Breaking Out (28 page)

“She is lost to you.” Tellek hissed.

“She’s not.” I wasn’t gentle, my mind
unwilling to accept the worst, yet fearing it. He screamed but I
ignored him and went deeper, rooting through memories of past
crimes, past abuses. Finally I saw her. “Is there a dungeon or a
deep cave without a door? Without any obvious access?”

Rylen rose, still soaked in his father’s
blood, yet already stepping into his role as leader. “Yes. This
way.”

Jay and I followed him, leaving Aaron and
Brina to deal with the frightened kelpies and the chieftain’s body.
We walked down long, damp corridors until we came to a particularly
grim alcove. There was a door, hidden from unknowing eyes. It
opened with a key carved from coral that we’d taken from Tellek’s
pocket. The room was without furniture, icy cold and
windowless.

Ivy was naked and huddled in the corner, her
skin too cold, her pulse weak. After checking for injuries, Jay
picked Ivy up and Rylen guided us to the infirmary.

The doctor examined her briefly. “She’s
dehydrated and weak. You must leave, so I can treat her.”

“We need to stay. She’s one of our team.” Jay
said, crouched by her side and clutching her hand.

“I’m sorry. It will take a day or so, but she
will recover.”

“At least allow Jay to stay with her. He’s
her closest friend.” I sent a little glamour his way to convince
him.

“All right, but he must not interfere. I need
to set her in a pool of seawater and force her back to her kelpie
form. It will be a painful process.”

“I’ll help, if I can—whatever she needs.” I’d
never seen Jay look so worried. My stomach burned with anger.

The doctor seemed to understand. He placed a
hand on Jay’s shoulder. “Speak to her. Reassure her. She will hear
you.”

We left Jay with the doctor and returned to
find that the chieftain’s body had been removed. Tellek was still
on the floor, only he’d been chained to a couple of rings on the
far wall. Two kelpie in human form stood guard along with
Aaron.

The prisoner started to shake as I drew
close. Smart male. “You left her there to starve.” The fury inside
me altered my magic and I felt the shift.

“I would have fed and watered her.” He was
frightened of me, and I was eating it up. I would make him pay for
what he did to one of mine.

“Tell me about the chela.” I placed my hand
on his neck. Such a vulnerable spot—so easy to break, but that
would be too fast a death.

“Wh…what chela?”

“Do you want me to force it out of you? I can
hurt you. Badly. For days and days.”

His eyes were brown saucers. “I see the demon
blood in you, boy.”

I laughed, the sound shocking the small part
of me that cared about such things. “It’s not the demon you’re
seeing now.”

“Charles…” Aaron moved forward, but my gaze
stopped him in his tracks. When I looked back at Tellek, I smiled.
I would enjoy every minute of his agony.

I felt Brina’s hand on my shoulder. “Walk
with me.” I shook her off, not wanting any distractions. Her hand
returned, only this time the grip was firmer, as was her tone.
“Walk with me.”

I almost growled as I turned to face her, but
Brina’s intense gaze startled me, a mirror into my soul. My eyes
had changed, gone orange with anger, each muscle in my face pulled
tense, almost snarling, my body a coiled spring ready to erupt.
Written on her features there was fear for what I might become and
understanding, because she’d also felt such rage.

Brina sent words to my troubled mind, her
message somehow penetrating. “
Allow Rylen to question him. This
is his court now. You are in too much turmoil to think
clearly.”

“
He needs...”

“
Tellek will be executed for the death of
his chieftain.”

“
Ivy almost died. She was so
weak.”

“
Will she live?”

“
Yes.”

“
Good. You saved a life with your
questioning. Now walk away. The rage of battle weighs heavily upon
your shoulders. This is not who you are.”

I’d ripped through Tellek’s thoughts,
ignoring his private barriers, seeing things in his mind that would
probably have me feeling sick for days. But that had saved Ivy’s
life. No, what was bad was that I’d enjoyed his terror and his
pain. I’d wanted it to last longer, to go on and on. I’d wanted to
soak it up and use it against him.

I nodded and walked away from Tellek, from
Brina, from all of them. They gave me space, Rylen and Aaron taking
over the questioning. I hoped that Tellek would confess to stealing
and delivering the chela. Then we could report to the WPC that the
kelpie had confessed and we could turn our attention to the
Catalina wolves.

