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Welcome to the ultimate guide of our second favorite fae couple: Cassian and Nesta!
(Let’s be honest, though, we’re all Rhys and Feyre stans)
I personally am obsessed with all things ACOTAR + all the different relationships, so let’s break down Cassian and Nesta’s whole relationship and some of my favorite quotes and chapters!
This post will contain big spoilers for all the books in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, so read ahead with that in mind!
Who Is Cassian?
Cassian is first introduced in A Court of Mist and Fury as a member of Rhysand’s inner circle and is quickly established as the lovable, comic relief of the group. Cassian is an Illyrian Warrior and general of the Night Court.
Rhysand, Cassian, and Azriel all grew up in the Illyrian war camps together and won the Blood Rite as a trio when they were all young males.
Cassian’s mother was killed when he was very young. Because of this, he (much like Rhysand) is a woke feminist king and fights for the rights of the Illyrian women within the war camps.
Who Is Nesta?
Nesta is the oldest of the Achron sisters and is first introduced to us at the very beginning of A Court of Thorns and Roses as Feyre’s bratty older sister who refuses to help Feyre provide for the family.
Nesta is often referred to as being her late mother’s favorite child, and after her mother’s death and father’s fall from society, she becomes very jaded and bitter.
When Tamlin takes Feyre, the charm he places on Feyre’s family does not work on her, and she is very aware of where her sister was truly taken.
When Feyre returns from the Spring Court after Tamlin sends her away, Nesta and Feyre are able to bond for the first time over Nesta knowing the truth of Feyre’s situation.
Nesta helps Feyre several times after this, the first of which being when Feyre leaves the human realm to save Tamilin from under the mountain.
The second time occurs when Feyre returns to the human land with Rhysand to try to convince the human queens to give the Book of Breathings over to win the war against Hybern.
Nesta is kinda nasty when she first meets Rhysand and her now-fae sister. Shortly after this, Nesta is taken by the King of Hybern and is placed into the Cauldron along with her sister Elain and is turned fae.
Nesta is PISSED at the Cauldron and fights from within the basically magic bathtub and takes some of its power.
So, Do Cassian And Nesta Get Together?
Cassian and Nesta do get together, though before all that there are many romantic feelings alluded to and epic-battlefield-proclamations-of-feelings.
Cassian and Nesta officially get together in the fourth book in the ACOTAR series, A Court of Silver Flames.
So, let’s break down all the best moments of Cassian and Nesta’s relationship!
When Do Cassian And Nesta First Meet?
Cassian and Nesta first meet in A Court of Mist and Fury, chapter 24.
Feyre brings Rhysand, Azriel, and Cassian to her sister’s new home in the mortal realm to try to convince them to help them get the mortal queen’s half of the book and use the Archeron home to host the queens.
Nesta (being the ice queen that she is) is, of course, feisty to our favorite bat boys, and I wouldn’t say that sparks are immediately flying when she first meets Cassian. But, the tension is REAL.
“Cassian was sizing up Nesta, a gleam in his eyes that I could only interpret as a warrior finding himself faced with a new, interesting opponent. Then, Mother above, Nesta shifted her attention to Cassian, noticing that gleam—what it meant. She snarled softly, “‘What are you looking at?’”
We don’t spend very much time on Cassian and Nesta in this book or in the human realm where Nesta and Elain are living, so there are not too many Cassian and Nesta moments.
However, we do have one of my favorite Nesta + Cassian moments in chapter 56.
The Night Court, along with Feyre’s sisters, try to convince the human queens to give up their half of the books and help fight the war against Hybern.
The queens are, of course, the worst and will not help even after Feyre and Rhysand show them Valeris.
Nesta begs for help, but to no avail. However, Cassian (aka daddy) is moved by Nesta’s plea for her people and her family.
“But then Cassian crossed to Nesta, the guards stiffening as the Illyrian moved through them as if they were stalks of wheat in a field. He studied Nesta for a long moment. She was still flaring at the queens, her eyes lined with tears—tears of rage and despair, from that fire that burned her so violently from within. When she finally noticed Cassian, she looked up at him.”
