Page 13 of Ruthless Fae
Chapter Six
Quickly,I shot into the air, spurring my wings to fly as fast as possible. The sound and air movement drew their attention to my location, but by then I’d flown past them and toward the open doors.
“Get her,” Karen shouted, but Bael was already turning, his massive bat wings scraping against the walls as he pivoted. His face was a mask of determination and murder, like an animal following prey with nothing on its mind but blood.
I shivered at the thought. He was at least twice my size and would have no mercy.
Glancing over my shoulder to keep tabs on them, I soared through the doors and took off down the hallway, flying as fast as my wings would take me. Bael, despite his size, moved swiftly. Already, I heard him thundering down the hall, choosing to run instead of fly since his massive wings were no use in these enclosed spaces. That gave me some hope of eluding him long enough to make it out of the building. However, after several turns, I quickly realized I was lost. At this speed, each hallway blurred past, seeming exactly the same.
I turned left and right, blindly attempting to sort out the maze by pure speed, but after a series of turns, I took another left and found myself face to face with Bael.
His massive body blocked the hallway as his head turned in my direction. Those nostrils flared as he caught my scent.
Feine!
I whirled, and Karen stepped into view, blocking my only exit.
Double feine!
I fluttered to a stop, weighing my options as my heart threatened to pound out of my chest.
No way out. No escape. What now, Tally?
Karen put her hands on her hips and smiled. “I know you’re there, fae bitch. I’m going to enjoy it when your friend rips you to pieces. I’d love it more if I could see the look on your face as he does, but I’ll settle for what I can get.”
Bael stomped forward, his nostrils flaring and his new claws ready to tear me to pieces and Karen wanted to see it?!
Seeit? Seeme. Maybe if he could see me…
I dropped my glamour and turned to Bael as my body materialized. His eyelids fluttered as he took in my face. Something in his expression twitched. It gave me hope.
I hovered over the ground with my hands up in a symbol of peace. I didn’t want to fight him, and I wanted him to remember me as I’d been, an ally, someone just like him.
“Bael, it’s me, Tally. You remember me, right? I’m your friend.”
He blinked twice, still scenting the air, but he didn’t charge.
It was working as it had with Sinasre!
“Clever trick,” Karen said slyly. “But it isn’t going to help this time.”
I glanced over my shoulder in time to see her adjusting something on her helmet. A whining sound came from the device, and Bael winced, gripping his head as if the noise was reverberating around in his skull. Then, he dropped his hands as his gaze shot back to me.
With murder in his eyes, he charged.
While his big, lumbering body raced toward me, I ran through scenarios in my brain in the split seconds before he crossed the space between us.
He launched into the air, claws extended.
I squeezed my eyes shut as he crashed into me.
It was like being hit by a Jeep.
The collision of his body into mine jarred my every sense and sent me flying backward. I soared back and crashed into something solid. A mangled scream echoed close to my ear.
Karen. It was her body I’d hit. She and I crashed to the floor, then tumbled in a pile of arms and legs and wings.
Pain blared from many parts of my body, but my instincts remained intact. I lay on top of Karen, her prone form beneath me. I knew instantly I needed to get away. Bael would kill me if Karen didn’t get to me first.
