Page 185 of The Spider Queen
“Virbius has no reason to lie. If anything, he could try and have me killed, and take you for himself.”
I snorted. “I feel like I’m just wanted for my body.”
Thane’s head dipped down my form. “I’m not going to lie, I’m enjoying the view in that suit.” I pushed against his chest, but his hand latched around my wrist and tugged me toward him. “It will be fine.” He leaned over to brush his lips against mine. “You first. I’ll follow.”
“You just want to stare at my ass,” I said, smiling.
He cocked his head to one side and grinned. “You’re feisty tonight.”
“Energy. That gross bird’s nest in my stomach is keeping me going. It’s like Purgatory Red Bull.”
Thane released my wrist and then gently patted my rump. “Onward.”
With a deep breath, I stepped on the first chunk of ice. I expected it to wobble and bob, but it seemed anchored and solid.
“I can do this,” I muttered to myself.
The flakes continued to come down and settled on my cheeks and eyelashes. Out of sheer instinct, I stuck out my tongue and caught one. It fizzled and popped in my mouth.
Virbius’s furry head whipped around and barked something in his forest troll gobbledygook.
I opened my mouth to explain, but my tongue wouldn’t move. Numbing snowflakes.
Of course.
We continued on in silence. My tongue showed no signs of thawing, so the journey was quiet. I didn’t even reach out to Thane via our mental connection, wanting to focus entirely on my footing.
My gaze drifted to peer at the thin, iridescent, pulsing ice reeds that disappeared into the dark waters. Did they have roots? Could you cut them off and gather them in a bouquet? Would they die if plucked from the ice water?
Would I ever have the chance to know the answers to all my questions? Would I ever have a chance to explore the hills and valleys of Purgatory, to run and laugh with Thane, to have a life full of passion…to have a life at all?
We were doomed to fail, the odds stacked against us. We were the underdogs, already bleeding and down for the count. And still we were fighting, putting one foot in front of the other, because there was no other choice.
My gaze landed on the serene, undulating waters of the swamp. It was dark, nearly black. The moonbeams that hit the surface quickly disappeared, as if consumed by the murky depths.
Something glinted in the light. Something silver, like a blade of a knife. It swirled in circles toward the surface. I gasped when I realized what I saw.
A long, shimmering, silver tail slashed through the water. Blond hair floated around a face that had once been golden from the sun but was now a wan gray.
Hunter, in his new merrow form, opened his mouth and called out, “Save me, Poppy.”
He reached a hand up, and I grabbed it. Before I knew what was happening, I was in the ice swamp’s frigid clutches.
The mirage of Hunter disappeared right as the first ice reed pierced my heart.
Chapter 24
My eyes flicked open to stare at the dark sky. The Cerulean moon blotted out most of the stars winking from above. I gazed at them in curiosity, wondering if the same constellations I’d grown up with were here as well. Or was that a different sky?
What was real? I couldn’t tell anymore.
“Poppy.”
My gaze dipped. Thane sat by my side, his hair dripping wet. His lips were a glossy blue, like he’d eaten blue watermelon Laffy Taffy.
“Poppy,” he said more forcefully.
“Give her some time,” Virbius snapped.
