Page 25 of Ruthless Fae
She nodded. “I think my spell will keep her.”
The screeching continued as Daniella threw herself against the metal walls, her claws scratching as if she could dig herself out.
“Tally, press this and talk to her, see if you can get her to calm down.” The dean pointed at a round, orange button underneath the monitor. “Otherwise, we might have to sedate her for her own good.”
I stepped closer and did as she instructed. “Daniella, it’s me, Tally.”
Daniella stopped scratching and froze, her head cocking to one side.
The dean gave me an encouraging nod.
I cleared my throat and pressed the button again. “You’re safe now, and we’re going to help you. We’re going to get you back to normal.”
Daniella stepped away from the wall and walked toward the opposite corner, staring up, straight at the camera, her eyes narrowed, her attention focused on my voice.
“I thought you were dead,” I said. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I promise you, I won’t rest until you’re better. You’ll never go back to that island.”
At the word “island,” Daniella bared her teeth and started screeching again. She jumped toward the camera and swiped at it. I thought she might dislodge it, but apparently, it was embedded into the wall because the monitor continued to show her useless attempts to claw it out. She screeched nonstop and at the top of her lungs, beating and clawing and ramming her body against the wall.
I winced, my heart shrinking. “Gods, she’s going to hurt herself.”
“No, she won’t.” The dean weaved her hands together, and in the next instant, Daniella crumpled to the floor, asleep.
Next to me, Kiana turned pale, but despite her horror, anger burned in her eyes.
“This is what they did to my son. But they’ll pay dearly for it.” Her eyes snapped to the dean. “You must help me fetch my Warriors. We will raze this place to the ground.”
The dean made a noncommittal sound in the back of her throat. “You never answered my question. How did you escape the Habermanns?”
Color rose back into my aunt’s cheeks, betraying her anger. Her temper was legendary, a creature no one ever wished to awaken. So fearsome that when she took a deep breath, her shoulders relaxing, the red in her cheeks subsiding, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It seemed her stay in this human realm and her visit with the Habermanns had taught her a thing or two.
“I didn’t have to escape the dome,” she said, her words measured, slow. “I was outside already, helping them look for my son.”
“What do you mean?” I said.
“He is… at large. That was the way they put it. They don’t know where he is. He seems to have cut free of their control, somehow. My Sinasre has always been strong, so I’m not surprised. They thought that if he heard my voice or saw me, he would come out. Once outside with those human guards, I had no trouble getting away. I hoped to find Sinasre, but then I found you instead.” She smiled in a way that made it hard to figure out whether she would have rather stay on the inhospitable island looking for my cousin.
The dean nodded. “It seems like a reasonable explanation but forgive me if I reserve judgment.”
“Your judgment does not matter to me,” Kiana said, rising to her full height, nearly two feet above the dean. “Let me go, and I’ll figure out a way to save my son. Or am I also a prisoner here?”
The dean opened her mouth to respond, but I interrupted her.
“I’m sorry, Aunt Kiana, but having Dean McIntosh on our side is a boon we should appreciate. She has helped our kind more than any other human. I owe her my life and the life of all the orphans who had been under my care since The Bane destroyed Faerie. She’s a powerful witch, and you should not underestimate her value to our cause.”
I expected my aunt to lose her temper this time and tell me where I could stuff my advice, but once more, she surprised me by saying nothing, and instead, giving me the slightest of nods. She was clenching her teeth, all right, but it seemed she’d learned to control her pride since last I’d seen her, a trait royals didn’t particularly embrace.
After a moment, she finally spoke. “You’re right, niece. The Habermanns are worthy opponents, and the fact that they’re wary of Dean McIntosh tells me I should welcome her as an ally. My apologies, Lynssa.”
They both inclined their heads with deference. I exhaled in relief. My aunt might have a battalion of powerful Fae Warriors awaiting her every word, but it didn’t seem likely that she could get them to the island without help.
“The Habermanns are wary of me, huh?” The dean said with a crooked smile.
Kiana nodded. “It’s the reason they are so desperate to find my son. They fear you might find him first. You didn’t, but still, you’ve found this girl,” she glanced toward the computer monitor, “so we have bested them.”
The dean and I exchanged a glance.
“How exactly?” the dean asked.
