Page 21 of These Fractured Bonds

“Leo,” he said, helping her to her feet.

She hissed. Scar-face had broken her ankle earlier.

Leo frowned. “Sorry, we don’t have time to fix your ankle. I’ll have to carry you.”

She nodded, allowing him to pick her up.

“I’m going to move quickly. Closing your eyes might help with the nausea.” His white locs, covered in grime, hung loose around his lean face.

His concern for her made her uncomfortable. Why would a Fae care about her well-being? The thought exhausted her. She closed her eyes, accepting what would come.

If a horrible death awaited her outside, at least it would be because of her decision. Her life. Her death. Her choice. The Fae, whose name she had already forgotten, moved, and wind rushed past them, raising goose bumps on her exposed skin. She huddled closer to his chest, turning her face inward. It was like riding in a… car with the windows down. But the idea of a car was fleeting; her understanding of it slipping through the crevices of her brain. She was certain that at one point in her life, she had been proud of her memory, being able to memorize information with ease, but now, information fled from her. It curled around her like mist, teasing her with knowledge of her past but slipping through her fingers if she tried to grasp it.

They came to a sudden stop, her injured ankle bumping into the other, and she flinched.

“Sorry,” the male Fae whispered. “Let me take a quick look…”

“Leo,” someone hissed. “What did you do?”

He tensed, and Yareli had the sense to feign sleep. The newcomer had a pretty voice, smooth and commanding.

“I couldn’t leave her, Bri. He was going to kill her.”

“You nearly jeopardized the entire operation!”

“They’ll be fine! I made sure to be discreet. Besides, I set off the signal, didn’t I?”

There was no response, but the other Fae’s ire was evident. Yareli resisted the urge to scratch her nose.

“Who is she?” Bri finally asked.

“I don’t know, but she’s human.”

A sharp intake of breath. The sound of shuffling.

Yareli tensed as Bri’s presence drew nearer. She risked opening her eyes, and a pair of dark eyes met hers. Bri must have seen her apprehension, because she took a step back.

“How did you get here?” Her tone was gentler than it had been a few minutes ago.

Here. Where washere? Yareli answered honestly.

“I don’t know.”

Chapter 9

Plop…

Plop plop…

Plop…

Hot liquid dripped down her arm on the smooth ground below. She plodded toward a light in the distance, her feet dragging. Someone was waiting for her. Her arm pulsed; the pain traveled inward, searing her. She clutched her chest, gasping.

Yareli woke with her hand on her breastbone. She stared at the unfamiliar brown ceiling. Her breathing was heavy, coming fast, and her damp shirt clung to her skin.

“Hey,” a familiar voice said.

Startled, she pushed away from the edge of the bed, pressing against the wall. The Fae from before stood in front of her. His white locs had been swept back into a ponytail, revealing his sculpted high cheeks. He held his hands up.