Page 16 of Ruthless Fae
I lifted my head to look at our surroundings. We passed a line of black shapes. Trees, I realized. How much longer before we arrived at our getaway spot? An outcrop of rocks appeared as the tree line ran out. I recognized it. We were almost there. If only I could fly.
More gunshots. Vaughn staggered sideways, growling, clenching his teeth, and starting to limp. He’d been hit. Worry flooding me, I held on as he labored over a ridge. When we got to the other side, we were forced to stop again. Charlie knelt, traced a complex pattern with her hands, and shot a ball of fire towards the trees we’d left behind. They ignited in an instant, setting the night aglow.
“That should slow them down. C’mon, we’re almost there,” she urged.
A deafeningthump, thumpsounded overhead. A helicopter? I’d learned about them at the Academy when they flew above the buildings, carrying councilmembers and depositing them on top of buildings to attend board meetings. The huge contraptions had no business flying. The simple thought boggled my mind.
“Shit!” Vaughn exclaimed as bullets rained down from the sky like projectile-shaped hail.
Dirt, tree bark, and rock shards sprang into the air as the bullets hit all around us. Suddenly, I lurched forward, and we toppled to the ground. Vaughn gritted his teeth against the pain. Another bullet had found him. Panic and anguish warred inside me. He’d come out here to save me and now he’d be torn to shreds.
“Hurry!” Charlie called.
She stood twenty yards away, frantically gesturing with her hand. Vinya did the same at her side. They’d already arrived at our destination.
Vaughn and I exchanged a glance and nodded in unison. Together, we struggled to our feet, and with the last of our strength and Charlie and Vinya’s help reached our rendezvous spot.
Werewolves and a massive flying shape with bat wings came over the ridge just as we dematerialized and escaped.
* * *
Water washedover me as I stood under the showerhead, rinsing away soap suds from my hair and body. Turning my face towards the faucet, I closed my eyes against the blissful warmth. It seemed impossible to be here, still alive, and, of all things, taking a shower.
I fluttered my wings, sticking out the back of the shower, amazed at the complete lack of pain. Last night, after we arrived on the ship, the dean herself had tended to me, healing me the rest of the way—all while Vaughn stood by, his own wounds untreated.
“I’m fine,” he’d insisted between clenched teeth as they tried to convince him to leave my side. “My wounds will heal on their own. See, this one is almost gone.” He pointed to a pinkish indent on his calf like it was nothing more than a bug bite.
He’d stayed with me until the dean ordered him out of the room. That had been an hour ago, and she had left with instructions for me to shower and change into clean clothes.
I stepped out of the stall and dried myself with a white towel that smelled of spring flowers. The material was soft against my skin. It seemed impossible that these comforts still existed somewhere in the world, and more impossible still, thatIcould enjoy them after so long without them.
With the towel wrapped around me, I walked out of the small bathroom. A pile of clean clothes selected carefully to accommodate my wings rested on the bed where the Dean had tended to me. The dirty sheets and blankets were already gone and replaced anew. I was about to start dressing when there was a light knock at the door.
“One moment, please.”
I picked up the strappy, halter-necked shirt and turned it to make sure it would work with my wings. The door opened before I had a chance to slip the garment over my head. I jumped back, clenching the towel close to my body. Vaughn poked his head in, and as he caught sight of me his eyes widened.
“Um…” He seemed speechless for an instant, then his expression of surprise change to something quite different. One of his eyebrows went up, and he licked his chiseled lips. Without a word, he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.
“I take it you’re feeling better?” The question was loaded with an insinuation that didn’t escape me. A shiver ran up my legs meeting at the apex. How could he have this sudden effect on me?
“I am.” The words left my lips in a hot breath.
Vaughn locked the door behind him and walked in my direction, his eyes hooded.
He had showered, too. His hair was wet and his clothes clean. He wore a white T-shirt, khaki pants, and a thick watch he hadn’t had before. His eyes traveled the length of my body, taking long pauses at my naked shoulders and legs.
“Forgive me if my thoughts have gone from concern to something entirely different,” he said, his voice becoming a deep growl that sent a thrill deep below my belly, making me painfully aware of my nakedness under the simple towel.
He stopped an inch from me, his fingers pushing wet strands of hair away from my shoulders. He touched my collarbone lightly from one end to the other, his thumb traveling up my neck, sending delicious shivers in places I never knew existed.
With a sharp intake of breath, he pulled his hand away. “I’m sorry. We haven’t even talked and I’m…” He took a step back, lips trembling. “How are you?”
I blinked, trying to switch from wanting his touch to engaging in conversation. “Well. And you?”
“All healed.”
We stared at each other for a long moment, then in unison, stepped forward and pressed our lips together. His mouth traveled over mine as his strong arms slid around my waist and pulled me tight. Heat sizzled over my skin as my blood boiled with passion.
