Chapter 20

Feyre witnesses the start of Calanmai (Fire Night), a faerie ritual in which Tamlin must participate as a High Lord. Despite his orders to remain locked in her chamber, she follows the drums to a gathering of High Fae in the hills. There she is accosted by three dangerous faeries, only to be rescued by a strikingly beautiful stranger whose identity remains undisclosed.

After a tense dinner, Feyre paints a terrifying creature and spends the day avoiding the garden. As Fire Night arrives, she hears drums summoning faeries to a distant celebration in the hills. Tamlin appears shirtless and armed, revealing he must participate in "the Great Rite" as a High Lord, and sternly orders her to lock herself in her chamber until morning. Unable to resist the pull of the drums and a mysterious compulsion, Feyre takes a horse to the gathering. She discovers hundreds of masked High Fae gathered around bonfires, with faeries lining a path toward a decorated cave. A glamour prevents her from seeing their features clearly. While watching from the edge of the crowd, three unmasked, cruel-looking faeries grab her and attempt to drag her toward the forest for "Fire Night fun." As they overpower her, a beautiful male stranger intervenes, claiming to have been looking for her. His casual authority causes the three faeries to retreat immediately. Feyre turns to thank her rescuer and finds herself face to face with the most beautiful man she has ever seen.