Page 170 of The Spider Queen
I mentally thanked my spiders. They wanted to serve me and to see to my well-being.
“Just slip on your boots. Stay naked,” he said with a wink.
“But the forest…and it’s getting colder.”
“No one is here besides us. And there are furs in the shelter.”
We walked side by side, our clothes in our arms. When we got to the tree, Thane pressed his hand against the trunk, and the staircase appeared. No sooner had the both of us started our ascension did the trunk close, and we were safely ensconced in the tree shelter.
The treehouse was one large room with a platform bed covered in furs. Burning candles were the only source of light. It was beautiful and rustic. “I guess this will do,” I teased.
Thane leaned against one of the wooden walls and grinned at me. A fire flared in the fireplace, causing me to jump back. He laughed. Shaking my head, I set my suit down on a wooden chair in the corner. Thane set the satchel and his clothes on the chair by the bed and then picked up one of the furs. He held it up to me. I walked to him and turned around, letting him drape it around my shoulders.
“Warmer now?” he asked, nuzzling his nose against my cheek.
“Yes. Thank you.” My stomach rumbled, reminding me it had been hours since we’d eaten. I looked around. “I don’t see a stove or a refrigerator.”
He grinned again. A table and two chairs appeared before the fire, as did a cutting board with a loaf of bread and two goblets. A pot simmered over the fire, wafting a gamey meat aroma in my direction.
“How did you do this?” I demanded.
“It’s not me,” he said.
“Then who?”
“I’m not sure. I told you this structure has been here for as long as anyone can remember. It gives whatever is needed to those who occupy the space.”
“The working of magic is strange, huh?”
“Definitely.”
“Are you going to put on your pants?” I demanded.
“Why would I do that?”
“Because I can’t think about food when you’re”—my gaze dropped lower—“out and about.”
“Sit,” he said, gesturing to one of the wooden chairs at the table by the fire. “I’ll put on pants, and then we’ll eat.”
The stew was hearty, the bread warm, the wine potent. No sooner had we finished our meal did the plates and silverware disappear. Logs crackled in the fire, and I tugged my fur around me, lulled into a peaceful drowse.
Thane gently pushed back the chair and stood. He came to me, took the wine from my hand, and set it down on the table. He urged me to stand and then swung me up into his arms.
He set me down on the bed and then tucked me in. The furs brushed against my naked skin, causing me to shiver.
Thane stripped out of his pants and then climbed in next to me. I snuggled into his embrace as the candles dimmed before snuffing out. His hand stroked up and down my skin, and his lips pressed to my shoulder.
“How are you able to keep your eyes open?” I demanded, cuddling against his bare chest.
“I’m immortal, Poppy. I don’t tire the way you do. I don’t need food or water the way you do, either.”
“We could go a lot faster if I wasn’t transforming. Is that right?”
“Yes.”
“Tomorrow we leave at dawn.”
“Just rest.”
