of the corner of his eye, he could see her turn to him, studying his face as if trying to gauge something.
He focused on the road, allowing her to take her time.
“There’s something we should talk about,” she said after a moment.
A flash of premonition struck him.
“The mansion,” he murmured. “If they’re not there, someone will be.”
“Sorry?” Jessica asked.
“No, I’m sorry, my love,” he told her. “It just hit me that the mansion is where we should go. There will be someone there to see the dragon. And as soon as they do, the Historical Society will be alerted, and my brothers and their queens will storm the place.”
“Oh,” she said, nodding.
She didn’t seem all that excited.
“Listen, I know this seems dangerous,” he told her. “But I promise you, I’ve never felt this strong before. It’s like my blood is on fire.”
She nodded and gazed out the window.
They were passing the woods that formed the border between Tarker’s Hollow and Rosethorn Valley. He couldn’t imagine what was so interesting out there.
“Wait, you were going to tell me something,” he said. “What was it you wanted to talk about?”
“Oh, it’s fine,” she said. “We can talk about it later.”
He slipped the hourglass out from inside his shirt and glanced down at it.
The sand was half gone. Their remaining time was moving erratically - there was no telling how much they really had left.
“Shit,” he said, trying to tuck the thing back in his shirt.
“What is it?” she asked.
He didn’t get it back in before she saw it.
Her face went pale.
“It’s okay, Jessica,” he told her, stopping short of promising. He was fae and could not lie. But if it was in his power to stop the Queen of Silence, he would do it.
They drove on until the straight, smooth road of the hollow gave way to the winding stretch that brought them closer to the mansion.
Cullen placed a hand on Jessica’s thigh, hoping he could transmit some tiny comfort to her. But his queen was strange and still, keeping vigil with her own thoughts.
As soon as I’m done with my brothers, I can make things right with her.
But he sensed a sort of emptiness in her that hadn’t been there when they had reunited in Faerie.
He reached the driveway for the mansion, then realized that maybe it would be best not to take the car all the way up. It might give them away, if anyone was already there.
“I’m going to park down here,” he told Jessica, heading to the tiny complex where the Barrel Grocery, post office, free library, and café made up the entire downtown of Rosethorn Valley.
He parked the car behind the café, and they got out.
“You know what, I kind of needed one more cup of coffee,” Jessica said. “Is it okay if I meet you up there?”
“Of course,” he said. “I can stay with you, if you want.”
He felt torn, of course he wanted to be with her, but he was anxious to put his power to work, and it might be better for Jessica to stay behind a little.
“No, no,” she said. “I’ll be right behind you.”
He pulled a wad of bills out of his pocket and handed it to her along with his car keys.
“Take your time,” he told her. “Maybe you shouldn’t be there for the battle at all. It’s going to be dangerous. You can go home if you want and wait for me there.”
He expected her to protest, but she nodded in a distracted way. She was probably just worried about him.
“Jessica,” he said, “I love you so much. This will be over soon, I promise. They’re going to be so sorry they tried to imprison me.”
She smiled up at him, but her eyes didn’t twinkle.
He kissed her forehead, soaking in her sweet fragrance.
When he pulled back, her eyes were closed.
“Good luck,” she said.
He didn’t bother telling her that the King of Pain did not rely on luck.
He just nodded and jogged off toward the mansion.
18
Jessica
Jessica watched as Cullen headed for the mansion on the hill without looking back.
She wanted nothing more than to talk with him about their daughter. But he was too focused on his anger to notice that she needed him.
Memory struck her like lightning, and she closed her eyes.
She is so happy she is nearly bursting.
They never talked about starting a family. But somehow, she knows to her core that Cullen will be happy to know she is pregnant.
She clutches the test stick in her hand, almost