Page 330 of The Spider Queen
The king’s words, once upon a time, might’ve made me blush. But I wasn’t a girl anymore. I’d been in Lucifer’s bed. I’d taken him into my body. He knew my wants, inside and out. Lucifer had made me a woman.
“What am I really doing here?” I asked, leaning back against the chair and holding my goblet with both hands.
“You tell me,” he said softly.
I took another sip of wine while I gathered my thoughts and reached out to assess his emotions. Curiosity and a touch of wariness. I was a stranger in his land.
His fingers brushed his burned flesh. “Scorpion poison. It was a baby scorpion and its stinger caught me in the face. It missed my eye. I was lucky.” The king’s gaze was shrewd. “Meghan said you were immobile when they found you.”
I arched an eyebrow. “I’m waiting for a question.”
“Why weren’t you dead?” he asked bluntly. “An adult scorpion’s poison kills its prey within minutes. But you were alive.”
“It kills humans within minutes,” I repeated. “I’m not human. But you know that already, don’t you?”
He cocked his head in affirmation. “I do. I wanted to hear it from you. I wanted to know if you’d try to hide what you are.”
I forced myself to remain still. “And what am I, do you think?”
He frowned. “That, I have no clue about. But I know you have immortal blood running through your veins.”
“King Aloysius, let’s put all our cards on the table, shall we?” I asked, leaning over to set down my goblet.
He smiled faintly. “By all means.”
“I am not your enemy. I don’t wish to encroach on you or your people. I don’t know if I trust you, but then again, I can see by the look in your eyes that you don’t trust me either. You have nothing to fear from me.” I swallowed. “I’ve never seen a place like this. A desert with shifting dunes and huge scorpions. I know I’m in a—a realm normal humans wouldn’t ever be able to even find. It’s only accessible by magic.”
It was his turn to lean forward. “And is that howyoucame to be here? Magic?”
I thought for a moment and then nodded. “Yes. Magic brought me here.” I paused. “I was taken.”
“Taken? Taken from where?” he demanded.
“From the mortal realm. I guess that’s what you could call it. I was living among humans, easing their burdens.” I inhaled slowly. “I’m an empath.”
“Fascinating,” he murmured. “Who took you, Stella?”
I met his eyes when I stated, “Lucifer.”
Chapter 26
King Aloysius’s gaze widened in surprise and then morphed into trepidation. “Is he…coming for you?”
“Yes,” I admitted. “When he’s free.”
“Free?”
I sighed. “He’s currently being held by a set of magical chains. But I’m on borrowed time.” I bit my lip, wondering if I should tell him about the pearls and the magic snow globe that had brought me to this place. Then again, the less he knew, the better, so if and when Lucifer did come after me, hopefully Aloysius wouldn’t be at Lucifer’s mercy. But were any of us actually safe from Lucifer’s wrath? I didn’t want King Aloysius or his people to get caught up in any of this. But I did need Aloysius’s help.
“I felt like I was wandering the desert in an endless loop. Is there a way out?”
“There is a way out, but it’s hard to find if you’re not of my people. Only those born to the desert have the internal compass to navigate it. We have to be able to leave the desert to hunt. There’s a forest to the east and a sea to the west.”
My heartbeat quickened. “Sea?”
He nodded.
“Is there—do you know if there’s an island off the coast?”
