Page 154 of The Spider Queen
I’d never been in love before Hunter. Crushes, yes. Unrequited puppy love, sure. But Hunter… My feelings for Hunter had been real and reciprocated. Lasting.
I wasn’t fanciful. I didn’t believe in soul mates. I would’ve chosen Hunter. Ihadchosen Hunter. My mortal heart had chosen Hunter. But now I was…altered. Becoming an immortal but not one yet. That’s all I knew.
What I felt for Thane was not love—it was lust that made my skin crackle with tension. Even though it was nothing more than desire, it eclipsed my love for Hunter. Thane was like the sun. Bright. All encompassing.
Hunter is a mortal.You will never feel for him what you could feel for me… If you let yourself.
Get out of my head!
You called to me.
I didn’t!
Don’t fight me.
I’ll never love you.
Never is a long time, Poppy.
You’re a smug bastard.
Your feelings will change. But you made a mistake, Poppy. I am not the sun. You are.
My breath caught in my throat.
If it hadn’t been for you, I’d still be a prisoner.
You’re still a prisoner. We both are.
But we’re together now.
I felt his yearning. To be completely free. To be with me, to touch my skin and hold me in his arms. What had it been like to be so alone for so long?
Do not pity me.
But all those years wasted…trapped.
Nothing in the life of an immortal.
Talking philosophy and the passage of time was not the way to get me on his side.
You should rest. Tomorrow we begin our journey.
Our journey through Purgatory. And I’m just supposed to trust you, right? Let you lead the expedition.
I’d gladly follow you, Poppy.His tone was lit with dark humor.I’d like the view, surely. But you don’t know the way.
And you do? You haven’t shared anything with me.
There’s not a map to guide us. I’ll tell you more tomorrow.
I felt a pull on my eyelids as I started to sink into sleep. The sheets moved to cover me, and then I heard a quiet, lulling song—a melody that sounded achingly familiar.
As I sank into a deep sleep, I realized why it was familiar. It was the ballad of my spiders, singing me to sleep. I dreamed of the dark ocean, with visions of powerful silver tails that sliced through the water. I dreamed of Hunter, his sun-kissed skin now pewter. Sharp cheekbones and vacant eyes. And when I called to him, no sound emerged, just a few air bubbles escaping my lungs.
I awoke the next morning, my eyes burning from lack of sleep. I’d been plagued by nightmares. Insistent and unyielding. Pulled between Hunter and Thane.
The residue of my dreams lingered on my skin and in my heart. I ached and wanted. I cried and mourned.
