Page 64 of Rebel Fae
I tried to fly to her, but it was too late.
Crescent touched her temple, and the world around me disappeared.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I groaned,blinking as I tried to peer around. I was on the floor, my head pounding. Next to me, Vaughn lay on his stomach, his face pressed to the cold floor, his eyes squeezed shut, face scrunched up in pain.
“Vaughn.” I crawled to him and shook his shoulder.
His eyes sprang open, and he grabbed his head, growling between clenched teeth. “What happened?”
I tried to remember, but my brains felt like runny gruel. Vaughn’s eyes widened suddenly, and he jumped to his feet.
“Courtney!” he exclaimed, eyes dancing from left to right.
Then it came back to me. We had found Arryn and Vaughn’s cousin, Courtney, and Crescent had foundus. I staggered to my feet and stood next to Vaughn, searching the room.
The bed was empty. Both girls gone!
“No, no!” I sobbed, feeling as if my heart were being torn out of my chest. They had been within our reach, and now they had disappeared.
“She took them,” Vaughn spat.
I turned toward the suite door. It was ajar, and out in the hall, droplets of blood dotted the floor.
“Vaughn.” I put a hand on his arm and nodded toward the blood as my heart pounded in my ears.
His head swiveled by degrees, first taking in my terrified expression, then following my gaze. When he caught sight of the bloody trail, he hissed out a breath. Slowly, fearfully, we started toward the door. When we reached it and could glance down the hall, I held my breath, fearing what I might encounter, but the long corridor was empty.
Vaughn inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of blood with a growl. Without a word, he followed the trail of crimson droplets. I marched after him knowing if anyone hurt Arryn there would be hell to pay. She couldn’t be… She wasn’t… I pressed the horrible thoughts away. She was fine. We would find her and Courtney. Alive.
We tracked the bloody trail to a massive metal door that looked as if it must protect something valuable. An elaborate device with a flat screen and buttons rested to the left of the thick frame.
“A retina scanner,” Vaughn said in a strangled voice that let me know his hope of escape was dying a slow death.
The blood trail disappeared under the door, and we couldn’t follow.
He let out a pained sound of frustration and kicked at the door. To our surprise, it swung open, crashing against the wall on the other side. Vaughn and I exchanged a wary glance. A dim, bluish glow came from inside the room, but it wasn’t enough to see by. What could be waiting? Nothing good, I wagered.
Cautiously, we stepped inside. The metal door shut behind us with a clank. I lunged for it and tried to open it, but it was useless.
“We’re trapped,” I said.
Vaughn didn’t seem to care. His mind was on one thing and one thing only. He was scenting the air, lifting his nose high. “This way.”
I followed him, inching closer toward the source of the glowing blue light. We were in a dark anteroom, but ahead, something more awaited. We passed through a narrow door and entered a massive room full of what looked like hundreds of eight-foot-tall, tube-shaped fish tanks that went from floor to ceiling. They bubbled with murky water and glowed blue with light from within.
“What is this place?” I whispered, my voice betraying my fear.
We moved toward the closest tank and peered inside. It was empty. Many more tanks followed in the long line. Two more rows lay to the right and two to the left. I pointed toward a tank a few spaces down. Something seemed to swim in its murky depths.
I didn’t want to see what lay inside but knew there was no other way. We had to look.
Vaughn laced his fingers with mine as we approached. Sweat slid down my back between my wings. My mouth felt dry. We stopped a foot away from the thick glass and tried to glimpse the tank’s contents, but the water was too cloudy.
Letting go of Vaughn’s hand, I leaned closer, my nose a mere inch from the glass.
A face appeared in front of me.
