Page 21 of Outcast Fae
Pushing Daniella off me, I scrambled to my feet. The anger rolled off of Vaughn in waves, and I wasn’t going to wait on the ground for him to trample me in a rage.
Fuming, he glanced around. Spotting something, he dug under the fallen fronds and coconuts and came up with the round disk they’d given us as a cooking utensil.
“All that’s left is this fucking frying pan,” he snarled. “The food is all gone, and it’s all your fault.”
“Yeah,” Elon said next to him, nodding repeatedly, wasting no time taking sides.
“It’s not her fault,” Daniella said, jumping up to my defense.
“Then whose fault is it?” Vaughn held the disc, frying pan or whatever, in one hand like a weapon. “Maybe she ate all the food somehow. Never trust a fae. You can never be sure it isn’t all a glamour.”
I clenched my jaw. Humans love throwing that accusation in our faces.
Daniella glanced at the pan warily and took a step back. She was only as tall as Vaughn’s chest and appeared diminutive next to him. His volatile anger had switched to her, so I stepped between them, blocking his path. If he had a problem with me, he didn’t need to bully someone else.
“You know whose fault it is?” I asked, raising my chin and trying to appear taller since he had a full head on me. “It’s Meadow Song’s fault, and Silver Bear’s, and Karen’s, and that other guy. All of them.Yourilk.” I jabbed a finger into his chest and found that it was hard and taught.
He glanced down at the spot where I had touched him, then back at me. “If you ever touch me again, I’ll break your fingers one by one.”
“You don’t scare me, earthling.”
He smiled crookedly, amused, as if I were a flea and he was a lion. Well, maybe he hadn’t thought about what a nuisance a single flea could be.
“You will find us food,” he ordered. “And you will prepare it for us.”
“I agree,” Elon said.
Vaughn’s head snapped in his direction. “No one’s asking you anything.”
Elon put his hands up. “Dude, I’m on your side.”
“No, you’re not.” Vaughn returned his attention to me, eyebrows raised as if to saywhere’s my food?
“I’m not yourgòrakservant,” I snapped. “Find your own food.” I started to turn away, but he snatched my wrist and stopped me.
“Get your filthy human hands off me.” I yanked my arm, extricating it from his grip.
He took a step in my direction, fists clenched, the frying pan shaking as he squeezed the handle.
“Violence is not permitted,” Meadow Song’s voice rang above the trees, reminding us of another rule.
Vaughn’s gaze darted upward, his green eyes narrowed, his angular jaw tight. Stubble had grown on his face overnight, making him look older, more dangerous.
Like before, I could sense his anger, barely under control. There was something wild about him, something hidden under the surface that always seemed just seconds away from exploding and wreaking havoc.
“If you hurt each other,” Meadow Song continued, “there will be consequences.”
We all exchanged glances. Wally huffed and kicked at the ground. He knew better than any of us what those consequences could look like. Daniella had gotten a good taste of them, too. Going without food was the least of our worries right now.
Vaughn growled deep in his throat and took a step back. His nostrils flared as he met my gaze, and it was clear it was requiring all of his strength to remain in control. For a moment, it seemed as if he would walk away, but then he paused and spoke.
“You need to accept there is no escape. No one, and I meanno one, has ever escaped this place. A fae bitch won’t be the first.”
I wanted to tear his eyes out and stomp on them. He would never understand my reasons for trying to escape. He would not give a damn about my friends, the fact that they had gone missing and there was no one out there who would look after their well-being like I would. He didn’t know what it was to be orphaned from his land, from everything he’d ever known. He would have me rot on this godsforsaken island as long as he could get his food and get to be the top dog.
So I didn’t waste my breath trying to explain anything. I simply glared back, hoping he could feel my hatred for him.
“How do you know no one has escaped?” Wally asked Vaughn.
