Remove the magic?I thought of my bonds with Kade and the others, and my heart beat faster in my chest. I had been so certain once that I’d give anything to be free of them, but now—well, now I wasn’t so sure.But how can I ever escape if I’m tied to them? What if Cara wants to return to the island?And not only that. I stared at the inside crook of my arm where I remembered waking to find a painful red dot.Has Warrick been experimenting on me?The thought of it made my blood boil. Was it why I hadn’t changed into a monster? Because Warrick was turning me into something else?
Prince Azaren continued to stare at me, his intelligent green eyes watching as I processed the information he’d given me. “I hate to rush you, but I fear I might be incapable of moving if I lose any more blood. The fae are able to withstand a great many things, but we’re not beyond death in the right circumstances.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek, but I still didn’t move to help him.
“Perhaps you could at least remove the tube while you make up your mind?” he suggested.
“How do I know you won’t use your fae magic to kill me?” I asked warily.
Prince Azaren started to chuckle, but it turned into a rasping cough. “If I had the strength to kill you, do you think I would still be here? I hadn’t even seen the vampire you call Warrick, when he knocked me unconscious from behind. A fae’s magic is tied to their blood. Clearly, I’ve lost enough of it that I’m not quite as able as I normally am. In any case, if I could, you wouldn’t need to release me for my magic to work. If I’d been able, I could have killed you when you’d first entered the room.”
Oh. Right.I figured he’d meant the knowledge to be a comfort, but it just made me feel ill. Still, if it was true, it meant it didn’t really matter if I released him. I hesitated a moment longer. I couldn’t be sure anything the fae told me was the truth, but if he had visited Katakin for what seemed like an innocent enough reason, it seemed wrong to leave him there to die. He was more of a prisoner than I was. Besides, if he really was a prince, it was possible he was the only one who could stop the fae from starting a war in their efforts to find him.
Eyeing the fae, I cursed under my breath and bent down as I slowly removed the tube. There was a disgusting pop as the tube came free, and I dropped it to the floor before quickly grabbing a nearby strip of cloth and wrapping his wrist to stop the blood flow.
“Thank you,” Prince Azaren said with a grateful sigh. “I’d ask what your name is, but I have a feeling you wouldn’t tell me.”
I didn’t answer as I grabbed a steel bar from the small table of medical instruments and used it to pry the shackle from his right wrist. I was about to move onto the shackle around his other wrist, but one of the drawings on the wall caught my attention. I stilled as I stared at the wolf-like monster with a single horn jutting from its head and multiple rows of sharp teeth visible in its open mouth. I’d never seen the monster before, but it triggered something in my mind.
Locke and the others had said they didn’t know why the outliers were suddenly appearing. My gaze slid to the fae’s face as understanding dawned on me.What if the curse isn’t changing, but the fae are infecting the animals?My heart hammered again as I realized my mistake.And I almost freed him.
“You said your people hadn’t thought it was possible to still come here,” I said slowly, “but nothing else can explain why the animals in Katakin are only now turning into monsters. You say you’ll try to stop the fae from declaring war again, but Katakin and the fae are already at war, aren’t they?”
Prince Azaren looked shocked by my words, but this time, I wasn’t falling for his act.
“The fae are infecting these lands with more magic, and you’re making it seem like Queen Izla’s curse is changing. This is all a planned attack,” I accused.
“You’re making no sense,” the fae prince began, but I grabbed his free arm and pushed the steel bar to his delicate throat with my other hand, cutting his words off.
He’s probably not even a prince.I didn’t know why I bothered. Warrick had clearly been using way more persuasive methods than mine to get information out of the fae, but I did it anyway.
Prince Azaren’s emerald-green eyes grew wider as he stared at me. “I-I promise, I really have no idea what you’re talking about. My people haven’t been here for years. I know nothing of these monsters, these animals that you speak of.”
“Right,” I said sarcastically, pressing the bar harder against his neck. “And let me guess, that’s precisely what you’ve been telling Warrick this whole time he’s been questioning you about it?”
“No. The vampire hasn’t said anything about animals turning into monsters. He just keeps asking me about the fae kingdom and what defenses we have.”
Defenses?I pushed the bar harder against his neck, and he coughed. “Tell me the truth. Did he ask you about the monsters? About the outliers?” I was practically shouting in his face now because it was all starting to make terrifying sense, and I was beginning to realize I’d been wrong yet again.
“No!” the fae spluttered. “As I said, he only asked about my homeworld. He wants to know the numbers of the fae army and what magic we wield.”
A ringing started in my head, and I pulled the bar from his neck.He only asked me about my homeworld.I blinked as everything the fae had just said repeated in my head. I thought of the huge iron doors in the tunnel. Doors that held scratch marks so deep that there had to be something truly monstrous trapped inside. I then thought of the drawings I’d found hidden at the back of the cabinet, and in particular, the picture of the massive sea beast with five red eyes and needlelike teeth.
My body shook as the missing pieces finally settled into place. With a few swift movements, I freed the fae’s other hand and passed him the bar. “If you are a prince, fuck, I’m sorry. If you can stop the war, do it. If not, well, at least I tried.” Then I left him and strode toward the hole I’d made in the wall. Before I slipped through, I turned back one last time. The fae was sitting up now, but he was still staring at me with a bewildered expression. “I hope you find your books, Prince Azaren,” I said, and then I was sprinting up the tunnel.
CHAPTER 28
~ Raine ~
Myheartslammedwildlyin my chest as I ran up the tunnel, pumping my legs as fast as they would go. The torches along the tunnel flickered as I flew past them, the flames casting distorted shadows on the massive iron doors as I passed them.
My toe clipped a small, jagged rock sticking out of the ground, and I stumbled before correcting myself.Fuck.I hoped I’d done the right thing by freeing the fae.Prince Azaren.I believed him now. His story was too ridiculous for it to be a lie. And even if he was deceiving me, I couldn’t leave him there with Warrick. Not now that I knew what was going on.
Kade, Darian, Asher, and Locke. I had to warn them.
Fire burned in my lungs, and pain traveled up my legs as I continued climbing upward, but I didn’t stop.Goddess, how has everyone been so blind?
Following the curve of the tunnel around a bend, I was so focused on putting one foot in front of the other that I didn’t see Darian until it was too late. Before I could slam into his muscled body, the siren grabbed my shoulders, and my body jerked at the abrupt halt.Oof.The air whooshed out of me at the impact, and I scrunched my face in pain.
