There was an orb, it turned out, that had belonged to Mor's family for millennia: the Veritas. It was rife with the truth magic she'd claimed to possess—that many in her bloodline also bore.

And the Veritas was one of their most valued and guarded talismans.

Rhys wasted no time planning. The inner circle was to go to the Court of Nightmares within the Hewn City tomorrow afternoon, winnowing near the massive mountain it was built within, and then flying the rest of the way.

Mor, Cassian, Feyre, and Nala were mere distractions to make Rhys's sudden visit less suspicious—while Azriel stole the orb from Mor's father's chambers. Amren would stay home, relearning the Holy language. 

The orb was known amongst the humans, and had been wielded by them in the War, Rhys told me over a quiet dinner that night. The queens would know it. And would know it was the absolute truth, not an illusion or a trick, when they used it to show them—like peering into a living painting—that this city and its good people existed.

Feyre had left to wander the city after dinner, wanting to clear her head and Nala had made her way to the House of Winds after assuring Rhys that everything would be just fine and that Feyre could handle seeing the High Lord of Nightmares. He still hadn't been sure by the time she had left, but Nala knew her sister, knew that she wouldn't leave Rhys' side. She had given him a slight squeeze of a hug before flying into the night and landing on the balcony that led to her room. 

"Hallo love," Amren purred from the plush armchair that Nala had in her room. Nala stopped in her tracks and looked at the smirking female who had Azriel standing behind her. His face is neutral and mysterious as they stare at the winged female. 

"Well, hello," Nala smiles as she steps closer to the two and Amren stands from her seat to meet the halfling halfway. "And what do I owe the honor of seeing two of the Night Courts strongest in my room on this fine night?" She flirted, her hand sneaking around Amren's waist to pull the other woman into her embrace, kissing the terrifying female on the cheek. Azriel stalked towards them, placing his wings around them in a cocoon as his hands sneaked around both females. 

"It would seem like a talk is long overdue," he rasped down at them, towering over the two females. Nala threw her head back with a groan, making the two laugh at her. She of course knew that they had to talk before their little field trip to the Court of Nightmare but that didn't mean that she wanted to. 

"Let's sit then," she commentated and the house responded to her and extended her room to include a nice little seating area with a burning hearth. 

A/N: Imagine with three chairs.

"You have gotten good at using the house's magic," Amren commented as Azriel released them from his wing cocoon. 

Nala simply smirked at the two before taking a seat in one of the chairs close to the hearth, her wing dropped over the back of the chair, and her legs folded under her chair. A glass of wine appeared next to her seat. 

Amren sat before her, her back straight and one leg crossed over the other elegantly. The houses supplied her with a glass of blood. 

Azriel took the last chair, directly in front of the fire. His wings, much like Nala's were dropped over the back of the chair. Instead of leaning back in the chair like the two females, her leaned his forearms on his thighs, leaning forward with an air of arrogant male. The house made sure to supply him with his favorite whiskey. 

"We are mates," Amren starts bluntly, and in that minute, Nala was glad that she hadn't taken a sip of her wine, because she would have choked. Not ready for Amren to be so straightforward. "There is no denying it. The bond is already strong and is as clear as day. But it is also no secret between us that a threat is missing." 

Azriel took a sip of his whiskey. "Varian, you mean?" Amren hummed and Nala wondered have the two could be so casually talking about this. Wasn't it an abomination in Prythian? "And you are sure it'll snap between us all?" He asked Amren. Not dismissing the idea, but slightly skeptical. He had never found a man attractive before. 

Amren only smiled at him over the rim of her glass. "Certain. It didn't snap when we were in the summer court, but it felt like the connection between the two of us before our little halfling reached us." Azriel sent her a smile. He had always been closest to Amren and had always felt a connection to her, even though he had no clue as to why. He had always brushed it off, though, convinced himself that they just understood each other on another level. 

"Are you not concerned about what people might say?" Nala whispered; her knees pulled to her chest. The two snapped their heads to the youngest of them and in that minute, they were reminded that Nala had in fact not grown up with them. Had not always been in Prythian. And they saw how valuable she was in that second. 

Azriel smiled gently at her, reaching out to caress her arm. "No," his voice was smooth, gentle, and soft. She would have snapped at him for talking to her like a child, had she not felt so insecure in that minute. He continued, "Because people will not care. Not the people who matter." 

"And in the Night Court, a relationship like this is not uncommon," Amren commented, her eyes locked onto Nala, showing the younger female that she was serious. "Our family will stand by us, so who cares what the rest of the Courts think." She shrugged with a small smirk on her lips and Nala couldn't help the butterflies in her belly. She had never felt this safe before. Even if her heart screamed that it was still missing something.

"So, what now?" She asked, trying to think about anything other than Azriel's hand on her arm. He was so warm and she wanted nothing more than to be wrapped up between him and Amren on the bed. "How is this supposed to go?" 

Azriel smiled at her innocence. He was going to have a field day with corruption here. "Normally the bond will be solidified with the offer of food from the female to the male, but seeing as we are currently a mate down then I'm not sure that the bond will solidify before Varian is here." Nala nodded at that and Amren smiled. 

"So, for now, we will just be us. Together." Amren concluded. Easing Nala's nerves about their relationship. 

"And that means?" Nala spoke, her voice still quiet as she looked at the silver-eyed female from behind locks of her hair. Amren and Azriel almost cooed at the adorableness of their mate. They had never seen Nala this nervous or shy, and they reveled in being the only ones to see her like this. 

Azriel moved so that he kneeled next to her chair. With his height, he was still able to look her straight in the eyes. Amren moved as well, planting herself on the armchair of Nala's chair. Azriel gripped Nala's chin and brought her face up to look into her soul. "That means that you are ours, no one else, and that we are yours, no one else. Understood?" 

Nala could do no more than nod her head. She had lost all of her resolve as she stared into his hazel eyes. She was at his mercy. She wanted to please him more than anything. Amren broke the spell by kissing Nala's forehead, breaking the hold Azriel had over her. 

"None of that until we are all here," Amren said with a teasing tone. Even though she too wanted nothing more than to strip the two before her and make love to them all night. 

"You are no fun," Azriel rasped, his voice so deep that it was almost a growl. He got to his feet, standing before his two females, with no shame or embarrassment on his face as he gave them a full view of his hard-on. It took all Amren's self-control to not rip the leathers from her Illyrian male. Nala simply blushed and drank deeply from her wine. They will be the death of me. 

Azriel simply chucked at his mates before pulling them towards the bed. "Bedtime," he declared, pulling his shirts over his body and throwing off his pants. Amren looked at Nala and the two shrugged before following the Illyrian under the massive blanked on Nala's bed. If any were to ask the three in the morning, then they had never slept better in their entire life.