Page 28 of Ruthless Fae
Then she made an elaborate gesture and disappeared.
I stared at the spot where she’d been, blinking. Magic like that was something I’d ever get used to.
Footsteps sounded behind me. Vaughn walked up, concern darkening his features. “Tally, what’s going on? How’s Daniella?”
“She’s still out, but Becca could hear her. We think we’ve learned something. The dean called a meeting and then disappeared.”
“Tricky witch,” Vaughn said. “Come on. Let’s head to the meeting room. I can’t wait to find out what the plan is.”
By the time we got to the meeting room, half the team was already around the table. Vinya sat beside the silent twins and Antonio and Regina beside them. I noted the empty chairs that belonged to Disha, Bridget, Rowan, and Charlie, wishing they’d make it back soon, but, knowing if they were away, whatever they were doing was important.
“Is Kiana coming?” I asked, but Vinya shook her head.
“The dean thought it would be better if it were just us.”
I bit my cheek, realizing how upset my aunt would be if she knew they were excluding her from an important strategy session. I also knew how little the dean, and likely all these other people, trusted my aunt. The question was, did I trust her? I hadn’t, but now? Maybe. Maybe was the best I could do.
“Where’s the dean?” I asked Vinya again since she seemed the most likely candidate to know where she’d gone.
“She’s out on a mission with Tyler, but she gave me a message to share.” Vinya waited until we sat before addressing the table. “The dean has gone out on her own to try and find the location on the island where the other fountain is. She will report back what she finds.”
“On her own?” Vaughn offered. “Shouldn’t she have taken some of us with her? Why Tyler? Who even is that guy?”
“Alonzo trusted him so the dean trusts him. Besides she wanted to do this quietly, no need to let the Habermanns know that we might be onto them. The dean is a very talented witch. Some say the most talented alive. She will be fine.” Vinya sighed as if she didn’t want to be saying any of those things, but was following her superior’s orders.
“In the meantime,” Vinya continued, “the twins have something to show us.”
The very pale twins glanced at one another before one of them drew Karen’s strange helmet from under the table, clutching it as he spoke. It was the first time I’d heard either one of their voices. It was soft and melodic. “We think we know how this works now. We have reprogrammed it, and we’d like you to try it on the one you brought in.” His pale gray eyes drifted up to me.
I stared at him, not quite sure I understood. “You want me to use that,” I pointed at the helmet, “on Daniella?”
The twins nodded in unison.
“No. I can’t do that to her. I’m not going to control her.” Crossing my arms over my chest, I made it very clear this was not happening.
I expected Vaughn to back me up, but he gently set both hands on the table. “Tally, I think you should reconsider.”
“What?” My heart pounded as my anger at this idea turned to Vaughn. “You want me to manipulate my friend? The one we just saved? The one I just told I would help no matter what?”
Vaughn didn’t look at me but continued to speak in hushed tones as if that could placate me. “You would be helping her. Defeating the Habermanns will help her and everyone. Think of all the people still inside. Think of the children we know are in those jails right now.”
I swallowed over the lump in my throat as his words settled in. He was using my love for children as a ploy to get me to agree with him, and I didn’t like it one bit. I didn’t like any of this one bit.
It was Vinya’s turn to try to persuade me. “Tally, if we can turn all their creatures against them, think how quickly we could take the Habermanns down.”
“They aren’tcreatures. They are my friends, my family.” I stood up, clutching the table. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing.”
My eyes searched the table, looking for a friendly face, but found none. Even Vaughn.
“We’re trying to save them, but we’re vastly outnumbered,” he said. “This may be the only way.”
“There has to be another way because I’m not doing it. Now, do we have any information on my cousin?”
Vinya sadly shook her head. “Nothing yet.”
“Perfect.” Anger flooding through my veins like poison, I turned and stalked out of the room, except there was no place to hide on this tiny ship, nowhere to run. Finding myself wandering as far from the meeting room as possible, I stumbled upon a small row of portholes with my aunt hunkered over one of them.
She tilted her long neck in my direction. “Tallyndra, you are upset.”
