Page 48 of Rebel Fae
Becca turned her eyes away. Bael glared at the ground. But Ronnie pointed at us, a strange gesture I didn’t understand.
“Look,” he said.
“Ronnie, we’re sorry,” I began, but he shook his head.
“Not you. Lookbehindyou.”
We all turned in time to see Regina’s head pop out of the water. Beside her, another head rose.
Antonio.
He was waterlogged, to say the least. His skin was so pale it was almost translucent. His hair hung limp and looked greenish as if it had turned into seaweed. His clothes were wet tatters that clung to his body. Yet, he stepped out of the lake on his own two feet, Regina lagging slightly behind him.
Vaughn and I stood, him placing me slightly in front so his nakedness wouldn’t be the first thing Antonio saw.
The vampires approached, their feet squelching on the ground, water dripping from their skin and hair. No one spoke. Finally, Antonio stopped a few feet in front of us and fell to his knees.
We all stared in silence as he sat with his head lowered, taking deliberate lungfuls of air as if he actually needed to breathe. Maybe it was a way to cleanse himself or a reminder that he wasn’t underwater anymore.
After a long moment, he raised his head, his eyes searching mine. Our gazes locked, and he spoke in a hoarse, low voice.
“I’d like to apologize. For attacking you, Tally.”
“Apology accepted.” My eyes flicked to his neck. It appeared completely healed from where I’d snapped it. This island might be harsh on vampires, but,gòrak, they were hard to kill.
The awkward silence persisted and probably would have for a while if not for the familiar curl of smoke rising from the ground to our right. In a moment, Crescent and Dr. Watts appeared.
“You did it! Look at you. Great job,” Dr. Watts said, clapping his hands like an overexcited child. It was odd to see a grown man with much schooling act so silly, but maybe I was still learning about human behavior.
Crescent was more reserved. “Congratulations,” she said dryly. “Vaughn, why are we always finding you disrobed? I’m beginning to think you prefer walking around naked.” She moved her fingers and clothes appeared on Vaughn’s body, another guard uniform to replace the one he’d shredded when he shifted.
“Now,” she said, turning on the rest of us, “we need to talk to you. Have a seat.”
She waved her hand and more of those wooden benches grew out of the ground between the trees, forming a semi-circle.
We walked over and sat, Vaughn supporting most of my weight. Only Bael stayed where he was. A nervous quiet settled over the group.
“You’ve done it,” Crescent said, folding her hands on her lap. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be up to the task, but apparently I was wrong.”
“I always believed in you,” Dr. Watts added, leaning forward with his hands on the knees of his beige pants.
Crescent turned her head, and I had a feeling she was giving him a withering glare behind that blindfold.
“Regardless, you have proven yourselves. Tonight, you will feast.”
At this, she lifted her hands and a buffet table grew out of the dirt, food appearing on it. The spread was amazing: meats, cheeses, bread, fruits, everything we could want. I also noticed two decanters filled with what appeared to be blood for our hungry vampires.
I glanced at Vaughn, giving his hand a sly squeeze. We’d done it. Maybe now they’d let us go home or at least go back to the dome and be with Courtney and Arryn. For the first time in a while, things were starting to go our way.
“But tomorrow,” Crescent said, “your last, most important task will begin. And this time, you must do it without help.”
She gestured in Vaughn’s and my direction, and I tensed wondering what she could mean this time. Another obstacle course? A deadly scavenger hunt without clues?
Then I noticed what was happening beside me.
Vaughn was disappearing. He was being magicked away.
I scrambled up, reaching for him, but my hands passed through thin air. He was gone. Vanished.
