Ruthless Fae - Ingrid Seymour Page 0,39

and unbuttoning his pants.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“No more running,” he said. “It’s time to fight.”

I stopped in midair, hovering. “We can’t fight him, Vaughn. He doesn’t know what he’s doing!”

“It’s either him or us.” He crouched and shifted.

His human shape disappeared in the blink of an eye, replaced by a beautiful wolf with glowing green eyes and ferocious expression. He let out a deafening growl that echoed through the chamber. There was no reasoning with him now.

I turned to face the approaching Bael, who stopped to bare his own throat and let out a bloodcurdling roar.

They faced each other, and it was worse than anything I could have conjured in a nightmare. They would tear each other to pieces.

“Please, don’t fight,” I begged both of them.

Bael’s response was to stretch his huge wings menacingly, a male display of prowess and magnificence.

I flew closer, staying just out of his reach. “Bael, it’s us. Tally and Vaughn and little Ronnie. Please, listen to me, they’re using you.”

He responded with one of his mighty roars that drowned out my voice.

Just then, I remembered the helmet the silent twins had given me before they left the plummeting ship. If only I hadn’t lost it during the crash, then maybe I could have persuaded Bael to calm down and follow us peacefully until we figured out a way to make him better even though the thought of controlling my friends made my every bone shiver with disgust.

Vaughn circled the Khurynian, driving him away from us. His teeth were bared as he growled threateningly. He wouldn’t attack first. He would fight when Bael attacked, but only to defend us.

If only I had a weapon with which to knock Bael out. I glanced around desperately, searching for anything to use, but I couldn’t find any.

With a throaty roar, Bael lunged. Vaughn jumped out of the way, avoiding the swipe of huge talons, which only seemed to infuriate Bael. He went for Vaughn again, his massive wings flapping and spurring him forward. This time, the tip of his talon caught Vaughn on the side, cutting his hind leg. Vaughn howled and hopped away.

Bael went in for another attack.

Landing quickly, I stooped to the ground and picked up two handfuls of small rocks. Jumping back into the air, I flung them at Bael’s head. They rained on him like annoying bits of hail, causing no harm but distracting him long enough to give Vaughn time to get away.

Bael sent a nasty glare in my direction, then his attention returned to Vaughn. The Khurynian’s massive wings settled behind him, folding neatly, somehow making me aware of his determination and certainty in his upcoming attack. An icy finger slid down my back as an awful foreboding dug its claws into my gut.

“Vaughn, run!” I yelled just as Bael attacked once more.

This time the fae moved faster than he should be capable. Sharp talons closed around Vaughn’s throat as Bael hoisted him into the air and began to crush Vaughn’s throat.

Chapter Sixteen

“No!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

I stared in horror as the mutated fae began to squeeze the life out of Vaughn.

The grip he had on Vaughn’s throat would put any predator to shame. And how he kept Vaughn hoisted up, despite Vaughn’s massive size, so that the wolf couldn’t use his paws to wrestle himself free, was such a calculated move, I had to wonder if Bael had thought of it or if it was something dreamed up by Karen’s evil mind.

Vaughn scrabbled at Bael with his front claws, scratching Bael’s chest and forearms. Yet, the Khurynian didn’t seem to notice the blood or torn skin as his hands squeezed tighter and tighter on Vaughn’s windpipe.

Even as I flew in close, Vaughn’s fight was weakening.

I zoomed in behind Bael, hooked my arm around his thick throat, and pulling on my opposite wrist. Now, it was Bael’s turn to choke.

He dropped Vaughn, his hands coming up to my arms. Talons tore through the fabric of my suit as he tried to dislodge me. At this rate, he’d shred my arms to pieces, but I held on, knowing if I let go, he’d go back to killing Vaughn and then turn on the rest of us.

Even as I hung on desperately, I searched the ground for Vaughn. He’d fallen on his side and had not stirred. Was he all right?

Talons raked through my skin, radiating pain across my forearm as Bael whirled, trying to lose me. My grip