Page 30 of Fae Farewells

They were in side-by-side cells, though the vampire had knocked a hole in the stone wall between them. He must have heard us coming, because he had his arm stretched out, keeping her behind him.

“I like what you’ve done to the place,” I absently mentioned. “Much more spacious.”

The elegant vampire scoffed. “Like a wall was going to keep me from my mate? Magic-resistant spells won’t stop pure strength.”

“Why are you here?” Amelia asked in a rush. “You should leave while you can.”

“I said the same thing.” Freya huffed as she leaned against the wall beside the cell, keeping her eye on the hall for approaching guards.

“We’ll leave soon, but not today.”

I widened my eyes at Nate, nodding my head in Amelia’s direction, hoping he’d understand what I needed. I wasn’t sure if he could read my mind while the anti-magic barrier surrounded him, though he stepped aside without further prompting.

“Amelia? Can you tell me why you’ve been in the dungeon for so long? I’m hoping it will give us some insight.” I ran my hand through my hair, musing it as she remained silent. “I know I’ve asked before, but this is a different circumstance, not simply curiosity.”

“I figured out that Alric and Alania were conspiring against Vex and Reagan,” she admitted. “That’s why Alric lured me here. He knew how to smother the mate bonds and that they couldn’t just freely walk into the realm.”

“How did you find out about them?”

She studied me for an unnerving moment, then she shivered like she was shaking the memory away.

“Vex and Vixen were my best friends. Over time, Vixen and I grew suspicious of Alania. She would join us for lunch, pretending to be her sister. Once, we saw her trying to seduce Reagan, too. She was always jealous of Vex and what she had. But she chose to follow Alric when they sealed their bond, leaving the summer kingdom to your parents.”

I nodded. “And Vixen was Jack’s mother?”

“Yes. Now Vixen is dead, too. I can guarantee that Alric planted some seed of doubt into Hannibal’s mind. They never got along anyway. I bet he jumped at the chance to kill his mate.”

“Hannibal is dead,” I told Amelia and Nate.

“Good.”

Nate quirked a brow at his mate before turning his attention to me. “How is Jack handling that?”

“Jack is the reason he’s dead,” I confessed. “It wasn’t pretty. Sloane and Grim had to pull him off Hannibal’s body, but he got what he deserved. Jack is with his mate and co-mates now. If something was wrong, Grim would tell Lo. I believe he exorcised his demons in the Underworld.”

“He held onto his vengeance for a long time,” Nate murmured. “I’m thankful he was able to make the choice. But I’ll still be speaking to him when we get home.”

“Home,” Amelia repeated. “That’s such a foreign term.”

Freya stood straighter, prouder, as she smiled. “We’ll be getting you out soon so you can go home to your mates.”

“We would be indebted,” Nate said. “I’m sure Sam and Charlie are crawling out of their skin right now.”

Amelia looked at Nate. “Rig?”

He dropped his chin to his chest. “Missing since you left.”

“Uhm…” I interrupted, not sure how to tell them with any finesse. “We found Rig.”

Nate’s head popped up. “What?”

“Alric and Anahein had him right under your noses. Alric was siphoning his power so he could pose as Raguel and stir shit up. Sloane was able to break his hold, but that wasn’t pretty either.”

“How?” Amelia whispered in awe.

I grimaced. “She killed him.”

Tears welled in her eyes, and I realized I wasn’t talking to my mate. Amelia was much softer than Sloane, wearing her emotions on her sleeve. Nate hugged her close, shushing her.