Page 159 of The Spider Queen
“Other people have them, too,” I stated. The humor died on my lips. Anita and I had matching fanny packs from when we were kids. Pink and glittery. We’d worn them everywhere, and we’d worn them together.
I was suddenly homesick for the life I couldn’t go back to.
“Poppy?” Thane asked. He reached out like he wanted to touch my cheek, but at the last moment, he dropped his hand.
I knew what that gesture had cost him.
So I grasped his hand and laced my fingers through his. “Ready to save the world?” I asked with far more bravado that I felt.
Thane raised our clasped hands to his mouth. His lips were warm against my skin. “Or die trying.”
Chapter 10
We set off at a brisk pace, leaving the sanctuary of Thane’s home. We were silent for a while. Thane continued to hold my hand as we moved farther away from safety. When we got to the top of a small hill, I looked back, wanting to see the architecture, but when I turned, I saw nothing.
“It’s warded,” he said, noting my dropped mouth. “To disappear when I leave it.”
“So I shouldn’t think for a second about ditching you to run back and hide?” I asked with forced humor.
“Definitely not,” he said as he huffed on a laugh.
“So, what’s in the fanny pack?”
He growled in annoyance.
I shot him a cheeky grin.
“Some necessities. Since we’ll basically be camping.”
“Camping? We’re camping?”
Thane shot me an amused look. “Do you see any five star hotels in Purgatory?”
I gulped.
“Relax, Poppy. I’ll take care of you. I’ll make sure you’re safe, warm, and fed. Do you trust me?”
I took a moment to actually think about it. “Yes and no,” I replied with startling honesty.
“You want to explain that?” He tugged on my hand to get us moving again.
“I think there are still a lot of walls between us. Do I think you’ll protect me? Yes. Do I trust you? With my heart? My feelings? My innermost thoughts?” I shook my head. “But I think I’d like to.”
“You do?”
I could hear the stilted hope in his tone. Cass’s words came back to me.
“I—haven’t been fair to you, Thane. While trying to figure out my own feelings, I’ve hurt yours. I never thought of myself as a callous person. But this has all been so…you know? I haven’t had any time to reconcile it.”
“I’ve pushed when maybe I should’ve given you space.”
When he looked at me, the glittering black orbs that were his eyes swirled with murky clouds, like there were gray shadows behind them.
“Have your eyes always been that way?” I wondered aloud, lifting my hand to his face.
“No. It’s a side effect. Of…”
“Of?” I pressed.
