“Spencer Price,” Rhett said, glancing to Eros for an accenting nod to continue. “Former Clinical Biochemist, Board Chair for the R&D sector of Saint Michael University for the last five years,etcetera, etcetera.”Rhett waved a dismissive hand. “Threw it all away for this—” He tapped the device on his arm. “Building the Atlas Project. He’s the genius that’s gonna help us change the world, Everett.”
“Atlas,” Cliff muttered derisively. “Goddamn, you guys have fun with names around here. What does it do?” He nodded at the device.Stars,his leisurely posture made me nauseous. Was it possible he wasthis goodof an actor? I thought of the charm he’d given me for my birthday just days ago— a token so thoughtfully selected, he couldn’t possibly feign that kind of affection.
Could he?
“A simple serum, infused directly and regularly into the bloodstream,” Eros said. “It’s still in its infancy, and able to spare mere mortals like you and me the regeneration of our friends over here.” He gestured toward the subdued siren housed beneath our case—and towardus.
“A little of this juice,” Rhett added, tugging his sleeve back down, “made the prosthetic take in record time. But don’tcream yourself yet. Batch two is gonna make this look like baby aspirin.”
“Side effects?” Cliff asked, all tactical calm.
Look at me,I screamed silently at Cliff.Fucking look at me, please.
If I could just catch his eyes, I knew I could convince him to change his mind, to make him undo all of this and go back to the way things were.
I was directly across from him, and yet it was like I barely registered in his mind. My hands closed into fists against the glass. The miles stretched as the vehicle carried on, putting greater distance between us and the hotel—and further fromJon.
I had to stop waiting for Cliff to soften and recant his actions; it simply wasn’t going to happen. Every kindness and warm word he’d ever offered me had all been hollow. He was a master manipulator. I had known that from the moment I’d first seen him hunting that werewolf outside Elysia. My fatal mistake had been being naive enough to believe him when he said I was an exception.
As their conversation continued in a dull drone, I let myself sink into the corner, wings folded at my back. Zia came to sit beside me, grabbing my hand in hers and squeezing. It was obvious from the circles under her eyes and the unwashed state of her hair that she’d been captive here for at least a week. And still, her skin was soft and cool to the touch. She smelled faintly of jasmine, a scent that brought me hurtling back to warm summers as a child in Elysia.
Mother. Hazel.
I couldn’t afford to break. More than ever, I needed to be alert and on guard, but something about the silent kindness of Zia’s touch shattered what was left of my fragile walls. Everything I’d worked for was crumbling around me.Bravery and stupidityare close in kin,Mother used to sneer. She was right. I was not a courageous nomad of my own making. HowstupidI had been, to ever trust my life in the hands of hunters at all, to dream of something so outlandish and greedy—that I might have a foot in both the human and fae worlds alike with a gem.
Zia wound her arms around my shoulders gingerly, her grip tightening when I sank against her. Even with her affinity dulled in this wretched prison, an intangible wave of peace sank into my bones when she touched me. Her fingers combed through my hair like I was an old friend. Sobs shuddered through me. Were all nobles like this?
“I’ll never see my family again,” I rasped out, thick tears rolling down my cheeks. “I was supposed to meet them at Aelthorin. We were soclose, and I…”
“Aelthorin?” Zia pulled away, hands lightly on my shoulders as she searched my face.
Rowan sat up behind her, and they exchanged a shadowed look.
“What is it?” I demanded.
“There’s no need to focus on that right now,” Zia started, glancing at the wicked men who packed the truck with us.
“Tell me,” I growled, pulling away from her. I rubbed my tear-stained cheeks on the sleeves of my blouse, gaze hardening.
Zia’s brow knitted, lips pursed like she couldn’t decide how to say it at all.
“Aelthorin’s been raided,” Rowan said, his voice harsh and matter-of-fact. “We sought refuge there on our way toward a safe haven for our kind. They offered shelter for a few weeks before these evil fucks found it.”
My breathing hitched, then stopped.
“No, it… It’s gone?” I all but whispered.
“Little but ash left,” Rowan said.
“Don’t be so callous.” Zia shot him a withering look.
“It’s the truth, my dear. She asked.”
I moistened my cracked lips, heart hammering in my chest like a frantic, caged bird. “But if it’s just the two of you here, then… Did everyone else escape?”
Rowan’s stony expression flickered with pain. “We don’t know. There were dozens taken. These humans were prepared beyond our more vicious nightmares. Iron woven into clothes, netting, these damn glass cages. We didn’t stand a chance, even with every capable affinity on the offense. It was an ambush. Zia and I were only separated from the other captives because of her healing affinity. Apparently, healers have the most value to them.”
These last words were dripping with such utter disgust, I had no doubt he’d tried to murder every single assailant that had tried to lay a hand on Zia.
