Page 16 of Dark Fae's Desires
“Your mother and Trey did. They Shifted to Dragon form and, well, kicked ass, is really the only way to put it.”
“Really?” I ask with a laugh, but his somber face, sobers me quickly. “What?”
“Nothing,” he says, shaking his head, but I know he’s lying. He is worried about something.
I brush it aside because my men are alive, I’m seconds from getting out of this dump, I’ve rescued a prisoner, and soon, I’ll be in a nice hot shower. Yes, I feel like throwing up from the blood oath, but no way am I telling my men how badly it’s affecting me.
Too bad Jerrick knows me better than most.
“How are you feeling?” he asks quietly, leading me through the water.
“Fine,” I chirp and then, we are outside, and I’m gazing upon the magnificent sight of Trey Shifting back from his Dragon form amidst the slain Light Fae.
Theo races up to me and takes me in his arms gently as Jerrick hands Trey some clothes from his backpack. Luckily,my mother decides that discretion is the better part of valor and flaps off to Shift further away.
Wading out of the small reservoir that we seem to have exited into, I look back for Rath’Na. He is cowering in the light, shading his eyes from the glare. I hate that he still has the chains on and go to him.
“Hey,” I say and hold my hand out.
He squints at it but doesn’t take it.
“Ax,” I demand Jerrick, who produces one from somewhere and hands it to me. I wave it at Rath’Na and then gesture to the side of the reservoir where there is a low wall to contain the water.
He hesitantly sits heavily and places his arms on the wall. I raise the ax and smash it through the chain holding the manacles around his wrists.
He flinches visibly, but as soon as his arms are no longer tethered to each other, he stretches them up above his head and out to the sides.
“Thank you,” he croaks.
“Just don’t go and kill my grandfather,” I say, only half joking. It belatedly occurs to me that was his mission before he got captured all those centuries ago.
He snorts. “Water under the bridge, girl.”
Smiling, I hold my hand out for him again. This time, he takes it, and I help him up.
I turn to see my men glaring at this exchange with varying degrees of suspicion, but I shake my head at them. “Meet Rath’Na,” I say as my mother comes sprinting over to us with her Vampire speed and throws her arms around me.
“Let’s get you home,” she says, taking me firmly and turning me towards the forest. “You can fill us in when we get there.” She gives Rath’Na the evil eye, which he recoilsfrom.
I nod, and suddenly, all the fight goes out of me. My knees buckle, and now that I’m no longer running on adrenaline, the blood oath kicks me in the guts and then sweeps my ankles out from under me to kick me while I’m down.
“Fuck,” I groan and start to cough up blood.
I hear my mother’s cries and my men’s worries, but I allow myself to sink under the blanket of oblivion.
Just for a little bit.
Chapter 7
Trey
My heart is thumping in my chest after the Shift, after the fight and seeing Savannah alive and seemingly untouched by Anders. The jury is still out on that. She hasn’t confirmed or deniedanythingyet.
I give the haggard man she brought with her a searching look. He looks a bit familiar. “What did you say your name was?” I ask him, with more than a bit of suspicion. I have no idea why Savvie would drag this man out of the palace with her.
“You look just like your father, but with your mother’s coloring,” he replies.
That takes me aback. “Excuse me?” I bark, but get shoved not so gently in the ribs by Aefre, accompanied by a look that screams, ‘drop it’.
