Chapter 27
HAL
Earlier that night
Overdramatic screams echo from the fae we currently have strapped to a chair in our basement. Az hasn’t even started removing appendages yet, so there’s no reason he should be carrying on like this.
Come on, man.
Have some self-respect.
Colt is helping Az with the information gathering while Rook and I watch silently from the sidelines. If the fae manages to escape, he could still do some damage to Az or Colt. Having four of us here covers our asses and ensures we all make it out of here unscathed.
Aside from the fae, of course.
Az pulls the knife out of the unfortunate fae we captured this afternoon. He carelessly wipes it on the fae’s leather pants before tucking the serrated blade into its sheath at his waist.
Putting his hands on the arms of the chair the fae is strapped to, Az leans in and snarls, “I’ll give you one last chance to tell us where your basecamp is.”
Now, I’ve known Az for pretty much my whole life.
But even I can admit that he’s a scary dude.
He’s huge, tatted up, and any supernatural with a functioning brain can feel the dominance pouring off him like crazy, especially when he’s worked up.
I would not want to be in the fae’s position with a supremely pissed-off Az looming over them.
The previously cowering fae, however, decides now is the right time to grow a pair and spits at Az.
My eyebrows are at my hairline because that’s a hell of choice to make when you’re chained to a chair with a knife-wielding, angry guy towering over you.
Az blinks at the fae for a moment before slowly swiping the gross glob of saliva off his cheek. A terrifying smile crosses his face the moment before he whips out his blade and slices off one of the fae’s thumbs.
The fae shrieks like a little girl as blood sprays from the wound. He howls and screams and cries like Az just ripped out his heart or something.
I snort at how over-the-top the guy is.
Colt turns his head from where he’s messing with our interrogation tools to give me a dirty look. I hold up my hands in surrender but don’t manage to wipe the amused grin off my face. He rolls his eyes and goes back to figuring out what he’d like to poke the fae with next.
I get why Remy didn’t want to be here. There’s really not much to do for anyone other than Az and sometimes Colt. I wish Colt would cut the kid some slack. Remy has always been there when we needed him. It’s not a crime to have a life outside of our valor and flight.
Colt has his photography and volunteering. Remy has stunting. Rook has his technology. And I have my ADV and track riding.
The only one of us who is barely a person outside of valor duties is Az, and look at how well that’s worked out for him.
He’s going to lose the best thing that ever happened to him because he hasn’t figured out how to be Az instead of Azrael Akar, valor alpha, flight leader, and bearer of the sole responsibility to keep our people alive.
Truth be told, I don’t think we’re going to win the fight against the fae. Not with how small our valor is. And we’re the largest valor in the world, but we still struggle to keep our people safe.
But what can we do? Roll over and accept the wholesale slaughter of our people?
Like hell are we doing that.
So we keep fighting, keep trying, and keep persisting because there’s no other choice.
At times, it’s even fun. Like now, watching Az slice the fae bastard into tiny pieces as he lets out the most theatrical screams. I can guarantee he’s killed my kind before, so I feel no remorse watching him suffer and eventually die.
My phone buzzing snaps me out of my thoughts.
Colt gives me another dirty look, and I throw my hands up in exasperation. “My phone’s on silent. The only people, other than you guys, who can get through right now are Remy and Lark, so chill.”
He rolls his eyes but doesn’t say anything. Colt does, however, anxiously watch me as I pull the device out of my pocket.
When I see who it is, I can’t help the grin that spreads across my face. Hitting accept, I say, “Wild girl! It’s good to hear from you. Whatcha up to?”
“Hal?” she rasps, her voice sounding small and afraid.
I’m instantly on high alert when I hear how off she sounds. “Lark? What’s wrong? What happened?”
“I didn’t know who else to call, and I need help.” Her voice breaks on the last word, and it makes me want to burn down the world to make whoever hurt her pay.
“Where are you, Lark? What happened? What do you need?” I ask rapid-fire questions before the call abruptly cuts out. I immediately try calling her back but get no answer. After doing that twice more, I realize I’m not going to get a response from her.
I have the urge to throw my phone across the room to release all the worry and fear and rage that someone hurt her. But I know that’s not going to help any.
