Page 83 of Outcast Fae
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Vaughn draggedme onto the beach, grunting with effort. I fell on my stomach, sputtering, and watched him struggle back into the water.
Blinking the sting of saltwater from my eyes, I reached out a hand and coughed. “Where are you going? Come back.”
He wouldn’t go back after the sea serpent, would he? But maybe he was going back for Daniella. Maybe he would save her. I tried to get up but only managed to get on my hands and knees before collapsing back down and sucking air into my waterlogged lungs.
I fought against my fatigue. I had to help Vaughn.
I managed to turn around and face the water, noticing Elon lying on his back about twenty yards away. To my relief, I spotted Vaughn coming back. He was helping Sinasre out of the water. My cousin must not have been far. Despite his injuries, he was strong, a Fae Warrior who never gave up. But where was Daniella?
They dropped to their knees in the sand. Water dripped from Sinasre’s long red hair. Vaughn’s face was etched in anger and pain. He shook his head, fists tightened on his thighs.
“Daniella?” I said.
He shook his head. “I didn’t see her, only Sinasre.”
Tears filled my eyes. Vaughn’s figure wavered before me. She couldn’t be gone. She didn’t deserve this. She was a sweet girl whose punishment did not fit the crime.
“She has to be out there.”
Vaughn sadly shook his head.
“No.” I staggered up, lurching toward the surf, but Vaughn slung an arm around my waist and held me back. “She can’t be dead,” I repeated. “She has to be out there. They wouldn’t let her…”
But my words trailed off. Theywouldlet her die just as they’d let Chan die. Just as they’d killed Wally.
The realization hit me like a blow to the stomach. She’d sacrificed herself so that we could live. She’d said something about not being able to swim, but I’d thought somehow she had the strength to make it. I’d never imagined she’d willingly offer herself to the sea so that we could make it to shore.
No, no, no. It was all too horrible.
My legs collapsed as a cry ripped from my throat.
Vaughn kept me from falling and helped me sit. He wrapped me in his arms. It wasn’t until he drew me close that I realized I was sobbing uncontrollably, and my face was wet with more than saltwater.
“They killed her.” I buried my face in Vaughn’s chest.
He rocked me back and forth, saying nothing. There were no words, and my tears weren’t enough. They never were—no matter what you lost, no matter how hard you wanted it back.
I didn’t know how long I stayed in Vaughn’s arms, but when I finally had enough strength to get to my feet, I found myself making a beeline toward Meadow Song. She had come down from her platform and was congratulating Gina, Henry, and Patricia. I couldn’t hear the words she was saying as she smiled sweetly and nodded in approval. I couldn’t hear Vaughn either as he trailed behind me, saying something.
All I heard was the roaring of the sea as it tried to drown me, as it must have drowned Daniella.
“You’ciallachadh!”
I went for her, intent on squeezing her throat until she suffocated, leaving nothing but stale air in her lungs. But I came short as Silver Bear stepped forward and blocked me, and all I managed to do was swipe my nails across Meadow Song’s face.
She brought a hand to her cheek, issuing an incredulous yelp.
Silver Bear grabbed me by the shoulders and lifted me off the ground, his eyes flashing an unnatural blue, a grumble sounding deep in his throat. My feet dangled several inches from the ground.
“It’s okay,” Meadow Song said. “Let her go.”
The shifter set me down just as Vaughn reached my side and took a protective stance, his chest grumbling the same way Silver Bear’s had. Sinasre and Elon joined him and presented a unified front.
The older shifter ignored him and went to stand at Meadow Song’s side. She waved a hand in the air, and the angry slash I’d left on her face disappeared.
“Murderers,” I spat. “Yougòrakmurderers!”
