by Rosalie Redd
Several times during the day his thoughts had drifted to Hannah, returning to Marco’s faded mark on her neck. Did the fae still have a hold over her?
Worry permeated into his psyche like a black cloud, ominous and potent with dread. He struggled against the invisible bonds that chained him, but like countless times before, made no headway. How he hated his confinement.
Hannah had also surprised him by pleading with Drake for his leniency. Not that he’d deserved any. His mother had been right all along. He wasn’t worthy of someone as fine as Hannah. Damn his hide, he had no business caring for her, but care for her he did.
“Drake, any word from Damian?” Grayson’s deep voice echoed along the mind link.
Drake growled. “Not yet. If I don’t hear by nightfall, Wynne’s house’ll be my first stop.”
“He’s my best friend. I’d like to join you.” Grayson replied.
“Count me in,” Seth added.
Drake audibly sighed. “Grayson, you can come along. Seth, you’re sidelined for a week. Enjoy your R&R. You earned it.”
Seth wanted to rip out his whip and crack the ends in frustration. Instead, he snarled. “You need me out there. Let me take out my frustration on our enemy.”
“You know the rules. Break ’em. Pay the price. One week, Seth.” Drake exhaled.
Irritation flared bright inside Seth. If he could move, he’d punch Drake in the mouth.
No one spoke for several long minutes.
A few students enjoying spring break tossed a frisbee in the grass in the middle of the quad. One errant throw sent the disc up the library steps. A young woman with shoulder-length blonde hair chased after it. She looked so much like Hannah, fear spiked through Seth.
When she turned, and he got a good look at her features, he relaxed. The woman wasn’t Hannah. Safe from fae during the day because of the sun, he hoped she’d stay within the protection of Beaumont’s home come nightfall. The wards should keep her safe.
Although the mark had faded from her skin, Seth wasn’t convinced she was out of the woods with Marco. The fae might still come after her. Seth hated that he’d remain trapped here after dark, unable to protect her.
Fear trickled along the edges of his soul, leaving him cold.
“Grayson, I need a favor.”
“What’s up, Seth?”
“Would you check on Hannah for me?”
“Dude, you’ve got it bad for her, don’t you?”
“I think Marco may come for her.”
“I thought you, uh, took care of that problem by staying with Hannah and—”
“Just do it. Please.” Seth wanted to scream, but he held himself in check.
“All right. I’ll stop by after Drake and I are done at Wynne’s house.”
Seth relaxed a bit, but the fear still gnawed at him. “Thanks, man.”
The first rays of the setting sun coated the sky a light orange. He wasn’t sure how he’d handle being cooped up all night, for a whole week no less, but he’d find a way to endure it. Otherwise, he’d drive himself crazy.
Movement along the sidewalk caught his attention. He glanced over the edge of his perch. A young woman, blonde hair cascading around her shoulders and onto her pink coat, walked by. He recognized the way she swung her hips. She turned her head, and he caught a glimpse of her beautiful features he knew all too well.
“Hannah!”
A sense of claustrophobia whipped through him. He fought against his bonds, straining, stretching, until he ached from the effort.
Why was she walking through the quad so late in the day? She knew better than to tempt fate.
The sun hung lower on the horizon. A few stars twinkled in the twilight sky.
“Drake, you gotta let me go. Hannah’s in danger. I have to help her.”
Drake tsked. “Not tonight, cowboy. You stay here. If we sense fae in the area, we’ll come.”
“That’s not good enough. Release me.” Seth demanded.
Drake growled. “Watch your tongue or it’ll be two weeks.”
Drake was a lost cause, and further argument wouldn’t help Seth’s case. Seth renewed his struggles. As the sun disappeared and night claimed it’s due, his teammates dematerialized from their posts, leaving Seth alone, frustrated, and fighting to break free. All he could think about was Hannah’s well-being.
CHAPTER 21
Hannah clutched the packet of colored pencils and hurried down the aisle toward the cashier. The swish of her sneakers on the tiled floor echoed in the nearly empty bookstore. When she’d first arrived, the shelves that usually held a large quantity of drawing supplies were almost empty and there were no colored pencils in sight.
