Page 52 of Fae Devoted (Fae Touched #3)
A blast of hot air hit Hannah before the Director could fire, her entire body lifted and thrown backward. Charlie’s narrow chest rose as if drawing a deep breath, and the barn’s reinforced steel doors slammed shut, locking them inside.
The magical storm the witchling somehow conjured continued to rage all around them, and Jo yelled in fear and frustration.
She leaned her battered body into the gale-force winds as she tried to get to Charlie.
Rutgers’ and the queen’s valiant efforts to reach the trapped child were stunted; their enhanced speed useless against the hurricane-like gusts.
Electricity crackled on Ethan’s fingertips while the tattooed knuckles on Lydia’s fist shone like a beacon in the dark.
Yet neither witch could move forward, the magical walls of their shields allowing them to remain upright but not push ahead.
Jeremiah used brute force to plow the few yards to where Hannah ended her flight. His big body curved over hers, blocking the bulk of swirling wind and flying debris from pummeling her fragile, human flesh.
Tucker’s gray tucked his broad shoulder into the tempest, powerful thigh muscles bulging as he pushed in front of Jo.
The wind died as abruptly as it was brought to life.
The sudden absence of sound in the surrounding woodlands, which should be teeming with the nocturnal orchestra of a thriving eco-system, was loud in its unnaturalness.
Charlie screamed again, breaking the eery silence.
Her rage and despair creating a tone higher in pitch than a child’s vocal cords should be able to produce.
The heart-wrenching cry spurred everyone into motion.
Jeremiah scrambled to his feet as the queen leaped forward, followed closely by DuPont’s thlán. The trio made it halfway to the barn before it exploded into flames.
“Charlie,” Hannah cried, rolling to her hands and knees, crawling toward the blazing inferno.
“No,” Jo gasped and collapsed onto Tucker’s wolf’s back.
Lady Rose raised her arm to cover her face from the extreme heat, inching forward despite its intensity. Ethan ran to her side, grabbed onto her elbow, and cast his protective shield. Lydia did the same for Rutgers.
Jeremiah continued to advance. His exposed skin blistered and healed. Blistered and healed. Tucker’s heart broke as he watched his brother refuse to give up on a little girl he’d vowed to save.
The barn doors exploded outward, and Jeremiah dove out of the way. One of the heavy panels bounced off Ethan’s protective shield and landed fifteen feet away. The translucent walls shimmered as it was hit, but the magical shell held. Ethan and the queen were unharmed.
The other door flew to the adjacent building and was smoldering on its roof.
The orange and red flames reached to the rafters inside the barn, the dark outline of heavily armored trucks visible through the black smoke. Tucker didn’t see Charlie’s or the Director’s bodies inside.
Hannah sobbed and continued to crawl toward the engulfed garage.
“Charlie,” Jeremiah called, standing in front of the burning entry again. He yelled her name once more, only louder this time as if needing to raise his voice to be heard over the roar of the fire.
Tucker stepped out of Jo’s sad embrace and shifted. “Jeremiah, she’s gone.”
His brother ignored him. “Charlie, it’s safe. You can come out now.”
The flames parted and the witchling appeared, her hair blowing around her face though the storm had died. There wasn’t a mark on her.
“Miss Hannah’s not dead?”
“No, sweetheart.” Jeremiah crouched in the dirt. “You saved her.”
He offered Charlie his hand, outwardly patient though close enough to the blaze for the burn and heal process to continue.
The witchling frowned at his reddening skin and turned to the raging flames, her narrow chest and shoulders lifting.
“Charlie,” Hannah called in a steady voice, still on her knees. Her cheeks were wet from crying, and her lower lip trembled, but her distress didn’t show in the tone she used to order, “Go to him, baby.”
“I didn’t mean to do it.” The blowing force surrounding the little witchling vanished. Her eyelids flickered, a flash of molten-colored irises there and then gone. “It was an accident.”
“We know,” Jeremiah answered, hand still outstretched. “Mind Miss Hannah now.”
Charlie took a hesitant step in his direction, stopped to kick off her remaining slipper, then came barefoot to his brother, the witchling unaffected by the fire still hungrily consuming everything behind her.
“Jacob,” Jeremiah said sub-vocally, his attention on the witchling as she grasped his hand. “It’s not safe for Charlie to go into town. Daimhín has people there.”
The queen’s head whipped around, hearing every word.
“Good girl,” Jeremiah praised Charlie in a normal but still gentle voice, lifting her to settle into his side.
She hung onto his neck as he carried her one-handed toward Hannah, the woman unsteady but standing.
“I’ll take the teacher with us. She’s in danger now too,” his volume returning to wolf-low. “I’ll call whenever I can.”
Hannah welcomed the brave little girl with a broad smile, and her arms lifted.
“Wait. Come home with me. We can protect her together.” Tucker wasn’t ready to lose the brother he’d only just found.
“You have a mate to protect and the Walker female to guard. Daimhín won’t let me go easily, and he’ll never give up on Charlotte. It’s better if I do this alone. It’ll be safer for everyone that way.” A pause. “I love you, brother. Be happy for both of us.”
Hannah squeaked when instead of handing Charlie over, Jeremiah bent and flung the startled human over the shoulder on his free side. They disappeared into the dark forest a moment later.
The queen held up her hand when Rutgers made to follow, stopping the Dádhe who could have easily caught up with a Ferwyn running at top speed.
“I love you too, brother.” Tucker spoke the words aloud though it was too late for Jeremiah to hear them.
“He knows,” Jo whispered, tucking her abused body underneath his arm and laying her head on his chest near his heart. “He knows.”