Elain and Feyre are already in the kitchen laughing with wine in hand when Nesta and I enter. The laughter dies as shock takes over their faces, but I don't hesitate before planting Nesta in a chair beside the fire that I put out. The stones will emanate their own warmth for a while and the house can keep a steady temperature from the other fires. For some reason, Nesta doesn't like fire and I'm sure she has a concrete explanation for why. She won't tell me, of course, but I can still try to help.

I'm washing blood off my hands when I address Elain. "Alright, he'll be home in a few hours. Time to start?" I initiate and she blinks before remembering why I asked her here.

"Yes, of course." We begin the process as Feyre comes over with questions written all over her face. My head shakes slightly. No matter how quietly she whispers, Nesta will hear all her questions and all my answers.

"Later." I mouth and her brows pinch, but she nods.

Elain moves around the kitchen easily, finding out where everything is before piling what we need on the counter. "Alright, Feyre, measure the wet ingredients and dry before putting them in separate bowls." She sets a scrap of paper in front of her sister who glances between that and the ingredients apprehensively.

"Pretty sure I only signed on for wine." She whispers to me and I grin.

"Kaira, you stir what she adds together, but wait for me to combine the bowls. I'll stoke the fire for the stove." Elain instructs and I nod, admiring her ability to take charge. It's nice to see.

"Nesta can butter and flour the pans then," I say with a glance over my shoulder at the woman still sitting ramrod straight at the small table. Elain blinks and Feyre's hands freeze from their measuring.

"Y-yes." Elain nods in agreement. I'm surprised when Nesta rises without a fight and walks over to my side. Butter and two pans are set in front of her while she slowly pushes up her sleeves despite the dotted stains already on them.

"If I stain this dress—"

"Then I will happily pay for a new one. Might as well wring whatever labor I can out of you while you're here, though." I tease, but her expression doesn't lighten. It doesn't darken either, so I'll take it as a win.

Feyre changes the topic of conversation. "Did the issue before Solstice resolve itself? Are the tonics I gave you...needed?" She asks and my cheeks brush pink.

"Yes, and yes," I reply and her smile is teasing, but there's an edge there that makes me think there's more she wants to discuss. "He takes it since the taste isn't my favorite."

She hums a soft laugh and takes a sip of her wine between measuring. "Rhys does the same for me. Although sometimes he'll mix it into something to negate the bitterness." Her eyes lift to Nesta. "Do you need any tonics?" My lips press together at the change in her tone and I know Nesta hears it as well.

"I have my own." She snaps and Feyre sighs, but doesn't push the subject. Elain pops up from the stove and walks over to look over our progress, ignoring the conversation we just had.

"Time to combine. Slowly put cups of the dry into the wet ingredients until it's all mixed together." She instructs and I begin mixing while Feyre pours. She tilts her bowl a little too much and flour flops out, sending a puff of white flour over Nesta and I. Feyre's eyes go wide as she stares at Nesta, but only a moment passes before I start laughing. My hand claims a fistful of flour and throws it at Feyre to paint her chest white. Laughter echoes from both of us now as flour flies through the kitchen, now aided by Elain as well, until we're all covered in a thin film. Even Nesta.

She hadn't thrown any, but her eyes are softer than I've ever seen them and there's a smile on her face. No matter how small. "Okay, okay. Finish mixing so it can go in the oven and bake before we run out of time!" Elain chides through giggles and I follow her instructions as we finally get the pans into the warm oven. We all glance at one another, all covered in flour, but Elain only has eyes for Nesta. "You should come around more often." She says gently with a warm smile stretching across her face. "I like it when we're all together." Graciously, she includes me in this as her eyes flick over to my figure.

Whatever pleasantness that previously lighted Nesta's face vanishes. "Why don't you simply replace me with Kaira? I would." She bites and my head shakes as Elain pulls back as if slapped.

"That's not what she meant." I point out to Nesta, but she knows. She's trying to pick a fight to banish whatever good feelings she just had in order to protect herself. Sometimes, it seems easier not to care because then there's less possibility of getting hurt.

Feyre steams. "Funny, since you aren't replacing anyone. You're simply making it even more impossible to be around you than before." She fights back as I casually slide around the counter so I'm between them, but not blocking their line of sight.

Nesta snorts. "As if you liked being around me when you were forced to."

"I certainly never said I did, did I?"

"No." The sisters stare off for a moment, power and anger simmering, then Nesta turns to me. "Where's my room?"

Sighing, I jerk my head to the side to the hall. "Up the stairs to the right of the offices." She turns on her heel towards the door, but freezes when I go on. "I decorated yours in silver, blue, and white. It's yours whenever you need or want it, along with the clothes in the closet. I hope you like it." Every member of my new family has a room, excepting Rhys and Feyre who share one, but she'd been the only one who hadn't seen hers yet. She hesitates one more moment before flowing into the hall and up the stairs.

"Why is she here?" Feyre asks as I rub a hand over my flour-covered face.

