Page 65 of Rebel Fae
My heart gave a jolt, and a scream tore through my throat as I recognized the gentle features behind the glass. Black hair floated all around a narrow face.
Daniella.
Why? How?
She was naked, her skin as gray as a stormy sky. The only thing she wore was a pair of earrings—her item, I realized, as I saw currents of red magic, skipping like little lightning between her fingers. While she was with us, she’d missed those earrings fiercely, and she’d been unable to perform magic. She had them now.
Was she alive? I needed to get her out.
I tried to reach for the tank, but Vaughn pulled me into his arms. My mouth pressed against his chest, making me realize I was still screaming.
“What is this?!” I demanded.
“I don’t know.”
“Is she dead? Can we get her out?”
“I don’t think so.” Vaughn’s voice was breaking, mimicking mine in desperation. “Let’s focus on what we can do, Tally.” He pushed me to arms’ length. “The trail continues this way.”
Arryn. I needed to find Arryn. Then I could come back for Daniella.
He forced me away from the tank that held Daniella and pointed at the floor. The red droplets we had been following had morphed into a streak as if someone had been dragging a body across the floor. I shook my head, my stomach twisting in refusal. I didn’t want to follow this gruesome path. I wanted to wake up from this nightmare.
But what else could we do?
With Vaughn close behind me, I weaved through the rows of glowing tanks, keeping my eyes down. I didn’t want to find Wally or Chan or anyone else in the bubbling water. I didn’t think I’d be able to bear it.
Beside me, Vaughn’s breathing started growing agitated. His chest rose and fell visibly. His arms trembled, and his muscles seemed to move under his skin as if he were on the brink of shifting. His nose kept twitching as he took deep inhales of the metallic scent that rode the air. Was the blood getting to him?
He halted, lowering his head, his green eyes fixed on a spot ahead of us. I followed his gaze to find a large puddle of blood that shone in the blue light from one of the many tanks.
Heart hammering, I drew closer to the blood. A streak led away from it. I followed it to the far wall. My hand flew to my mouth, muffling a cry of horror.
Oh, gods.
“No!” Vaughn shouted behind me.
My knees threatened to buckle, and my stomach churned as the sight unfolded before me. Arryn and Courtney’s crumpled bodies lay in a pile behind one of the tanks. The blue light illuminated their wan faces. Streaks of blood slid down their arms and soaked their prison uniforms.
My will finally snapped, and I fell to my knees.
“No!” Vaughn said again, but this time his voice was like an animal cry that midway shifted into his spine-chilling snarl.
Mechanically, I glanced in his direction and found that he had also fallen to his knees. His back arched, growing, ripping his shirt. The shape of this skull changed, a snout elongating, ears turning pointed, and stretching upward. His knees seemed to crack as the joints shifted directions. Fur rippled in a wave from his face to the tip of a newly born tail.
Lifting his snout to the heavens, he gave a heart-wrenching howl. Then he turned his wild eyes on me. For a long moment, we stared into each other’s eyes.
Then something changed.
With a shake, the wolf lowered his head threateningly. He was angry. Angry at me.
My instincts shivered, and my heart started hammering out of control. What was he doing? Why would he turn his rage on me?
I slowly rose to my feet. I glanced toward the broken bodies of the two girls, then toward Vaughn. He was stalking in my direction, fangs bared, a rumbling sound deep in his chest. I shook my head in denial of what my instincts were telling me was about to happen, but my heart didn’t want to believe it. Vaughn cared about me, didn’t he? He wouldn’t hurt me.
Except... he had. Hehadhurt and betrayed me. Deeply.
He hadn’t seen his cousin’s broken body yet, but he understood what I had found. He knew Courtney was dead. Like a sheet of icy rain, a realization hit me: Vaughn blamed me for this. If I hadn’t come into the dome with my half-baked plan, the girls would still be alive.
