The vine pierces through my right shoulder, narrowly missing Bianca’s battered face. Pain explodes through me and I fall to my knees, careful not to lose my grip on Bianca. Daniel grabs a dagger, raises it high and brings his hand down, easily slicing through the vine and freeing me. Blood pours from my wound and I get back to my feet, trying to ignore the agony in my shoulder.
I’ve come this far. There’s no way in hell I’m letting a bit of pain stop me.
I draw my gun and attempt to raise it, but my injury makes it physically impossible. In the space of two seconds, Daniel grabs Bianca from me while being careful not to jostle her. I want to take her back, but I know Daniel will guard her with his life.
We shoot forward knowing the Queen is preparing for round two. I take my gun in my left hand and do the only thing that will save our lives. I raise the gun and pull down on the trigger. I watch almost in slow motion as the bullet shoots from the gun and sails through the air before coming to a startling stop right between the eyes of the Queen.
I hear the cries of pain echoing from all around us and I know we only have milliseconds to get out of here. “Dude,” Trey says, breathing heavily and adjusting Kaylee on his shoulder. “You just killed their Queen.”
“I know,” I grunt as we reach the exit. I grab the still unconscious body of the fairy I had knocked out earlier and quickly place his pointer finger against his wrist as the boys grab hold.
It takes a few seconds for the spell to work with so many passengers traveling from an unconscious fairy. I see the rush of knights storming towards us as the underground begins to blur. I hold my gun out and shoot as many rounds as possible until the park finally comes back into view.
Still not out of the clear, we sprint to the car, thankful that Jacinta is still sitting in the driver’s seat with the car turned around to face the exit. Fairy Knights start appearing in the park behind us as we continue running towards the SUV.
We reach Jacinta and dive into the car. “Go, go, go,” Trey demands, but she’s already on it. We screech out of the park, quickly losing the Knights, though I know they’ll be searching for us. The quicker we get the girls safe to travel, the quicker we can get back to the safety of the Academy.
Once we’re far enough away, we work on rearranging the girls to make them as comfortable as possible until we can find the safest motel to clean them up. I switch places with Daniel in the back so I can be with Bianca. I study her injuries, hoping she can hold on just a little while longer.
Half-an-hour later, we pull into a gas station. Daniel rushes in and buys as many first aid supplies as possible then quickly barrels back into the car, shouting out directions to the closest motel. Moments later, we pull in and barge our way into an empty room as Jacinta rushes down to reception to actually book the room. Trey and I carry the girls into the room and lay them down on the bed while Daniel fetches some water and washcloths to help clean them up.
I lean down over Bianca with the cool washcloth and press it to her face. The moment the cool water touches her bruised skin her eyes snap open and her hand flies to a chokehold on my neck. Not sure whether to be relieved she’s awake or heartbroken as to what she would have gone through to have caused this reaction.
I gently pry her fingers off my neck. “Baby, it’s me,” I say, running my fingers down past her temple and tucking a stray lock of matted purple hair behind her ear.
Her eyes focus on me and her body immediately relaxes with relief flooding through her. A sob rips itself from her throat and I lean down to hold her. Tears begin flowing from her eyes when she suddenly gasps. “Oh, God. Kaylee,” she says.
“It’s okay. We got her. She’s okay,” I soothe, pointing in the direction of the still unconscious Kaylee.
Jacinta suddenly opens the door and her eyes immediately zone in on Bianca. Jacinta's knees go weak and she falls to the floor as she begins to sob for her friend. Trey scoops her up and holds her on the couch. Pride suddenly fills me with how these kids have all handled themselves. Especially Jacinta.
A half-an-hour later, Bianca’s tears dry up and I manage to get some water into her. Her voice is hoarse as she tries to talk. “Can I shower?” she asks.
“Yeah, babe,” I say. “Can I help you or would you prefer Jacinta?”
“You,” she whispers. “Always you.”
I feel Daniel’s eyes piercing into me as I lead Bianca into the bathroom. I know he’s with Nora now and said he has begun falling for her, but this kid is most definitely still hung up on my girl. Though now is not the time or the place to get into it.
