Page 58 of Ruthless Fae
“I bet they do,” Kiana echoed.
“We should split up and search for them,” Sinasre suggested.
I nodded, my mind racing with possibilities as Bael, Sinasre, and his mother took off in different directions.
“What are you thinking?” Vaughn placed a hand on my shoulder, pulling me back into the moment.
“I think I know where to find them,” I said.
“Let’s go, then.”
I turned and jumped into the air, my wings beating as fast as they would go. Behind me, I heard the tear of fabric as Vaughn shifted, and a moment later he was trotting by me, his furry ears pointed forward. As we passed the elevators, I ignored them and went through the staircase instead. I flew downward, while Vaughn took the steps in one huge leap.
Once at the bottom floor, we veered right and ran toward the warehouse, the same area from where Meadow Song had teleported the children out of this nightmarish place.
When we got there, the large door laid open, revealing wooden crates lined in straight rows that filled the space from one end to the other. I flew over a tall stack of them, while Vaughn ran around the long line, falling behind. As soon as I reached the other side, I saw that I’d been right: the Habermanns stood in the same corner where I’d last seen Wren, Bor, and the other children, the one spot in the building where teleportation would work.
Alexander had a large device pressed to his ear and was frantically speaking into it. “Evacuation required immediately. I repeat. Evacuation required immediately.” There was a crackling and pop as he released a button and listened for an answer.
The whirring of my wings caught the twins’ attention, and they cowed together, peering up at my approach with pale faces and wide blue eyes. I kept flying straight for them, intent on taking Alexander’s communication device, and too late, I noticed the guard standing off to the side, pointing a gun straight at my chest.
I gasped in surprise, bracing myself for the bullet, but just before the shot rang out, Vaughn soared through the air and clasped his jaw around the guard’s extended arm, deflecting the bullet. It went wild and struck the ceiling above me. The guard fell against a crate, hitting his head and going limp.
Letting out a pent-up breath, I descended toward Alexander as he spoke into the device one more time. “Evacuation required IMMEDIATELY!”
Landing next to him, I yanked the device away and smashed it against the ground. It broke in two and slid away.
Then I stood, seething, and staring at the two people I hated most in the world.
It took all my willpower not to kill them with my bare hands. These two monsters had hurt so many people, had ended so many lives. I wanted to make them suffer the same way.
I wanted to crush them.
Adaline pressed her back against the wall, her shoulders hunched forward, her head lowered as she stared at my raised fist. Alexander joined her like the coward that he was.
Behind me, Vaughn’s claws clicked against the concrete floor as he approached. What would he say if I unleashed my venom on these two?
Trembling, I lowered my hand and took a step back. If I attacked them, it would mean my heart had turned as dark as theirs. That they’d broken me with their games and evildoing. That they’d left a stain on me. But I was better than them, and I wouldn’t allow their tarnish to ruin me.
As I backed away and Vaughn stood at my side, Adaline straightened, regaining some of her usual arrogance.
“Fae filth,” Alexander spat. “We should have done away with you when we had the chance.”
“Yes, you should have.” I smiled with exaggerated satisfaction.
Beside me, Vaughn snapped his head toward Adaline and growled, drawing my attention back to her. She had slipped her hand into her pants’ pocket, a satisfied smile stretching her lips. Pulling her hand out, she came up with a small black device with a red button in the middle.
“You’re good enough in a fight,” she said. “No doubt about it, but you’ll never outsmart us. You’re just a stupid, backward savage.” She pointed the device toward Vaughn and pressed the button.
Vaughn yelped as a high-pitched tone blasted through the warehouse. With a twitch of his neck, Vaughn dropped to the floor, paws twitching once, then went completely still.
I rushed to his side and knelt, my hand burying into his fur.
“Vaughn!” I exclaimed in a panic. “What have you done to him?!”
I reached for his neck, trying to feel a pulse. That was when I noticed a sizable lump under his skin. I pushed on it, and it shifted under the thick layer of fur.
“What is this?” I asked in horror.