I was disgusted with myself because I was
more like Kennet than I ever imagined, even in my worst nightmares.
The lust to cause pain…I couldn’t…

Shuddering, I leaned against the wall,
wrapping my arms around my body. This wasn’t the time to fall
apart. Ivy survived and I’d helped. That was what I needed to focus
on.

Rylen was able to get the information needed
to close the case on his end. After a thirty-minute trial, Tellek
was executed in a brutal way, stomped to death by any steed who
wished to participate. Many did: Chieftain Marea had been well
loved. I watched as penance, Brina on my right, Aaron my left,
hoping the sight would make me ill. But when my anger had
dissipated along with my unnatural thirst for violence, I was only
numb.

The funeral was next, all of us staying the
few extra hours as representatives of our various species, making
the occasion a diplomatic event. Marea was not buried. Instead he
was wrapped in moss and a blanket of woven cloth that was decorated
with scenes depicting moments in his long life. Then he was
released into the sea, a fitting end for a kelpie royal.

Rylen was crowned immediately in a short
ceremony. There was a feast and then a long discussion about the
future of the kelpie race and its relationship with the outside
world. Like his father, Rylen Marea would respond to the call from
Faerie.

I sat and listened, contributing very little,
even though they often looked to me for a response. I had nothing
to give them.

Rylen would stay with his people, but Ivy
wanted to come back with us. “I think it’s better she stays here
where she’s safe.”

“She’s safe with us.” Jay protested.

“No one’s safe.”

Jay ignored me. “We’ll leave her here while
we take care of the wolves, then she can meet us back at the house
in a few days.”

“After Aaron straightens out the wolves, I’m
disbanding the team.”

“What? You can’t do that.” Jay sat beside me
on the bench.

“I enjoyed hurting him.” I was only able to
whisper my confession.

“No, Char.”

“More than enjoyed. I was in heaven. I was
lapping up his fear like it was whipped cream. His pain was the
cherry on top.”

“You were pissed off, that’s all.”

“If Brina hadn’t stopped me I would have
tortured him for hours and loved every second.”

“No, because Aaron would have stopped you. Or
me. You need people around to ground you. The team will be that for
you.”

“What if I’m so into what I’m doing that I
hurt you or Ivy? I already hurt Brina.”

“That was an accident.”

“I wouldn’t mean to hurt any of you, but it
could happen. No one’s safe around me. I’m a fucking time bomb
waiting to go off.”

“You would never hurt me, Char.” I couldn’t
bring myself to tell him that I was no longer sure that was true.
“Hey. He hurt Ivy. Almost killed her. She’s ours. I would’ve killed
him if they’d let me. Don’t…”

I had to whisper the next part, my
confession, “I wanted him to be in agony, eternal pain, and I
wanted to be the one to make him hurt. It felt so good to make him
hurt. This wasn’t the kind of anger you feel. This was…this was
like…”

“You’re not like him.”

“For a few minutes, I was, Jay. I’m
scared.”

Jay twisted his mouth in thought. “When we’re
done with the Catalina criminals, we’ll get in touch with Fin
again, or Isaiah. I think that’s where you gotta go to sort this
out. But don’t forget, this was the first time this happened and
you’re just getting used to what you can do. What happened today
might be a fluke.”

I sure wanted to believe that was true.
“Thanks.” I took a cleansing breath and changed the subject. “Brina
wants to join the team.”

“Yeah? Awesome.”

“You think?”

“Uh…lets see…a fae warrior with a shitload of
magic and amazing fighting skills wants to join our team as we
investigate violent supernaturals. What a dilemma.”

“It’s a different situation for me, having
her around all the time.”

“If
different
is another way of saying
terrific
, I agree.”

“Jay… “

“She grounds you. You’ll feel more in
control.”

He had a point. “I’ll think about it.”

“Cool. I think we’re leaving in a few.”

We’d decided to head immediately to Catalina
Island. Do not pass go.

IVY

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

When I
opened my eyes, Rylen was beside my bed, holding my hand. “Hi!
Where’s Jay? I kept dreaming that he was reading me a story or
something. I kept hearing his voice.”

