Page 73 of Rebel Fae
Headquarters? My mind seemed too slow to comprehend the meaning of the word. The stress of the day was weighing on me.
Alonzo finally stopped and opened a door. “We need some healing magic,” he announced as soon as we walked in. “Who can repair this fae’s wing?”
The space we entered was almost as big as the one we’d just left, except computer monitors with people sitting in front of them lined the walls instead of windows. Most didn’t bother to glance away from whatever they were doing. I recognized a few of them from the battle. So this was where they had rushed to.
“Tally?!” someone said to my right.
I turned to find the person I least expected to ever see again.
Charlie Rivera.
And behind her, her friends: Disha, Rowan, and Bridget. I had met them at the Supernatural Academy. They were among the few friends I’d made while I was there. I even fought alongside them and helped them defeat The Bane when he tried to cause more destruction for my kind. I blinked, expecting them to disappear. Maybe I’d hit my head.
“You know each other?” Alonzo asked.
Charlie nodded. Her brown eyes regarded me with sympathy. She wore a black outfit made completely out of breathable leather and her dark hair hung loosely about her. She looked clean and collected, the complete opposite of me.
“We knew she was here, but this wasn’t a rescue mission.” Charlie frowned at Alonzo and the girls clinging to me.
“I think they’d already engineered their own escape,” he said. “We found them in the middle of the battle and were able to get them out. But she’s injured, can one of you help her?
“Oh, look at your poor wing.” Disha stepped forward, took my hand, and walked me to the small sitting area they’d been occupying. She wore similar clothes to Charlie with the addition of elaborate makeup and silky-smooth hair coiffed to perfection around her tawny face.
I sat. Bridget gave a two-fingered wave while Rowan stood stoic and nodded. They also had leather outfits, though Bridget’s matched the color of her curly, red hair. Disha sat next to me while Charlie soothed the girls, who seemed to grow anxious as they got separated from me, even if it was only by a few feet.
“Hello there,” Charlie leaned toward the girls. “How would you all like a lollipop?” She gave them a big smile and candy appeared in her hand as she twitched her fingers.
The girls seemed to relax a bit, but it wasn’t the candy. Charlie just had an easy way about her that made you comfortable right away.
Disha took my hand and squeezed it. I tore my gaze from the girls and glanced at her. She was smiling sweetly as her eyes wavered with tears.
“I’m glad you’re here,” she said. “We came to help and get you and the others out. That Alonzo found you guys was a great stroke of good luck.”
All I could do was nod numbly. So much had happened in the last few hours, I could hardly process it.
“Now, let’s get you fixed up.” Disha placed a hand on my shoulder and made me face the other way to take a better look at my wing. She gave a sharp intake of air when she saw the damage.
“Whoever did that to you,” Bridget said between clenched teeth, “they’ll pay for it.”
“Chill, Rogue Witch,” Rowan said with a chuckle.
Bridget huffed. “Must I remind you that some of us are warm-blooded? Not everyone can remain as cool as a dead fish.” She was referring to the fact that Rowan was a vampire.
Rowan exchanged an amused glance with Charlie. These four had been through a lot together and shared complex but loyal relationships that could endure anything. Just like Vaughn and me.
“The culprit is dead,” I told Bridget. I tried to find satisfaction in the fact that Crescent was dead but failed miserably.
“Good!” Bridget said. “I’ll have to find someone else to punish then.”
“Um, yes,” Disha murmured pensively behind me as she examined my wing. “I can fix this. Stay still, Tally.”
I did as she asked. In the back of my mind, an urgent prayer went up, begging for Disha to be able to fix me. At the forefront, however, it was Vaughn I was most worried about. Also Bael, Sinasre, and the others. I needed to go back and rescue them, but was it possible? For all I knew, I was hundreds of miles away from them, and they were waiting for me in vain.
A cold, tingling sensation began at my back muscles and quickly spread across my wings. Startled, I threw a glance over my shoulder and caught sight of Disha’s hands moving in a complex pattern. She was muttering something under her breath, words I couldn’t understand. Suddenly, I felt paralyzed and panic surged, making my ears pound. Was this supposed to happen?
Oh, no!What if this was just another illusion? Or maybe… it had never ended. That would explain Charlie and her friends being here. That would mean—
“All done,” Disha announced, pulling away and rising to her feet. “Sorry I had to immobilize you. I needed you to be still. Your wings are intricate. It was delicate work.”
