Chapter 26

Rhysand, the High Lord of the Night Court and Amarantha's enforcer, arrives unexpectedly at the Spring Court manor. He discovers Feyre's presence, demonstrates his terrifying power by invading her mind, and forces Tamlin and Lucien to grovel before him. He leaves with knowledge of Feyre's existence but departs without revealing her to Amarantha—for now.

The chapter opens with Lucien joining Feyre and Tamlin for lunch, where romantic tension between Feyre and Tamlin is interrupted by Lucien's urgent news: the blight has killed two dozen younglings in the Winter Court and is spreading southward, sparing only the Night Court. Tamlin's alarm at this threat is cut short when he senses a dangerous presence and orders Lucien to hide Feyre using glamour magic. Rhysand arrives, revealing himself as the High Lord of the Night Court and Amarantha's lover. He mocks Tamlin for his forty-nine years of inaction and taunts Lucien about his mother mourning him. When Rhysand notices Feyre's place setting, he penetrates Lucien's glamour and uses his mind-magic to immobilize her, demonstrating he could shatter her mind as easily as breaking an eggshell. He violates her privacy by reading her intimate thoughts about Tamlin, then forces both Tamlin and Lucien to kneel and bow before him. Rhysand warns that Amarantha will enjoy breaking Feyre, and demands Tamlin beg him not to reveal her existence. Tamlin complies, degrading himself further when Rhysand demands he bow lower. Before leaving, Rhysand asks Feyre's name; terrified he will use it against her or find her family, she gives a false name: Clare Beddor. Rhysand departs through a supernatural portal, leaving the three in shocked silence.