“‘Nesta Archeron, to protect this house—your, people. I can think of no better way to end my existence than to defend those who need it most.’”
Cassian then wipes a tear from her face, and Feyre and Mor and truly shook by the cute moment between the two.
We do not see Nesta again until chapter 64 when the King of Hybern, with the help of Tamlin and the queens, brings both Nesta and Elain gagged and bound.
Nesta and Elain are both forced into the Cauldron and turned fae. Cassian is already in distress and very injured, but even in his state of shredded wings and being almost dead, he still fights his way toward Nesta during the whole exchange.
A Court of Wings and Ruin
Cassian and Nesta really get their time to shine in the romance department in A Court of Wings and Ruin on the battlefield in the war against Hybern.
I mean, come on! Who doesn’t love a battlefield-proclamation-of-love?
We’ve got near-death experiences, wings, ruin, self-sacrifice, and Nesta finally using the powers she stole from the Cauldron against the King.
In A Court of Wings and Ruin Chapter 69 (😉), we read:
“Cassian took a step away but looked back at Nesta. Her face was hard as granite. He opened his mouth but seemed to decide against whatever he was about to say. My sister said nothing as Cassian shot into the sky with a powerful thrust of his wings. Yet she tracked his flight until he was hardly more than a dark speck.”
Nesta won’t admit it, but as clearly shown here in Feyre’s POV, Nesta is totally down bad for Cassian…
Cassian And Nesta’s First Kiss
Not only do we get the first Cassian/Nesta kiss in chapter 74 of A Court of Wings and Ruin, we also get one of my favorite Cassian and Nesta quotes.
As Cassian lies dying on the battlefield, and Nesta lies over him:
“Cassian grunted in pain but lifted his bloodied hands– to cup her face. ‘I have no regrets in my life, but this.’ His voice shook with every word. ‘That we did not have time. That I did not have time with you, Nesta.”
“She didn’t stop him as he leaned up and kissed her—lightly. As much as he would manage.”
“I will find you again in the next world– the next life. And we will have that time. I promise.”
A Court of Frost and Starlight
Okay, so we left off in A Court of Wings and Ruin, where Cassian and Nesta kissed, proclaimed unspoken feelings on death’s door, and saved each other.
However, Nesta isn’t able to just pick up where she left off with Cassian and has returned to her ice queen behavior and is dealing with some serious trauma.
Cassian is very gentle but also very smitten.
Also, I have some strong feelings about A Court of Frost and Starlight. It’s mostly Rhys and Feyre fan service, but we do get a nice setup for A Court of Silver Flames (which is the Cassian/Nesta book of our smutty dreams).
Nesta does not want to partake in the Winter Solstice (ACOTAR Christmas) celebration between the rest of the Night Court crew, but after Feyre agrees to pay Nesta to come, Nesta shows up.
Nesta is cold towards Cassian during the whole party, but after she snaps and Feyre and leaves, Cassian follow her out the door.
In A Court of Frost and Starlight chapter 21, we read
“Beautiful. Even with the weight loss, she was beautiful standing in the snow as she’d been the first time he’d laid eyes on her in her father’s house.”
However, Nesta is still punishing herself for her past actions and is still taking it out on Cassian. He tries to walk her home, and her response is, “Go home, Cassian”.
“He could count on one hand the number of times she’d used his name.”
Cassian then lets her walk off and throws her solstice gift into the Sidra.
A Court of Silver Flames
Finally!! This is the Cassian/Nesta BOOK!
Though I am a Rhysand/Feyre girl first, I do adore this book and this couple.
Cassian and Nesta have had great build-up in the first three and a half (do we count A Court of Frost and Starlight as a whole or a half?) ACOTAR books, but this is the book in the series where they really get their moment.
This book opens up with Nesta being a hot mess. She is traumatized and mad and sad and has pushed everyone in her life away.
Cassian is sent to her apartment to bring her to the river house for a friendly ultimatum which leads to Nesta being semi-cut off and living in the House of Wind with Cassian.
