such valuable feedback. To Louisse Ang: thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your remarkable kindness, infectious joy, and astounding generosity.
To Charlie Bowater, who is not only a brilliant artist, but also a magnificent human being: thank you for the art that has moved and inspired me, and for all of your hard and phenomenal work on the coloring book. It’s an honor to work with you.
And lastly, to you, dear reader: thank you from the bottom of my heart for coming with me and Feyre on this journey. Your heartfelt letters and incredible art, your lovely music and clever cosplays … all of it means more than I can possibly say. I’m truly blessed to have you as readers, and can’t wait to share more of this world with you in the next book!
Be enchanted …
Bring Feyre, Rhys and other beloved characters to life in colour as they fall in love, wage war and explore the haunting and deadly world of the Fae in this must-have companion to the #1 New York Times bestselling series.
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Bloomsbury Publishing, London, Oxford, New York, New Delhi and Sydney
First published in Great Britain in May 2017 by
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
50 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP
First published in the USA in May 2017 by
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
1385 Broadway, New York, New York 10018
www.sarahjmaas.com
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BLOOMSBURY is a registered trademark of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Text copyright © Sarah J. Maas 2017
Map copyright © Kelly de Groot 2017
The moral rights of the author and illustrator have been asserted
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 1 4088 5790 8
eISBN 978 1 4088 5791 5
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