Page 48 of Wrath of the Fae

Reid looks to Lucca. I feel such anger in Lucca’s heart for the man he loved as a brother. But also grief that he can no longer hold him as he longs to do. To laugh and joke as they did. To share a beer and make crass comments to one another. To share their problems and make ridiculous suggestions on how to fix them.

Worse. When Lucca looks at me, I sense more of that jealousy.

Lucca embraces the anger, forcing himself to remember all the pain and suffering Reid has caused. It’s all he thinks about. That gives him the strength to order the Valker to arrest Reid.

Reid looks down at me in his arms and kisses my forehead before gently lowering me to the ground with care. He stands and faces Lucca.

‘I told you. I can’t be put in a cell, brother.’

‘I am not your brother,’ Lucca snarls.

‘I have to go back to her. Tell Raven I’m sorry. Tell her not to come for us.’

There’s a flash of white, and Reid is gone. The Valker have been tossed aside from the force of the explosion of power, and Lucca is on his knees, shielding his body with his wings. Lucca then looks at me, still silent on the floor, and watches as a trickle of red slides from my nose.

I pull away, returning to my bedroom with Lucca.

Reid left us again. He left me. I slide away a little, not wanting to be near anyone.

‘You okay?’ Lucca asks softly, taking my hand. I pull away.

I’m not sure what to do with that jealousy I felt from him as he watched Reid with me. And I’m so hurt that Reid left. I don’t want anything else to deal with.

It’s not safe for me or anyone else if I lose control.

‘It’s not important,’ I reply. ‘The war with the king is what’s important.’

He nods and takes a deep breath, dropping it as I hoped he would.

‘Tell me what you saw when you faded. You said they were starting up the portals again. Where?’

‘I’m not sure,’ I reply with a weary shrug.

I tell him all I saw and felt. How Ivan’s machine sensed me using my power and latched onto it. How he was a deformed creature.

And how he had somehow taken possession of my mother’s beautiful wings and turned them into monstrosities.

I tell him how I felt Reid. How I got the strength to fight against the tug of the machine and all the details I can about the arch surrounded by humans and Fae.

‘Are there many humans in the Fae realm?’ I ask. ‘I haven’t seen any.’

‘I have heard rumours of a few being taken in as slaves,’ Lucca replies.

‘What rumours?’

‘That the King has taken a fancy to them as of late. Likes having a few about at the palace.’ Lucca shrugs as if it’s nothing. ‘It’s not important.’

‘It kinda is, Lucca. Slavery is bad.’

‘Humans had us as slaves. What goes around comes around. Anyway. Whatisimportant is figuring out what the fuck that is.’ He points to that streak of light in the sky. ‘And figuring out where this archway you saw is so we can make sure they don’t get it going again. I don’t want to wake up and find you’ve been dragged back into it. Do you know how hard it was getting you out of that thing in the first place?’

‘No, actually. How hard? How did you get me out?’

I can’t believe I have never asked. I was so glad I was out I didn’t care how it happened.

‘A dream.’

‘A dream?’ I repeat.

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