The deal she ends up making with Rhys and Feyre is that they will continue to pay for all her needs if she agrees to work at the library and train with Cassian.
When it comes time to train with Cassian, Nesta refuses. Nesta does not want to train in front of the other Illyrian warriors. Although Cassian tries to convince her, she refuses him.
“Cassian turned away from her, drawing the sword sheathed down his back. And without another word, without a glance, he began his morning exercises. Let him hate her. It was better that way.”
This routine of Nesta refusing to train and continuing to embarrass Cassian counties through chapter 10.
This time, however, Cassian pleads with Nesta to begin her training, with her refusal leading to his embarrassment in front of the other Illyrians.
“Cassian bristled. But he held out his hand again. ‘Please.’ She’d never heard him say that word. It was a rope thrown between them. He’d meet her halfway—let her win the power battle, admit defeat if she would just get off the rock. She told herself to get up, to take that outstretched hand. But she couldn’t.”
The common thread throughout this book is “keep reaching out your hand.” Amren tells this to Cassian, and Cassian tells this to himself many times throughout this novel.
Though Nesta refuses to take his hand in chapter 10, we finally see her admit to herself how she feels about Cassian.
As the reader, it’s clear that she likes him and won’t let herself due to anger and self-punishment, but this section from Nesta’s POV in chapter 10 is too cute!!
“The first time she’d seen Cassian, she couldn’t take her eyes off him. She felt like she’d spent her life surrounded by boys, and then a man–a male, she supposed—had suddenly appeared.”
“It had been heady and overwhelming, and all she’d wanted, all she’d wanted for so many months, was to touch him, smell him, taste him. Get close to that strength and throw everything she was against it because she knew he’d never break, never falter, never balk.”
Cassian Makes A Bargain With Nesta
In chapter 12, Cassian makes a bargain with Nesta, where she agrees to train with him for one hour, and he will owe her one favor of any size.
We know the importance of bargains in the Night Court from when Rhysand makes a bargain with Feyre in the first book in the series, A Court of Thorns and Roses.
The bargain between Nesta and Cassian also draws a lovely parallel between the two couples and their love stories.
We also know (from other bargains struck between characters) that bargains in the Night Court manifest as tattoos. Nesta and Cassian’s appear as an eight-pointed star.
“There, dead in the center of the Illyrian tattoo snaking down his spine, a new tattoo had appeared. An eight-pointed star.”
The training throughout this book is transformative for Nesta; she is able to center herself and gain strength (and also maybe check out Cassian from time to time 😉 ).
After their training, Cassian confronts Nesta about a fight they had had the night prior when he had told her that everyone in her life hated her.
“‘You’re here because we don’t hate you.’ ‘I wanted you to know that. That we don’t– that I don’t hate you.’”
“And I have never hated you, Cassian.”
And Cassian melts because we know from the novella prior to this that Nesta has almost never used Cassian’s name. HOW have they not kissed yet in this book??
Anywho, Cassian and Nesta fight and make up throughout this whole book. It’s kinda annoying (but also kinda hot).
In chapter 15, they are in another classic tiff when Cassian finally brings up what happened between them during the war against Hybern.
Nesta tells Cassian that she only did it because she was a fool, and he calls her out again. THEN he pushes her against the wall and stares the girl down…Do they kiss? Still no, but be patient, babes. We’re getting there!
“‘The first time I saw that look on your face, you were still human. Still human, and I nearly went to my knees before you.’”
I mean, come on, if that’s not what all of us mortal girls want to hear, I don’t know what is!
“Yet she couldn’t withdraw. Couldn’t do anything but let him brush his nose over her neck again.”
Cassian then pulls out the “Do you know what I’m going to think about tonight?”
“‘I’m going to think of that look on your face.’ He took another step down the hall. ‘I am always thinking of that look on your face.’”
This leads to Nesta tossing and turning in her bed and um, how do I put this…uhhh, Alexa, play “I Touch Myself” by Divinyls…
When Nesta sees Cassian the next morning, she is BASHFUL! This leads us to one of the fandom’s favorite quotes of all time in chapter 16:
“‘The book’ ‘is about…’ ‘A book.’”
