Torn (A Wicked Trilogy Book 2) (32 page)

I dropped to the ground next to him, the damp soil soaking through my dress. He rolled onto his side, grabbing my left arm and yanking hard enough that I worried he’d pull it out of its socket. He shouted, and I didn’t think about what I was doing, because it was
so
gross. I just did it. Slamming the blade down, I went for the eye, and I hit my target. His roar was cut off and his arms dropped limply. Dark blood and other liquid I didn’t want to think too closely about, because it might make me puke, spurted into the air, hitting my face and chest.

The hit wasn’t going to kill the dumb son of a bitch, but I figured it would keep him down for a while.

“Ivy!” Faye shouted, up and apparently alive. “Let’s go!”

Yanking the iron dagger out of Valor’s eye socket, I stood up and took off, darting across the street, following Faye’s moonlit form. We ran for several more yards, twigs and fallen branches tearing at my feet. Small rocks dug into my skin, but I kept going. My heart felt like it was going to pound right out of my chest, but this was my only chance. If I didn’t get away now, I was never getting away.

Feet pounded behind me. Sparing a look over my shoulder, I saw the ancient I’d just stabbed in the damn face tearing through the woods, dark liquid pouring down his face. Jesus, he was like the Terminator Ancient. I dug in, giving it everything I had.

But it wasn’t enough.

Air exploded out of my lungs as he crashed into me from behind, taking me down. The impact knocked the dagger out of my hand, and his weight drove me several inches into the mush where I got a mouthful of soil and grass. Dirt clogged my nostrils, and for a moment I couldn’t breathe.

Spitting the mess out, I dragged in gulps of air as Valor grabbed a handful of my hair and jerked my head back.

“You fucking bitch,” he spat. “I could snap your neck in a second.”

My fingers dug into the soil as I reached for my dagger. “I don’t think your prince would be happy about that.”

Valor flipped me onto my back and loomed over me, one hand still tangled in my hair. His face was a mess—really not a pretty sight. “Do you think that will stop me? He’ll find another halfling. You’re not the only one.”

“I’m the closest,” I spat out, lifting my hips to throw him, but he wouldn’t budge.

His grip in my hair tightened, and fire spread across my skull. I was going to be bald if he kept it up. “He’s going to think you escaped, but in truth, you’re going to be dead.”

I started to point out that my escaping on his watch was probably not going to over well, but I didn’t get the chance. His other hand came down, landing on my throat, squeezing and cutting off my air before I realized I’d taken my last breath.

That was it.

My eyes widened as I grabbed his wrist, scratching and tearing at his skin, but it did nothing to alleviate the pressure. Where in the hell did Faye go? He was choking the life out of me! A deep, unholy burn bloomed in my chest and rapidly crawled up my throat. I went for his gouged-out eye, but he leaned away, keeping just out of reach. Panic exploded, raw and all-consuming as the corners of my vision darkened.

Valor was really going to kill me.

This was it.

I was going to die in the bayou like I was some poor victim in an episode of an investigative Discovery Channel show.

My strength was waning and I could no longer keep swinging at him. My hand slipped down his arm, and all I could think—

Valor suddenly jerked and his grip on my throat loosened. Air rushed into my lungs as he looked down at his chest where a stake had burst through. And not an iron one, either.

His body trembled but no sound came out of his gaping mouth as I scrambled out from underneath him. The ancient was a goner. Dead. Oxygen burned my raw throat and my eyes watered as I rolled sideways. My brain kept telling me to get up and start running again, but all my limbs were tingling and they felt sort of detached.

A gentle, warm hand touched my shoulder. “Ivy.”

I stilled. Slowly, I lifted my head, and with a shaky hand, pushed my hair back from my face. My voice was hoarse and weak as I said, “Ren.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Shocked and utterly speechless, I stared up at Ren, and a part of me wondered if I was hallucinating, because I couldn’t understand why he was here.

Ren slowly knelt beside me. Moonlight highlighted his cheekbones and full mouth. “Ivy, are you okay?”

I had no voice as I stared at him. His hair fell in waves over his forehead. In the darkness, his green eyes were nearly black. He looked a little pale, almost shaken. It looked like Ren and he’d killed Valor, but I . . . I wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

My heart, which never really slowed down, kicked into high gear, pounding so fast I felt like it would give out any second.

