Zeroing in on the valet podium, I undid the cabinet lock in record time. I snatched the first set of car keys I could get my hands on and tossed them in Lee and Delilah’s direction. The second set, I jammed the button immediately. A motorcycle’s headlight responded. It had been a long time since I’d had to ride one of these, but it would be ideal to weave through traffic and close to distance faster.
I swung onto the bike, thrusting the keys roughly into the ignition. My fractured arm roared in protest, and my entire body heated with the effort to muscle down the pain as I moved. The engine revved to life with a guttural noise, then purred like a hungry beast when I squeezed the throttle.
I kicked off the asphalt, carving a path toward the highway.
19
Sylvia
Idrifted in and out of fitful consciousness. I had spent enough time dozing in the boys’ car to know I was in a moving vehicle. Voices spoke overhead, but I struggled to catch more than a few phrases.
A sharp order was barked for the shuttle to stop. Something about needing to pick up a passenger at the lookout station from the edge of the property.
The voice was Eros—no. Cliff’s dad. Chandler Everett. But that couldn’t be right. Why would Cliff’s dad be here? That was just a dream. I didn’t really know him. I didn’t—
“Jon,” I breathed, unsure if any sound was even reaching my mouth. I felt like I was being held underwater. “Cliff.”
The momentum of the vehicle slowed, making my stomach flip. A door opened, and the booming snap of Cliff’s voice struck with clarity: “What thefuckis he doing here?” I pictured him bristling, reaching for a weapon. That venom in his voice was reserved for monsters.
And then, I knew that this must be a nightmare, because the answering voice had haunted my sleep for weeks now.
“Look at this. Ilovea good family reunion, don’t you?”
A low whine vibrated deep in my throat, but I didn’t have the strength to open my eyes, to shake myself from sleep. A cool, gentle hand pressed to my forehead. A comforting feminine voice hushed me.
The vehicle shook as the new passenger entered.
“It’s almost laughable how quickly you bolted over here,” the voice went on, dripping with playful charm. “Willing to mow down an entire outpost of hunters to keep hold of your fairy, yet loyal as lapdogs when Tammyneeds her boys.”
The vehicle launched back into motion.
“That wasyou?” Cliff demanded.
“Rhett was more than willing to do what Tamara couldn’t,” Eros said. “At such a crucial juncture in the research, we couldn’t afford to keep playing games with you.”
Each fluttering heartbeat pounded his name into my skull.
Rhett, Rhett, Rhett.
Eaten alive, dead in the swamp. He couldn’t be here. Hecouldn’t.
As the heated conversation continued overhead, I focused on escaping this nightmare, clawing myself back to full consciousness. But even as I woke, the voices continued and became clearer. There was no escaping this. All of it had been real. Every impossible event.
I opened my eyes.
“There you are.” A soft voice, and a tear-stained face to go with it.
Swallowing hard, I lifted my head from Zia’s lap. The noble who would rather we die than unleash herself upon the monstrosities who caged us.
She put out a hand to steady me. “No sudden movements,” she whispered. “The fumes will make you feel strange for severalminutes after waking. The effects of the container make it even harder to recover, but you’ll be alright.”
Nothing would be alright. Not ever.
The iron. The glass. A more sophisticated version of the iron cage that had trapped me in the outpost and by the water. This was not made for torture, where every touch to the bars would sear my flesh. It was a means to an end, a way to subdue my power while keeping me perfectly intact. With the iron lining between reinforced glass panes, an ocean separated me from my magic. Although this cage didn’t burn, it manifested a pain akin to the deepest wells of grief.
My mouth felt like it was full of cotton. “H-how long—”
“We woke minutes ago ourselves,” Zia said. “I don’t think we’ve gone far.”