Let’s just say things are heating up and heading in the direction of love makin’…
When Do Cassian And Nesta Kiss In A Court of Silver Flames?
Cassian and Nesta FINALLY kiss in chapter 18 A Court of Silver Flames. This happens right after Cassian confides in Nesta about his mother.
“Cassian kept his light grip on her chin. ‘Whatever you need to throw at me, I can take it. I won’t break.’ No challenge laced in the words. Only a plea.”
“Nesta told herself it was to knock that smirk off his face that she curled her fingers in the leather and hauled her mouth to his.”
And ladies and germs, we are 215 pages into A Court of Silver Flames, and we finally get some mouth-to-mouth action.
Now this is insanely long (much like Cassian’s wingspan) so there is still lots of time for some romance, but SHEESH 215 pages is a long time to keep us waiting.
What Chapter Do Cassian And Nesta Sleep Together?
Nesta and Cassian sleep together in chapter 37 of A Court of Silver Flames.
HOWEVER, this is a complicated question due to the fact that they have a lot of fun which some may classify as sleeping together and some may not.
So I will just give you the chapters of different firsts, and YOU can go read them and decide which you think counts as their first time.
Chapter 19, right after their first kiss, leads to some heavy petting which leads to Cassian having a bit of an early embarrassment which leads to Nesta being RUDE (she can’t help herself) and spewing “someone’s quick off-the-mark.”
Chapter 22, Cassian decides it’s his turn to “return the favor” or “even the score”.
It reminds me of the whole Rhysand “personal feast” moment, and Nesta is very down bad for Cassian and agrees to let him. However, she says that it’s just physical between them, nothing more!
This reminds me a lot of when Rhys and Feyre first go a little crazy in the Inn, and they also agree that it was just to let off some steam and doesn’t mean anything.
Anyways, this is not my favorite trope of all time.
Personally, miscommunication is pretty annoying to me in books but oh well. If you have ever seen the movie No Strings Attached, you know exactly how this is going to end.
Chapter 26, Nesta returns the favor of the favor that Cassian already gave her.
Cassian is stepping into his new role as Courtier, and after a very poor interaction with Eris, Cassian is feeling very defeated and low.
“The wound lay in Cassian’s eyes, as raw as any injury. Shame rushed through her. Shame, and anger, and a wild sort of desperation. She couldn’t abide the pain in his eyes, teetering on the brink of despair. Couldn’t stand the abscess of the grinning and winking and swaggering she knew so well. Shed do anything to get rid of that look in his eyes. Even for a few moments.”
And let’s just say Nesta makes Cassian feel MUCH better.
Chapter 37 is the next chapter with a BIG first. Had Nesta and Cassian been paling around in the House of Wind prior to this?
Yes! But this is the first all the way time between the two love birds (who still won’t admit it’s love and not just sex between the two of them!)
However, we will come back to this because we have major plot points between the two of them before we get to this!
Nesta’s Nightmare
After learning of The Dread Trove, Nesta agrees to be the one to search for it because, after all, like calls to like, and the three Made fae are herself and her two sisters.
She asks why Feyre cannot be the one to put herself at risk, and this is when the inner circle learns of Feyre’s pregnancy, which takes Feyre out of commission to find the Dread Trove.
To find the mask, Nesta tries Scrying again, and this triggers a nightmare and unleashing of her power in chapter 29.
Cassian wakes from sensing her nightmare/panic attack and rushes to her room. Here we find Rhys using his own power to try to pull her out of her own power, which is sucking her in.
“But he walked to where silver fire and darkest night battled. And he said with a seedy calm, ‘Nesta.’ The silver fire flickered. ‘Nesta.’ He could have sworn her consciousness, that power shifted toward him.”
Cassian being able to calm Nesta and pull her a bit out of her own power leaves Rhys enough room to use his own power to subside hers.