Instead, I pull up the info from the tracker I put on her bike. The one she absolutely doesn’t know about and I should probably feel bad about. Yet, it comes in handy now when she needs us, and I have no clue where she is.
The app shows that her bike is at her apartment. That’s going to be the first place we check, and I just have to hope that’s where she is. We don’t have time to tear apart the entire city looking for her. Not when she sounds like she’s barely holding on.
When I look up from the phone, I see Rook’s and Colt’s concerned faces hovering over me. “What’s going on with Lark?” Colt rumbles, even though he heard the same conversation I did.
I know he’s hoping for more info, but he knows as much as I do.
I clench my fists as frustration and helplessness flow through me. “I don’t know. She didn’t say much other than she needed help. Not where she is or what happened or anything to give me a clue. According to the tracker, her bike’s at her apartment, so that’s where I was going to go.”
He scrubs a hand over his face before leveling me with a determined look. “We’re wasting time standing here and talking. Let’s go, and I’ll call Remy on the way. He’s still out at the stunt meet, so he should be closer to her.”
Colt stalks from the room in our basement dedicated to interrogation. Looking sick from his worry, Rook jogs after him. I start striding out of the room before noticing that Az isn’t following.
I turn back to him and raise an eyebrow. “Aren’t you coming? She’s in trouble, Az. Real trouble. I know you can’t stand her for whatever reason, but you know as well as I do that it’s our responsibility to keep her safe.”
“It’s not me not liking her,” he growls, frustration shading his gaze. “I just… I seem to make things worse anytime I’m around her. Maybe it’s best if I stay behind.”
“We have no idea what we’re walking into. We need you, man. You know you’re the strongest out of all of us. Without you, we might not be able to save her. So, please, if not for Lark’s sake, do it for the rest of us,” I plead.
He squeezes his eyes shut before giving me a sharp nod.
Opening his eyes, he places his hands around the fae’s neck and pulls up as hard as he can.
The telltale sound of skin ripping, bone cleaving, and muscle shredding rings through the bare concrete space as Az beheads the fae.
He then drives his knife through the guy’s heart, ensuring the bastard will stay dead.
The only way to kill fae for good is to remove their head and destroy their heart with a special blade. After that, we usually burn their bodies, just for good measure.
We don’t have time to light the dude on fire, so Az just brings the head with him as we rush up the stairs to the main floor and garage.
Pushing open the door to our garage, I barely pause to swipe a helmet before heading to my Ducati, the fastest bike I own. Normally, I’d make sure I’m geared up before a ride, but there’s no fucking time right now.
Not when Lark needs me.
Rook and Colt are already straddling their bikes. It takes Az and I less than thirty seconds to deposit the head, pull on our helmets, and get on our bikes. The four of us then turn on our machines and peel out of the garage like the hounds of hell themselves are chasing us.
After we all get on the road, Colt dials up Remy through our comms system so we can all hear. When the call connects, Colt doesn’t give him a chance to say anything before barking, “Remy? Where are you?”
“I’m almost back, Colt. Jesus. Can’t you let me have one night without you breathing down my neck?” Remy doesn’t sound nearly as pissed off as he usually does at Colt’s interference. The kid must’ve had a good time at the meet.
“Turn the fuck around,” Colt orders. “Lark’s in trouble. We don’t know where she is, but the tracker shows she’s at her apartment. You’re closer than we are, so maybe you can get to her before we do.”
Remy gasps. “What? How? I just saw her. Fuck. I dropped her off at her apartment, so I think that’s where she is. Turning around now.”
“We’re right behind you,” Colt growls before ending the call.
We’re riding for probably five minutes before we catch up with Remy. All of us are speeding like crazy to reach Lark, but the four of us must’ve been going a little faster than him.
Glancing down at my speedometer, I’m currently cruising at one-eighty, so, you know, felony speeds. Not that I give a fuck right now.
The ride passes in a blur of worry and panic, and I hardly remember it. All I can think of is getting to Lark and praying to any higher power that will listen that she’ll be okay until we get to her.
After the longest thirty minutes of my life, we pull into her still and silent apartment parking lot. At three in the morning, hardly anyone is awake. Or they weren’t before the roar of our engines woke them up.
Haphazardly parking my bike in the first open spot I find, I barely remember to turn it off before clambering off and running toward her building.