Chapter 21

Summary

• The chapter introduces a mysterious High Fae with black hair, pale skin, and deep blue-violet eyes who exudes sensual grace and ease.
• The protagonist feels a mix of attraction and fear towards this stranger who is not wearing a mask, suggesting he is from another court.
• The stranger questions the protagonist, who is a mortal woman, about her presence on Fire Night and her friends, but she lies to him.
• Despite the protagonist’s attempt to keep her poise, the stranger's questioning reveals her ignorance about the night's traditions.
• The stranger saves the protagonist from harm and offers to escort her, which she declines, sensing danger.
• Lucien, a known character, finds the protagonist amid the festivities and criticizes her foolishness for participating.
• Lucien explains the Great Rite, a magical ceremony performed on Fire Night involving the High Lords, which is critical for the land's regeneration.
• The protagonist learns that the Great Rite involves the High Lord becoming the Hunter and choosing a Maiden for a ritualistic coupling to release magic into the earth.
• Lucien hints that the protagonist could have been chosen unwittingly as the Maiden and warns her for the second time to stay in her room.
• Despite the warnings, the protagonist sneaks out and encounters Tamlin, the High Lord, after the completion of the ritual.
• Tamlin, still affected by the magic of the ritual, pins the protagonist against a wall, implying he would have chosen her for the rite had she been present.
• A tension-filled interaction occurs between Tamlin and the protagonist, mixing desire and defiance.
• The chapter ends with the protagonist reflecting on her conflicting emotions towards Tamlin and her disgust with the ritual's implications.