Here we also learn from Rhys that Nesta’s power, the Silver Fire, is pure death, which later earns Nesta the nickname Lady Death.
Nesta tries Scrying again at the River House to once again find the location of the mask.
“She felt Cassian’s hand tighten on hers. That was the way back. Nothing could trap her, hold her if she had that way home.”
Though she enters this Scrying with less fear and an anchor, her power and the Cauldron still try their darndest to trap her within herself.
The room drops in temperature, and the others try calling her name to her, but she still becomes locked within herself. Of course, our boy Cassian is the only one who can draw her out, and he kisses her to try to pull her out.
“Nesta’s lips were chips of ice. But he let their coldness sting his own and brushed his mouth against hers. Nipped at her bottom lip until he felt it drop a fraction.”
Cassian uses his french kissing to save her life…oooo la la, dreamy! And it’s very public and very steamy and very weird for the others in the room.
But whatever, mission accomplished. They now know the location of the mask: The Bog of Oorid.
The Bog Of Oorid
The events in the Bog of Oorid are pivotal in Cassian and Nesta’s relationship for many reasons.
First, off they find the first item of the Dread Trove, the mask.
Nesta also defeats the Kelpie, and here we really see both Cassian and Nesta act on their desire to keep one another safe, very similar to the events of the War of Hybern.
“Not knowing if he lived. And she had magic. Had no idea how to use it, but…she had that, at least. Maybe it would help. She told herself she was concerned for Azriel, too…But it was Cassian’s dead face that she couldn’t bear to imagine.”
A Court of Silver Flames Chapter 37
What chapter 55 is to Rhysand and Feyre, chapter 37 is to Cassian and Nesta.
As mentioned earlier in this post, this is the chapter in which Cassian and Nesta first fully sleepy together.
Though at this time Nesta will still not admit her feelings to Cassian, she is still adamant that their physical relationship stays purely physical.
“‘Then I’ll take whatever you offer me.’ He leaned in, his body still not touching her, and said against her ear, ‘And I’ll take you however you wish me to.’”
Go read the chapter for yourself!
Nesta and Cassian have a wild little time together, and Cassian proceeds to leave her alone in her room all by herself immediately BECAUSE she literally told him it meant nothing more.
However, this does cause them both to feel weird because they are clearly in love but afraid of what the other thinks.
The Made Weapons
Cassian takes Nesta to a blacksmith as part of her training so that she can fully appreciate the craft of swordsmanship.
While there, she works on some weapons herself, and it turns out she created Made weapons that are highly magical and powerful weapons.
These weapons are discovered by the inner circle of the Night Court: Rhysand, Feyre, Amren, Azriel, and Cassian.
These members vote on whether or not Nesta should be made aware of these weapons, and Cassian and Feyre vote not to keep Nesta in the dark (cause Cassian is gonna defend his girl 🥰).
Cassian, in chapter 45, makes a bit of a boneheaded move and asks Nesta what she would name a sword if she had one, and Nesta, not being an idiot, picks up that there is much more to his questioning.
“‘We don’t know yet what manner of magic they have, but yes.’ She angled her head. Emrie and Gwyn halted their chatting at the water station as if they could see or sense the shift in her. And it wasn’t the fact that she’d Made the weapons that hit her like a blow. “Who is ‘we’?”
IT WAS AT THIS MOMENT THAT HE KNEW….HE F*D UP.
Let’s just say that Nesta was pissed. But, she uses this anger to climb down the 10,000 steps of the House of Wind.
“Rage rippling like a storm around her, Nesta stepped back into Velaris at last.”
Nesta goes straight to Amren’s home. They fight, which leads to Feyre showing up, which leads to Nesta, out of anger, telling Feyre about the danger of her pregnancy.
Nesta knows the moment she sees Feyre’s face that she went too far and becomes broken in a new way, on top of all the burdens she was already bearing.
“She had gone too far. She…Oh, gods. Amren said, ‘I think it is best if you speak to Rhysand about this’. Nestsa couldn’t near it—the pain and fear and love on Feyre’s face as she caressed her stomach.”
