Chapter One
I stepped into the one-piece, leather outfit and pulled it on.
It glided over my legs easily, making me realize the material wasn’t simply leather. It was too pliable, and it molded too perfectly to my body. There was more to it. Maybe something synthetic, or more likely, magic.
After stuffing my arms into the sleeves, I pulled the suit over my shoulders. There was a zipper in the back that I wouldn't be able to close, given my wings—not without magical help, anyway. I didn’t want to wear the garment, but Charlie had insisted. She said it would keep me safe from bugs, sticky bushes, and even the Habermanns’ poisoned bullets.
With a sigh, I opened the door to the private cabin where I’d been changing and smiled at Charlie on the other side. She also wore one of the miraculous suits, and she looked perfectly comfortable in it. Now that I was wearing one, I could see why.
“You look great.” She gave me a gentle smile and walked into the room.
I was about to close the door, but Bridget sneaked in, her curly, red hair bouncing like a cloud around her. Her cheeks were flushed, and her green eyes sparkled. She was excited for some action.
The cabin was long and narrow with a metal cot in one corner and barely enough space for two people to stand shoulder-to-shoulder.
“You look hot,” Bridget said, looking me up and down as she sidled over to the cot and sat.
“I’m not hot. The fabric is actually quite cooling,” I said which made both women giggle for some reason.
Charlie circled me and stood behind me, pulling her brown hair into a ponytail. Her dark eyes were full of confidence and serenity. “Let’s see how we can change things to accommodate your wings.”
I stared at the floor as she perused my bare back. At least my bottom half was covered. Good thing I had relieved myself before putting it on. I hadn’t had the nerve to ask how we used the bathroom in this thing.
“Okay,” Charlie said after a moment, “I’ll try something. If it’s not comfortable, or it impedes your wings’ movements, let me know.”
I nodded and glanced over my shoulder as Charlie weaved her hands in an intricate pattern. Something seemed to slither over my skin, and I shivered. It was a strange feeling, like fingers caressing me, moving up my spine. The sensation reached my neck, and the suit’s collar went snug around my throat.
Charlie stepped back. “How does that feel?”
I rolled my shoulders, flexed my arms, and gently opened and closed my wings. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”
“It only needs a final touch.” Bridget straightened her back and wiggled her fingers in my direction. The suit abruptly changed color from black to bright green.
I stared at myself, horrified. I looked like a giant lime.
“Quit messing around, Bridget.” Charlie sighed and returned my suit back to normal with the twirl of a finger. “She needs to blend in, not stand out like a green nightmare.”
Bridget rolled her eyes. “Pfft, you guys know nothing about fashion.”
“And you know nothing about covert operations.”
“That’s not true.” Bridget dramatically pressed a hand to her chest, acting as if she’d been wounded. “I live for covert operations.”
“Not in bright magenta you don’t.” Charlie gave Bridget’s suit a once over. “Get it back to normal, or you’re not coming.
Bridget pouted. “Party pooper.”
Charlie turned away from her friend to hide a smile and met my gaze. “Ready?”
“Yes.” I was more than ready.
“Are you sure? We can take care of this, Tally. You’ve been through enough already.”
They had tried to convince me to stay behind once before, but I was going back down to the island. I had “a score to settle” as the humans said.
We were floating above the island, inside some sort of flying machine powered by both magic and technology. Heavy clouds hid us from view, some weather phenomenon conjured by Dean Lynssa McIntosh, the head of the Supernatural Academy, who was here as the leader of this team. They had come to destroy the nightmare the Habermanns had created. The small island should be a paradise, not a prison.
Just an hour ago, Alonzo and a group of Supernaturals had attacked the dome and helped Vaughn, Arryn, Courtney, and I escape. Our own attempt to get away from the evil siblings had seemed doomed, but once more, Dean McIntosh had found a way to aid us and get the girls to safety. Alonzo had come through again, escorting Courtney and Arryn off the island. It was hard to say goodbye to the girls, but the dean had promised their safety.
Now, she and her team were ready to attempt a rescue mission. Bael, Becca, Ronnie, Regina, and Antonio were waiting for me to come back to them. I had left them with instructions to hide while I took an injured Crescent to the Habermanns as a ruse to get into the dome and rescue Vaughn and the girls, using my new invisibility skill.
Except I wouldn’t be able to personally keep my promise to Bael and the others. Charlie and her friends would go rescue the rest of my group, while I worked on a different mission.
I was going back for my cousin, Sinasre, whom I had left tangled in a clump of trees, alone and terrified of what the Habermanns’ experiments had turned him into. My Melthelel. I had to save him.
With the dean and all her magical protégés here, I was hopeful for his recovery.
I tried not to think of the fact that Vaughn was still unconscious despite everyone’s magical efforts. I had to stay hopeful. The dean and her healers were trying everything they could. They would find a way. There was no other possible outcome. Vaughn would be all right, and I would soon look into his spellbinding green eyes once more.
But for now, Charlie wasn’t going to keep me idle on this flying ship.
“I’m sure I want to go, Charlie. I can rest once we get everyone back,” I said.
“Leave her alone,” Bridget replied, rising from the cot. “You know if it was you, you’d be all hot and bothered to get into the action.”
I thought Charlie might argue, but instead, she pursed her lips and nodded in acceptance.
“Okay, then, let’s go.” Bridget opened the door, and we exited the cabin. We marched down a narrow corridor to the far end of the ship and entered the large, window-covered area where we had first materialized just an hour ago.
Disha, Rowan, Vinya, and another from Alonzo’s team named Tyler waited in the middle of the room. A stack of packs, utility belts, and weapons rested on the floor.
Rowan, Charlie’s vampire boyfriend, stepped forward. He was tall and broad with chestnut-colored hair, pale skin, and dark eyes that flashed red when he was angry. He was an intimidating vamp who I was glad to have on my side.
He pointed at the weapons. “Pick your poison.”
I glanced at the host of weapons carefully laid out on the floor. There were handguns, rifles, daggers, crossbows, and swords. I immediately gravitated toward a shortsword. It had a simple round pommel and a hilt wrapped in leather. It was the type of weapon I had trained with in Faerie.
Wrapping my hand around the hilt, I picked it up, unsheathed it, and tested its weight. It was perfect.
“Excellent choice,” Rowan said. “The blade is spelled. It can block magical attacks.”
I nodded appreciatively, while Rowan pointed to a utility belt. “I would offer you the back holster, but it wouldn’t work with your wings. That belt should, though.”