Into the Fire (The Unseelie Court Book 4) Gwen Rivers (sneezy the snowman read aloud .TXT) 📖

Briefly, I tell her about being found in the Black Forest, how I’d accidentally killed that hiker. I leave the Norns and the fey out of my tale. If she’s anything like I’d been, her brain won’t process all that exists beyond the Veil without seeing it.

Hell, I’m still trying to understand it.

She lets out a breath. “So that’s why you’re here. You killed a bunch of people who attacked you?”

“And a few who hurt young children. I guess I’m a vigilante. Like your Declan.” At least I thought I was before seeing the ripple of destruction my actions had caused.

Astrid is back to working on her nail.

“Do you believe me?”

Blue-gray eyes take me in. “I do. I’m not sure why, but you don’t sound like a liar.”

“So, tell me what it is you can do.” She’s given hints, that she knows my baby is a girl, that she can see things, but I need more detail if I am to figure out how much I should tell her about the Norns.

“Someone’s coming.” Astrid scrambles to her feet.

Footsteps stop outside our door and then it is pushed inward. I turn to face the hazmat suited guards.

One steps forward, a bag in hand. He isn’t moving toward me though, but reaches for Astrid.

“What is this?” I snap, pushing up off the floor until I am standing between the two of them.

“Back off, now.” The guard blocking the doorway levels that weird gizmo that is sort of like a Taser at me. “Hands up, or we’ll gas both of you.”

I swallow and then raise my hands. Goon two steps forward again, reaching for Astrid. Her gaze darts to me as if she’s looking for reassurance. “Nic,” her voice cracks.

“It’s okay,” I tell her, praying that I’m not lying. “It’ll be fine.”

Then my hands are bound behind my back, the hated hood coming down over my face. I am frog-marched out into the hall beside Astrid. I want to say something to her, but I don’t know what.

“Where are you taking us?” My words come out muffled. Are we on the verge of the rescue Angrboda promised me?

“Walk.” The terse reply is accompanied by a sharp jab in the lower back.

Prick.

Side by side with my new friend, we are led around twists and turns until we reach an elevator. More guards join us, eight in total. All armed to the teeth. I can’t tell if any of them are Hanson, but she’s never bothered with the hazmat gear.

The elevator is too small to fit our entire entourage, so Astrid and her four guards go first. When the empty car returns, I step inside without a fight.

The concrete slab where we disembark leads to a warehouse of sorts. Cracked and fogged glass let in a little natural light, but it’s so much better than the recycled air I’ve been ingesting. Hanson’s lair is underground. Ahead of me, I see Astrid, still unbound, still surrounded by a wall of guards.

Not FBI, I realize with a start. Maybe it’s the fresh air working on my brain for the first time in a while but I realize that while Hanson may be FBI, the rest of her team is made up of hired thugs.

We push outside into a hardscrabble dirt parking area. I wince at the brightness of real sunlight reflecting off the snow. I inhale all the way down to my toes, picking up the crisp scent of winter. It’s almost too bright after the artificial darkness of the past few days.

One of the thugs jabs me again in my lower back. That’s going to bruise.

We walk as a unit toward a large blue panel van, like the one they had transported me in. From my angle, I can’t see the plates, no idea what state we’re in. Still no FBI logo. Whatever this is, it’s not an obvious operation.

The tall trees are a mix of evergreen and deciduous. I want to scan the area for any sign of Chloe and Angrboda. They knew this would happen, that I’d be moved. Where are they?

Astrid is shoved roughly into the van, where she is secured. I’m up next, but have trouble balancing with my hands bound behind me. I fall and go down to one knee. One of the guards jerks me up roughly by the hair. Tears spring into my eyes, but I don’t let them fall. Not yet. I need help, I can’t take out eight of them on my own.

The guard hauls me to the seat next to Astrid and shackles me in place.

I suck in as much fresh air as I can through my hood before the guards shut the door. Three left, one in back with us and his wicked-looking weapon that may or may not be a Taser. Two upfront on the other side of the mesh webbing. A driver and another, both heavily armed.

Soon. I’ll be free soon. And I will free Astrid as well. Because regardless of what else she is, she’s become my friend.

And I don’t leave friends behind.

The van travels down a dirt road. Having grown up in a rural area, I know the jounce from trucking over potholes at a good clip. The ride to the facility is foggy, filled with pain and shock. No landmarks, just trees, snow and more trees. I tap my toe against the floor. I see the guard frown down at my bare feet.

“What?” I mumble through my mask.

He looks away, as though unsettled.

Yeah, well your bosses took my shoes and gave me nothing else. So here I am, barefoot and pregnant. I shift on the seat, trying to ease my discomfort.

“Settle down,” he snaps as though the reality of my situation makes him uncomfortable.

Freedom is at hand—I can feel it in my bones. Eagerness courses through me. I am ready to move on to the next phase, to find Aiden and my friends. I haven’t figured out what I will do with Astrid but one thing at a time. She