“Kyna!” Marabell fluttered to me over the heads of the humans, yellow dress swaying. “Where are you going?”
I paused and waved a hand, smiling. “There’s something I need to check on. I’ll be back in a moment, Marabell. Stay with Mama and cover for me, okay? I don’t want them to know I left.” I’d hate to offend my new sister-in-law or hurt Heath’s feelings. But this could bring Mama and me one step closer to a new start.
She nodded and flew back to Mama as I hitched up my dress and ran, desperate to reach the Fae before it left. I skidded around the corner of the house and looked around frantically. I searched around the dozens of wagons and carriages that lined the dirt lane that led to the main road. It wasn’t here anymore.
I muttered a word that always made Mama yell my name in shock, and turned, searching for the Fae. Where did it go? Fae were fast, but so was I. Maybe I could catch up.
There! I spotted the small body hurrying past the edge of the homestead, toward the forest on the other side of the road. If it reached the forest, I’d never find it again.
“Wait!” I yelled and ran after it. I stumbled over my shoes, stupid things. They were made to look pretty, not to be functional.
The Fae paused, looked over its shoulder at me, then scurried across the main road anyway. Its small, pointed face was too backlit to make out its features. Its skinny body was clad in plain black shirt and pants, not in a Fae style that I recognized.
“Wait, please!” I yelled. I glanced behind me. Luckily the houses of the homestead shielded me from view of the wedding celebration on the other side. No one had noticed me yet, which was good.
Now, if only the Fae actually waited. I wasn’t too surprised that it still went to the forest; for a Fae to leave the sanctuary of the trees at all was unusual. The only time I’d seen it happen was with slave Fae and the ones who wanted to trade with us.
Luckily, I could see that small body blending with the shadows at the edge of the trees.
I breathed a sigh of relief and slowed down, trying to catch my breath enough to talk properly by the time I got there.
I walked up to it and dropped my dress, smoothing out the wrinkles, then smiled. At least I was dressed nice, that usually helped with negotiations, right? “Good afternoon. I’m sorry if there was something you wanted from the garden …” I trailed off as a breeze moved the leaves above and a flash of sunlight fell on the Fae.
It was a Far Darrig, and a familiar one at that.
“Do I know you?”
The Far Darrig tilted its head to the side, long rat-like face pulling in a frown. It really was an ugly thing, nowhere near as majestic as a Sun Fae or cute as a Bell Fae. Suddenly, it thrust out its hands towards me.
A high-pitched ringing exploded in my ears. Intense dizziness washed over me, as if I’d been riding in back of a bumpy cart for too long. The world around me seemed to twist as the colors smeared and bled together. My hands clamped over my ears in a failed attempt to block out the noise. I bent over and braced my knees to stay standing. Blocking my ears did nothing. It was like the ringing was in my head.
“What are you doing?” I yelled over the deafening sound.
The Fae bared its teeth in a hiss I couldn’t hear and dropped its hand to the side.
The sound stopped, but the dizziness stayed and my knees buckled. I dropped to the ground, panting, and blinked repeatedly to keep my eyes focused.
Large, rough hands grabbed me from behind and whipped me around, sending my vision spinning and my head reeling. Before the double vision had time to fade, my hands were tied together, the rough cords too tight around my wrists. Slowly, my vision cleared.
Pearse McReilly glared down at me, hands on his hips.
Chapter 8
“What’s going on?” I demanded, voice weaker than I wanted.
McReilly simply scowled over me at the Fae. “I thought I told you to enslave her.”
The Far Darrig ran around me and stopped by McReilly’s feet, a ten-inch doll compared to the grown human. “I can’t,” it squeaked. “Something about her … prevents it.”
“Damn thing,” McReilly growled and kicked the Far Darrig. It squealed and landed on the ground a couple feet away and rolled to a stop. Even so, it wobbled up to its feet and immediately came back.
I shook my head, still trying to get rid of the fog. “What are you doing? It’s illegal to enslave humans. Enslaving anything is wrong!”
“Shut up.” McReilly grabbed the cords around my wrists and dragged me to my feet. “Things would have been easier if your Fae-obsessed mother had sold you to me right away.” He turned and dragged me to a carriage just visible behind some trees.
