Ruthless Fae - Ingrid Seymour Page 0,51

I’d expected her usual drama, but this seemed genuine. She was really and truly scared to die.

We all were. And it was true. As soon as Karen got her army back under control, they’d come here and squash us like bugs. Of that, I had no doubt.

But could we leave? Every ounce of my being wanted to fly out and fight Karen again, but I could hardly sit up without pain. Wouldn’t another attempt be suicide?

Vaughn reached out and took my hand gently. “Tally, I know you want to stop them, but I think this is the best way. We could get reinforcements, then come back. We wouldn’t be giving up.”

I blinked up at him, meeting his gaze. “Could you really get us out of here?”

Vaughn’s expression sharpened with the intensity I was used to seeing when he intended to do something brave and reckless. “I’ll sure as hell try.”

When I glanced around at the group, they were nodding, even Sinasre and Bael. They’d nearly lost themselves forever and were not keen on doing it again. And Kiana, Queen of the Seelie Fae, could still help her displaced people throughout the world. Of course, Ronnie and Becca should be taken to safety. They were far too young to die for this cause.

And I couldn’t bear the thought of losing Vaugh again.

“Okay,” I said. “How do we do this?”

Vaughn’s face broke into a tentative smile. “Don’t worry. We’ve survived plane crashes and giant squids. How hard can a few guards be?”

Later, after night fell, we hunkered in the moonlight, peering out at the dock. The water shimmered, each peak lit and sparkling before plunging out of sight. The breeze stirred and, with it, the sound of voices. Guards’ voices.

Near the long dock, a guard shack hunkered on the shore, one of the only things lit up on this part of the island. Two uniformed guards sat inside the small station. I could see their heads bobbing as they passed the time with whatever bored guards did on a quiet night. Were they chatting? Reading books? Playing cards like I’d seem some of the humans do during my incarceration?

Either way, their night was about to get a lot less boring.

“What’s the plan?” Sinasre asked Vaughn.

Vaughn had grown very serious as we neared the dock and the guard shack, eyes darting around, posture tense. It was no less tense now.

“We need the boat keys. They’ll be inside the guard station on a hook.”

“But obviously they’re not going to just hand them over,” Becca said. She’d stopped crying and gone back to her bratty self once she got her head around our plan to escape.

“I could magic the keys out,” Ronnie offered. “A summoning spell?”

“No spells,” Vaughn said. “They have alarms for that kind of thing. Motion lights, too.”

I held up my hand to get their attention. “If one of you creates a diversion, I can sneak in and get the keys.”

Vaughn frowned. “You’re still injured.”

“I’m feeling better,” I lied. I was still in pain but was managing to deal with it better. “Besides, it’s the best plan. You have to admit that.”

“I’ll create the diversion,” Sinasre offered. Vaughn started to protest, but my cousin cut him off. “My hair can make noise in many directions. It will confound those two.” He nodded toward the guard station.

Vaughn glowered but didn’t argue. “The main thing is we need to make sure those guards don’t alert anyone and that we don’t trip any alarms. We won’t get away if they know we’re leaving.”

“And you can drive that thing?” Kiana said, looking skeptical.

“Yes,” Vaughn said, but his eye twitched slightly, making me wonder.

It didn’t matter. It was our best chance. Our only chance.

My cousin touched me gently on my arm. “Are you ready, Tally?”

I nodded, flexing my hands and feet. My body still ached as if I’d taken a bad fall and was bruised from head to toe, but I could manage. I had to manage. “Get back as soon as you can.”

Sinasre’s eyes turned toward the tree cover. “Give me five minutes.”

Then he took off running.

The rest of us watched as the darkness swallowed him. The good news was, as a Fae Warrior, he hardly made a sound.

A touch on my shoulder caused me to turn my head. Vaughn stood protectively close to me. “Are you sure you are up to this?”

“Yes. The sensors might not notice me if I’m glamoured.”

He pulled me close, pressing his nose to the top of my head. “If I ever