Chapter 12

Feyre wakes from a nightmare and spends the night mapping the manor for escape routes. Tamlin returns bloodied from killing the Bogge, and Feyre tends his wounds in the infirmary. The next morning, she overhears a tense argument between Tamlin and Lucien about a mysterious blight threatening their lands and the collapsing barriers between courts, learning that Tamlin is struggling with his role and that dangerous creatures are infiltrating his territory.

Unable to sleep after a nightmare, Feyre creates a makeshift map of the manor's exits and hiding places using basic sketches and markings. In the early morning hours, Tamlin arrives through the garden doors in his beast form, bloodied and distant after killing the Bogge. Feyre helps him clean and bandage his hand in the infirmary, noticing his wounds are mysteriously unharmed despite his torn clothes. After their interaction, she realizes the extent of his power and immortal nature. The next morning, Feyre hides behind a door and overhears Lucien and Tamlin arguing. Lucien pressures Tamlin about his apparent lack of effort and his softness, mentioning a blight plaguing their lands with vanishing barriers between courts and dangerous creatures infiltrating their woods. Tamlin insists he cannot follow his father's footsteps and refuses to compromise his values. When Feyre's presence is discovered, Lucien manipulates her into a forced ride with Tamlin by claiming unavailability. As they walk through the halls, Tamlin reveals he knows about the stolen knife, notes her eavesdropping habit, and acknowledges that more creatures like the Bogge may come. He deflects her questions about the blight and his time constraints, speaking her name with unexpected intimacy. He then opens double doors to a study, leaving her reaction unfinished.