Page 48

Chapter 47

Rolf

R olf’s mouth dropped open, and he had to bite back the bile that crept up his throat. He clutched Arlo to him, but even that couldn’t stop the shaking that wracked his entire body at what he saw.

Two tables sat in the center of the room, and thick leather straps held two emaciated fae creatures onto them. The lower half of the table was elevated so their feet were slightly higher than their heads, and their arms were stretched out above them, a slow stream of blood dripping from their wrists into buckets on the floor.

Rolf’s heart lurched. He set Arlo down in the only clean corner.

And then he walked over to one of the buckets and vomited.

What he witnessed was nothing he had ever thought possible.

The fae moaned, both of them twitching in agony. One was a small shifter fae, but what kind, Rolf couldn’t tell. He assumed maybe some sort of forest creature, but she was so far gone that she was merely skin and bones now. The other fae was a gnome, built for running through the forest and caring for the wild creatures who roamed in sacred groves. He had never seen a gnome out in the wild, but he knew they existed.

Forest protectors, his wolf said.

How do you know? Rolf asked, but was met with silence. Fine, be ornery. But at least let me know how much time we have.

His wolf snorted. We have time.

His mind raced. He had to get these fae out of here. They were too close to death to move on their own, though. And if they were all caught in here? It would be a slow, painful death for all of them. There was a door on the other side of the room, and he needed to secure it before he tried to get them upright. But there was nothing besides the tables and the buckets.

These fae were so weak, and he had no idea how long they had been left here to drain. As he leaned over the first one, her eyes focused briefly enough to show shock at who stood above them.

“You’re going to be okay,” Rolf whispered, brushing some stringy hair from her face.

The fae shook her head and tried to speak, but all that came out was a rasp. Rolf looked around for water but could find nothing.

“Please,” she croaked. “Save him. Let me go.”

She no more deserved her fate than the dwarves in the adjacent room had. He reached for her hand. She could barely grab onto him, her arm shaking with effort.

She met his gaze, her eyes pleading for mercy, for release. And it was the only permission Rolf needed. In one motion, he snapped the fae’s neck.

He swiped his fingers over her lids, closing them so it looked like she rested peacefully. He only hoped in that final moment he had been able to bring her some peace. No fae deserved to be treated as such. No creature should be drained slowly, over and over, for the amusement and nourishment of those in power.

He walked over to the gnome, who was shaking from shock.

Rolf spoke in a soothing tone, “I’m here to help. It’s okay. I’m like you.”

The gnome’s eyes shut tightly, and he whimpered.

“I promise, I am going to get you and everyone else out of here.” He was surprised at the determination in his voice. It was clear that these helpless creatures were not equipped to go up against the vampires. They needed his help, but how many more were imprisoned, being drained for their blood?

The leather straps were easy enough to undo, their buckles coming undone within seconds. Gingerly, he helped the gnome sit up. The cuts on his wrist weren’t too deep, which meant that he would heal soon. Rolf looked around for something to bind the wounds, but the room was sparse.

They would have to leave anyway, but going back through that other door was not an option.

Rolf lifted the tiny creature in his arms, undoing the buttons of his servant’s coat, and tucked the gnome inside. He clung tightly to Rolf’s shirt, and his cold body soon warmed and went lax. Rolf looked down and was relieved to see that the gnome appeared to be sleeping; he held his hand underneath the tiny fae's body to keep him from slipping out. Then he walked over to Arlo, whose wide eyes told Rolf that he had seen everything, and picked him up, too.

Rolf crept to the main door and pressed his ear to the crack—no sounds emanated from beyond it, so he turned the handle slowly. Through the crack, he could make out a dimly lit hallway; the dampness of the sea seeped up from the floor. He pressed his body against the wall and opened the door fully.

Beyond, in the dimly lit hallway, were doors that looked familiar. He had, unknowingly, entered the servants’ quarters from before. Each door was padlocked, save for the one where the deceased woodland fae had been housed.

His shoulders sagged with relief. But it was fleeting because within seconds of closing the door behind him, voices echoed from beyond the door he had hidden behind when he first arrived.

His wolf growled, We have company.

“Fuck,” Rolf exhaled.

He scanned the doors until he found the woodland fae’s room. The padlock hung on a hook by the handle. The keys were still in Rolf’s pocket. He took a step forward.

“No,” Arlo whispered, his grip tightening on Rolf’s shirt. “Don’t leave us here.”

“I have to. If we have any chance of getting out of here alive…” Rolf hesitated, unsure if he should finish what he was going to say. He knew what he was about to attempt would be ludicrous and might even backfire. But his wolf was itching under his skin, and he had to warn Arlo of the danger. “Do not, for any reason, open this door until you hear my voice.”

The voices down the hall grew louder. Rolf slipped inside the room. He set down Arlo on the driest part of the floor and placed the sleeping gnome on his lap. Arlo stroked the gnome’s back absently, and the tiny body unfurled slightly. Rolf grabbed the keys and placed them in Arlo’s free hand.

“I do not need these,” Arlo said, his foggy eyes flitting back and forth as if trying to focus on something unseen. “My magic is returning. So, too, should my eyesight. I will be able to open any warded locks within these walls.”

“Good. You are surrounded by glamoured fae. Fae who need to get out.” Rolf ran his hand through his hair. He had planned on freeing all of them, but should he not return, the dwarf would need to find his way out.

Arlo dipped his chin but said nothing in response, just held the keys out for Rolf, who took them and placed them in his pocket.

