Page 165 of The Spider Queen
He’d explained that during the day, the threat of him kept most of the beasts at bay. But come the darkness, if some creature attacked, he’d have to use magic to defend us.
And magic was traceable.
“I don’t want to give Xan any clues as to where I am.”
“But he knows I’ve freed you, yes? What’s stopping him from tracking us now? Can he do that?”
“He can do that. Sort of. If we’re being tracked, he’ll have an idea of where we are, but he won’t be able to pinpoint our exact location. If I use my spiders, it’s like sending up a flare.”
“Got it. This shelter you’re taking me to…is it warded?”
“Yes.”
He looked at me. The dying sun illuminated his dark eyes, finally devoid of shadows. For now, Thane was thinking clearly—the insanity battled back behind a wall. How long before it showed itself again?
Golden hues outlined the contours of his jaw, his body. “Apollo,” I whispered.
He frowned. “Why are you bringing up that lout’s name? He’s the one who cursed Cassandra.”
I blinked. “He’s real?”
“Of course he’s real. Why did you—”
“The light,” I blurted out, feeling foolish. “It’s behind you and you look like your skin is shining from the inside out. Never mind. It was stupid and fanciful. It’s this place, I think.”
Thane stopped and put a finger under my chin, forcing me to look at him. “It’s more than that. It’s—you. And me. It’s us, together. It’s not just souls that come to Purgatory, Poppy. It’s hopes and dreams. Lives unlived, wishes unfulfilled.”
“I’m unraveling,” I said in realization. “Who I was before. It’s all—untangling and being spun into something different. Something new.”
“That’s one way of putting it. You’re still changing from human to immortal.”
“It’s a long process then?”
He shrugged. “Hard to know. Some transform faster than others.”
The grass was thick and swished in the gentle breeze. It was impossible to see more than a few feet in front of us—and it had been that way for hours.
I sighed with weariness, ready to rest for the night. “Tell me about—”
His hands grasped my upper arms to turn me away from him. “Run. Run now.” He gave me a gentle shove and then whirled.
A beast roared.
Like a horse whose flank had been smacked, I ran through the tall, thick grass. My heart pounded in fear when I heard more snarling and then a growl.
And then I made the mistake of looking over my shoulder.
An eight-foot-tall, silver-haired monster on four legs bared three rows of jagged teeth stained with blood. Tawny yellow eyes filled with savage rage stalked toward me. A horn in the middle of its head had a piece of bloody, torn white cloth hanging from it.
Where was Thane?
I tripped and went down hard enough to make my teeth rattle.
Fear coated my tongue as my vision swam. Should I call my spider army to me, or was Xan tracking me too? What was the alternative? Die by the jaws of a beast?
I was fond of living.
The creature halted mid-step and then slowly eased down into a crouched position, clearly ready to spring. Razor sharp claws elongated from its paws as it prepared to pounce.