I’d been fooled before. I’d let my own wants and desires to be reunited with Ren clog all my sense of judgment. If I had been paying attention, had been less emotional, I would’ve noticed right off the bat that something was wrong with Ren, that it wasn’t him.

He reached out, as if to touch me.

Unable to trust my own judgment, I scuttled back across the ground. He froze and I threw out my hand, warding him off. He didn’t move toward me. That was a good sign, I thought, as I unsteadily got to my feet. He did the same, and I noticed then that he held the thorn stake in his hand. It had to be him, right? Drake wouldn’t have one of those. He’d thrown aside the one I had while we’d been in Ren’s apartment, but he could’ve went back and got it. He could’ve had anyone go back. This could be a trap. I had no idea where my dagger was, not that it would do much good if this was Drake. Slowly, I stood.

Feeling sick, I took a small step back as I glanced at the mushy ground. It was too dark to see my weapon.

“Ivy,” Ren spoke, causing my gaze to snap to his. “It’s okay. Everything is okay.”

I wet my lips. Everything might not be okay. When I spoke, my voice cracked. “Is . . . is it really you?”

His brows knitted together as stark pain flickered across his face. “Yes, it’s me.” His voice was hoarse. “It’s really me, sweetness.”

Sweetness
. Ren called me that. Drake as Ren never had.

My hands started to tremble. Could it really be him? He came back after . . . after everything? The tremble traveled down my legs. No. There was no reason.

“Ivy.” A voice intruded on my thoughts. Faye. She was still alive and standing behind Ren. And she wasn’t alone. Two more fae were with her. I tensed. “We have to go. We’re out of time,” she said.

“You . . .” I swallowed, feeling out of it. My gaze shot back to Ren. I was frozen in place, my mind and body snagged. “I don’t know if it’s you,” I said. “I don’t know why there are more fae here.”

“It’s me.” Ren’s voice was gruff. “I’ll explain everything later, but we have to go, and I know it’s a lot to ask, babe, but I need you to trust me right now. To trust us. If we don’t go, we will lose this window. We—” He cut himself off, then reached into his pocket, pulling out his cellphone. “We have a couple more seconds,” he said, hitting a button on his phone.

He was calling someone, and I couldn’t think of who he would be calling right now.

Faye shook her head and came forward. The other two male fae stayed back, scanning the area. “We don’t have time. More will be coming.”

“Hey,” Ren said, ignoring her. “I need you here. Yeah, I know I told you to stay in the car, but you need to get here. Right now. We’re about a mile from where you are.” There was a pause as Ren stared at me. “She’s here, but I need you to be—” He paused abruptly, and frustration deepened his tone. “Dammit. Just get here.
Now
.”

I had no idea what was happening, but I was shaking, and I didn’t even know why. Confusion clouded my thoughts as Ren disconnected the call and put the phone in his pocket. His gaze never left me, not once, and it made me uncomfortable, because of, well, everything.
Everything
.

I suddenly didn’t feel like myself. I wasn’t Ivy Morgan. I wasn’t a fighter relying on instinct, because Ivy would be running since this could be a trap. Ivy would risk it all then go down fighting. Ivy wouldn’t be locked in place, full of indecision and fear. I was this . . . thing who had fed on people because a monster made me do it just to survive. I didn’t . . .

I didn’t even know who I was anymore.

God, I didn’t need to think about that right now. I needed to pull it together. I was losing my damn mind at the most inopportune moment ever possible, in the history of—

“Ivy!”

I twisted to the right and my eyes widened. A tall form was cutting through the trees, moving as fast as a sprinting deer. I knew that voice, and if he was here, then this was Ren and it
was
okay.

Tink burst into the clearing. He was man-sized and wearing jeans. And a shirt. He actually had a shirt on.

“Ivy!” he yelled.

“Lower your voice,” Faye said.

Tink didn’t listen, because he was Tink, but I had never been happier in my life to see him. He shouted my name again, and then he was crashing into me, nearly taking me to the ground. All the aches and bruises screamed in protest, but I wrapped my arms around him.

“Oh my Queen Mab, I thought you were dead! Or at least knocked up! And I thought I’d be dead, because no one but Jerk-Face over there knew about me, and I thought I would starve. Starve to death!”

