Page 42 of Halfblood Deceived

Aella was barely aware of the other three males who followed Zeydan inside, or the fact that she was in the middle of a coughing fit. She didn’t pay attention to the soft green light emanating from the small fey female who was rubbing circles on her back, easing her cough and allowing her to breathe again.

She panted like she never had, even after one solid hour on the treadmill. Her sight flickered on and off, showing her a kaleidoscope of barely recognizable faces contorted with concern and four gargoyles holding down an innocent family all at once. Spilled food on hardwood mixed with tiny letters, a gleaming sword, blood, so much blood, and the child. The child that cried for her mommy.

Aella whimpered and shook her head. It ached so badly that she completely lost sight in her right eye. The left one was cloudy with tears, but she blinked them away and focused on Zeydan. She had to warn him. She couldn’t let his family die.

“They’re coming for you and your family, Zeydan,” Aella said. She wanted to scream, but her voice was still half gone. “The gargoyles are coming. They have reinforcements. They’ll kill you like they killed them. You have to run. You have to save your family!”

Zeydan swallowed hard and approached.

Warrior-eyes backed down, releasing Aella’s hand.

Aella gripped a fistful of Zeydan’s shirt. “He’s going to kill them all and you have to run. There are too many of them. You can’t protect your family from them.”

“Get your hands off him,” a male with pale skin, dark hair, and half-shifted eyes protested.

One of the blonds—Lex, Aella remembered—gripped the angry male’s arm. “Calm the fuck down, Andreas. She can barely breathe.”

Zeydan lifted his hand near Aella’s face.

Aella growl-whimpered, releasing him and backing down. She would have fallen clear off the bed if not for the fey holding her and pushing her onto the solid surface again.

“Fucking Hells,” a male voice growled.

Zeydan’s brow furrowed with horror. He slowly, ever so slowly, gripped Aella’s hand with utter gentleness. “I won’t hurt you, Aella. I will never hurt you. I swear it. Now breathe, please.”

Aella blinked more tears and tried to obey him.

Zeydan took a deep breath and released it through his mouth. “Just like this,” he instructed. “Follow my lead.”

Aella did her best to imitate him, her heart roaring in her ears. After the tenth time, she noticed the two blond males were near identical. And that both females looked utterly distressed as they watched her in silence.

Her head now somewhat clearer, Aella met Zeydan’s gaze completely. Those jade eyes transmitted empathy, concern, and burning rage that Aella knew wasn’t aimed at her.

“Much better,” Zeydan approved. “Now, do you think you can explain to us what happened and why you think we are in danger?”

Aella gulped. “I—” Where to start? What was the beginning of her story? Her mind was still spinning, but she tried to focus. She tried with all her might because Zeydan’s life—and the lives of Lex, his brother, the grumpy male, Warrior-eyes, and the tiny fey—depended on it. “I listened to them talking about going after a family of vampires,” Aella said. Her voice was still barely above a whisper, but given the intent looks she could see with her blurry peripheral vision, they were all listening. “I hid inside one of their SUVs and went with them to a cabin in the woods. There was a family there. They bound them with silver chains and tortured them.” Her eyes overflowed again and there was nothing she could do to stop it. “A male, a female, and a little girl with long black hair. Eli cut the female into pieces in front of her child.”

Curses echoed across the room.

Zeydan’s eyes widened. His skin lost all color. Grief and rage burned in his eyes, turning them feline and bright green.

Aella sniffed and pressed on. “Micah—my husband—he wanted to know something. The vampire male gave him an address, this address, and he said that you would be here with your family. He begged him not to kill his daughter.” Aella’s voice shook as her heart pumped so hard it ached. “But he was going to kill her anyway, so I tried to save her—but I failed. I failed her. She was so small. She cried for her mommy and I couldn’t save her.” Aella’s chest shook. She couldn’t breathe.

“Do you know their names?” Aella heard the grumpy male ask.

She shook her head. “I don’t. The vampire male was Asian. The female was white. Their girl looked like both of them.”

“Tatsuki, Anna, and Aiko,” one of the males breathed out.

“Oh goddess, no,” Warrior-eyes murmured.

Aella felt as if her heart were ripping itself apart. Knowing their names added an extra layer of horror to the situation.

She blinked, half-bringing Zeydan’s too-pale, frozen face back into focus. “They know where you live and they’re calling for backup. At least a dozen will come for you, Zeydan. You have to run.” She turned to look at Warrior-eyes, who had tears running down her cheeks and both hands cradling her belly. “You have to run before they come and kill another baby, Zeydan.” Aella’s teeth clashed. She tried to meet Zeydan’s gaze so he could see her honesty, but his visage was so blurry. “She was just a child, Zeydan. She had long dark braids and liked to play Scrabble. And I tried to save her, I did. I jumped on Micah and I found a sword, but he’s so much stronger than me. I couldn’t stop him. I couldn’t. And she called for her mommy, she screamed—” Aella whimpered and panted, she couldn’t stop shaking. “And he begged them not to hurt her. She was just a child. Just a child! I tried to stop him. I tried. God, I tried, but I’m useless and now she’s dead. She’s dead, and it’s my fault!”

Aella could see the girl and her big, terrified eyes. Her screams echoed all around her. She wanted them out of her head. Out. She curled her hands into fists and hit her temples as hard as she could.

“MOMMY. MY MOMMY!”

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