He nodded, his face sagging with relief that I'd said it instead of him. He looked as if he'd aged since I'd seen him last…and maybe we all had. "Synthia, I'm looking into the records to see if anyone has ever succeeded in stopping a Fae from turning, I can't promise results, but maybe we can find something to slow it down until I can. I can't bring back my sister, but I can protect what she loved the most—you."
"I get it Alden," I snapped. I hadn't thought about feeding yet, hell I couldn’t even grasp the reality of what was happening. "We got bigger problems than me feeding. Arianna isn't what she appears to be. She's got pieces from our victims magically sewn on to her like a fucking quilt." I was dodging emotions again and from the grin he flashed he was thankful I had.
Alden swore violently, "Necromancer?"
"Not quite, more like a puppet. Her eyes take in everything, as if someone is controlling her and seeing through her. I need to get to her, to get to the one controlling her. Get the master's attention, maybe it will stop the killings. Problem is I'd need to kill his puppet to draw him out Alden."
"And doing so could start a war if you get caught before you can kill her and break whatever spell is covering up the fact that she's nothing more than a fucking puppet," he said rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Good grief, if she is what you say she is—the implications between the Dark and the Light Fae…”
"I can't do it without a team Alden. And not without the Guild being cleared out and safe from any repercussions that might come back on us."
"I can't give you the okay to kill the Light Heir Synthia, even if she isn't who she says she is," I felt my stomach drop as he shook his head, "But I can give you a team and assure you that the Guild will be safe."
I smiled slowly, "So unofficially I have your permission, but if anyone asked…"
He smirked, "If anyone asks, this conversation never happened," he stepped closer placing his arms on my shoulders, "I don’t show emotion kid and I think it rubbed off on you a little bit. I'd like to think you know that…well that I consider you family and have ever since my sister brought you home in diapers, be careful Syn. I can't claim responsibility which means no one will come to help if you get caught. You'd be at the Dark Princes mercy."
I nodded and exhaled slowly, "You have."
"Have what?" He asked narrowing his eyes.
"I'm strong because you showed me how to be, I'm faster because you made sure I knew what could happen if I wasn’t fast enough. I'm me because you raised me Alden, you raised us all. Hard lessons aren't easy to teach children, we're stronger because you made us into what we needed to be."
Thirty Four
I watched Ryder and his men moving into the room below, there were hundreds of Fae gathered inside the ballroom of the Dark Fortress along with human dignitaries and members of the press. Security was next to impossible to bypass, so just getting to the rooftop where we were crouched, had been a death-defying feat without the team being detected.
"Last chance to back out guys, if this goes wrong we're dead. No one will be able to save our asses. I need to know you can do this job. If you're thinking this is too much, then it probably is. I know most of you are here because the Guild is on the line. I get it, you're pissed. So am I. But the Fae are not the bad people here tonight, no attacking them unless you have no other option."
I searched each face of the team I'd trained with. I knew their weaknesses. I knew their strengths. These were my people. They were why I fought and would continue to no matter what DNA I had been born with. They were good people, trustworthy, but this mission was suicide. I was asking for their lives, but if we couldn’t stop Ryder from blaming the Guild—they'd have to hide like rats in the sewers, they deserved better.
Twelve sets of sober eyes looked up to me with no doubt, or reserve about giving their lives to ensure the Guild stayed up and running. I exhaled a shaky breath and looked to Adam and Larissa who like me had dressed in black leather. The others had on black fatigues.
"Adam, blow it," I said clasping the rope into my harness.
We waited, watching the Fae beneath us as they laughed and danced, unaware that we were about to crash the party. As the glass shattered I jumped, making sure I was first on the surface to throw up the shield to protect the others as they came down. Eyes closed, arms out from my sides, I sailed through the air with a smirk on my lips as screams erupted.
When I was a few feet from the floor, I flipped so that I landed facing Ryder. I landed hard but tossed up the shield throwing Fae around the room and cutting one half of the crowd off from the other as it went up smoothly. When it was fully erected I looked up and undid the hook as I watched the rest of the strike team come down.
Ryder and his men surrounded Arianna and that would be a problem, one we’d expected. I wasn’t sure Larissa's magic would be strong enough to bring them in and consume their minds. Adam signaled as he hit the floor and the music swiftly changed to Crazy Town's Butterfly.