Unfettered Vessel (Found & Freed: The Unfettered #6)

14. Chapter 14

Chapter fourteen

Pink

A noise wakes me. At first, I think I’m dreaming. There are voices echoing down the hall, muffled but frantic. My heart thuds as I sit up, blinking in the dark. What time is it? My phone’s screen lights up beside me: 3:47 a.m.

This isn’t normal. Even in a house full of paranormals, late-night chaos like this means something serious.

I slide out of bed and pad down the hallway, my pulse quickening. The sound leads me to Jade’s room. I have a terrible, terrible feeling about this. I think all my vows to be a better friend have come far too late.

Inside, Lello and Red are already there, staring at the walls. Every inch of available surface is covered in twisting, glowing symbols that are pulsing like they’re alive. My breath catches, and my stomach drops.

It’s High Fey.

I recognize it instantly, though I’ve only seen fragments in books. My trainer taught me a little. Knowledge passed down from before the fey left our world. Seeing it like this, written in stark, humming lines of light, is nothing short of terrifying.

Ned runs into the room. His dark eyes track around the walls and he swears.

“Recognize the language?” he asks me.

I can barely get the words out. “This... this is High Fey. I didn’t even think Jade knew that language.”

Red curses under his breath, and Lello clutches his face like he’s about to cry.

“Where is he?” snaps Ned.

“We don’t know!” Lello wails.

I barely notice Carter and Brodie bursting in, their expressions turning grim as they take in the room. Lello throws himself into Carter’s arms, and I glance at Red. His lips are tight, his knuckles white as he clenches his fists by his side.

Then Lello says something that twists my insides. “Ned, you found Gray when he went missing. Can you find Jade?”

We all look at Ned, but he just shakes his head. “Jade doesn’t feed on life force. There’s no connection between us.”

I watch Ned as he says this. There’s something behind his words, something he isn’t saying. His jaw tightens, and his gaze shifts to the symbols on the walls.

Gray’s voice makes me jump.

“He’s in the stone circle.”

I whip around, my heart hammering. I didn’t even hear Gray come in. How does he do that? But here he is, standing as calm as ever, pointing south.

“Five leagues,” he says.

“How far is a league?” says Red as he looks at me.

I force a swallow down my throat. It is lovely that my friends consider me a font of all knowledge, but it is a little daunting.

“Umm…about three miles,” I supply weakly.

Carter is tapping furiously at his phone. He holds it up to Gray, with a photo of a stone circle on it. “This one?”

Gray nods.

“Great,” says Carter. He looks at everyone in the room. “It’s called Stanton Drew. It’s fifteen miles south of here. On the edge of a small village.”

The knot in my stomach tightens. I can see where this is going, even before Ned says it aloud.

“Is it an old fey portal?” The question is once again directed at me.

The room goes silent. Red pales, and Lello tenses in Carter’s arms.

“Probably. Most stone circles are,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. I’m sure they don’t need my magical education to know this, but I was asked, so I will answer.

“What made you think of that?” Red asks Ned. His face has gone deathly pale.

Carter’s arms tighten around Lello, and the kelpie bites his bottom lip. Poor Lello, this must be awfully frightening for him. It has to be bringing back all sorts of traumatic memories from when his herd tried to sacrifice him to the fey.

Ned shrugs, “Just a hunch.”

It is a good one. Jade is part fey. He has not been himself. Now he has scribbled all over his walls in High Fey and run off to a stone circle. All the clues are pointing to something truly terrifying. Jade is trying to open a portal to the fey realm.

We don’t have time for doubts or questions. We need to act. Right now.

“I suggest less chatting, more action,” Carter says, echoing my thoughts. “Everyone, get in the cars. Now.”

“Gray, come with us. Don’t go shadow walking. We need to stick together,” adds Red.

We move like clockwork, racing to gather what we need. I bolt to the driveway. Carter’s car is already packed tight, but he waves me in anyway. The tension in the car is thick as we speed toward the stone circle.

I stare out the window, my thoughts racing. Is Jade trying to open a portal of his own free will? Or are the fey controlling him? The idea of those ancient creatures returning sends a chill down my spine. I’ve read enough to know what they’re capable of. They are the race that invented cruelty.

When we arrive, the magic hits me before I even see the stones. It’s like static in the air, prickling against my skin. The glowing runes on the stones are unmistakable, as is the figure standing among them.

Jade.

My throat tightens as I take in his wild eyes and the words spilling from his lips. It’s chanting. Spell casting for a portal. Jade doesn’t know how to do that. Something, or someone, is controlling him. Or feeding him instructions.

