Page 138 of The Spider Queen
“Hmm… I’ll be hearing about that later,” Thane muttered. “That’s a mess she’s going to have to clean up.”
I frowned. “She?”
“Queen Lira.”
“And she would be?”
“Queen of the Merrow, of course.”
“Of course.”
“It was her daughter who saved you—and Hunter.”
“Well, thanks. I’ll send them a fruit basket,” I snapped, feeling the exhaustion wreak havoc on my nervous system.
He laughed.
I was one step past overwhelmed. “It’s not funny! I think I have ‘Beyond the Veil’ culture shock. And those wasps! I hate those wasps. They hurt! Theystillhurt.”
Suddenly, Thane grasped my upper arms. “They stung you?”
I nodded, staring into his dark eyes. They swirled with anger and fear.
“Did you pull out their stingers?”
“What—”
“Their stingers, Poppy! You have to get the stingers out now.”
“Why? I was stung before and nothing happened.”
“That was different. That was—” He shook his head. “I don’t have time to explain. They’re leaking poison into your body. If we don’t remove them, they’ll stop your heart.”
Chapter 55
Thane’s hands were pulling at my shirt—his shirt. And then his fingers were on my skin, touching me everywhere. He found the first stinger along my ribs. Thane pinched the little gold stinger between his fingers and it disappeared. A sharp pain followed. He did this four more times and then breathed a sigh of relief.
Before I could thank him, he pulled me into his arms. He was warmer than the night air, and he smelled like cocoa nibs.
“I think it’s time,” Thane said against my hair.
“For what?” I asked, my eyes closing.
“For you to free me. We can’t stay Beyond the Veil.”
“Why not?” I snuggled into his embrace, my eyes drooping. “It’s beautiful here. Quiet. Safe.”
“There are things we must do, and I—Poppy? Poppy!”
“I just want to sleep. I haven’t slept in ages,” I murmured.
I felt Thane ease me onto the soft, spongy ground. Just when I thought he would let me nap, his hands roamed my body, and he shouted in a language I didn’t understand.
“Not now, Poppy! Don’t do this to me now.”
The desperation in his voice had me cracking my eyes open. I stared into his dark gaze. I wanted to speak, to assure him nothing was wrong, that I was just tired.
“This will hurt her,” came a gravelly voice from somewhere behind my head. “She may not even survive—”
