“I hoped your pack would help me. You beat Onyx, so I thought you could offer me protection.”
The other two wolves moved closer. She glanced at them and wondered if she was winning them over, or if they still meant to harm her. Even death at their hands would be merciful compared to what would happen when the dark fae soldiers caught up with her. Anything was better than that.
The wolf’s touch eased its bruising grip. “I’m Vaughn. This is Finn and Levi,” he said, introducing the other two. “I can’t promise the alpha will listen to you, but I’ve never harmed a female in my life, and I don’t intend to start now. Even if you are fae.”
Her heart slowed and she nodded her understanding. Tulip took a step and nearly collapsed. The wolf cursed and swung her up into his arms.
“You don’t weigh enough,” he grumbled as he carried her out of the bar. The night air felt warm against her skin and she breathed in the scents. It had been so long since she’d smelled anything other than death that she’d almost forgotten how sweet a summer night could be.
Tulip leaned her head against his shoulder and relaxed in his embrace. How long had it been since someone had touched her with anything other than anger? It felt nice, even if he didn’t completely trust her. Fatigue pulled at her, but she fought to stay awake. It would be foolish to think she was safe just yet, but something about being in Vaughn’s arms made her want to curl tighter against him.
They stopped beside a large, black…She thought it was called a truck, and she heard a beep. He held her close as one of the other wolves opened the front passenger door. Vaughn eased her down onto the seat and she winced as pain shot through her hips and back. The wolf put some weird strap across her and clicked it into place. She wondered if he thought she might escape and it was some form of restraint. Tulip had never been in a human vehicle before, even though she’d seen them. It was amazing the things humans had created over the last few hundred years.
When Vaughn slid into the seat next to her, she saw him pull the same strap across himself. So, he wasn’t trying to keep her from escaping. It must have been some sort of safety feature. He turned a key and the truck roared to life. The two back doors slammed and she looked over her shoulder to see Finn and Levi in the back. Either they’d all arrived together, or they didn’t trust her not to kill Vaughn on the way to the alpha’s house. It was laughable that they thought she could harm the huge wolf, especially in her condition. The bugs buzzing outside of the window weren’t even in danger from her.
She gave a slight gasp as the truck started to move and gripped the door. Vaughn gave her a curious look before looking back at the road. She knew wolves had excellent eyesight, but it still worried her that he was travelling at what felt like high speed in the dark of night, with very little light to illuminate the way.
Tulip held up a shaky hand, palm out toward the windshield, and willed there to be more light. The ball of light surrounded the truck and spread a good ten feet all around it. It wasn’t as strong a light as she once could have cast, but it was better than nothing. She saw Vaughn’s lips twitch as if he fought back a smile, but he didn’t seem fazed by her show of magick.
“First time in a truck?” he asked.
“Yes. Are you sure it’s safe?”
He chuckled. “You’re not going to get hurt on the ride to the alpha’s house. Can’t promise the same for when we arrive.”
Of course not. Especially if his alpha was as angry with her people as Vaughn had been when he’d learned her identity. Would the alpha give her a chance to speak, or would he just rip out her throat at first sight? Uneased skittered down her spine and she wondered if she’d be able to protect herself, if it came down to it. As weak as she was, it might be best to surrender to the alpha and let him do what he wanted with her. She had to trust that if he married a Halfling, then he couldn’t hate all fae. She just had to convince him that she was nothing like Onyx. Tulip just didn’t know how.
The truck pulled up in front of a quaint looking home, nothing as large as the palace, but not overly small either. Vaughn unfastened the belt across him and reached over to unclick hers as well. It took her a moment to figure out how to open the door and she stepped out onto the grass beside the truck, her legs nearly giving way. Vaughn was beside her instantly, lifting her into his arms again. If being weak meant he carried her everywhere, she wasn’t certain she looked forward to regaining her strength. Being in his arms was nice.
“You reek,” Finn said.
Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I’ve been locked up since the attack on your alpha female. They don’t exactly allow baths down there.”
“Or food apparently,” Vaughn muttered. “You feel like skin and bones.”
“Fae can go years without food before slowly dying. How long since the attack?” she asked.
“Nine months, roughly.”
“It felt longer,” she said softly.
They stopped on the porch in front of a pretty door and Levi rang the bell. A tall, imposing wolf with a scarred face and arms answered the door. He scented the air and growled softly.
“What did you do to her?” the alpha asked.
“She came to us this way,” Vaughn answered. “We didn’t know what you wanted to do with her. She’s dark fae. Our enemy.”
The alpha reached out and tipped her chin up, looking into her eyes, as if he were trying to see her soul. She stared back, hoping he wouldn’t see her as a threat to be put down. The minutes ticked by and finally he took a step back, allowing them entry into his home.
“Are you here to harm my mate?” he asked.
“No. I came seeking asylum,” Tulip answered.
“Asylum from what?” the alpha asked.
“My people. They imprisoned me when I tried to help the light fae. When I learned of his plan, I tried to stop Onyx from coming after your mate, and when that failed, I tried to set the light fae free; they were trapped in the dungeons. All I’ve ever wanted is peace between the light and dark fae, but we’ve been at war for thousands of years.”
“Can you stand?” the alpha asked.
