Page 98 of Hunted in the Shadows
Cliff glared but reluctantly began to pull at his clothes, stripping away the assortment of weapons he had tucked away. A sheathed bronze blade, two glocks, and a few poison-tipped throwing knives, along with a box of silver bullets. He laid them out with a mixture of resignation and irritation. I did the same,surrendering my favorite knives, a handgun, and the smaller bronze blade we had used for the blood offering, still smeared with fresh crimson.
“Satisfied?” I asked, assessing the faces around us. I felt naked already, the weight of my clothes far too light without the comforting presence of my knives against my chest.
A female fairy with silver, braided hair joined the commander, her eyes narrowed at me.
“You’re hiding something,” she said. “I can sense it.”
The others bristled, spellwork crackling along palms. Sighing, I caught Sylvia’s eye. With a reluctant twist, I reached back and dug the ice shiv out of my boot. Sylvia had crafted it for me with reinforced magic, making its razor-sharp point resistant to melt. It was the last weapon I had, and I shot the room a small, sheepish grin as I held it up for them to see before placing it on the pile.
Sylvia lifted her eyebrows, biting down on her lip to stifle a wide smile.
Cliff shot her a questioning look. “Since when are you handing out shivs?” he hissed under his breath.
She shrugged. “You didn’t ask.”
When the hum of wings approached us, Sylvia’s expression hardened. She turned to face the commanding fairy, and although her magic had already failed her, she raised her hands threateningly. I clenched my jaw, certain the vines would come for her next.
“Come any closer, and I’ll drive an icicle so far up your ass, you’ll choke on it,” she said.
But the commander took her hostility without retaliation. The battalion behind him bristled, but he set them at ease with a simple hand gesture before meeting Sylvia’s eyes.
“We bear no ill intent,” he said. “Our sweet sister Aureline alerted us of your arrival. She returned home yesterday with a miraculous tale of escaping a hunters’ fortress thanks to your help.Even more miraculous was her claim that you are the outsider who caught our attention the other night. We were beginning to wonder whether you would find your way here.”
Sylvia gestured at us. “Blood sacrifices and restraints are hardly a warm welcome. Why torture us if you knew we helped Aureline?”
The commander’s chuckle was surprisingly sheepish. “The ritual is to ensure exhaustion upon a human’s arrival. Far preferable to the thought of allowing hunters in our midst at full strength.”
“Yeah, those corpses back there looked a little more thanexhausted,” Cliff muttered.
“Hunters and thieves who would have massacred our people,” the commander answered matter-of-factly. “Too weak to prevail the price of entry.”
“The restraints are unnecessary,” Sylvia insisted. “We’re not your enemies.”
“They retain too much strength despite their sacrifice, thanks to your diligent healing.” He quirked a brow at Sylvia. “Surely it brings you some satisfaction to see your captors on their knees?”
Sylvia breathed in sharply. “They’re not my—” She glanced back at us and paused, her expression changing thoughtfully. Deception crawled across the features. She squared her shoulders and faced the commander. “You have it mixed up. I’m not a prisoner to them, but I’ve poured time and magic into taming them for my needs. Killing them would be an offense.”
A few fairies exchanged looks with the commander, unsure what to make of her claim. The certainty in her tone was admirable—any worry hidden beneath could be interpreted as fear of losing her investment.
Attagirl, I thought. She’d come a long way from her stressed lies after the capture in Dottage house.
The silver-haired fairy seemed less than convinced, her smile tight. “And have you used these men to raid other villages at your command?”
“Of course not,” Sylvia said at once.
“Then, what is your purpose here?”
She hesitated, and I couldn’t blame her. There was no telling how these people would react to any shred of the truth. Demanding a gemstone in exchange for rescuing a siren sounded like a stretch, given our current position. That was all the leverage we had.
“I mean no harm here or anywhere,” Sylvia said. “This is the first village I’ve encountered since leaving my own. After witnessing Aureline’s familiarity with fairies and sensing your magic from a distance, is it a crime to admit I was curious?”
Interest piqued, the commander drew closer to her. “You claim innocence, yet you bear the mark of a defector. Shall we agree on honesty? You did notleaveyour village. You were cast out.” There was no venom or judgment in his voice. His sympathy was startlingly genuine. He glanced toward Cliff and me, then back to Sylvia, gaze alight. “I’m sure there’s a magnificent story behind this, isn’t there?”
Sylvia was quiet for a moment. Even from behind, I saw how she tilted her head, the way she always did to make her hair fall over her traitor mark. “As I said—I sacrificed much to gain these protectors.”
“Clearly.” The commander took her chin, tilting her face for a closer look at the rune.
I couldn’t help it—I flinched forward on pure instinct to protect her. To pull her away from this smug, powerful stranger. The earth cracked beside me, and more restraints wound around on my wrists in response. I fought back, and when Cliff tried to rip the new vines away from my arms, he was given the same treatment.