I sit her down on the edge of the bath and help peel her out of her clothes, cringing at the sight of her bruised body.
“How bad is it?” she asks.
“You’re the strongest woman I know. It’s nothing you can’t handle,” I encourage. She cringes at my words, knowing I’m sugar-coating it.
I lean into the shower, start it up and help her in once the water has warmed. She stands on shaky legs and watches the water pool at the bottom of the shower and turn red with the blood that washes off her skin. “Can you hold me?” she asks.
I strip off and climb in with her, washing her hair and body free of dirt and blood. Her face brightens once the clean feeling settles over her and she snuggles into my chest. I hold her as tight as I possibly can without hurting her as she rests against me. “You’re hurt,” she says, noticing the wound on my shoulder.
“I’m okay,” I smile, trying to reassure her.
This girl has been through absolute hell and here she is worried about me. God, how did I ever get so lucky?
Ten minutes later, I wrap her in a towel and help dry her off. I study her clean body, finally able to make proper sense of her injuries and am relieved that the majority is just bruising and nothing too serious. Though I don’t know what could be said for her current state of mind after what she’s been through, I know she will tell me when she’s ready.
I wrap her ribs to help soothe the bruising and rub cream into her wounds. Jacinta knocks at the door and hands me a pile of clean clothes so I can get her dressed before leading her out into the room.
Jacinta sits with Bianca and quietly brushes her wet hair before braiding it so it’s out of her way while Daniel hands her something easy to eat. As soon as she’s done, Jacinta lays her down on the bed and snuggles in behind her. The two of them instantly fall asleep.
I watched as she settled into a restless sleep then focused my attention on Kaylee. I study her injuries which so far seem to have nothing on Bianca’s. Relief washes over me, knowing that she’ll be okay.
“She has a nasty lump on her head,” Trey explains as he notices my gaze on Kaylee. “I’m sure she’ll wake up soon then we can get her cleaned up and out of here.”
I nod in agreement.
Trey eventually falls asleep on the couch while Daniel sprawls out on the floor with a blanket. I take a seat at the too-small desk and watch over the people who have, in the space of 24 hours, earned my utmost respect.
Chapter 20
I wake to the sound of hushed whispers around me and I keep my eyes closed as the memories of the last two days come rushing back. I’m so thankful to be alive.
“I know you’re awake,” my favorite voice whispers from beside me.
I open one eye and a headache instantly makes itself known as I squint into the brightness of the room. I find Rylan crouching down beside the bed. “Hi,” I whisper to this beautiful man who risked his life to save me. “How’s your shoulder?”
He shakes his head and I let out a giggle, knowing just how frustrated my question would make him.
“How are you feeling?” he asks, running his fingers ever so gently down my face.
“Okay,” I say. “My throat is a little sore and I have the mother of all headaches.”
He nods and reaches over to the bedside table, finding me some painkillers and a glass of water. He helps me sit up and I do my best not to cringe as my body screams in p
rotest. Rylan hands me the water and tablets and I throw them back, my throat stinging as the lumpy tablets make their way down.
I look around and notice someone is missing. Panic starts fluttering inside me. “Where’s Kaylee?” I ask, praying that she’s okay.
“Shower,” he responds. “She’s alright, just a few bumps and bruises.”
“Oh, good. I was so worried. They took her away from me and I couldn’t help her,” I say as a tear escapes my eye at the memory.
“It’s okay,” he soothes, climbing onto the bed and wrapping me in his strong arms. “You’re both safe now.”
I take a deep breath, knowing Rylan is still worrying about me and I make a vow to myself that from now on, I will be strong. I will not break down. I will not subject him to the pain of seeing my tears. Never again.
I glance around the room and find Jacinta’s questioning eyes on me. I pat the bed beside me and watch as excitement lights up her face as she bounds across the room. A huge grin creeps across my face as she lands in the empty space beside me. “Tell me all about it. I bet you were badass.” Rylan scoffs beside me and I realize this is a story I don’t want to miss.