Fortunately, an employee had checked the stockroom and had found a box of drawing supplies with colored pencils as part of the assortment. Unfortunately, that had taken a while.
As Hannah approached the cashier, she glanced out the bookstore’s window. Light from the lampposts illuminated the empty bicycle rack and the lines of benches along the sidewalk.
Underneath her light jacket, the fine hairs along her arms rose. Darkness had fallen.
I shouldn’t have come.
She toyed with the ends of her hair then tightened her grip on the pencils.
No. Sadie deserves the best, and I need the pink pencil to finish the drawing.
Hannah raised her chin and slid the colored pencils across the counter.
The cashier, a young man in his twenties who wore a Chicago Bulls T-shirt and a Cubs hat, caught the pencils before they slipped off the edge.
“You got a good arm there.” He smiled, revealing a gold tooth. “Are you on the softball team?”
Hannah glanced past his shoulder to the darkening night. The chill returned, and she forced herself to meet his gaze.
“Uh, no. I’m just a business student who likes to draw,” she replied.
He shrugged and rang up her purchase. “That makes sense, I guess.”
Hannah dug her debit card from her back pocket and inserted it into the card reader. After a few seconds, the machine beeped. She withdrew her card and returned it to her pocket.
The cashier handed her a receipt. “You want a bag?”
“No thanks.” Hannah snagged the pencils from the counter and shoved them into her jacket pocket.
As she exited through the double doors, a cool breeze caressed her cheek. Streetlamps along the sidewalk stood like lone sentinels, their illumination lighting the path.
Hannah wrapped her fingers around her coat collar and pushed into the wind. The house wasn’t too far from campus. She increased her pace, eager to reach home and—
The crack of a branch echoed through the air.
Hannah glanced toward the sound.
A pair of yellow eyes gleamed between the leaves of a nearby tree.
Panic rippled along Hannah’s nerves, and she bolted.
The sound of her footsteps competed with the pounding of her heart. In her path, a small swirl of dirt and debris burst to life.
The dust devil disappeared as quickly as it came. Finn, wearing his traditional dark pants and red T-shirt, stood in its place.
Hannah skidded to a stop.
“Ah, lass, so good ta see ya again.” Finn smiled and spread his hands. “What’s a nice bonnie like ya doin’ out here all alone?”
Hannah’s pulse beat double time. She glanced over her shoulder. Maybe she could outrun him.
“Hannah, dear lass.” He took a step forward. “There’s no place for ya ta go. Why don’t ya come with me? It’ll be easier that way.”
Hannah stepped backward, one foot behind the other, putting distance between them. “Why do you want me? I’m no good to you or Marco anymore.”
A deep chuckle bubbled from Finn. “Oh my, that’s a good one. Did ya think because ya gave yerself ta the gargoyle that Marco wouldn’t want ya?”
She kept moving, but a knot formed in her gut. “What do you mean?”
“Just because ya’re no longer a virgin doe
sn’t mean ya no longer have value ta us.” Finn winked and strode toward her, closing the distance.
A mixture of disbelief and fear rushed through her veins. She bolted the way she’d come.
Hot on her trail, Finn closed in on her, his footsteps echoing along the pavement. She didn’t get far before he grabbed her by the arm and yanked her off her feet.
As she collided into his chest, the impact knocked the breath from her lungs.
Finn tightened his grip on her arms.
Pain rippled all the way to her fingertips as she fought to catch her breath.
“I’d hoped ya’d see my logic, but that’s okay, lass. We’ll do it yer way.” He picked her up and slung her over his shoulders.
She kicked her feet and pounded his back. On an intake of breath, she screamed.
He laughed. “No one ta help ya, lass. It’s just ya and me.”
Seth wasn’t coming. Her night angel wouldn’t rescue her this time. Fueled by the heartache that Finn was right, she fought harder, kicking and pounding with all her strength.
