Page 28 of Fae Farewells

She blinked several times, as if she thought she’d heard me wrong. “You can confirm this? There’s proof?”

“Well, Anahein is dead. We killed her a few days ago… But we’ll get more proof. First, we need to get two of the prisoners to Grandfather so they—”

“What?”

“I told you we had shit to do. Sloane’s father came to get his mate, Amelia. We know her as Leah…”

Freya nodded.

“We need to find Nate and Amelia, and get them out while Sloane and Sarge keep Alania busy.”

She continued to nod. “You’ve lost your mind.”

“No. I know the plan.”

“What’s that?”

“Free us, free them, kill Alania.”

She snorted.

“I’m not joking, Freya.”

“I know.” She placed her hand on my cheek. “You seem different.”

“It’s a long story, but I’m not the same person. I trust my mate more than I trust myself. And I’m asking you to trust us both.”

I ran my index finger over the edge of my right ear, feeling the notches I’d earned from every arrest. Some of them I’d taken for Freya, and some of hers had come from protecting Ruby and Tilly.

“I wasn’t able to breathe fully until I met Sloane,” I admitted quietly. “The guys helped, but I was constantly looking over my shoulder, keeping everything in line for the next time I needed to run. Going from the protector to the protected was difficult.”

“Going from being protected to exposed is worse,” she whispered.

“It’s going to be over soon.”

“I wish I had your confidence.”

I bumped my shoulder against hers. “I learned it from my sisters. My sweet, annoying, manipulative—”

She glared at me.

“Gorgeous, amazing, intelligent sisters.”

“I take it back,” she mumbled. “You haven’t changed that much.”

“But you have.” I gave her my best smile. “Look how strong you are.”

“I’m not strong.”

I hummed, agreeing to disagree as I slide two fingers between the cuff and my left wrist.

“What are you doing?”

I jerked my hand, snapping the hinge on the magic-resistant metal. Then I swapped sides, rolling my wrists as power fled through my system once more.

“Your turn.”

“I can’t do that, and you can’t get your—”