The short answer is yes, but Fin will not appreciate the fact that he is not allowed to kill the bastard until we know of a way to separate him and Ember. The disease may take her from me, that I have no control over, but I’ll be damned if I allow Taranus to be the reason she is no longer breathing.
“Yes. We will capture him until we discover a way to separate him and Ember.”
“And if we cannot?”
I glare at him. “There will be no killing Taranus until that bond is severed—or we run out of time.”
Fin nods in understanding. “I will not ask you to sacrifice Ember for my vengeance, brother, but I do hope I get to see him dead before I go.”
“You will,” I assure him, hoping my promise is not a lie. “I—” A blur of movement has me ripping my sword from the ground.
“What the bloody hell was that?” Fin’s back presses against mine.
“I’m not sure.” Another blur. I turn, all the while Fin remaining at my back should we be attacked.
Someone screams. “Pooka!”
“Son of a bitch!” Fin and I both bolt toward the center of the camp where the scream originated. More follow. Chaos ensues, and before we even reach the main artery of my camp, it’s crawling with the shapeshifting bastards.
Some, black as night, creep through like small goblins. Others have taken the form of animals—their beady eyes the only proof they are not the creatures they are portraying.
One charges—a blur of movement—and I barely have enough time to bring my blade up. It slices clean through the creature’s abdomen, and its pieces hit me before falling to the ground. Blood oozes from its wounds, though Fin and I waste no time before rushing into the fray.
“What the fuck is happening?” Fin demands as he slices through a creature.
Truthfully, I’ve no clue. Faerie has always been a dangerous place, but these attacks, they’re becoming far too frequent for my liking.
“They’re everywhere!” Fin roars.
Pain shoots through my back, and I whirl, attempting to shake off the creature digging its claws into my spine. Reaching up with my free hand, I grip it by the head and rip, finally crushing its skull with my hand.
Those who are not fighters take to the sky, wings outstretched—but they cannot stay there for long because doing so exposes us to Taranus’s men should they still be out searching for Ember.
Which means we have almost no—a woman screams.Ember!
My throat goes dry as panic pumps in through my adrenaline. I spin and run, sprinting toward the tent where I left her sleeping this morning. By the time I get inside, though, the place is empty, and there’s a massive tear in the far wall.
“No.” My stomach plummets as I rush outside only to find—nothing. No trace of her or the creature.
“They’re all leaving,” Fin tells me, breathless, as he rushes to my side.
“Because they got what they want.”
“Which was?”
“Did they take anyone else?” I demand.
“What are you—”
“Did they take anyone besides Ember!”
“Yes!” Bea yells, rushing inside. “Anyone who was still healing from your fight yesterday. They’re gone.”
“Mother fucker.” I waste no time before marching toward the tree line. They were here for the sick and injured—and they took them all. “Get me fighters!” I yell over my shoulder as I push into the trees, scanning for tracks.