When they arrived on the street, he threw her into the back seat of a black sedan. The click of the locks reverberated in the enclosed space. She wrenched at the door handle, but the door wouldn’t open.
Fear leached along her spine in an all-out panic. She frantically hit the window’s smooth, curved button over and over in rapid succession. The dark-tinted glass didn’t move an inch. She was invisible through the pane.
Dread enveloped her, crushing her lungs, her heart, and her spirit in its grasp.
Finn slipped into the front seat. The car’s engine roared to life.
He peered at her in the rearview mirror. “Id’ve dematerialized and transported ya ta Marco, but alas, I’m no longer a gargoyle, and fae don’t have the ability ta transport another. Enjoy the ride. Ya’ll meet up with yer destiny soon enough.”
Hannah’s fingers shook so hard she shoved them under her armpits. As she rocked back and forth, dismay pushed all thoughts but one from her mind. Seth was trapped in his stone form, thanks to her. She was on her own.
Seth struggled against his invisible bonds, stretching his patience thin. He’d kept up the effort since the sun had set and the moon had risen in the sky. Unable to break the chains that bound him to his stone form, at least the silvery orb provided enough light to see.
Damn you, Drake. Even as he cursed his superior, he knew it was his own fault, but he didn’t regret rescuing Hannah or the time they’d spent together. Memories of the caring and trusting look in her eyes along with the passionate way she’d kissed him flitted through his mind.
The breeze picked up, rustling the leaves on the trees. Placed every ten feet, the streetlamps lit up the sidewalk around the quad. The empty place reminded him of a tomb.
A feminine scream, one that seemed all too familiar, echoed between the trees.
Fear skittered over his skin, raising the hair along his arms.
Had the wind and his active imagination played tricks on him?
He strained to hear the slightest sounds.
Feet pounding on pavement and breath exhaled in a rush filtered through the rustling leaves.
Tension coiled deep in his soul. Hannah?
He renewed his struggles, pouring all his effort into breaking free. The futility of his efforts sank in, and a cry of pure frustration echoed in his mind.
On the far side of the quad, movement caught his attention. Hannah’s familiar form lay hunched over Finn’s back, her blonde hair dangling toward the sidewalk. With his eagle-like vision, he noted Marco’s mark on the back of her ear was gone.
Seth put the pieces together in an instant. Even though Seth had slept with Hannah, taking her virginity, Marco still wanted her either for revenge or for his own vile reasons. There was no other explanation. Otherwise, Finn wouldn’t have bothered to capture her. He would’ve killed her instead.
Seth tracked Finn as he strode between the library and Stuart Hall then disappeared from view. Regret that he hadn’t killed Finn when he had the chance slipped down his throat like a bitter pill.
I can’t fail her. Seth swallowed his pride and contacted his boss.
“Drake. You have to release me. Finn captured Hannah. I must help her.”
Several long seconds that seemed like hours passed.
Dammit. Drake must’ve turned off his mind link.
The roar of an engine echoed from the street.
Fear knocked at Seth’s psyche, but he forced himself to relax. He closed his eyes and his ears, blocking out sight and sound. He stretched his mind as if reaching for the stars.
“Rhiannon.”
He floated, no awareness of either time or place.
“Rhiannon,” he repeated.
“Ah, Seth. If you weren’t one of my favorites, I’d add another three weeks to your punishment. Why are you calling me?” Rhiannon asked.
Relief flitted through his mind. “Please free me so I can rescue Hannah. She’s a good soul and—”
“I’m well aware of her purity and that she’s no longer ‘innocent’ in the traditional sense thanks to you.” Rhiannon chuckled softly.
“I’ll willingly do three times my punishment or more if you free me.”
Rhiannon sighed. “I sense how much this means to you. Very well. Once you’re done, you’ll serve triple your penance.”
A moment later, he materialized on Harper Quad’s lawn bent on one knee. The scent of grass, damp with dew, infiltrated his senses. He touched his wristband. “Thank you, my goddess.”
