Page 95 of Fae Devoted

“We have to go.”

“I know.” She sighed. “Samuel is here.”

The pack bond set free with her wrists.

Jo gasped as he scooped her into his arms but didn’t protest. It would take days for her body to recover from the prolonged exposure to iron. Until then, she’d be weak and hurting. “The cuffs?”

“What?”

“How long have they been on?” He swallowed hard, grip tightening around her legs, his rage returning with his fangs.

“I’m okay, or at least, I will be. But right now, we need to worry about finding Charlie.”

“Charlotte was here?” Jeremiah’s nostrils flared.

The double-tap dash double-tap in Tucker’s ear signaled the príohs had gained control of the monitors. Audio wouldn’t be an issue unless they came across more guards in the corridors. The third double tap that would confirm all live soldiers were out of commission was absent. He thumped his earbud once in acknowledgement, noting his twin did the same.

“Ah, well, um…” Jo licked her lips, long lashes lowered to hide her eyes. “That is to say, she’s—”

“I trust him.” The Fae may have controlled Jeremiah once. May have damaged his wolf and left a brand on his skin. ButTucker believed his brother would take his own life before hurting a child.

Half-turned away from them with his hands balled at his sides, Jeremiah nodded without looking back and stepped into the hallway.

Jo exhaled as if a tremendous weight was lifted from her shoulders.

“The Director sent Charlie and Hannah to my room yesterday. They were there when I…woke up.” Her inflamed fingers landed on his jaw as it went rigid at the implication, not even glancing at the downed soldier he stepped over as he stalked after his brother. “As a threat for me or a bribe…I’m still not sure.”

“Hannah?” Jeremiah kept his back to them, all his senses on alert as they followed the thick vanilla scent detected in Jo’s room. His brother’s vigilance freed Tucker to concentrate on his she-wolf who remained vulnerable to attack with her crippled healing ability.

“Charlie’s human teacher and nanny.” She scowled, sore hand returning to her lap instead of naturally wrapping around his neck. “But I’m not sure if she’s here by choice either.”

“We’ll find the witchling,” Tucker soothed. “But you need a healer.”

Jo’s suffering would continue without the aid of an Anwyll healing sleep. Remington had promised to fly his in with Garath if necessary.

And it was fucking necessary.

“I won’t leave without her, Jacob.”

“Jo—”

“You don’t understand.” She clutched at his collar, ignoring the discomfort it must have caused. “The Director belongs to the Fae.”

Chapter 28

Afew pacesahead of them, Jeremiah came to a sudden stop and lifted his nose. The scent trail they followed through the maze of underground tunnels was at its strongest thirty feet ahead.

“Go.” Tucker didn’t lower his voice to sub audible; his heightened senses confirmed the hall was deserted. His brother shifted and took off at a lope.

Tucker set Jo down with care and waited for her legs to quit shaking before letting go. His gaze roamed her gaunt face, then lowered to her bony shoulders and wafer-thin waistline. Less than two days ago, her yellow t-shirt and jeans hugged her body. Now they hung like a sack on a too skinny frame.

In an effort to expunge the stream of iron poisoning invading her system, her Ferwyn metabolism had worked overtime, expending enormous amounts of energy in a short period. The cuffs must have been on her the entire captivity to account for the rapid weight loss.

Tucker’s larynx vibrated with the emergence of a growl, gums stinging.

“I’m fine,” she said, leaning heavily against the tunnel wall.

Lie.Jo wasn’t fine, but there was nothing he could do to fix it until they were away from this fucking place.