Page 91 of Fae Farewells

The oval objects looked like giant capsules made of magic.

What magic? I didn’t know…

It felt like nothing I’d ever encountered before. The sheer amount of power emanating off these things was godlike, and for once, I wasn’t willing to touch it without really thinking about the outcome. I had a feeling that a bite or zap from those things would ruin my entire week.

Vaughn stumbled into the chamber and stopped beside me. His mouth tugged to the right as he stared. Even in his confusion, he pulled me back, making sure I didn’t touch it.

“What is it?” he whispered.

“I don’t know.”

I moved toward it, cautious of the magic. Dirt and tiny pieces of rock had settled atop the bubbles, and I wanted to wipe it off, though I didn’t dare. There was no user manual telling us what would happen if we popped them. It could be nothing, or we could start the fucking apocalypse.

At this point, nothing was too farfetched. Anything was possible.

The outside of the bubbles was hazy, but there was something dark within. When I stuck my face closer to the surface, I nearly jumped out of my skin.

“What the fuck, Lo?” Vaughn hissed, yanking me backward.

“Something inside it moved,” I squealed. Then I took a deep breath and rolled my shoulders back, settling my heart and my voice. “I wasn’t prepared.”

A wide range of emotions swept across his face, and he struggled to wipe away his growing grin. “I’m sorry?”

“You heard me.” I pointed my index finger at him. “It’s not funny. It fucking moved.”

“There’s something inside it?” my fae asked slowly, the grin slipping from his face as his brows knitted together.

“Yep.”

He stepped forward and leaned in to get a better look at the side. As he twisted his head, inching closer, something hit the side of the magic bubble. Vaughn jumped back, ready to fight, but I massaged my temples, trying to think through this.

Reagan wouldn’t send us down here to wake up some freaky beast. I didn’t know him, but he loved his children, so I was assuming he wouldn’t put them in harm’s way.

Whatever this was wouldn’t attack us.

Maybe.

But if it did, someone needed to have their priorities in the right place…

And because that person was me, I snapped my fingers, calling Vaughn’s clothing into my hand.

My magic worked just fine, which was good news in case we did need to fight or flee.

I pulled his shirt over my head as I passed him his pants.

Vaughn glanced from my hand to my face, cocking a brow at me. “Is clothing important right now?”

“I feel like it is... Either we’re fighting or we’re about to meet something helpful.” I shrugged. “Both options led me to believe you wouldn’t want your dick hanging out. But if I was wrong, let me know, and I’ll send your pants back to where I got them from.”

“So sassy,” he mumbled. “A simple yes would have sufficed.”

“I like my answer better,” I confessed. “Pointing out that your dick is on display got you moving. I don’t know how much experience you have with fighting in the nude, but I have some. And the dangling bits make for a great target when fighting a naked guy.”

He stared at me for a moment, stuck between wondering if I was joking or asking for the story. Just as he finished buttoning his pants, the magic in the chamber swelled, sucking the breath from my lungs.

One of the bubbles popped.

I gasped before I could stop myself, and Vaughn spun on his heel to face…