Twenty minutes later, I’m in absolute awe of my best friend. “Wow, I thought I was the only one who could get away with talking to him like that.”
“Believe me, you are,” Rylan cuts in. “In any other situation, I would have laid her ass out. Which reminds me,” he says, glancing up at Trey and Daniel. “You two and I need to have a little talk.”
The boys cringe as Jacinta laughs from beside me. “Eh,” she says with a shrug of her shoulders. “I did what I had to do.”
I glance over at the guys who have been listening intently to Jacinta’s story, throwing in their own little comments and remarks along the way. I grab hold of Jacinta’s hand and give it a squeeze. “Thanks, guys. I really didn’t expect you all to risk your lives for me like that. Coming after me and into the Fairy Kingdom is honestly the most stupid and dangerous thing any of you have ever done and I kind of hoped you wouldn’t. I couldn’t bear it if anything had happened to any of you and for that, I’ll never be able to repay you guys.”
“There’s nothing to repay. We would have done it a million times over,” Trey says.
I send them all a grateful smile. “I second that,” Daniel comments. “But let’s not forget that it’s not over yet.”
“Huh? Why not?” I ask.
“Your ah…‘boyfriend’ over there, kind of killed their Queen,” he says, surprising me with his reluctance to still acknowledge Rylan as my boyfriend.
Trey scoffs. “Kind of? He got her right between the eyes. There was no ‘kind of’ about it.”
“WHAT?” Jacinta and I both screech with our gazes heavily locked on Rylan.
He cringes under our scrutiny but nods in confirmation. “Shit,” I say. “What are we still doing here? They’ll be searching everywhere for us. They won’t stop until they have every last drop of our blood. Especially yours,” I say to Rylan.
“Trust me, I know. As soon as Kaylee is good, we’re leaving.”
Kaylee chooses that precise moment to exit out of the bathroom, looking as fresh as a daisy, minus the few bruises that frame her face. Though, I’m pretty sure we have matching ones on our hips and ribs. My heart swells seeing her before me, alive and okay.
I attempt to hop up from the bed, but the pain is just too much. Rylan lifts me from beside him and places me down on my feet, keeping a hand at my elbow for support. I send him a grateful smile and assure him that I’m okay. I move across the room on shaky legs and throw my arms around Kaylee. “I’m so glad you’re alright,” I cry, giving her a gentle squeeze, hoping her bruising isn’t nearly as bad as mine.
“Me?” she scoffs, holding me tighter. “It’s you I was worried about. I heard the whole thing. I could have sworn you were dead. I don’t even know how you’re here right now,” she says, practically sobbing.
“Come on,” I say, letting her go and grabbing her hand. “We’ll explain in the car. We’ve got to get back to The Academy.”
“What?” she stutters, ripping her hand from mine. I turn to face her and see the worry etched into every crevice of her face. I look over to Rylan for a little help, but he looks just as clueless as I feel. She backs herself against the wall. “I can’t go back there,” she says, shaking her head in fear.
“It’s been years Kaylee,” Rylan soothes stepping towards her. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
She glances around the room, each and every set of eyes on her. Jacinta moves forward and I know she’s got this in the bag. If anyone can bend someone to their will, it would be my best friend.
“Kaylee,” she starts. “It’s too dangerous for us here. We have to get back to the Academy, back to safety.”
She shakes her head a little more vigorously. “I can’t,” she says then focuses her attention solely on Rylan. “Please, forgive me,” she begs as her right pointer finger begins to descend on her left wrist.
“Stop her,” Jacinta yells from across the room.
With instinct taking over, I leap for Kaylee, using every last ounce of strength I possess. I reach out and snatch her wrist firmly into my grasp. I tackle her to the ground, pinning her arms behind her back as I desperately try to make sense of what’s happening.
I glance up to Rylan to confirm my thoughts, but he stands motionless in shock before me. My gaze swivels around to meet Jacinta’s, who now has a protective Trey standing in front of her. “What’s going on?” I ask her.