"Why don't we all clean up, then I'll tell you." Reluctantly, both ladies nod and we take the few minutes to rid ourselves of flour as much as we can before settling at the small table beyond the counter. I tell them what transpired in the bar and that Nesta is staying for her own safety, even if it's only for one night. Gratefulness fills Feyre's eyes and I'm glad she doesn't thank me as we've previously discussed many times. She swirls wine around in her glass while Elain picks flour out from under her fingernails.

"What am I supposed to do with her?" Feyre groans and takes a sip of her wine before looking at me. Apparently, I've become the Nesta expert.

I shrug a shoulder and claim my own glass of wine I've been nursing all evening. "Keep reaching out. Maybe try not to pick fights."

Her expression hardens, then laxes as she sighs. "That's what Amren said. Minus the second part." I smile and shrug with nothing else to add.

"Nesta won't be helped until she helps herself." Elain's sharp voice cuts through the room and Feyre blinks at the harshness in her tone.

Carefully, I nod. "Yes, but that doesn't mean we stop reaching out."

"If she needs me, I'll be there. Until then..." She huffs and stands. "Take the cakes out when they're golden brown and let them cool before you frost them. I put some leftover chocolate frosting in the cold box." Elain flows out of the room without another word and out of my house with a solid thwack of the door.

Feyre and I glance at one another while I grimace. "Sorry if I upset her."

She shakes her head. "The situation upsets her. Not you. She appreciates you looking out for Nesta just like I do."

"You realize I don't do it for you. I like Nesta. I consider her a friend." The words are gentle and Feyre nods, accepting that I don't mean them as an insult.

She quirks a brow at me. "Why? Nesta has never been easy to deal with."

A smile teases the edge of my lips at the fact I know all too well. "She's not a bad person. She's made terrible mistakes, but we've all done that. Secretly, she's kind, considerate, loyal, and a fierce friend. Even though she tries to hide it and currently, all her good qualities are marred by her trying to deal with her trauma and grief alone." Feyre takes this in quietly until the silence stretches so long, I think this topic has run its course. "Earlier, you mentioned tonics. How have yours been working out?" It's a weak effort, but changes the conversation and hopefully will provide her the excuse to talk about whatever she wanted to tell me earlier.

She smirks slightly as if she knows this is me poking, but doesn't seem to mind. "Actually..." She trails off and bites her lip. "Neither of us are taking our tonics." These words are said at a whisper to avoid being overheard by any wandering ear. The volume doesn't matter to me nearly as much as the content. Excitement shoots through me as powerful as a lightning strike.

"Feyre, that's wonderful!" I pop up onto my feet and round the table with a wide smile as she stands to give her a hug.

"Thank you." Her eyes shimmer and sparkle like starlight. "But please don't tell anyone I've told you. Not even Rhys. I just needed to tell someone." Our hands cling tight to one another as we share in she and Rhysand's future joy. "I was also prying slightly to see if we'd be going through the same thing at the same time." There's hope in her eyes, but also acceptance that it isn't the case.

"We've decided to wait for a while yet, but who knows. It wouldn't surprise me if Az became smitten when he sees your little one." Or me, for that matter, but I'm happy with the way things are for now. "No matter what, you know we'll be there for you and Rhys for whatever you need. Whenever."

Her hands squeeze mine. "We know that. Both of you have more than proved that again and again. A good thing too since we're going to be neighbors."

My brows furrow. "Neighbors?" I repeat and her eyes widen slightly.

"Rhys didn't tell you? I thought you'd be one of the first." She questions as I shake my head. "He bought the house next door for him and me. For Solstice and my birthday." A little pink brushes her cheeks at the extravagant gift, but joy glows bright in her blue-grey eyes.

I blink before my head shakes. "Of course. The boat." The ridiculous boat he'd gotten me is to ferry Az and I up and down the river to visit him. Like we don't have wings. Feyre's soft laugh fills the kitchen as she realizes the same and my hand rubs my temple before I begin to smell the cakes. I rush over and tear them out that are thankfully only a shade darker than golden while Feyre quiets her laughter.

"What inspired you to do this, anyway?" She asks as I flop the cakes out onto a cooling rack with a hiss as I burn my fingers.

I sigh and stack the messy dishes into the sink before turning back towards her and the cakes. "Az does so much for me. Almost everything he does is for other people, so I wanted to do something for him. Even if it's small."

"You underestimate how happy it makes him to just be around you." She tells me as I walk over to the door to outside and nestle the cakes on their pans in the snow. That should cool them down faster. "Rhys talks about it all the time. He's never seen Azriel so happy." A smile creeps onto my face at the thought of Rhysand fawning over the happiness of his brother.

"I know that's true, but setting aside time to do something special is different." There's no real explanation other than that I wanted to do something expressly for him.

Feyre's eyes shine as she looks me over, then nods. "Maybe I should do the same. Although, I definitely wouldn't choose baking as my gift." Our soft laughter fills the kitchen again and something in me is reminded of my sister Mirabella. We'd help my mother in the kitchen every so often and there was a day where we were both covered in flour. Much to my mother's chagrin. I swear that for a moment, I can hear their laughter alongside ours.