I held myself still against Liam, trying not to feel, trying not to think.
Niamh had probably deserved the death she’d received, but the manner of her death, how closely it had resembled the last few hours as I fought to stay alive, pricked at wounds that hadn’t even begun to heal.
“I assume you and your people will head home now the hunt is completed,” Thomas said.
Niamh might have been taken care of, but the rest of the Fae had been complicit in her plans. Arlan especially, had known what she’d intended, known and done nothing.
Arlan’s smile was faint and amused.“I think we will linger.” His eyes came to rest on me. Caroline let out a faint growl even as Liam stiffened warily.“I’ve found something here that interests me.”
His gaze drifted to Niall and Cadell and he gave them a meaningful look.“Well done, Lord of the Green. You did not let me down.” His focus turned to Cadell.“Welcome to our ranks.”
Niall and Cadell remained motionless, not even the flicker of an eyelash giving away their thoughts as Arlan turned and disappeared into the forest, following in the twins’ wake.
Cadell’s gaze was enigmatic as it met mine. There was an apology there, but no remorse.
My lips parted as shock coursed through me. He’d been the one to mark me. He was the only one who could have. All that time spent wracking my brain trying to figure out who’d gotten close enough and the answer was right in front of me.
It was him. He’d used the excuse of passing me the note to lay the mark. As this night had just proven, both he and Niall were lords of the hunt, perfectly capable of marking prey.
Thomas rested his hands on his hips and bent his head before turning back to me, his gaze alive with irritation.
My mouth snapped shut, and I put aside my suspicions to be examined later when my head wasn’t quite so foggy.
I frowned at Thomas. What did I do this time?
I didn’t realizeI’d said it aloud until Anton choked on a laugh beside me. I looked around to find the other enforcers fighting similar bouts of amusement. My frown grew more pronounced.
My eyes narrowed as a thought occurred to me.“How did you guys slip her thrall?”
In the chaos of the hunt’s end, it hadn’t really sunk in that they’d been fighting for us rather than against us. Something that shouldn’t have been possible because I hadn’t broken her hold yet.
“I freed them from her hold in the first thirty minutes of the hunt,” Thomas said, sounding vexed.
I blinked at him, my mouth dropping open in surprise.“You did?”
Anton lost his battle with his hilarity, bending over as he gasped with laughter. I bit off a growl as I noticed Daniel and Eric turn away as they fought similar reactions.
“It’s not that funny,” I muttered. I lost the battle to remain standing and would have fallen if Liam hadn’t caught me and pressed me against his side.
“Yes, Aileen, I did. Right after I dealt with the problem of the witches. Something you would have known if you hadn’t decided to join the hunt,” he said with forced patience.
“What happened to Sarah and the rest?” I asked feeling somber.
Thomas’s frown became more severe, but he relented, answering my question.“Most of her disciples are dead. The few who survived have been taken home to be questioned.”
“And Sarah?” I asked, already feeling like I knew the answer.
“She escaped.” His face was remote, giving no sign of how that must burn.
I left that subject, sensing prying further would only cause consequences I wanted to avoid. I looked around.“So, all this time?”
Daniel nodded, some of the humor dying in his face.“We’ve been trying to catch you so we could get you to safety.”
Ah.
I remembered them amid the trees, chasing me.I’d just assumed they were trying to kill me like all the rest.
“You’re pretty fast for someone not even out of your infancy,” Anton said.
