Page 3 of Rebel Fae
“Take your filthy hands off me,” I spat.
His jaw clenched, and his mouth twitched. “We’ll have to work together once we’re out there.”
“Like we worked together before? Because it went so well for Arryn and me.”
“You know I had—”
I pushed against his heavy arms, interrupting him. “Take your filthy hands off me,” I repeated between clenched teeth. “I have nothing to discuss with you.”
He threw his hands up and backed away.
Arryn ran to my side and wrapped her skinny arms around my waist. “Tally, are you all right?”
“I’m fine,melthelel,” I answered, doing my best to leave the anger out of my voice. “What about you?”
“I’m all right. It’s you who got hit.” She glanced up at my head. I could feel warm, sticky blood running down my chin, but I would deal with that later.
I ruffled her hair. “Oh, it’s nothing. I’m tough. You know that.”
My words were light and careless, but my eyes were still shooting daggers at Vaughn. Given a chance, I would split his head open, too. He deserved nothing less. He was the very reason we were here.
“Back to your cells.” Vaughn pointed toward the exit where the last inmates were vacating the room.
“With pleasure,” I shot back, putting as much venom as I could in the two words.
We had just cleared the door when, evading a guard, Sinasre pulled away from his group and snatched my hand.
His eyes locked with mine with such intensity that my heart skipped a beat. “They got her,” he said. “They got my mother.”
I stopped in my tracks as his words fell over me like icy water.
“Talking to the females is forbidden,” the guard Sinasre had evaded barked. Roughly, he pulled my cousin away, then pushed him down the hall.
Sinasre held my gaze long enough for me to see the accusation in his eyes.
The Habermann’s had captured the Queen of the Seelie Court, and it was my fault.
Chapter Two
Twenty-four hours later,my time as island babysitter began.
Just as Vaughn had reminded me, I’d agreed to join the new group of “fresh meat”—as the guards called them—in the New Starts Rehabilitation Program. They were using Arryn to blackmail me. If I stepped out of line, they would hurt her. I had no other choice but to play their game, at least for now.
I swallowed hard, fear for Arryn’s life heavy on my chest. Nothing bad could befall her. I would do anything to keep her safe.
They had bound my wrists and thrown me into a van parked beside the prison camp’s intake facility. I had a view of the front door and would be able to see the new campers before joining them.
The plastic binding cutting into my skin was more for show than anything else. My captors knew I wouldn’t flee, but the campers I was about to meet didn’t. They needed to think I was one of them, that I was trapped here just like they were.
Not that it was a lie. I was as much a prisoner as anyone. Maybe more so.
Karen, the’ciallachadhguard who had kidnapped me to bring me here, had slammed the van doors shut with more force than necessary. She liked to scare campers and probably hated that I stood up for myself and didn’t let her intimidate me. She was also furious about Silver Bear’s death. I had killed the evil counselor, driving a broken baton into his neck a few weeks ago, back when I thought escaping this godsforsaken island was possible, back when I believed there was a chance to be free again.
My eyes scanned the area outside of the van. There was no sign of anyone coming or going. As I watched, I contemplated what was about to come next. I’d been through the intake procedure and magical strip search myself, so I knew how that went. The difference this time was I’d returned as a secret agent, a spy for Adaline Habermann, the sociopathic co-leader of this fake rehabilitation facility.
These new “campers” didn’t know how the program worked. They all thought they were here to be rehabilitated for their crimes. And, though, for some of them, it was true, for others… not so much. Some were here to take part in the Habermann’s sick experiments.
A movement drew my eyes to the path between the trees. Four new campers walked up, flanked by guards on all sides. Two of the teens were female and two were male, but that was where the similarities ended. The first inmate was a tall, light-skinned female. As they led her in, her sharp gaze swept over everything, likely gathering information or trying to put together a plan of escape or at least an incarceration survival plan.
