"No, I won't hide. I have to…"
The sound of Ethan's roar sent chills up my spine and my stomach to my throat. I struggled to my feet and began to run. The pain in his voice ripped at my soul. I could not live without him. I felt him and his agony in every part of my body and in every corner of my mind.
He sat in the middle of the nursery with his head in his hands. Blood was everywhere and the remains of a Fairy that had been torn to bits were strewn across the room. The silence was deafening and I refused to take in what I was seeing…actually what I wasn't seeing.
"Where's Sammy?" My voice sounded far away and small. Ethan said nothing. His rage and fury filled the room.
"Did they take him?" The Kev ground out with barely contained fury.
Ethan still said nothing.
"Answer him," I screamed and got down in my Vampyre's face. "Answer me."
"When I was tearing that one apart," he said in a dead voice, "the other one took our child."
I stood and moved erratically around the room. This was not possible. This was not happening. The need to crawl out of my skin was immense. It felt like something had been torn out of me and I couldn't figure out what to do to get it back. There was no way I would survive if I didn't get it back.
"Martha? Jane?" I demanded. Were they dead? Was there a pile of ash in the room that used to be them? I got down on my hands and knees and searched. They drove me to insanity, but I needed them to be alive. They had to be alive. My hands were covered in blood and the remains of the dead Fairy as I crawled around and desperately hunted for any sign of the old imbeciles. Why couldn't I find them? Their scent lingered in the room. They had been angry and terrified. Where in the Hell were they?
"They latched themselves onto the Fairy and wouldn't let go. He had no choice but to take them too," Ethan said hollowly.
My laughter was inappropriate and it was loud. It bordered on hysterics. The old bags had gone with my son. Perfect and perfectly horrifying. They would protect him with their lives. I couldn't love them more right now—conservative torpedo tits and all. I finally saw some light at the end of a very dark tunnel.
"Where would they have taken him?" I demanded of The Kev.
"To Xanthia," he replied. "I'm sure they are in Xanthia."
"I'll trade myself," Gemma said forcefully. "I will cross over the bridge and give myself up for the return of Samuel."
"No," The Kev said harshly.
"My life is not as important as his," she shot back in a tortured voice I barely recognized. "I despise the Fairies and have no desire to be their Queen. I can't spend my immortality waiting to be murdered by one of my kind. At least this way I am in control of my death—there will be a reason for it. It's my choice. Trading my life for Samuel's is what I want."
I wanted to yell yes, but I was so confused I couldn't move. Guilt consumed me as I warred with myself. Was it my place to demand or condone my best friend's life for my son's? If this was what she wanted was it my place to say no? Fuck, my role as a mother wasn't meshing with my role as a friend. I wanted my son back and I wanted the closest thing to a sister that I had to be alive.
"Would they take me?" I asked. "Let me trade myself. The Fairies will have a very hard time killing me without the Sword of Death. I have a much better chance making it out alive with Samuel than Gemma does."
"They will not hurt a child while he is collateral, but they will kill Gemma on sight. "The Kev said. "Astrid, the Fairies will not want you—you mean nothing to them. Samuel will be safe for a while. If there is one thing I know it is that." The Kev looked devastated. He had waited lifetimes for Gemma. The simple fact that she would forfeit her life so easily was killing him.
"No one is dying," I said angrily, "except for the bastard who took my son and anyone who tries to stop me from getting him back. Period."
"Do they know what Samuel is?" Ethan demanded angrily as he stood up, motivated by revenge and fear for our child.
"I don't see how they could know. I would guess they have been watching us and had several plans in place. They would know Gemma's connection to Samuel and assume she would barter for his life. Even if they try to kill him, they can't. He's a True Immortal and as Astrid pointed out, they don't have the Sword of Death," The Kev explained as he took Gemma's hand and stared at her hard. "Gemma, you will go into hiding until this is taken care of."
She pulled away from The Kev and shook her head in frustration. "They will happily take me in exchange for Samuel," she said woodenly. "I will die happy if I know he is safe. They're going to kill me eventually…let me die for a real reason."
"The chances of them giving back the child are slim if they get what they want," The Kev said quietly.
"Your people are fucked up," I hissed.
"That is why I spend as much time as I do in your realm," The Kev replied sadly.
"And that's why I don't want to be their fucking Queen," Gemma said with a fury-laced voice.
I turned away. I had no time to feel compassion for anyone at the moment. I needed my anger to stay alive and raw. Martha and Jane would protect Sammy, but how long would the Fairies let the old Vamps live? Time was of the essence.
"We will go and get him back." I stood up and grabbed my mate's hand. "And we will kill every motherfucker that tries to stop us. Deal?"