But the form of mist usually dulled the senses, making it hard to tell why. Additionally, he couldn't discern what type of fae she might be with her back turned, though her friend had to be a storm fae if her white-streaked black hair was any indication.
Still, and regardless of her type, he watched while quietly drifting above as the brunette gave her sister a nod, then reached to her belt and unsheathed a dagger.
Curiously, she turned the tip of the blade to the display case, then pried it into the lock on the door and, with a quick jolt, broke it open.
As a result, the lock flew across the room, and a sudden flash of light knocked the brunette unconscious—apparently, the magical wards Dalris had placed upon his valuables were still active.
But their actions raised a number of questions that went beyond why they were breaking into the case. In fact, judging by the storm fae's response, the women knew Dalris had warded his belongings with magic because she took over once the brunette was down.
Opening the door, she grasped the staff inside and removed it, then turned to face the fallen fae. In the process, Mathias noticed something else peculiar—her eyes were purely white. There were no irises or pupils to speak of, which wasn't a natural state for any fae as far as he knew.
But more importantly, she next leaned down to take the brunette's dagger in hand, and made her murderous intentions clear by raising it to stab her sister.
Whatever her reasons, every instinct Mathias possessed urged him to stop the storm fae, and he moved without pause for thought.
Still in mist, he rushed down toward the female and solidified at the last second, ramming into her with immeasurable strength. The blow obviously surprised her as well because she let a startled scream—but that wasn't her only reaction.
A deafening clap of thunder sounded immediately following their landing, and the sound was accompanied by a bright burst of lightning surging from her body. The blast rammed into Mathias with enough strength to send him flying across the room, toppling a display case before hitting the floor on the opposing side.
Still able to feel the shock of electricity, he worked his way back up with a low grunt just in time to see the storm fae escaping through the door at the back of the gallery, staff in hand.
But his attention was soon drawn by Victoria, who'd just walked in and almost immediately exclaimed, “Shit, Isadora!”
Isadora? That must've been the brunette's name, and Mathias quickly glanced right just as Victoria blocked his line of sight by kneeling at the fae's side—though not before he noticed the dagger jutting from her lower chest.
Apparently, he'd only changed the trajectory of the blade instead of preventing Isadora from being stabbed at all, and quickly joined them, kneeling on the fae's opposing side.
“What happened, Mathias? Who did this?”
Under normal circumstances, he would've answered without pause, but the moment he knelt next to Isadora, his attention was fully compromised by the blood seeping from her torso.
Yet it wasn't a matter of desiring to feed on it that had him so enthralled. Instead, he was detecting a blood link—and unlike younger vampires, Mathias didn't have to drink the blood to detect what type of link it was.
Instead, he could smell it, and the rich crimson seeping from Isadora's chest was screaming a single word loud and clear.
Lover.
He could barely process the thought. A fae lover? How could that be possible? She was—
“Mathias!”
Finally shaken from his stupor, Mathias looked up and realized two things, the first being that Victoria had asked him a question.
Second? Fae lover or not, this woman could quickly die without aide. Not if I have anything to do with it.
Ignoring the impulsively protective thought, he asked, “What type of fae is she?”
“She's a green fae, why?”
Damn. Mathias had hoped she'd be a moon fae if only because it was night, meaning all he'd need to do was take her outside and allow the moonlight to heal her.
Instead, he'd have to carry her into nature and hope she could take care of herself.
But regardless, he swiftly gathered Isadora into his arms with the words, “I'll get her outside to heal. So track us and I'll tell you everything.”
At that, his body turned to vapor as he quickly carried the unconscious fae through the nearest open window, hoping the entire way that a trek into the woods would do the trick.
Otherwise, she wouldn't survive.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
I really hope you've enjoyed Fated Fortunes! If so, and you have a moment to spare, please let others know in a review, and thank you so much for reading!
For any questions or comments, or to learn more about The Crucible Series and books available, please visit my website at www.angelacolsin.com, or follow me at:
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Fated Fortunes Page 33
