Page 41 of The Lost Fae
Ziko grips the back of her chair and leans down over her. His face tilts to the side, his eyes roaming over her reddening face. He straightens. "We don't have to. I know how to get home."
Anastasia's brown eyes grow wide. "No," she wheezes.
"Yes!" I jump from my seat.
A deep wrinkle forms between Lincoln's brows while he faces me. "We have to leave,now." There is an urgency in his voice that makes a tremble travel over my body. He lowers his gaze to Anastasia's. "You don't feel well. You need to rest, and you don't want to say a word to anyone. You grew tired of us, and sent us away. You'll be ready to go back to your normal routines in a couple of days. Isn't that right?"
She grinds her teeth together. "I don't feel very well. I think that I'll go rest. You two..." A vein pops out in her neck at the effort. "You two are boring me. I think your stay here has come to an end."
"Very good." Lincoln pats her head and she cuts her hand through the air to swat him away.
She opens her mouth to speak, but her lips quickly close again. She forces herself to stand. With white knuckles, she turns and punches the back of the chair watching it clatter to the floor.
"I'll be heading to my room now to rest." She smooths down her dress.
That it?I ask Lincoln.
He bows slightly at the waist, grinning at the queen.Once I was able to get into her head I planted the notion to go rest... to keep this meeting a secret... very deeply. She won't be able to say a word for days.
"We need to leave." As soon as her back is turned from the room, we dart for the door. Lincoln takes my hand in his and we leave behind the still warm food on the table. We each grab a handle and pull the double doors wide open.
Wind from the force of the motion pushes my hair from my face and fans me with fresh air. With hope. An untamed smile raises my cheeks and my laugh resounds down the hallway. Two stone faces swivel toward us, watching our passing with caution.
Lincoln gives them a playful wave and we start to jog through the halls. The cream colors, the patterns of green and yellow trim pass, and I'm thankful to leave it all behind. To leave the pirates behind. The Lost Court has been too much trouble if I do say so myself.
Our exit appears at the end of the hall. I look to Lincoln, and the glow of anticipation lights up his eyes. We're going home. We're going home.We're going home.
With one wide hand, Ziko tries for the door handle, but it swings open without his touch. A Fae with jagged, scarred wings stands on the other side without a smile to return. His red hair is slicked into a tight bun on top of his head, revealing tattoos running down the length of his neck, and he turns back to the array of men standing behind him with a laugh that they echo.
"Barnabus," Lincoln breathes.
Well shit.
Eleven
Crooked
"Going somewhere?"Barnabus crosses his arms. "I thought we would catch up to you here."
Jackets are snug against him, and every man behind him, but holes allow their wings to poke out. Crystals of ice cling to the lace edges of their insect-like wings.
They must be numb from the cold.My next thought.Did they fly here?
I take a step back as Barnabus moves forward. Lincoln pushes himself between us. Standing straight, I look over Ziko's shoulder and begin counting his men. Not all of them are here. Not the one that rushed to Ellie's side. A guilty wave of nausea turns inside of me.
"I'm not happy that you found it acceptable to steal from us." He lifts his chin. One of his men behind him coughs heavily. Barnabus turns and looks at his comrade, concern etched in his features. "But..."
Lincoln's shoulders automatically relax. What does he know that I don’t?
"You can touch minds." Barnabus looks at Lincoln. Then he leans around him. "We need the girl."
Me? Why me?
And any resemblance of calm that Lincoln had just had disappears with those four little words. He leans into me. "No."
"She has power. We can feel it." He points. "You owe us."
"She doesn't know how to use it," Lincoln hisses. And everything in my body loses feeling.