He grabbed the dwarf’s hand one last time and added, “I’ll be back. But if I’m not, and if your eyesight does not return, follow the wall on your right, out of this hall. Several yards down, there is a stairwell. It will lead you through two rooms to a door that will lead to a tunnel to the cliff’s edge. When you are well?—”

Quiet , his wolf snapped. Rolf snapped his mouth shut.

A few pairs of footsteps padded down the hallway. A door opened and shut. The hallway went quiet once more.

Rolf released a breath. “Should I not return, find the doorway. The tunnel is stone and leads to the outside cliff.”

Rolf debated sharing more about his plans, but the fewer who knew, the better. Instead, he punctuated each sentence by squeezing the blind dwarf’s hand as he said, “Stairwell on the right. Go through two rooms. Then the door to the tunnel outside.”

“All will be well, pup,” Arlo said.

For a moment, Rolf thought the dwarf was going to prophesize like his elder had, but then the silence stretched on. So he dropped the dwarf’s hand, hesitating a moment before standing. Was he doing the right thing? He hoped that both the dwarf and the gnome would heal quickly and get out. But without knowing what they needed to heal, he felt hopeless that would be the case.

Rolf kept to the shadows and peeked through the crack in the door.

The servants’ quarters were empty, so he pushed the door open as quietly as he could.

Juliette stood in the hallway, watching him emerge from the cell. She looked vicious, staring him down with disdain in her eyes. There was fresh blood spatter on her face, and some had even made it onto her clothes. Her arms were crossed, and she tapped the fingers on her hand against her forearm.

His hackles rose, and the hair on his neck stood on end.

“I know what you did,” she said, her voice unreadable.

“Which part?” Rolf almost laughed but decided against provoking her if he didn’t have to.

“The dwarves. The fae changeling.”

Rolf nodded, but said nothing.

They waited, standing there sizing each other up, when Juliette took a step forward. Rolf held his ground again, refusing to show her any weakness.

“I didn’t know he had been draining the fae.” Her voice wavered.

Was she going to cry?

Doubtful . Rolf’s wolf snorted and paced in his chest. His skin tingled. His teeth ached with how badly he wanted to snap her neck from her body.

Rolf still said nothing in reply.

Juliette stepped forward again, her words frantic. “Tell me what you need me to do to get them free. We have limited time, and Adeline said?—”

“Adeline, huh?” Rolf stepped closer. He doubted very much, that was the case. Adeline had sent him the feeling of distrust after he had parted ways with Juliette in the hallway earlier in the evening.

Juliette nodded. “Adeline gave me instructions to find you and do whatever it took to get you and the fae free. She’s going to marry Erik to give you all time to get away and?—”

He stepped closer still, subtly sniffing the air between them, picking up on hints of excrement from the cells and the vampire blood on Juliette’s face. But nothing of the scent Juliette had when he first identified her.

Interesting .

“Whose blood is on your person? It is vampiric in origin.”

“One of the guards.” She waved her hand dismissively.

Liar.

“The guards?” he asked. Everything she said was tainted with lies so transparent that he would be able to tell she was lying with his eyes closed. None of this made any sense. Adeline hadn’t even shared that many details with him, and they were bonded. So why would she share her plans with Juliette?

Juliette kept talking, but Rolf had completely tuned her out. The one thing he didn’t understand was how Juliette could lose her scent. All the creatures had such a distinct scent, and the disappearance of Juliette’s could only mean one thing.

Rolf leaned against the wall, his head close to a sconce holding a torch. “Tell me, Juliette. In the cabin, what was the first thing you smelled?”

Juliette’s mouth snapped shut. “You.”

“It wasn’t blood?” Because there had been, purposefully, so much blood splattered around his home.

Juliette blanched.

“As I thought,” Rolf said and grabbed the torch from the wall. He swung it wildly in the air before him, the flames catching on some of Juliette’s clothing, and she shrieked as the blazing cloth singed her skin. He lunged, tackling the burning vampire. The image of Juliette shattered as he knocked her to the ground. In her place was another vampire, their eyes blown wide and bloodshot, neck lined with bite marks, thin black hair plastered to their face. They gnashed their jaw, but they had no fangs. Instead, their gums were bloody, as if someone had pulled their teeth out.

The vampire snapped at the air between them, desperate to feed from him.

“Warm blood,” they growled, thrashing against his hold. But they were too weak and easy for Rolf to keep at bay. “I need it.”

“Not today, I’m afraid,” Rolf said and palmed a knife. He drove it straight into the thing’s eye socket and twisted. The vampire convulsed but still fought, their fingers desperate to grab hold of him. Rolf withdrew the knife and, in one swift motion, jammed it into their neck and pulled, ripping their throat out. The vampire gargled, choking on their blood.

Rolf stood and watched as the life quickly drained from the vampire. Then he picked up the torch and lit the body on fire. With their throat torn out, their screams were muffled blabbers, and their hands tried desperately to staunch the flow of blood. Until, finally, the fire consumed the vampire and turned it into ash.

He swiped at his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand and gripped the flaming torch harder. The vampire had been illusioned to look and sound like Juliette. If it hadn’t been for his keen sense of smell, would he have even noticed the change?

Probably not, his wolf snorted.

Thank you for the help, Rolf bit back.

It was my nose that noticed, his wolf sneered.

Well, let’s hope you help in more than one way next time, Rolf said and shut his wolf down.

He would need all the weapons he could get if any more illusions came his way.