Cassian And Nesta Go On A Hike!
Cassian is also pissed at Nesta. Then, he takes her to the mountains to go on a hike?
Kinda random, but okay. Originally he takes her from Velaris to be out of the way of Rhysands anger, but they end up staying out in the wilderness to get some fresh air.
Anyways, I don’t know what’s going on, BUT this is the beginning of Nesta healing. ❤️🩹
“Nesta cleared the hill Cassian had mounted ahead, and a sparkling, turquoise lake spread before them. It lay slightly sunken between two peaks, as if a pair of green hands had been cupped to hold the water within them. Grey stones linked its shore.”
“She made it to the stones before she fell to her knees, so hard the rock bit into her bones. Was she worth being counted? She knew the answer. Had always known it. Cassian whirled toward her, but Nesta didn’t see him, either, or hear his words. Not as she buried her face in her hands and wept.”
Later, Nesta confides in Cassian about her grief and guilt of losing her father as well as why she treats people horribly because she is punishing herself. Cassian responds lovingly,
“‘I’ll be with you every step of the way,’ he whispered into her palm. ‘Just don’t lock me out. You want to walk in silence for a week; I’m fine with that. So long as you talk to me at the end of it.’”
They then sword fight and I am not saying that as a euphemism.
They literally sword fight.
Nesta lets go of her anger and become a bad a$$ sword-fighting Valkrie.
“The sword was an extension of her arm, a part of her as much as her hair or breath. Every movement bloomed with purpose and precision. In the moonlight -before the silvered lake, she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.”
Cassian originally took Nesta away to get her out of Rhys’s way, but they ended up both healing and growing, and ultimately Nesta returns from their time in the wilderness a better person and fighter!
Nesta Names Her Made Weapon
In chapter 53, after Nesta and Cassian have traveled into the prison, they retrieve the second item of the Dread Trove, the Harp.
Upon securing the Harp, Nesta and Cassian share an intimate moment, and she breaks the silence by telling Cassian that she chose the name of the sword: Ataraxia.
“She interlaced her fingers through his, squeezing as tightly as their hands could be pressed together. He squeezed her back and tugged her down the passageway, away from the site of pain and long-forgotten memory. The sword bounced against her thigh, and she said, breaking the silence, ‘I named it Ataraxia.’”
Upon Cassian’s approval of the name Nesta kisses him lightly, and he asks her, “what was that for?”
I think that Nesta’s response is one of my favorite little sweet Nessian moments 💖
“‘Gwyn and Emerie are my friends,’ she said quietly. She tucked away her horror that Briallyn had eyes on them. ‘But…’ She swallowed. ‘I think you might be, too, Cassian.’
“‘I’ve always been your friend, Nesta,’ he said hoarsely. ‘Always.’”
However, when Nesta opened the door to free the Harp, she also opened the door to Lanthys.
Cassian And Nesta Fight Lanthys
The fight begins in chapter 54, and let’s just say Lanthys is a perv of a monster.
Cassian is struck very early on in the fight but doesn’t worry because our girl Nesta has a MADE weapon, and this pervy little monster is afraid of it!
Lanthys tries to seduce her with visions of him and her as king and queen and ruling everyone and everything and having crazy amounts of power, and doing sexy things (weird!!).
This is what snaps Nesta out of this vision, and she is all, “hey, only Cassian makes me feel this much pleasure”.
(Also, this whole section is weird…SJM, I have questions.)
“Her body was not his to touch, to fill with life. And she had known pleasure richer than what he’d shown her.”
Cassian and Nesta use some great teamwork, Cassian throws a dagger, and Nesta uses Ataraxia to chop off this old monster’s head!
“Lanthys’s head and corpse fell in different directions, thumping upon the stones.”
Nesta And Cassian’s Second Winter Solstice
Feel free to refer to the section in this post on A Court of Frost and Starlight about just how poorly the last winter solstice Cassian and Nesta spent together.
Well, this year is very different, very sweet, and a lil sexy!
