Page 120 of Harnessed in Gold

He shrugs. “Who else’s could it be?”

The gong in the chute signals the next arrival. I expect it to beTopaz, but instead it’s Rime. Before I can ask, he explains, “She’ll get some snakes to boost her.”

Okay, yeah, let’s just leave it at that, thanks.

For the final time, the metal hatch rings out. I jump back, scared Topaz is going to bring her snakes with her, but she hops out of the chute reptile-less—and looking like she just came back from the spa.

Rime wipes his dirty face with his sleeve. “Let’s get out of here.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

A glanceat my phone tells me we have less than twenty minutes before the library closes.

Avery snatches the journal out of Leo’s hands and thrusts it at Aaron. “Here. Shove it back in your pants.”

“Why? It’s a library. We’re allowed to walk out with books.”

“Not one that old.”

He tucks the journal into his waistband and follows Rime out the door, the rest of us close behind. As we hustle down the hall, anxiety builds. At first, I think it’s my own—campus security has set a trap for us; I’m going to get expelled. But the closer we get to the elevator, the more the anxiety changes shape. It’s heavy and dark. Paralyzing. And underscored with confusion.

I whisper to Leo, “Somebody’s scared.”

“We’re all scared,” he chuckles back.

The unwieldy emotions slow my legs to a crawl. “No.” I grab his arm. “Something’s seriously wrong.”

He hesitates, but with the others so far ahead of us, he’s forced to take my hand and tug me along. “Then let’s just get out of here as fast as we can.”

“Stop!” shouts a voice. Security? The cops?

Rime freezes, signaling for the rest of us to keep back. But we all tiptoe closer, peering to the left to see why he’s staring down the intersecting hall.

From the far end of the passage, a deep, menacing laugh resounds. Ice-blue eyes shine in the dusty beam of a flashlight. Blond hair, pointed ears?—

Leo sucks in a breath. “River.”

“There she is,” River croons, cold eyes cutting to me. “The one who can see us. We knew she was working with you.”

Legs shaking, I clutch Leo’s arm. From behind River, other figures emerge. Two more flashlight beams, two more faces. Brier’s entire team.

Topaz pushes up to the front of our pack, eyes on the enemy and a hiss in her voice. “I’ll warn you, I have a lot of friends down here.”

“We didn’t come for a fight,” River drawls. “We came for the ring.”

Rime barks a laugh. “Too bad we don’t have it.”

River and the female snort.

Meanwhile, the dark-haired fae steps forward, wearing a dignified smile on his sinister face. “Then perhaps we can negotiate.” He looks us all over, as though he’s taking stock. “Rime the Goshawk, Topaz the Adder, and Leo the Hawthorn, Saoi. All from the Stag clan.” He gestures to the giant brute on his right. “You must know River.”

None of the other Stags utter a word.

Unbothered, the smaller guy points to the female. “And this is Juniper of the Moor clan.”

I notice he’s not giving away their species. He’s forcing us to play with an open hand, while they hold theirs close to the vest.

“And I—” he graces us with a sardonic bow, “—am Burdock. Deoraí.”