I dug my heels into the road, but the smooth bottoms of my fancy boots slid over the dirt as McReilly pulled. “Let me go!” My voice was breathier than I meant, and my head still pounded from whatever the Far Darrig did. “Help!” I yelled for all I was worth and looked over my shoulder towards the ranch on the other side of the long drive. “Help me!” I couldn’t see a single person moving through the distant wall of guest wagons lined in front of the ranch.
“I said shut up!” McReilly jerked my arms, throwing me to the ground.
I gasped as the cords burned my wrists and the small gravel on the road scratched at my face and arms and bit into my stomach and legs. The sharp pain brought tears to my eyes, but if he thought I was going to cry, he was a fool.
He didn’t even wait for me to get up, but dragged me across the ground while I struggled to get my feet under me.
“Release her!” A huge fireball fell from the sky and landed on the road in front of us. In the middle of the fireball was Aeden, standing tall and glaring at the slaver.
That couldn’t be right, though. Why would Aeden be here? I leaned around McReilly’s legs and stared at Aeden with large eyes. He looked magical, standing in the fire, his orange hair dancing in the flames, eyes glowing like torches. I was probably the only human who wouldn’t run from him.
Aeden thrust out his hand, a separate ball of fire appearing in the flames, tight and small, hovering in front of his open palm. “I’ll not repeat myself again, human.”
McReilly put his hands in the air. “Fine, fine.” He took a couple steps away from me, toward his wagon. “Can’t say I care much for smoke.” He smirked, as if he’d made a joke.
The tension in Aeden’s hand lessened, and the fire shrunk to a smolder around his fingers. He took a cautious step forward.
Another high-pitched ringing split the air. I gasped, shoulders automatically scrunching up to block the sound. It did no good. Another wave of nausea swamped me, and I wasn’t even the target.
Aeden gasped and clamped his hands to his head. The fire extinguished around him and he bent over, panting, eyes wide in shock.
“I’d hoped you’d come if I took her,” the slaver laughed. He stood easily, as if he couldn’t even hear the ringing that affected Aeden and me. “Two for the price of one. As if her price wasn’t good enough, what do you think a Sun Fae Prince would go for?”
“Aeden!” I gasped and kicked at McReilly’s feet but it did nothing. Was he that strong, or was I just that weak right now? What was happening? What was the Far Darrig doing?
The ringing intensified and rose to an ear-splitting pitch.
Aeden cried out in agony and fell to his knees. His face contorted in pain and something else. Fear. He was gut wrenchingly afraid right now.
“Stop it!” I screamed and tried to pull loose of the slaver’s hold.
His narrow eyes slid from Aeden to me. Not a single muscle twitched out of place from his sneer as he slapped me across the face. “I told you to shut up.”
I gasped, shocked by the sudden pain. My ears rang, and black spots floated in my vision.
The Far Darrig seemed to form out of the shadows of the trees. Its black eyes fixated on Aeden as he writhed on the ground. The tiny Fae’s mouth was open wide, the source of the screech. It lifted both hands towards Aeden a
nd stepped closer. The Far Darrig’s eyes widened manically and the sound intensified.
Aeden screamed, like his very soul was being ripped from his body, eyes tightly shut and face contorted.
“Aeden!” I yelled, the tears lingering in my eyes spilling over and leaving hot tracks down my cheeks.
All at once, Aeden’s eyes snapped open wide and the scream died. The fire glow in his eyes faded, leaving them a dull gold and his body slackened, like a puppet with its strings cut.
A bright yellow Pearl, shining like a drop of sun, appeared in front of his heart.
“No! No!” I could barely gasp in enough air to think straight. I knew a lot about Pearls and I’d returned countless numbers of them to their owners. But I’d never seen a Fae enslaved before. To see Aeden like this ... I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see anything else. Just Aeden, so strong and noble, kneeling like a soulless puppet.
The Pearl drifted through the air into the Far Darrig’s tiny hands. The tiny Fae held up the Pearl, bigger than its head, and squinted as it admired its handy work. It turned and padded over to McReilly. With a gloating smile, it offered the Pearl to the slaver.
