Page 54 of Beast
“The butterfly?” There’s a reason I don’t spend a lot oftime in faery forests. The animals don’t talk back on my plane.
“They’re pixies. Calm down and you’ll be able to hear them.”
I don’t want to listen to insects, but if they know whereKaja is, then I’ll do it. I move close to Meg, and sure enough, there’s a smallcacophony of tiny, musical voices.
“The wolf saved us.”
“Pretty wolf.”
“Bad goblins. Mira hates goblins. They smell bad, and theytried to make Mira into soup. I don’t want to be soup.”
“I want my papa.”
Kids. They’re only kids. Well, naturally my Kaja tried tosave a bunch of lesser Fae from getting put in a pot. “Where is Kaja?”
“In the woods.”
“They took her. They put lightning in her belly and tookher.”
They go on and on, their wings fluttering as they all speakat once.
“Please, younglings, one at a time,” Meg pleads.
And then a larger butterfly swoops by my head. Larger thanthe younglings, she’ll still fit in the palm of my hand with room left over.But there’s no doubt this one is in charge.
“Stop. The queen is right. We must remain calm.” Her voiceis tinny, but my ears are damn good. I stare down at the pixies. I never sawone up close. Lesser Fae. It doesn’t mean that they are less important, merelysmaller. The brilliant blue pixie lands on the hand Meg holds up. “YourGracious Highness. I must ask for your help. There was a young woman who cameto my aid. She saved my babes, but it was a trap. The goblins captured her.”
“Goblins?” Bile rises in my throat. Goblins could do justabout anything to her. And they will, unless they realize they can make aprofit from her. “Where is the chieftain?”
The pixie shakes her head. “It’s not a tribe. It’s only ahandful of goblins. I thought there were only two of them, but once the nicelady had turned into a wolf, they leapt from the bushes and grabbed her. Theyhave magic.”
No, they have technology. “The vampires caught up with us,and they brought friends. Why the hell would they bring in goblins?”
Meg pales, as though she can’t stand the thought of Kajabeing caught, either. “It’s Torin. We’ve heard he’s made some deals withdisloyal Unseelie. They don’t seem to realize that he intends to kill anyonewho isn’t sidhe.”
The pixie’s wings flutter. “Please help her, Your Majesty.She was so kind. I can’t stand the thought of her being harmed for helping me.”
“Where are they?” My voice comes out in a harsh rasp, and Inotice my claws have popped out. Rage begins to build, shoving the panic andfear to the side. Another fucking vampire took my consort. If that mercenarylays a hand on her, I’m going to tear it off his body and shove it down histhroat.
The pixie turns from Meg. She then flies back behind Meg’shead as though begging for protection.
“He’s not going to hurt you, little one. You’re not the onehe’s angry with,” Meg explains. “Dante, you have to be careful. You’reobviously upset. Damn, you look scary.”
Meg has never seen me in this state. She’s seen my fangs andclaws, but even when we killed the hag, I remained in control. Now, the thoughtof someone touching my Kaja makes my eyes bleed out. It’s a biological functionthat opens my senses and prepares me to fight.
And I will fight. I will kill, because no one is touching myconsort. “Where is Kaja?”
Meg holds her hand out, and the big blue pixie landsgracefully. “Take us there. The wolf is the vampire’s mate. He will be gratefulto you, and so will I.”
“Meg, you can’t come with me.” I lost Kaja. I’m not about tolose Meg, too.
Her face hardens, and I can believe she is a queen. “If youleave me here, I’ll follow and probably cause trouble. Kaja is my friend. Shesaved me too, you know.”
There won’t be any moving her. And she truly knows how tocause trouble. “Fine, but you hide when we get there.”
The small pixies flutter off Meg’s hair and seem to betalking to the mother. They fly off, more than likely in search of sanctuary,but the mother stays with us. She flies in front, leading us through the woods.
I run to keep up. The pixie is a tiny dart flying throughthe trees toward the target. I long for a weapon—any weapon. We were forced toleave the gun behind. Kaja buried it. I don’t even have my tablet. All I haveare claws and fangs, but I charge through the woods like a man with an armybehind me.