Nesta has been re-instated into the Night Court, and she is playing her part with the rest of the Night Court on their annual trip to the Court of Nightmares.
Eris is in allegiance with Rhysand and Feyre. At the Winter Solstice in the Court of Nightmares, they assure him of their allegiance to him and ask Nesta to woo and dance with him.
In chapter 57, Nesta enters along with her sister, Elain, and let’s just say Cassian is taken aback.
“Nesta in Night Court black threatened to bring him to his knees.”
Nesta dances with Eris, and Eris, Cassian, and everyone else at the ball are enchanted by her dancing ability.
Of course, Cassian couldn’t let Eris have all the fun and cuts in to dance with Nesta.
We learn that Nesta is not the only one who has been taking dance lessons from Mor and that Cassian has been secretly taking dancing lessons with her as well so that he could impress Nesta at the ball, which is SO cute, right?!
“Cassian offered up his hand. Swallowed once. He was nervous. This male who had faced down enemy armies, who had battled to the brink of death more times than she cared to count, who had fought so many dangers it was a miracle he lived…he was nervous.”
“Cassian smiled at her, and the world faded away.”
Cassian’s Winter Solstice Gift
Cassian (being the cutie pie that he is) gets Nesta the truly perfect, sweetest gift: a Symphonia full of recordings of all the songs from the dance as well as some of the musicians’ favorites, and music from the pubs that Nesta loves.
She tries not to accept it because she feel that the gift is too much, but Cassian will not let that happen.
“The tears she couldn’t stop. Didn’t try to fight them as the music poured into the room. He had done all of this for her. Had found a way for her to have music—always.”
And FINALLY, Nesta admits her feelings for Cassian!
“You are good, Cassian. And you are brave, and brilliant , and kind. I could kill anyone who has ever made you feel less than that—’less than what you are. And I know I’m a part of that group, and I hate it.’ Her eyes burned, but she fought past it. ‘You are everything I have never been, and will never be good enough for. Your friends know it, and I have carried it around with me all this time– that I do not deserve you.’”
“‘I didn’t deserve you before the war or afterward, and I certainly don’t know.’ She let out a low, broken laugh. ‘Why do you think I shoved you away?’”
“‘From the moment I met you, I wanted you more than reason. From the moment I saw you in my house, you were all I could think about. And it terrified me. No one had ever held such power over me. And I am still terrified that if I let myself, have you…it will be taken away. Someone will take it away, and if you’re dead…’”
Cassian lets go of all his anger toward her, and he gives her nice little kisses and says…
“‘There will be no one else. For either of us.‘”
Nesta and Cassian do what Nesta and Cassian do best (hanky panky), and for the first time, no one leaves, and they sleep next to each other.!
“‘Stay with me.’ A shudder rocked through him, but he only smiled as he tucked her into his side. And warm and safe and home at last in Cassian’s arms, Nesta slept.”
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Nesta And Cassian Are Mates
So now Nesta and Cassian are all booed up and cute, but another lover’s tiff is on the horizon. Cassian goes in for a little PDA, and Nesta sorta freaks out about it.
Cassian tries to get Nesta to admit what they are (MATES, duh), and she refuses. In chapter 62, we read:
“‘Say what I’ve guessed from the moment we met,’ he breathed. ‘What I knew from the first time I kissed you. What became unbreakable between us on Solstice night.’ She wouldn’t. ‘I am your mate, for f*ck’s sake!’ Cassian shouted loud enough for people across the river to hear. ‘You are my mate! Why are you still fighting it?‘”
However, Cassian then is a dumb idiot and snaps at Nesta using the word “shackled,” and he hurts her very deeply. This leads Nesta to call in her favor…
Nesta Uses The Bargain
In chapter 62, right after Cassian tries to get Nesta to admit to the mating bond, Nesta calls in her favor to get Cassian to leave her alone immediately.
“‘I’m calling in my favor,’ she said. ‘I want you to leave. Go up to the House of Wind for the night. Do not speak to me until I come talk to you, or until a week has passed. Whichever comes first. I don’t care.’”