“He was here for a long time.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean it to sound like I wasn’t
happy to see you, too.” It was unexpected, but nice.

“Don’t worry.”

“You look sad—or really tired.”

“Both.”

“How did you find me?” I asked.

“Charles went into Tellek’s mind and found
out what he’d done. Tellek was the man who delivered the chela to
the wolves.”

I looked him over for the first time. “Why
are you all dressed up?”

“I’m chieftain now. My father was murdered by
Tellek.”

“Holy…um, I’m so sorry.”

I tried to bow, but it was hard in the bed.
“Don’t worry about bowing when we’re alone. We’re friends.”

“Thanks.”

“I have a surprise for you.”

“Yeah?”

My sisters came running in first, followed by
my dad. I started to cry. We hugged and kissed and laughed. When I
could finally talk again, I thanked my new chieftain.

“Your debt is paid. You need never mate if
that’s your choice, or you may find a male to love. The females of
our species are free to choose their mates as long as I am ruler.
There will be no more scheduled matings.”

“Thank you.” I was crying. Crying from relief
and joy.

“Your father is now my chief advisor.” If I
could have hugged Rylen, I would have, Chieftain or not. “He is of
my line, the royal line, as are you and your sisters. Your family
will never want for anything again.”

My sisters had crawled up onto my bed, one on
each side. I hugged them, wiping the tears from my eyes. “But will
you let me…can I ever go back?”

“You’ve suffered so much, Ivonne. You’re free
to make your own choices.”

“Then I’m going back.” My sisters whined.
“I’ll visit. I promise.” That seemed to cheer them up. “One more
request?”

“Yes?”

“Can I be known as Ivy? I hate Ivonne.”
Everyone laughed, even the grumpy doctor. “But where are my
friends?”

Rylen took her hand. “Battling the Catalina
wolves, I’m afraid.”

“I have to help.”

“You must rest. Think of the power they
wield. All will be well.”

CHARLIE

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

We arrived
fifteen minutes early. The night was cloudy and it was dark on
Catalina, but most of our species were able to see perfectly well
in pitch-black conditions. I added a touch of ghostly fae light for
Ginamarie and Aaron, just to make sure. Kaera and Farrell had also
agreed to stay, so we had plenty of heavy hitters on our side.

“Told ya it would come in handy,” I teased
Jay, who only grunted a response. He was upset that he had to leave
Ivy before she’d regained consciousness, even though the doctor had
assured him that she was going to be okay. I told him he could’ve
stayed, but he’d just growled at me.

An hour ago, Ms. Turner told Aaron she would
meet him at the dock, but no one was around and she wasn’t
answering her cell phone. I sent out my magical sensors, just to
see if I could locate any traps. “There’s some flux about a hundred
feet up the path.”

“Douse the light.” Aaron suggested. We did.
No reason to become rifle targets.

Aaron stepped forward a few paces. “I can
smell a lot of activity in that area, the scent is still strong,
but they’ve made themselves scarce, apparently.”

“I’ll go.” I stepped forward.

“Not alone.” Aaron clutched my forearm.

“No one will see me or scent me.”

“You’re dealing with wolves with excellent
hearing. You’re not exactly silent.”

Brina stepped beside Aaron. “Kaera and I will
create a small distraction. They will think it is a natural
occurrence, not something brought on by an attack. Charles knows
how to use his magic to the best advantage.”

Aaron started to protest, but I interrupted,
taking charge. “Uncle Aaron, you’re back-up until we’re able to
speak to the alpha. Then I’ll defer to your authority as members of
the WPC. Farrell will remain here with you. I can communicate with
the fae mentally, so you and Ginamarie will be kept up to
date.”

“We are on packlands.”

“Territory stolen from my allies, the
kelpies.”

He laughed. “I’ll expect regular reports. The
pack’s a small one. Only around thirty-five, at last
estimation.”

“I see a few cameras. I’ll disable them.” Jay
said, jogging over to the first one.

I crept into the woodsy area to the right,
keeping down, sensing the terrain even before I came to it. I
wanted to get as far from my group as possible before I really
began exploring. There were a few places I’d visited before: the
stable, where they’d held Rylen, the far dock, a place I’d passed
in our rented boat, and the morgue building. I chose the stable
first.