Page 219 of Wrath of the Fae

When I feel a tingling on my hand, my breath catches.

Looking at the markings on my skin and feeling them hum, I know she’s asking to meet.

I rest my hand on the ground. It cracks, creating my rune markings in a circle.

‘Where are you off to, Little Bird?’ Reid calls when he sees my portal come to life.

‘I thought I would go and have a little play myself,’ I reply, making them smile.

‘Want some company?’ Cyrus offers, throwing his arm over Reid’s shoulders. ‘We could all play.’

‘No, thank you. I’m quite content playing alone.’

They laugh and resume their practice, swinging their swords and hurling taunts.

I fall through and emerge in a dark, dank and very dim place.

My portal fades at my back, and the torches scattered around the room double in size with a flick of my wrist.

My appearance has some chains rattling.

I walk towards the cell and sigh.

‘Morning,’ I greet. ‘How are you today?’

Jonah refuses to lift his gaze and keeps his eyes firmly down. His skin is covered in filth. His legs are mangled, broken in ways I never even thought possible to survive.

But I don’t want him escaping. And the guys were more than happy to oblige.

I reach out my other hand, creating another portal. When I hear footsteps, I close it down.

‘Hello, dear aunt,’ Tessa greets, standing at my side. ‘Thank you for coming.’

We face each other.

‘Of course I came. You called. Everything okay?’

She beams and nods, holding up her right hand where marriage markings stain her skin.

‘You’re married?’

‘I am. To a wonderful man. We live by the ocean, and I spend my days painting as he fishes.’ She rests her hand over her slightly swollen stomach. ‘And we’re expecting.’

My eyes go wide.

‘Congratulations! That’s wonderful!’

I wrap my arms around her, so thrilled that she managed to find her happily ever after with a good and kind man.

‘Make sure he knows that if he fucks you over, I will come knocking.’

‘Noted,’ she chuckles.

We pull apart, then look at the cell.

‘Are you not going to congratulate her, Ezra?’ I ask.

Beside Jonah’s cage, Ezra sits with his back against the wall and a solid iron chain around his neck. He has stumps where his arms should be and only one leg. Tessa got a little carried away when he tried to escape a few months ago.

---