Page 46 of Fae Farewells

“Barbie will throw a fit.”

I snorted. “That’s putting it mildly.”

He nodded absently as his eyes shifted slightly, allowing him to see into the darkness. “Where do you think he is?”

“I don’t know, but we can track him,” I reminded the wolf.

As we followed Vaughn’s pull, we passed some massive cages made for creatures that couldn’t be any smaller than Pete. But pedmars and giants hadn’t been here for centuries, so I couldn’t fathom why they were built in a new palace.

There were small bird cages hanging too. And one of those had a winged... thing in it. Maybe a fairy? Or a pixie? I’d never seen either, but it sparkled, so I was leaning toward the former. She wailed, a sad screech that made my heart ache to set her free.

Once we were beyond that room, we heard Vaughn and Freya laughing.

“Is there something funny about being down here?” Briggs asked me, genuinely baffled. “Did we miss something?”

“How the fuck should I know?”

We drew closer, pushing through the magic on the barred wall into their cell. Freya jumped when we stepped out of the void, but Vaughn simply grinned.

“You’re here sooner than I expected.”

I furrowed my brows. “You knew we were coming?”

“Not exactly,” he confessed. “I was thinking Sloane would be down here first.”

“I’m sure she’ll be here soon enough,” I warned him. “Let’s just hope she takes the shorter route to you.”

Freya widened her eyes, concern clouding her pink irises. “Why?”

“Because when she sees what we saw—”

“Ahh. Yeah.” Vaughn grimaced. “We can’t let them all go at once. Not yet, anyway. Freya will sort through them, see that they’ve served their time.”

“Some of them are actual criminals,” his sister hissed.

“Are they, though?” Vaughn countered. “The only crime some of them committed was saying no. They don’t deserve what they’re getting.”

She blew out a stressed breath. “I love you, but you’re starting to get on my nerves with your confident, shit-can’t-touch-me attitude.”

Briggs chuckled. “Wait until she meets Barbie.”

“Who is Barbie?” Freya asked. “I thought you had the same mate?”

“Uhm, Sloane,” the wolf corrected.

I shrugged. “That’s just what he calls her.”

“Why?” she inquired. “That’s not even close to her name.”

“It’s a long story,” Briggs stated, trying to get off the subject.

“Actually, it’s a short story,” Vaughn retorted. “She was so pissed she lost control of her demon form, and Briggs thought that that was the best time to tell her she looked hot with horns.”

Freya gawked at all three of us. “You are joking.”

“Not even a little,” Vaughn responded as Briggs said, “Wish he was. It sounded better in my head, but the nickname stuck.”

“Your mate is a demon?” she asked, her brows squished over her eyes. “And you thought calling her Barbie was okay?”