hearts of metal

lvii. found you

She laughed as Fenrys belted out the lyrics to a country song.

He blew her a kiss from the karaoke stage, to which she pretended to catch it.

Around her, the crowd was lively as one would expect on a Friday night. Today was the day Mia was leaving for Eyllwe. They had, in fact, dropped her off at the airport earlier that day.

So karaoke night was her attempt at cheering herself and Fen up a bit. The others had turned down the offer, for reasons varying from work to 'why the hell would I willingly spend time with you.' The last one was Lorcan. And Connal, jokingly to his twin, before he proceeded to leave to meet up with Nox.

Rowan wanted to look more into Maeve. He hadn't let it go yet, and she could tell the situation with the Valg was only weighing on him more and more.

Thinking of Rowan immediately dampened her mood, for she wanted to go home to where he was. She wanted to rub that tiny furrow between his brows and tell him to stop working. She then wanted to drag him to bed and curl up where she could hear his heartbeat.

She wanted to forget the Valg existed and pretend that she'd always lived where she did now. No one had ever taken her away from her father or mother or brother. But then, she supposed, she never would have met Sam.

Her head began to hurt, and she nudged her half empty glass.

Fen had finished his song and stumbled back to their booth by now. "Whatcha thinking?" he said. "You've got a look on your face?"

"No look," she said, taking another sip of her drink.

"Why don't we just go home?" he asked. Then, stealing her drink and downing half of it, he added, "after another song."

She raised an eyebrow at him, but let herself be dragged up to the stage. They'd come here once before, with the rest of their friends. And had been mercilessly made fun of for their singing.

Today though, it was just them. And their singing was awful as always, as they sang along to some pop song that she'd heard on the radio.

Fen did have a way of bringing her spirits up.

One song, of course, turned into two. Then a third, followed by a break to get food, then another song.

By the time they were done with their night, Aelin stayed at the bar to pay their tab while Fen left to get the car.

Once she was done, she wove between the crowd and made her way to the door. Outside, the air was cool, and she had to fight off a shiver.

She glanced around the parking lot for her friend, but he wasn't there. Aelin frowned, nerves alight. The sound of something crunching behind her made her whirl. Nothing.

Aelin took a few steps to the side, noticing something move in the shadows around the corner. She reached for a knife, while backing away.

The figure in the shadows lunged, and Aelin swung. Her knife made only a shallow slice, the metal gleaming in the dim light. The barrel of a gun crashed into her jaw, sending her head snapping to one side.

Swiftly, she blocked the man's next hit, and her leg swung around the back of knee to tug him forward. He crashed down and she sent a hard jab into his throat. Another jab into the temple, and he crumpled to the asphalt.

Her skin at her jaw started to throb, a bruise starting to form. She turned to leave, walking around the outer edge of the perimeter. She scanned the scene around her for Fenrys, but he was still nowhere in sight.

Muffled footsteps brought her attention to the alley between the bar and the next building over.

She stepped into the alley, and froze.

Aelin's heart had stopped. The world spun for a dizzying second before snapping back into clarity, as if the adrenaline had painted the world vivid and bright.

A man had forced Fenrys to his knees, a gun pressed to his temple. A fist tightened around handfuls of blond hair. Fenrys barely winced, though his skin had gone pale.

He met her eyes. Pleading. Telling her to run.

Her feet remained steadily planted. Valg soldiers stepped away from where they lined the walls to approach her. It took only a second for more Valg to surround her, their guns lifted and aimed.

Clear footsteps sounded as a figure strolled onto the scene from the side exit. A neon side above the door flickered once, twice, then went out. Leaving them in darkness.

The woman looked out of place in the grimy alley. She wore a neat suit, with tailored slacks and a blazer. Her lips were painted the same crimson as her long nails, and they were tilted into a smug smile. Every strand of dark black hair was in place.

And those onyx eyes, lacking all the warmth that Fenrys' brown eyes had, bored right into Aelin.

Just like that, Aelin knew who it was.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Galathynius girl," Maeve drawled. "I finally found you."

"Took you long enough," Aelin retorted. "I would have expected more from you." Her mind whirred for options, but they were sorely outnumbered. And with that man holding Fen hostage...

"Search her for weapons, Cairn," Maeve demanded.

One of the men near her strolled up. His eyes were icy blue and narrow, his face wide and square shaped. A predator's grin played on his face, telling her he'd enjoy every second of this.

She bit her tongue, the coppery tang of blood blooming in her mouth, as his hands started to rove over. He first took her phone from her pocket and launched it against the wall.

Slower than necessary, but efficiently, the man located her weapons. The knife in her hand, two knives under her top, one strapped to her thigh.

"This must be the first time you've touched a woman in...how long?" she taunted. His eyes narrowed further at her. "I mean with a face like that and your manners..."

Before she knew it, his hand had gripped her long blonde waves and yanked them so hard her neck ached. Close enough for her to knock him out and steal the gun tucked into his belt...

But before she could even make a move, one of the other men had grabbed his collar and hauled him backward.

Aelin forced herself to stay on her feet, gaze going back to a wide eyed Fenrys. She could see his tense shoulders, the strain on his face.

He blinked at her, eyes flicking between her and Cairn.

A van pulled up to the entrance of the alley, blocking them in. The back doors opened.

Two men hauled Fenrys up and began to tie his hands and wrists. Fen struggled against their attempts, only for one man to land a solid right hook to his jaw.

Aelin swallowed her shout as Fen crumpled. No, no, no.

"Something special for you, my dear," Maeve crooned. "After all, we can't have our dear Adarlan's Assassin escaping from handcuffs, can we?"

Cairn grabbed her upper arm and started to drag her. Quickly, her hand reached for the two necklaces she always wore. It closed around her locket, and she tugged. The necklace fell to the ground, unnoticed.

She only hoped it would be enough.

Aelin felt her stomach flip as she noticed where he was taking her. In the back of the van was a metal box, with its lid open and restraints embedded within.

And it was shaped like a coffin.