Page 114 of Unraveled
Chatter explodes around us as the scientists behind Skylar talk. Someone shouts, “Fae whore,” but I can’t tell who said it.
The same red-haired man steps forward, crossing his arms as he glares at the others. “This is Irene’s sister and Killian’s daughter. These are people we have been working with for years. Let’s not act like she’s a villain because she fell for a fae. She’s not the first human to do so, and she won’t be the last.”
“Plus, she’s clearly cursed. What if the beast has her under a spell?” another one says. “Let’s take her to Irene, and I bet she will keep her safe until this whole thing blows over.”
Another person agrees, and the environment shifts.
“Or perhaps we shouldn’t be using the king in the machine at all,” says another louder voice. This man is older, with a salt-and-pepper mustache and a balding head. “This feels wrong.”
A shot is fired, leaving my ears ringing. The man who spoke last falls to his knees. He presses his hands over his heart, and dark blood spills between his fingers before he collapses. Dead.
Skylar trains his gun on the redhead, his expression severe. “This isn’t up for discussion. We are part of the guards of Penumbra, and wewilldefend it. If anyone else is ready to die for the fae, speak now—or walk yourself into a cell and save me the trouble.”
The man who injected me with the sedative picks me up from the ground. My head sags, and all I’m able to do is stare at the dead man on the floor. His blue eyes gaze at nothingness as his blood halos around him.
“Gale and Heath, take the body to the mortuary. I’ll run the report,” Skylar says.
The toxin doesn’t take away my conscious state, just my ability to move my arms and legs. Is this what they use on the fae before putting them in the machine? Horror sinks its claws into me as a group drags the body away.
How many scientists have been killed for speaking against what goes on here?
A dull prick of my power pokes from under my skin, but it’s so muffled I can’t seem to grip at the threads to wield it. The darkness covering my arm remains, and the slimy shadow inside me stirs, still palpable if I probe hard enough.
Ash is free of his curse, but I’m not.
Harper watches stiffly as they drag me back into a dark cell in the circular room, but she does nothing to stop them. I can’t blame her after what happened.
“My father helped build that machine, and Irene works with you all. This is how you treat their family?” I scream to anyone who would hear me.
“You’re tainting their name,” Skylar sneers. “Siding with the fae over your own people. Wheel the king into the machine room.”
I’m left speechless as the scientists pour out, dragging Ash’s cage on a dolly. Harper remains behind, not meeting my gaze.
“I’m sorry Mia, I just—” She hesitates, following the shapes moving down the long tunnel with her eyes. “I don’t want to die. Skylar will kill me, like he did Kyle. I hope you’ll forgive me.”
And then she turns to leave me alone in the darkness of this cave.
“Wait, Harper,” I say, attempting to crawl over the wet rock, over the filth I’d rather not know the source of. She pauses, not lingering too close as Skylar awaits nearby, his gun still in his gloved hand. I lower my voice so he can’t hear me. “Where is Nera, the princess? Where are you keeping her?”
Harper hesitates, but then her eyes shift to where the rest of the group is headed. “The fae siblings are always together.”
Skylar lets out an exasperated breath and steps in. “Enough chatter. Go on, librarian, I’m running out of patience with you.”
Harper shakes visibly and leaves without looking back.
He steps closer to my cell, and I try to lift my body so I don’t look like a trembling child while he stares down at me from above.
“You thought yourself so smart,” he croons. A cruel smile graces his features. I once thought him handsome, but truly, he is the most horrid being I’ve ever seen. “So you freed him from his curse, and you thought people would change? You see, Mia, when fear is present, it drives most of our decisions. Whether they fear a beast or a gun, it makes no difference.”
There’s a blur that could have been a figment of my poisoned mind, but when Skylar smiles, he’s no longer the man I know—but a woman with golden hair and familiar features. I’ve seen her before. Where?
A shape-shifter?No, a glamour. Cold grips my chest as I stare at him with a wide mouth.
He loads his pistol slowly, making sure I see every brass bullet. “We laced these with iron and salt. A perfect combination to kill fae and hybrids. Except I can’t kill Ash. I’ve tried so many times. The night he took you, I had no reservations. But tonight will be different, and I’ll be free at last.”
“Morla Skye,” I say.
His gaze flashes to me, and his smile is knowing and wicked. “In the flesh. How did you learn about me? Ash wasn’t allowed to speak my name.”
