Ruthless Fae - Ingrid Seymour Page 0,15

a trail of blood in my wake, that was clear from the splatter behind me.

I had to get out. I had to get to Vinya.

I waited for pain, but none came, just a burning sensation in my back and a terrible wooziness in my mind that made it difficult to fly straight. Worse, my wings didn’t seem to be working right. They sputtered to a stop, making me stumble and hit the far wall even as shouts and footsteps headed in my direction.

I had to keep going. I had to…

With the world dimming, I looked up and saw the large, red emergency exit sign above two doors to my right. Without another thought, I rushed forward and pushed through.

Cool night air greeted me as I stumbled out of the building and onto a small exterior patio, some sort of staff recreation area with a picnic table and one of those tall nets on a pole. The moonlight revealed a fence around the perimeter, but I could fly over that.

Or could I? I was spilling blood everywhere. Each step I took left a bloody footprint in my wake. The wooziness had not subsided but instead grew steadily worse. I was close to passing out, the world going dim and taking me with it.

No. I couldn’t let that happen. I had to fight!

I staggered to the fence. Gripping it with bloody fingers, I half climbed, half flew myself over.

Then I fell to the ground on the other side, unable to get up.

My senses blunted, I could barely form thoughts, but a wave of despair washed over me. I’d be found by guards, by Karen, and dragged back inside where I’d die from this wound or something much worse. I hadn’t saved Bael or Sinasre. It was all for nothing.

I fought to stay conscious. I fought to keep going. I inched forward, my hands clawing through the grass, but it wasn’t enough. Something large lumbered in my direction, a beast with huge green eyes and large fangs. They’d found me.

I closed my eyes as it ran up and dropped its head toward me, scenting the air.

“No,” I moaned as my eyes fluttered closed.

“Tally? Oh, Tally no!”

Hands lifted me. Then my body rocked back and forth as someone carried me, cradled in their arms.

I felt… safe.

I forced leaden eyelids open and turned to see a familiar face near mine.

“Vaughn?” I croaked.

“Hang on,” he panted, saving his breath as he ran away from the building and toward the dome’s shimmering barrier.

“Am I dreaming? Am I dead?”

He grimaced. “You’re not dreaming, and you’re certainly not going to die, Tally. Not when I have anything to say about it.”

“But how?”

“Save your strength,” he said, racing toward the dome’s barrier. I could see Charlie in the distance—she’d already gotten out, thank the gods—while Vinya held the rift open with one hand and, with the other, gestured at us to hurry, because, behind us, a host of guards was coming. Jeeps poured out, their lights slicing through the night toward us. So many, I lost count.

I gripped Vaughn’s neck and hoped he could make it. If we didn’t get out soon, we’d be done for.

Chapter Seven

Charlie and Vinya tore away from the dome while Vaughn followed, carrying me in his arms. How was he here? I left him not two hours ago, and he had been unconscious, fighting the poison from the Habermanns’ bullets.

Speaking of bullets, my wound was still bleeding. I wondered how long I could remain conscious, though I seemed able to hold onto the thin strands of awareness now that I knew we might escape. Still, I worried about how long I might last. My head felt light and my vision swam as we raced away from our would-be attackers.

Trees blurred by as we ran. Engines rumbled behind us, then rapid gunshots. It seemed they had enough bullets to waste because they hadn’t come within range yet, but they’d be here soon. We were on foot and still had to reach the spot from which we could teleport back to the ship.

The rendezvous point was a different one this time. Dean McIntosh had used her magic to create a handful of spots on the island from which we could transport. Each one could be used only once to avoid detection. The one we needed was closer to the dome, but maybe not close enough to get there before the guards caught up with us.

I hugged Vaughn’s neck tightly. He’d said to save my energy, and this