Page 19 of Ruthless Fae
A high-pitched whistle sounded through the room. Vaughn pulled away, blushing as Bridget giggled. “Get a room, you two. Wait, not yet. We need to par-tay!” She shot streamers out of her hands.
I laughed, unable to stop myself. Then, I let them drag me into a circle where we danced and sang and ate until our stomachs couldn’t take it anymore.
Finally, exhausted, we sat on the ground in a few raged circles, patting our bellies and sighing.
“That was amazing,” I said to the witches. “Thank you.”
Hearing this, Becca, who sat with Ronnie, Antonio, and Regina, leaned in. “I helped. So did Ronnie.”
He gave a short wave and then put another sugary treat in his mouth. He’d had at least seven, and I was starting to grow concerned.
“Thanks, you two,” I said. “Thank you, everyone. I only wish I could do something for you.”
Regina stood up, brushing invisible grime from her white pants. “You saved our lives, like, a bunch of times, so… I think we’re even.”
Antonio stood with Regina. Those two always traveled together now. “You deserve this, Tally.” He offered me a vampire smile, something so rare and fleeting I wasn’t sure I’d even seen it.
As the two of them went to leave, a wave of raw and unexpected gratefulness struck me so deeply that tears welled in my eyes.
Vaughn noticed and scooted in close. “What is it? Did it make you too homesick? I was worried it might.”
I shook my head, trying to keep the tears at bay. “I… I haven’t had a family since my parents died. Nothing since the house at the Academy and even that was temporary.” I blinked through my tears, glancing from each face, all these non-faeries who did so much work to throw me this party. “It’s just nice to have all of you.” I wished Sinasre, Bael, and Daniella could be here, too.
“We feel the same way,” Charlie said, tossing a lock of dark hair over her shoulder. “Come on.” She gestured to the rest of her crew. “We can clean this up later. Let’s give Vaughn and Tally some time alone.”
Everyone left but not before some hugs and well wishes. The warm feeling in my chest grew until my whole body tingled with it. It had been true what I’d said. I hadn’t had a real family since my own had been killed and yet, somehow, I’d found this strange group and felt at home.
And Vaughn was a huge part of that.
He pulled me into another embrace, and I softened into his body, letting the hard planes of his chest and abs align with the softer parts of mine. Nestling into his warmth, I felt myself sinking in, basking in his affection, wishing the world would just stand still in this moment forever.
He seemed to be thinking the same thing. “No matter what happens, I want to remember this moment.” He stroked my hair lovingly and sighed.
“Nothing can happen to you,” I murmured into his chest as I gripped his shirt. “Please, don’t let anything else happen.”
He took my chin and gently tilted my face up until we gazed into each other’s eyes. “Promise me you’ll stay safe the next time you go out there. When I saw you on the ground covered in blood…” He swallowed hard and pinched his eyes shut.
“Now you know how I felt in the garage.”
He nodded. “This is a very dangerous situation we find ourselves in, Tallyndra.”
“Our whole relationship has been built around danger,” I said, realizing it was true. We hadn’t known one minute of peace. Even this one felt so fleeting I thought I might blink and it would be gone.
It was as if the Fates knew it too because, before Vaughn could pull me in for one more kiss, the alarm on his watch began to wail.
“That watch again!” I moaned. “Throw that thing in the ocean.”
He grumbled and tilted the watch face upward. Words flashed across the screen while his face registered surprise and concern.
“What is it?” I asked.
“They’ve detected someone alone, far from the compound, up the beach. They seem to be trying to flee a group of guards.” His eyes shot up. “We need to go get them. We need to go now.”
“Someone alone? Guards? Vaughn, what does that mean?”
He pulled me toward the doors as he answered my question. “Tally, I think it means someone has escaped the dome.”
Chapter Nine