Nesta leaves this fight immediately and goes to Emries along with Gwyn for a little girls’ night, the perfect fix for any dumb male problems.
However, they do get kidnapped and forced into the Blood Rite, so there is that…
Ataraxia
The fourth and final part of the book begins with Nesta, Gwyn, and Emrie being trapped in the Blood Rite and forced to compete to stay alive.
The magic of the Blood Rite is very specific, and no outsiders can interfere. Although Cassian begs Rhys to use his powers to get Nesta out, he cannot.
This is the longest section of the book where our love birds are separated.
Though Nesta is a girl bossing left and right, their relationship has no milestones to touch upon until chapter 72, when Nesta finally accepts the mating bond.
Now, this is a Paisley-throwing-the-book-across-the-room kinda moment because it is just too good.
“Bellius snorted. ‘You really think you can beat me in hand-to-hand combat?’ Blood flowed from her mouth, her nose. But Nesta smiled anyway, its tang coating her tongue. ‘I do.’”
“Bone crunched. Bellius howled, falling back a step. And Nesta hissed, ‘Because my mate taught me well.’”
Slay Nesta.
Bellius recovers and continues to try to kill her till Cassian appears and slits her throat. Nesta is relieved to see Cassian. However, homeboy is currently under the control of Briallyn.
“Cassian stepped over Bellius’s dying body and offered her a hand. Not to sweep her into his arms but to help her rise. As he had always done…and he held her tightly, whispering into her bloody hair, ‘And now I’m going to slit your pretty little throat.’”
“Cassian’s words were not his own.”
Briallyn appears and reveals that she is controlling Cassian, and not only that, but she is also wearing the third Dread Trove item, the crown.
Nesta And Cassian Fight Briallyn
Briallyn tries to use the power of the crown to get Cassian to kill Nesta. Briallyn gives the order to “Kill” but does not say who to kill, and Cassian plunges his knife toward his own chest!
Nesta is NOT about to let this happen, though. Finally, the sun rises, meaning the damper on her magic from the Blood Rite is over, and Nesta can now call upon her magic.
“And as the sun broke over the horizon, as Cassian’s knife plunged for his chest, Nesta erupted with the force of the Cauldron.”
Nesta unmakes Briallyn, and there is nothing left of her but the Crown, the final item of the Dread Trove. (or is it…?)
Finally, Nesta and Cassian accept the mating bond together!
“‘You are my mate, Cassian,’ she said against his lips and kissed him softly. ‘And you’re mine,’ he said, kissing her in turn.”
Nesta Uses The Dread Trove
Feyre is dying, and Nesta wears the Crown, Harp, and Mask and ends up trading her power back to the Cauldron to save her sister.
Though Nesta says she has none of her “death” powers from the Cauldron, it will be interesting to see in ACOTAR 5 (Sarah Janette, I am begging for a release date here) if she still has some remnant of her powers.
Rhysand is so thankful to Nesta (it’s so cute and sweet to see them being nice to each other) that he ends up gifting her the House of Wind.
The book ends with Cassian and Nesta moving into the House of Wind together. Happy couple goals!!
Does Cassian Tell Nesta He Loves Her?
No, Cassian never says the words “I love you” to Nesta in this series. However, we can clearly tell that Cassian is in love with Nesta.
Nesta does tell Cassian that she loves him, though, on page 743 of A Court of Silver Flames.
“Nesta pulled away, whispering, ‘I love you,’ and it was all Cassian needed before kissing her again, the force of it more powerful and enduring than the Cauldron itself.”
Do Cassian And Nesta Have A Baby?
No, Cassian and Nesta do not have a baby!
However, when Nesta made a bargain with the Cauldron and used the Dread Trove to save Feyre and change her womb, Nesta also made it so she could have Illyrian children too (for when the time is right hehe).
On a completely unrelated note, it does not mention that she does this for her sister Elain (which is proof for my crack theory that Azriel and Elain are NOT otp…)
So, what is your favorite Nessian moment or quote?
If I didn’t mention it in this post please comment below so we can fangirl together! 🖤
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