Page 15 of Faerie Fate
“As you can see, this old girl is still kicking.” Julie pulled in a deep breath. “He’s marked you, though. I smell it.”
If she wanted to remind me about the foolishness of my arrival at the academy, she could save her breath. I inhaled sharply against a wave of fury from Kendrick. Someone was about to die.
“I’m sorry, Tavi. I’m not powerful enough to get rid of the scar.” Julie bent close to my neck to examine the healing wound. “It won’t kill you, like I said, but the scar will still be there.”
They made scar removal lotion in the mortal world. “I don’t…”
“It’s not just a simple cut. This is arcane magic. Dark stuff, too. I have no clue where that man found the spell for it.”
Of course Kendrick would use arcane magic on me. He’d want to make sure there was no way for me to escape him ever again. I didn’t want to cry in front of her. The tears felt like giving up.
“Breathe.” Her voice centered me. “The magic is working and the bleeding has already stopped.”
“You’re trying to make me feel better.”
“I know it’s not working.” She obviously heard my swallowed sobs.
“No, I’m fine. Never been better,” I said unconvincingly.
“If anyone could bounce back from this kind of horror show, it would be you. Never met a more stubborn girl in my life.” Juliefailed to capture her usual level of solid, no-nonsense happiness. It used to come to her naturally.
“Maybe I took a page out of your book,” I said with a dead laugh.
Julie sighed. “Please don’t. My book has no happy ending. As delighted as I am to see you, this isn’t the time for happy reunions. You should have stayed gone.”
“I’d never leave you behind.”
Every second, the space between me and Kendrick shortened. He grew a bit closer. A million sounds pounded into my ears.
Without fail, without mercy, I’d make Kendrick pay for this. If my resolve had ever slipped, no matter. It locked into place now. I might be a prisoner, in one of the truest senses, but I’d gotten through hard experiences before.
Lock picks were invented for a reason.
“Nurse Julie!” One of the other healers rushed into the room. “We need you. One of the students lost a leg. I can’t grow a bone back!”
“I’ll be right there,” Julie replied decisively. She turned back to me as the healer rushed off, her features clouded by regret. She lifted the blindfold. “I’m sorry.”
She kissed my cheek and settled the fabric in place. This time, she left the fabric bunched at the top of my head, covering only my face.
“I’ll be back, sweetheart, I promise,” Julie said before disappearing.
I missed her immediately. Missed her presence and her energy. Without her steadiness, my body seized. The trembling began again and started at the root of my spine before traveling slowly higher and capsizing my heart.
I didn’t want to be alone. I didn’t want to have to face this on my own, to keep being strong, terror my only companion.
I wasn’t alone for long.
Kendrick’s distinctive footsteps sounded less than five minutes later, his presence growing steadily like a gas lamp being turned all the way up.
The door re-opened. “Thosefuckingbastards. Can’t handle anything themselves. Useless.”
The mate bond snapped between us and tightened until my heart skipped a beat. In some small, useless part of my brain, the girl I used to be screamed and beat at the inside of my skull for a freedom we’d never have again.
When he was close enough that I could feel the heat of his body, I jerked my head to the side. The blindfold drifted down to the base of my neck and my eyes lifted to meet his.
You’re going to let me go.
Our energies had no room to collide. Not when we were already woven together. But before I could attempt to manipulate Kendrick, another man stepped into the room.
