Page 15 of Ruthless Fae
Hands lifted me. Then my body rocked back and forth as someone carried me, cradled in their arms.
I felt… safe.
I forced leaden eyelids open and turned to see a familiar face near mine.
“Vaughn?” I croaked.
“Hang on,” he panted, saving his breath as he ran away from the building and toward the dome’s shimmering barrier.
“Am I dreaming? Am I dead?”
He grimaced. “You’re not dreaming, and you’re certainly not going to die, Tally. Not when I have anything to say about it.”
“But how?”
“Save your strength,” he said, racing toward the dome’s barrier. I could see Charlie in the distance—she’d already gotten out, thank the gods—while Vinya held the rift open with one hand and, with the other, gestured at us to hurry, because, behind us, a host of guards was coming. Jeeps poured out, their lights slicing through the night toward us. So many, I lost count.
I gripped Vaughn’s neck and hoped he could make it. If we didn’t get out soon, we’d be done for.
Chapter Seven
Charlie and Vinyatore away from the dome while Vaughn followed, carrying me in his arms. How was he here? I left him not two hours ago, and he had been unconscious, fighting the poison from the Habermanns’ bullets.
Speaking of bullets, my wound was still bleeding. I wondered how long I could remain conscious, though I seemed able to hold onto the thin strands of awareness now that I knew we might escape. Still, I worried about how long I might last. My head felt light and my vision swam as we raced away from our would-be attackers.
Trees blurred by as we ran. Engines rumbled behind us, then rapid gunshots. It seemed they had enough bullets to waste because they hadn’t come within range yet, but they’d be here soon. We were on foot and still had to reach the spot from which we could teleport back to the ship.
The rendezvous point was a different one this time. Dean McIntosh had used her magic to create a handful of spots on the island from which we could transport. Each one could be used only once to avoid detection. The one we needed was closer to the dome, but maybe not close enough to get there before the guards caught up with us.
I hugged Vaughn’s neck tightly. He’d said to save my energy, and this seemed the best way to do it. I inhaled his scent as my eyelids fluttered, weakness weighing my entire body down. My body felt like it had the time Regina drained my blood to gain enough strength to save Antonio, except lust hadn’t taken over my senses. On the contrary, I felt like drifting away and never waking up again.
Breathing hurt so much.
My head swam and rocked back and forth on Vaughn’s shoulder. His rhythmic, fast breaths lulled me to sleep.
“Tally!” Vaughn exclaimed. “Can you hear me?”
I wanted to tell him I could, but my mouth was dry and no words bubbled up.
Vaughn spoke again. “Hey, Tally needs help. She’s drifting away”
Suddenly, we came to a stop. I fought to open my eyes, but my strength wasn’t enough, even for that.
“We can’t stop. We have to keep going,” Vinya said.
“I don’t think she’ll hold up. Please, do something.” Vaughn again, but this time he sounded distant, too far to reach.
Suddenly, an icy sensation spread over my back, tingling its way down each vertebra, easing the burning and the pain. Breathing became easier. I exhaled in relief and opened my eyes to meet Vaughn’s concerned gaze.
He gave me a gentle smile. “There you are.”
“Hey,” I mumbled.
“It’s the best I can do,” Charlie said. “Let’s keep going.”
We started running again, and this time every step Vaughn took jarred my bones and sent a pang of pain up my back. Still, I would take this hurt over the drifting away to my death, any day.
More shots erupted behind us, this time closer.
