Page 20 of Rebel Fae
It took me a moment to get my bearings and remember that we’d spent the night in the hut, that a creature had nearly killed us, and that I’d petted Vaughn’s wolf ears in front of everyone. It had been a strange night.
Shifting, my hammock swayed again as I tried to extricate myself from it. I’d been up nearly all night but must’ve dozed off somewhere near dawn. Now, the sun was fully up, spilling in between the cracks in the curtains from the windows on either side. Bird calls and the sound of the wind through the trees paired with someone’s gentle snoring. No monster shrieks cut through the peaceful morning, and for that, I was thankful.
My body ached from having to sleep face down to avoid crushing my wings, and my need to relieve myself was strong. There were no restroom facilities inside the hut, but was it safe to go outside? The creature had appeared when it got dark, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t stalk us in the daytime, too.
I clambered down, padding across the floor to avoid waking the others. Regina, Ronnie, and Becca were still in their hammocks, but Baeleath was absent and so was Vaughn.
Panic shot through me, making my fingers tingle and my heart pound. Where were they? Carefully, I slipped through the hut, grabbed the door handle, and pulled it back slowly.
The day was warm and bright like all days here on the island. The fire pit was still smoldering, having died down to embers in the night, and the cleared dirt paths and grassy spaces all seemed undisturbed. None of the other huts showed any signs of action. I didn’t see signs of a struggle outside, so where were Baeleath and Vaughn?
I tiptoed out and shut the door. Walking carefully down the steps, I scanned left and right, hoping no tendrils would shoot out of the brush to ensnare me.
“Tally.”
I whirled in time to see Baeleath dragging a large log toward the fire. He seemed strong and in friendly spirits, though I knew he didn’t sleep much, if at all.
“Baeleath, is everything okay?” I asked, still on edge.
“You can call me Bael. Much easier. And yes, no sign of any monster. I was going to get a fire going since I had nothing else to do but wait.”
“Where’s Vaughn?” I scanned the surrounding tree line.
Bael’s jaw tightened, but he answered with an even tone. “Gone. I haven’t seen him.”
“Gone?” My heart pattered as I glanced around our clearing once again. Where could Vaughn have gone? Was he hurt? I started toward the tree line to search for him.
“You shouldn’t go in there,” Bael said, dropping his log. “We don’t know if that thing is still about.”
“But, Vaughn...” I didn’t get to finish my thoughts because three figures appeared on the path in the distance.
Vaughn’s wolf form was the most visible, but the two figures behind him were easy enough to pick out, Dr. Watts and Crescent. The doctor walked close to the blind mentalist as she kept one hand on his bicep while the other moved her long, white cane back and forth. For a moment, I pitied her loss since vision was our most important sense, but then I remembered how ruthless she’d been with Bael when he’d first arrived. She was no better than Meadow Song or Silver Bear. In fact, for all I knew, she might be worse.
I quickly relieved myself behind a tree before they arrived and felt much better. I joined Baeleath—Bael, I liked that much better—to wait for them.
“Greetings!” Dr. Watts called when he spotted us. “How was the night? Do you like our cabins?” He gestured to the wooden huts with a big smile on his face as if he’d built them with his own two hands.
I found I couldn’t reply. My throat was dry, mainly from the thought of Vaughn being taken. We weren’t friends, but we’d come to understand each other yesterday, and I certainly wanted nothing bad to happen to him.
Bael nudged me gently with a massive elbow. “Maybe wake the others,” he mumbled.
“Yes. Right.” I turned and flew back to the hut, landing on the porch and slipping inside.
“Wake up, everyone. Dr. Watts and Crescent are here.”
Becca sprung into a sitting position, blinking at me. Her red hair stuck up on her head like an orange bird’s nest.
Slowly, Ronnie rolled over, groaning. “Ten more minutes, Mom.”
Only Regina didn’t stir. I walked over to her hammock. Vaughn had kept her hands cuffed together through the night, something that likely made sleeping uncomfortable. I knew what it was like to have a hard time resting and, even though she’d tried to kill Ronnie and Becca, I felt a bit sad for her. Most of this world was built for humans. Anything other than that was an afterthought if we were even a thought at all.
“Regina.” I put my hand on her shoulder. It was cold, but then, weren’t all vampires cold? She didn’t stir.
“Regina, wake up.” I shook her harder.
Slowly, she stirred. When she rolled over and peered up at me through puffy, slitted eyes, I could see just how terrible she appeared. Her skin was far paler than it had been yesterday, and her eyes were partially red. Black veins snaked under her skin like poisoned rivers. When she breathed, her mouth smelled sour like rotting fruit.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
