Ruthless Fae - Ingrid Seymour Page 0,27
they’ll pay dearly for it.” Her eyes snapped to the dean. “You must help me fetch my Warriors. We will raze this place to the ground.”
The dean made a noncommittal sound in the back of her throat. “You never answered my question. How did you escape the Habermanns?”
Color rose back into my aunt’s cheeks, betraying her anger. Her temper was legendary, a creature no one ever wished to awaken. So fearsome that when she took a deep breath, her shoulders relaxing, the red in her cheeks subsiding, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It seemed her stay in this human realm and her visit with the Habermanns had taught her a thing or two.
“I didn’t have to escape the dome,” she said, her words measured, slow. “I was outside already, helping them look for my son.”
“What do you mean?” I said.
“He is… at large. That was the way they put it. They don’t know where he is. He seems to have cut free of their control, somehow. My Sinasre has always been strong, so I’m not surprised. They thought that if he heard my voice or saw me, he would come out. Once outside with those human guards, I had no trouble getting away. I hoped to find Sinasre, but then I found you instead.” She smiled in a way that made it hard to figure out whether she would have rather stay on the inhospitable island looking for my cousin.
The dean nodded. “It seems like a reasonable explanation but forgive me if I reserve judgment.”
“Your judgment does not matter to me,” Kiana said, rising to her full height, nearly two feet above the dean. “Let me go, and I’ll figure out a way to save my son. Or am I also a prisoner here?”
The dean opened her mouth to respond, but I interrupted her.
“I’m sorry, Aunt Kiana, but having Dean McIntosh on our side is a boon we should appreciate. She has helped our kind more than any other human. I owe her my life and the life of all the orphans who had been under my care since The Bane destroyed Faerie. She’s a powerful witch, and you should not underestimate her value to our cause.”
I expected my aunt to lose her temper this time and tell me where I could stuff my advice, but once more, she surprised me by saying nothing, and instead, giving me the slightest of nods. She was clenching her teeth, all right, but it seemed she’d learned to control her pride since last I’d seen her, a trait royals didn’t particularly embrace.
After a moment, she finally spoke. “You’re right, niece. The Habermanns are worthy opponents, and the fact that they’re wary of Dean McIntosh tells me I should welcome her as an ally. My apologies, Lynssa.”
They both inclined their heads with deference. I exhaled in relief. My aunt might have a battalion of powerful Fae Warriors awaiting her every word, but it didn’t seem likely that she could get them to the island without help.
“The Habermanns are wary of me, huh?” The dean said with a crooked smile.
Kiana nodded. “It’s the reason they are so desperate to find my son. They fear you might find him first. You didn’t, but still, you’ve found this girl,” she glanced toward the computer monitor, “so we have bested them.”
The dean and I exchanged a glance.
“How exactly?” the dean asked.
My aunt seemed surprised at the question. “Because these poor victims possess answers that can help us solve the puzzle of what the Habermanns have done to them.”
“Yes, I’ve taken samples from Daniella,” the dean said. “We’ll send them for analysis. I have friends, well-known scientists, who might help us figure out what caused their changes and how to reverse them.”
Once more, Kiana looked taken aback. “Is there no way you can communicate with the creature? Use your magic to talk to her? Your scientists might find nothing or be too late with an answer. We have no time to waste. Besides, the answer is right there.” She stabbed her finger into the monitor.
“But how would Daniella know anything?” I asked, frowning. “She’s not a scientist to understand the Habermanns experiments.”
Kiana shrugged. “Perhaps, but I have a feeling there’s more to it than just experiments. There is a reason the Habermanns were concerned you would find Sinasre before they did.”
“I’m afraid this doesn’t change things,” the dean said. “Whether or not Daniella knows anything that can help us is irrelevant. I tried to communicate with her just a