“Jade?” Red calls out.

Nothing. He doesn’t even flinch.

The others seem frozen, unsure of what to do. Gray, unsurprisingly, looks completely unbothered.

“Stop him!” Ned hisses at Gray.

Gray simply shrugs. “He’s not in danger.”

“Not in danger?” Ned snaps. “He’s opening a portal for the fey!”

Gray blinks at him, unperturbed. “So?”

The frustration radiating from Ned is palpable. He looks at me, desperation flickering in his eyes. “Pink! Are fey really as bad as the legends say?”

I swallow hard. “As far as anyone knows.”

That’s apparently all he needs because I’ve barely finished speaking before Ned steps into the circle. My heart leaps into my throat as the magic surges around him. I want to stop him, to grab his arm and pull him back, but I can’t move.

He calls Jade’s name, first softly, then louder. It doesn’t work. He tries again, using Jade’s old name, and this time, Jade blinks.

I inch closer, every instinct screaming at me to run.

“Please don’t do this,” Ned says, his voice low but firm.

Jade doesn’t respond, but his chanting has stopped.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Baltazar appears. My mind balks in bewilderment at seeing him. He is an old vampire. A member of the paranormal Council. He was involved in helping us with the drama with Lello.

Why is he here? Did someone call him? Or did he simply sense all the magic spewing everywhere and came to investigate?

There is no time to ponder it because as soon as he arrives, Baltazar strides into the clearing like some avenging angel, dagger in hand. The moment Jade sees him, everything happens too fast. Magic explodes from Jade’s body, and Baltazar is gone. Just... gone.

Nothing but a pillar of dust where he was just standing.

I scream, but the sound barely registers. My heart is pumping liquid horror through my veins. I’m trembling with it.

“Jade! Don’t hurt Ned!” I shout, stepping into the circle despite every nerve in my body telling me not to. I can’t let this happen. I need to do something.

Ned and Jade are really not on the best of terms at the moment, and if Jade is in a state of mind to coldly kill Baltazar like that, then Ned is in grave danger.

Jade’s eyes lock on me, glowing brighter than the runes. He starts chanting softly again, almost under his breath.

“Don’t let the fey in! You don’t want this!” I plead desperately. Anything to distract him from Ned.

His gaze softens. The light in his eyes dims slightly as he looks at me. I can see a glimmer of the real Jade in them. Deep, deep in there somewhere, my friend still exists.

“Jade,” Ned says, his voice sharper now.

Jade’s attention snaps back to the vampire. I bite back my wail of dismay. What the hell is Ned doing?

I watch in dread as my friends face each other. Animosity crackles in the air even more potent than the magic.

Slowly, shockingly, Jade’s body slackens. His muttering stops. I don’t know what Ned is doing, but whatever it is, it’s working.

“Stop this!” commands Ned in a voice that raises the hairs on the back of my neck.

Oh my goodness! Ned is trying to glamor Jade! What a genius idea. Jade is mostly human, so it should work. It just depends on who is stronger, whatever is controlling Jade, or Ned.

The silent battle rages. On the surface, it looks like Jade and Ned are merely glaring at each other, but I can feel the immense struggle. The clash of wills. It is intense. I can’t breathe. I can’t blink. I’m a frozen observer, mentally willing Ned on, as if my thoughts and prayers are going to help.

Long, long moments pass. It feels like a hundred years. Then, suddenly, something splinters and cracks. Like the frozen ice of a pond giving way.

It is Jade’s resolve.

“Sleep!” Ned commands.

And Jade collapses. His eyes roll back, he falls and lands in a crumpled heap on the floor.

The runes flicker out, and the magic disappears, leaving only silence and the sound of my ragged breaths.

Jade lies motionless, and we all rush to him. Behind me, I hear Ned stagger, but when I turn, he’s already out cold on the ground.

Lello shrieks and leaves Jade’s side to rush to his best friend. Carter follows him. It is okay, Ned is being looked after. Hopefully, he is simply spent after that epic battle of wills.

I turn my attention back to Jade. He is far too still, but I can see him breathing. I watch numbly as Brodie checks his pulse.

This is awful. I should have done more with my concerns. I knew damn well that something wasn’t right. Now look at this mess.

I shudder and wrap my arms around myself. I wish Monty was here. He’d know what to do. I’d give anything for him to appear and wrap me in his arms. He’d whisper that everything is going to be okay. It would be a lie. But I would let myself believe it.