“Tink,” Ren warned, voice low.

“And I was just sitting at home, all by myself. Well, not by myself, but I don’t think you want to hear about that right now, but I was worried. You didn’t come home for days and days, and I was down to ordering cereal off of Amazon and”—he took a quick breath—“I never thought I’d see you again. Even when Renny showed up. I thought all was lost,” he wailed, squeezing me so tight as he swayed back and forth. “And I was going to have to live with him now, and . . . Wait, why are you wearing a dress?”

I clung to Tink, my arms wrapped tightly around him. Tears burned my eyes and hit my cheeks, because I . . . I never thought I’d see him again.

~

We had to run again.

Once Tink got himself under control, I was able to get myself moving. His presence was more than just comforting. With him here, I knew this wasn’t a trap. Ren was real. Faye and her mystery fae friends weren’t going to try to drag me back to Drake or lock Ren in the pantry again.

With Tink here, and his hand clenching mine, I was Ivy again. Sort of. I was enough of my old self that I knew what I needed to do to have the highest chance of survival. Indecision took a back seat.

Faye and the two mystery fae flanked the three of us—Tink, Ren, and me. And I wasn’t doing much running at this point. Tink was mostly half-dragging me. We ran another mile and then came upon a dark stretch of narrow road. The scent of earth and dank water was strong as we slowed down. An oversized black SUV was parked on the shoulder of the road.

The two fae opened the tailgate and climbed in, getting in the very back. Then Tink slid in. He didn’t sit. His long body was folded, cramped as he bent over, waiting. A hand touched my shoulder, and I jolted.

“It’s just me.” Ren removed his hand, his face shadowed. “I’m just helping you get in.”

I flushed as I nodded jerkily, then placed my hand in his. I climbed up into the back of the SUV and sat in the seat.

“Dammit,” Ren exploded, and I looked up at him. He was staring down.

“What?” I asked.

“Your feet. Jesus.” Concern flashed over his face as he held open the back door. “We need to look at them as soon as we get back.”

I didn’t even feel my feet anymore, but I looked down and saw that they were covered in dirt and blood.

Ren hesitated for a second and then closed the door. I watched him jog around the hood of the SUV while Faye climbed into the front passenger seat, and then he was behind the wheel. I sat, tensed and ready for Drake or an ancient to appear out of nowhere.

Then we were moving, hitting the road and quickly speeding up. I looked over at Tink. He was quiet, which was really odd. Tink was
never
quiet.

I drew in a deep breath and glanced up at the front. Ren’s hand was clenching the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were bleached white. His gaze flicked up to the rearview mirror for a second, finding mine.

What was going through his head? I had no idea, but I shouldn’t have been surprised that he was here, taking part in this rescue mission. He was a member of the Elite, and obviously I couldn’t be left with the prince.

I pressed my lips together and turned to the window, staring out at the dark scenery racing by. Faye was speaking to Ren in a low voice, and I wanted to know how they had met. How their two worlds had crossed. Was it when he was held captive at the mansion, or after? And who were these fae sitting behind us? There were so many questions, but I didn’t ask them. I just stared out the window, watching the woods blur and give way to the grasslands and swamps.

Part of me wondered if this was a dream. Was I really out of there, sitting in the car with Tink and Ren? I rested my forehead against the cool glass. Yes, this was real. The ache in my hip and the soreness in my throat told me it was. When I dreamed, I didn’t feel this . . . cold inside. When I dreamed, I didn’t feel like I was full of shadows.

I was happy—thrilled that I was out, and with each passing second, I was further and further away from that place, but I couldn’t . . . I just couldn’t relax. It was like I was too tired to, and that didn’t even make any sense. My hands shook, so I shoved them between my knees.

Eventually, we hit the city and I started to recognize where we were. It had taken a while to get back to the land of normalcy, which gave me an idea of how far out I’d been the last couple of weeks. Once we got close to the Mississippi River, I realized where we were heading as Ren turned onto Market Street.

I slid my hands out from between my knees and turned toward the front. “Are we”—I cleared my throat—“are we going to the old power plant?”

“Yes,” answered a fae in the back. When I looked over my shoulder, I saw it had been the one sitting on the right. He had fair hair, lighter than the other male. He didn’t look at me when he spoke. “My name is Kalen,” he said. “And this is Dane.”