Page 24 of Outcast Fae
Was she… attracted to Vaughn? He was a fair human specimen, though flawed in many,manyways, but maybe sculpted physique and sea-green eyes were her type.
Vaughn seemed disinterested in Meadow Song. If anything, he was agitated that she would make him speak. “What do you want me to say?’
“Your crime,” she nearly cooed. “What did you do?”
He frowned. “I… I hurt someone, but they deserved it.”
Meadow Song leaned forward, making her mushroom sway. “Who did you hurt, Vaughn?”
He glowered. His hands were so tight around the talking stick, I wondered if it might break in two. That would really send Meadow Song over the edge of her seat.
“I heard about it on the news,” Elon said, chiming in. The smug nastiness had returned to his features. “You’re the one who put that fae woman in a coma. She’s still unresponsive, right?”
My vision narrowed to a pinhole as I took in Elon’s words. Did he say fae woman? Coma?
The stick groaned in his grip, but he didn’t deny the allegations.
“Yeah, you really beat her up good,” Elon added, smirking. “Kicked the shit out of her from what I hear. She was, what? Like half your size? They said you didn’t stop kicking until long after she’d gone limp.”
Oh, gods. Was this true? I could barely draw breath as I turned my gaze slowly to Vaughn. Monster.
He sprung up, arms corded, veins pulsing on his neck. With bared teeth, he stalked toward Elon as if he were about to rip the kid’s head off. Elon leaned back, smile fading. Blue sparks snapped along his fingertips as he tried to scurry away from Vaughn’s advance.
Karen cocked her gun and aimed.
“Enough,” Meadow Song said, thrusting her hands out. Elon and Vaughn froze, magicked in place as we had been the first day.
Meadow Song glanced at Silver Bear who gave her a slight shake of the head.
Karen kept her gun aimed. “Want me to take one of ‘em out? The big one? Let him go and give me a bit of a chase.”
Meadow Song ignored Karen. “That’s enough for today. But, let me remind you that any acts of violence against your own group mates will be met with swift punishment. You know we’ll be watching.”
Smoke filled the clearing as one by one the adults disappeared. When they were gone, Meadow Song’s magic went with them. Vaughn and Elon staggered forward, finally able to move.
Vaughn growled and tore towards Elon, but Wally threw himself at Vaughn, dragging him back in a bear hug. “You heard what she said. They’ll turn the earth on us again, man. He ain’t worth it!”
Vaughn struggled against Wally’s hold for a bit, but the warning seemed to take hold. Finally, he shoved Wally away, giving Elon a cold glare.
“Don’t come near me,” he said. “Not ever again.”
“I was just telling the truth.” Elon straightened, holding onto a tree. “She deserves to know.”
He gestured in my direction as if what had transpired had anything to do with me. No, Elon wanted to embarrass Vaughn like he’d been embarrassed. He just hadn’t counted on Vaughn wanting to tear his head off in front of the counselors.
But was it true? Had Vaughn beaten a fae woman nearly to death? He had enough anger and hatred in his heart, that was certain. Would he do that to me given the chance? I stared at him, not sure what to feel or do. I knew Vaughn was mean, but this was beyond anything I could have imagined.
Before I could think about it further, a sound cut across the island, so loud and distinct all our attention snapped towards it. It was a low howling sound that echoed from somewhere deep in the jungle.
A wolf? Some sort of creature?
All I knew was that my instincts were screaming for me to get as far away from the sound as we could.
Just as I was about to suggest that, Vaughn’s head jerked up. Then he took off into the jungle running straight toward the sound.
Chapter Ten
The other twomales followed after Vaughn into the jungle while Daniella and I stayed put, staring after them in shock.
