I heard muffled voices and I peered across the room at three fae. One male with red hair, white freckles and two fuzzy horns protruding from his forehead. He reminded of a fawn. Next to him was an unseelie fae who was the spitting image of Eli. His cousin, Caleb, for sure. Then lording over the both of them was a scary, tall seelie female who wore her black hair in a long braid at her back.
I pushed my power over all three of them, sending the emotion of fear and distress.
Immediately something bit into my wrist and I yelped, pulling the emotions back. The three fae shared a look and the woman stepped closer to me.
I peered down at what was causing this pain and whimpered when I saw that the previous handcuffs Stryker had put on me had been removed and now two cuffs ringed both wrists. But these were not normal cuffs:the inside was lined with metal teeth that were currently biting into my flesh.
“Nifty little contraption I picked up on the Noreum black market,” the female fae purred. “If you wish any of us harm, they will tighten until your hands sever.”
I bit my lip, controlling my thoughts against the three fae before me and the cuffs loosened. A sigh of relief escaped me as the teeth retracted from my now-bleeding wrists.
“What do you want?” I breathed, trying to control my wildly beating heart.
Don’t faint. Don’t faint,I chanted inside my head.
The female observed me slowly and my gaze flicked to the giant diamond necklace she wore and the emerald rings and ruby bracelets on her wrist.
“I want to be left alone,” she stated.
She stepped closer, tracing her finger over my throat. I wanted to bite it off but the cuffs tightened at that thought so I pushed it out of my mind.
“I mean you no harm. I’ll do just that,” I said, confused.
She rolled her eyes. “You stupid girl. I know you are here with Lord Stryker, hunting us. I have scouts all over this kingdom.”
I’d found Stryker’s jewel thief. Of course she wore them all over her like a sales showcase.
Chills ran the length of my entire body.
I peered at Caleb, who kept his head down, and looked uncomfortable with the turn of events. His clothing was dirty and torn and it didn’t look like she was treating him very well by the looks of the bruise under his eye or his thin frame.
The woman placed a hand on either side of the chair I was tethered to and leaned into me. “Is it true you are a truth witch?”
My heart fluttered like crazy at her question. She knew more than I was comfortable with.
“Becausethatcould be useful to me,” she said. She smelled of metal and whisky and nothing good.
“We … never talked about taking people,” Caleb peeped from behind her.
The fae woman spun, throwing out her arm and a blast of wind knocked into him, tossing him hard against the wall.
I gasped. “Don’t touch him!” It was clear that there was still some good left in him and I didn’t want to see him hurt.
She reached out and slapped my cheek so hard that my ears rang. “You don’t tell me what to do!” she snapped.
I gripped the edges of the chair handle so tightly that I thought they might break in half. I had to use every ounce of self-control I possessed not to use my power or have a negative thought against this woman. But it wasn’t working very well because the cold metal teeth moved closer and closer to my already-bleeding wrists.
She grinned in my face, as if knowing that she had me. “You are going to be a good little pet truth witch, aren’t you, dear?” she taunted.
I was just about to flood her with paranoia and extreme anxiety, hoping to drive her to insanity, and risk losing my hands as the cuffs bit deeper than before, when shadows began to melt down the sides of the walls.
Stryker.
Now it was my turn to grin. She cocked her head at me,confused, and then peered around the room. When she saw the shadows, she raised her hands but it was too late. Spears of darkness swept across her neck and cut her head clean off.
The cuffs at my wrist loosened and fell to the floor.
I shrieked, just as Stryker kicked the door down and burst into the room. The fawn-like fae ran for the window and Stryker took him out next. One sweep of the shadows across his shoulders and he was removed of his head also. Bile rose in my throat at the sight of two beheaded fae.