He rose to his feet and bolted for the street. The single lit taillight of a black sedan disappeared around the corner.
A roar burst from Seth, and he beat his fist against his thigh. His hand crashed into something hard. He dug into his pocket and withdrew the object—Hannah’s angel, her gift to him. His heart shattered even as determination took hold.
Seth stared at the corner where the car had disappeared. He didn’t know where Finn took Hannah, so he couldn’t dematerialize there to meet them, and tracking wasn’t his special skill.
Special skill…
His heart skipped a beat. He looked at the angel’s wings.
Yes, yes, yes.
Seth shoved the angel into his pocket, threw his hat on the ground, yanked off his jacket, and ripped his shirt in two. The material slid from his fingers and landed on the pavement.
He unfurled his wings, and a sense of rightness unwound right along with them. As he flexed his appendages and captured the air beneath his feathers, pure instinct drove him onward.
Using the determination boiling in his blood, he rose in the air and flew over the buildings in search of the dark car with the one lit taillight and the woman he loved.
CHAPTER 22
Seth soared on the breeze, the rush of air lifting him higher. A zing of adrenaline slipped through him fueled by the excitement of flying for the first time. He flapped his wings, and the gentle sound of the air under his feathers helped calm his beating heart.
Taking flight was more liberating than he’d imagined, and although it had taken him a few seconds to get the hang of flying, he’d taken to it like a bird. Even as his senses took in what the new stimulating experience had to offer, he couldn’t dwell on it. He needed to focus on Hannah.
At least he’d had the forethought to camouflage himself and blend with the night sky. If any humans glanced up, all they’d see were a few stars amidst the darkness.
Streets below stretched between tall buildings. Several cars, their red taillights visible, formed long lines, and exhaust fumes filled the air with a foul taste.
The sedan with the missing taillight stood out like a black eye, dark and broken. Once Finn stopped, Seth planned to give him a whole lot more than a black eye. If anything happened to Hannah…
A tic pulsed to life in Seth’s jaw, and he let out a slew of curse words.
Where the hell was Finn taking her? To Marco, no doubt, but where was the damn bastar
d?
The car finally turned left, leaving the city central for the south side. After several blocks the vehicle turned left again. Most of the buildings in the area didn’t exceed five stories and appeared run-down, some with bars on the windows, others with broken panes, all neglected.
The car slowed, and Seth’s pulse picked up speed.
He dove toward the corner of a nearby building, landing on the tiled roof quiet as a whisper. As he folded his wings against his back, he tracked the car with the attention of a predator after its prey.
The vehicle rolled to a stop next to an abandoned warehouse. A single streetlamp flickered nearby, its irregular pulse eerie and ominous.
Finn cut the engine and opened his door. A soft click echoed against the brick.
The muscles in Seth’s legs bunched in preparation. He brushed his finger over his wrist cord. Thank you, Rhiannon, for releasing me.
His old friend emerged from the car and glanced down the street, first one way then the other. A slight, smug grin tugged at his lip.
A mixture of hatred and grief festered in Seth’s stomach, and his spark stone flared hot and painful along his chest. He wished Finn had never become a fae.
Finn gripped the passenger door’s handle and yanked. The door opened, and a familiar, feminine gasp echoed from within.
Hannah…
A war cry burst from Seth’s lips, and he leapt from his perch.
Finn’s attention focused on him. He hissed and raised his razor-sharp claws.
Seth tackled him, Finn taking the brunt of the impact, and they rolled across the pavement. Bits of rock and broken glass crunched beneath their combined weight.
Finn sliced his nails across Seth’s biceps. Pain rippled all the way to his fingers, but he shifted the skin on his arms, turning the flesh hard as stone. The fae’s claws slid over the impenetrable surface, ineffective and useless.
“What did you do to Hannah?” Seth tightened his grip on Finn’s shoulders. As they struggled on the ground, dirt and debris kicked up in their wake.
Somehow, Finn ended up on top. He cleared his throat, the precursor to an acid spray, and his features distorted, his eyes turning a putrid shade of yellow.