“She’s a fairy,” Jacinta responds equally as confused.
“No. That’s not possible. She’s Rylan’s sister,” I demand from above the person in question.
“I don’t know,” Jacinta replies looking flustered as a brief memory of Kaylee’s ivy-covered cottage flitters through my mind. I had thought it almost seemed magical, like some kind of fairytale. Pieces of the puzzle begin falling into place and I feel like a fool for not having put it together earlier.
Kaylee bucks from under me. “Get off me,” she growls.
Rylan rushes forward and pulls both me and Kaylee to our feet, being incredibly gentle with us both in the process, but making sure to always keep a hand on Kaylee. He grabs a chair and sits her in front of him. “What’s the meaning of all this?” he demands in his instructor's voice. The voice that has anyone on the receiving end shaking in fear.
She takes a deep breath and raises her eyes to meet his. Looking as resigned as ever, she sighs. “I’m part-fey,” she explains.
“No, we have the same parents. If you’re part-fey, then so am I and I know for damn sure I’m no fairy. I don’t believe you for one second,” he seethes with rage pouring through him. I come up beside him, curling my hand around his forearm and giving him my full support. He grabs my hand to entwine our fingers and I watch in amazement as he visibly relaxes.
Kaylee looks down at her lap. “We have the same mother, not the same father. Mine is a manipulative Fairy Knight who seduced mom then took off. The Guard found out and that’s the reason I was kicked out of school. I had nowhere to go, I was out on my ass. I didn’t know a damn person or how to even survive in the real world. I was only seventeen so I did the only thing left for me to do which was to join the fey.”
Rylan takes a shaky breath. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this?”
“Rylan,” she sighs. “I always knew you were going to turn into the man you are now. Even as a child, you were always so determined, so passionate about The Guards cause. You used to run around pretending mom and I were vampires and you’d show us how easily you could take us out. Hell, you once chased this lady’s dog in the park, pretending it was a werewolf. You tackled that poor retriever to the ground,” she smiles at the fond memory. “I couldn’t take the chance that you would have looked at me differently, like the way you’re looking at me now.”
Rylan stands, looking down at his sister with pain in his eyes then suddenly jerks away, pulli
ng on my hand to follow. “Come on,” he commands.
“Wait,” I say, holding my ground. “Something’s not adding up,” I say, glancing back down at Kaylee who plasters a cringe on her face. Yep, she’s definitely hiding something.
“What are you talking about?” Rylan asks me with his eyebrows pinched together in confusion.
“It just doesn’t make sense. If she’s one of them, how come she was taken too? How come she’s now covered in bruises and ended up unconscious?”
The whole room immediately focuses their attention back on Kaylee. A silent tear escapes her eye and slides down her face before splashing on her lap. “I wasn’t taken,” she sighs in defeat.
Jacinta scoffs from across the room. “Ah, yeah you were. I saw the whole thing.”
“I was being tested,” she explains so quietly I have to strain to hear her. “The fey knew I had a relationship with Bianca and they wanted her. I was the one who gave them the information on her ranking and popularity within The Guard. I set up the meeting at the mall and as soon as I got her alone, they acted. They only kept me down there for show.”
Rylan clenches his fists, which as his hand is still in mine, is actually quite uncomfortable. “How could you do that?” he rages. “They almost killed her.”
“I’m sorry,” she says, lifting her gaze to meet mine. “Had I denied them, I would have been labeled a traitor and killed on the spot. I had no choice. You have to believe me.”
“Right,” I say, nodding my head. “My life for yours. Sure. Seems fair.”
She cringes once again. “I truly am sorry, Bianca.”
Rylan shakes his head, deciding he’s heard enough betrayal for one day. “Let’s get out of here.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” I whisper as I begin following my friends out the door.
“Wait,” Kaylee says. “There’s more.”
I turn on my heel and fix the woman with a hard glare.
Heart and Revenge: Slayer Academy (Book 2) Page 18