McReilly took it and stared at the glowing Pearl. “Look at that. Out of all the Fae, there’s nothing quite like holding a Sun Fae’s will.” He laughed, each puff of breath sounding like a burst of drunken power.
My teeth gritted together, salty dirt grinding between my teeth. No, no one was allowed to take away Aeden’s will. No one. I pushed a foot under me and catapulted myself up, bound hands reaching for Aeden’s Pearl.
“Annoying brat.” McReilly shifted the Pearl out of my reach. He grabbed the cords around my wrist and thrust them down.
I landed on my stomach, groaning as more dirt rubbed into my already damaged skin. A heavy foot landed on my back, slamming all the air out of my body.
McReilly leaned forward, putting more force on his foot. “What a pain,” he muttered. “I don’t normally make deals with Fae. I’d rather sell them. But even I couldn’t pass up a life supply of Fae Nectar. Whatever the Red Caps want with you, it’ll be good.”
My eyes widened with horror. He was working with the Red Caps?
The slaver grabbed my arm with one hand and the back of my hair with the other. He dragged me to my feet. I gasped, feeling like my hair was being ripped out of my skull. He half carried, half dragged me to the covered wagon with his hold on my hair, ignoring my groans of pain.
He swung the doors open and pushed me inside, under a metal bar that ran along the ceiling from one side of the covered wagon to the other. Wood enclosed all sides, with an opening in the front by the driver’s seat and double doors in the back. He forced me into a kneeling position then jerked my hands over my head and attached my cords to a leather cord hanging from the bar.
Once that was done, he walked back to Aeden.
Frantically, I leaned over as far as I could to see Aeden.
The slaver backhanded Aeden. “Wake up already.”
For the first time since his Pearl was taken, life sparked in his eyes. It wasn’t as bright as before, but at least he didn’t look like a pottery doll anymore. Aeden’s chin tipped up and he glared up at the slaver.
“You are not allowed to harm me in any way, shape, or form. Now, stand up on your feet and walk to the carriage,” McReilly ordered.
Aeden’s face contorted in anger but he did as he was ordered.
McReilly leaned down and seemed to pull the Far Darrig out of a tree shadow on the ground at his feet. He stuffed the Fae into his breast pocket and followed after Aeden. He ordered Aeden inside the carriage next to me and bound his wrists but didn’t attach them to anything.
“Don’t move,” the slaver ordered Aeden. He sneered. “No setting anything on fire — unless it’s your little girlfriend.” He laughed at his own joke and disappeared from view. The doors slammed shut, cutting off all light except for a small barred window in the doors.
Gravel crunched on the road as he walked around the wagon. It swayed as he climbed in the front seat. There was a sharp slap, the sound of reins hitting the backside of a horse, and the wagon jerked into quick motion. I would have landed on Aeden, but the cords around my wrists kept me up as my shoulder muscles strained in protest.
I peered out the back windows as my home got smaller and smaller. Trees rushed by on the right, and cow pastures turned into the neighbors’ wheat fields. Had anyone seen? Please, let someone have seen.
Just before we turned the bend in the road, a small figure emerged between the carriages lining the front of my ranch. My heart flipped as I recognized the color of Mama’s dress as she ran down the dirt lane.
“Mama!” I screamed for all I was worth.
The wagon sped around the turn. I hissed as my weight shifted but my arms kept me in place again. Just like that, Deaglan Ranch and Mama vanished from view.
Chapter 9
Fear tried to seize my mind and freeze my body. I thought McReilly was just a creepy old man. I never thought he’d wanted me so badly that he would resort to kidnapping. All so he could sell me to the Red Caps? They wanted me bad enough to team up with a slaver?
“Aeden,” I whispered.
He stared blankly down at his hands on his folded legs. What was wrong with him? I couldn’t remember another Fae acting like this when we bought them. Was he in shock because of his Pearl?
“Aeden!” I hissed.
He blinked and looked up, eyes glassy and full of fear. “Kyna,” he whispered back.
