Page 49 of Lady of the Lost Fae

Satisfied with his answer, I roll to my side, nestling up against the hard pillow. “Thank you for getting us here,” I whisper into the air.

“There’s no need to thank me. You know I’d do anything for you.”

* * *

An ear piercingscream tears into the bedroom, startling both me and Dreyden from a deep sleep, a sleep far deeper than we should have been sleeping on our first night here, but we were exhausted and passed out quickly.

Dreyden and I react without thought, leaping from our bed as we race toward Lyra’s screams.

“LYRA!” I scream as I run, reaching the door just behind Dreyden.

Her cries for help continue, and we cross the hallway, breaking through the door to her room.

My eyes immediately land on Lyra shrieking in the far corner of the room. Her arms are curled tight against her body, and she’s holding onto herself as she shakes.

Dreyden sees them before I do, and he’s stalking toward the two men lurking in the shadows. Fire lights along his fingertips as he stomps toward them. His fire illuminates the room, glowing against their fearful eyes as he closes in on them.

“We were just looking around!” one of the men shouts.

“You’re looters,” Dreyden growls as he closes in, grabbing them both by their throats, slamming them against the wall behind them.

The men struggle against his firm grip, clawing at his arms as he raises their bodies off the ground. Their legs dangle, kicking around as they become desperate for air.

I jump over the bed separating me from Lyra, and I grab hold of her. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

Using the flame on Dreyden’s hands as light, I search Lyra’s body for any obvious signs of injury, but I find none. Gripping her arms, I repeat, “Are you okay?”

There’s shock and horror in her eyes and she shakes. Sometimes I forget she’s human, and she’s far more vulnerable than I am as a fae. Her can-do attitude makes it too easy to forget how fragile she really is.

“Y-yes,” she chatters through her teeth. “They were going through the dressers when I heard them. I was sleeping and I didn’t hear them come in.

I turn back to Dreyden, and he’s still scorching the skin off the two men’s necks while he holds them against the wall. He’s suffocating them so efficiently they can’t even scream. Their voices are silenced as they open their mouths, desperately trying to cry out.

“Don’t kill them,” I snap at Dreyden.

“Why not?” Dreyden and Lyra bark at the same time.

“They may be looters, but that doesn’t mean they deserve death. They clearly did not know we were staying in the house.”

Dreyden groans out in frustration, and it’s clear he disagrees. “What’s your plan then? There’s no way I’m letting them go.”

“The prison is already being set up. We’ll have them escorted to the prison as soon as the sun comes up. Until then, Lyra can try to go back to sleep and we’ll stay up watching them. Now please stop burning their necks.”

Dreyden jerks his head back toward the two looters, and reluctantly dims his flame. His hands loosen around their necks, letting go of them. They fall to the ground, gasping for air and touching for their necks.

The smell of burnt flesh fills the room, and Lyra begins to gag. I shake my head at Dreyden as I leave Lyra’s side, squatting in front of the looters. Holding my hand out, I summon a small amount of my power. The energy buzzes in my hands, and I direct each hand toward a different man. White light slips from my hands, snaking through the air until it reaches the necks of the gasping men. My light wraps around their wounds, seeping into them as I direct them. I heal their burns just enough to take their pain away, but I leave the scars as a reminder of what they’ve done. Tonight they may have been looting a very recently reclaimed manor, but over the past few months they’ve likely done far worse.

* * *

Izan arrived early this morning,and he helped us arrange for the two looters to be escorted to the prison. The travel time from Northford to the prison is a half day walk. Prior to arriving in Sky Court, Lord Soren had sent in a team to get the prison up and running. Volunteer lost fae left yesterday to begin training in the prison.

“I’ve sent word to let them know the prisoners are on their way. They should get it shortly.” Dreyden’s tired voice matches his bloodshot eyes.

We thought were exhausted from three days of travel, but staying up all night babysitting prisoners took us to a whole new low.

“You need to teach me how to make my own butterfly spies,” I whisper into Dreyden’s ear quiet enough for no one else to hear. The butterfly spies are a secret, and I know he’d like to keep it that way.

“I will,” he smiles, planting a soft kiss on my cheek.

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