“Are you okay?” I wiggled around, trying to get closer. My knee bumped his. The wagon bounced and I swayed back into place, groaning. The muscles in my arms screamed, burning with pain. Countless invisible needles seemed to prick at my fingers as all the blood left them.
He blinked rapidly and shook his head. “I can’t … I can’t concentrate. My head’s foggy. I feel …” He trailed off. “Empty. Cold.”
It broke my heart to hear the hollow word come from him. We needed to escape. How? My wrists were bound to the ceiling of the wagon, and Aeden couldn’t be more than fifty feet from the slaver without his Pearl.
“Can you untie me?” I jerked my arms down and twisted my hand as much as I could but only managed to tighten the cords more. I winced and hissed.
“I can’t move,” Aeden muttered. “My body just … won’t work.” There was a slight edge of panic to his voice.
But he could still talk. McReilly never told him not to. I’d heard of several Fae owners who’d gotten hurt because they weren’t specific enough and their Fae found loopholes in the commands they received. Were there any in the commands McReilly gave Aeden?
McReilly had told him not to move or light anything on fire — unless it was me. Really great of the slaver. But honestly, I would rather die from Aeden’s fire then whatever the Red Caps wanted to do with me. I didn’t have to think hard to know I wouldn’t survive those evil little Fae if they ever got me. Only, I didn’t know how much longer I had until we got to where we were going.
I jerked on the bands again. The skin around my wrists was red and breaking open, sending sharp pains whenever the wagon bounced. Which was all the time. I gritted my teeth and winced when a particular bounce sent me up in the air then crashing down on my knees. My arms felt like they were almost jerked from their sockets.
Wait! My eyes flew open.
There was a hole in McReilly’s orders.
“Aeden,” I whispered, catching his attention again. “Aim your fire at my wrists.”
“What?” He blinked and looked up at the bands tying me to the metal poles.
“McReilly said specifically that you could light me on fire — if you aim for my wrists, it will burn the ties and set me free.”
“I don’t have control right now. I could … I could set you on fire.”
I swallowed hard then gasped when the wagon jerked again. “It’s okay.”
He shook his head slowly, like a man with a high fever. “I’d never forgive mys
elf.”
“I will. No matter what happens, I’ll forgive you,” I promised. “Trust me. We’re going to get out of here. Everything is going to be fine.” I didn’t have anything to base that promise on, but it was the only thing that kept me from sobbing like a child.
He took several deep breaths. He couldn’t move his head, but he looked up as much as he could to my bonds with his head down. Doubt flashed on his face, then his eyes sharpened to a ghost of the light I was used to seeing.
Flames erupted around my wrists. Heat, ten times hotter than any fire I’d ever made, seared skin.
I moaned and bit my lips to keep from screaming, squeezing my eyes tight. The smell of my own skin burning filled my nostrils and sent a wave of sickness through my stomach. The taste of iron leaked into my mouth as my teeth penetrated skin. Still, I didn’t let myself scream. What if the slaver looked to see why?
“Kyna!” Aeden gasped and the heat dimmed.
But the cord was still there, tying my hands to the hot metal bar.
I shook my head and blinked quickly, trying to keep the tears away. Only they were already falling down my cheeks. My wrists ached, pulsed with pain, the skin still hot. “I’m okay,” I gasped. “Keep … going.” I almost couldn’t say those words again. I’d never felt anything like this before.
He closed his eyes. “Your hands … I can’t.”
“Aeden. Please.” I could barely breathe out the plea, begging him to torture me again.
He swallowed. “I’m sorry.” He looked up at my hands again with pain-filled eyes.
The heat, the smell of burning skin and hot iron, it all came back. I bowed my head, panting in pain to keep from screaming.
The cords around my wrist snapped.
I collapsed into myself, hugging my hands to my chest and folding in half to press my face into my knees. I was hiding my wrists from Aeden, so he didn’t see the full damage, as much I was trying to get ahold of myself. I moaned into the material of my skirt as it caught the tears leaking through my closed lids. I needed to collect myself. I shouldn’t cry like this in front of Aeden — I was the one who asked him to do it. But I never would have guessed it would hurt that bad.
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