The Fae King's Dream (Between Dawn and Dusk #2) - Jamie Schlosser Page 0,118

embedded into her cheek. God, I can’t imagine how much that hurts.

I can feel Damon’s rage as he observes the scene around us.

I count nine witches—two behind Silas and Tehya, their machetes in hand, and seven more formed in a semi-circle.

“I apologize for the shock,” one witch says, her tone cordial and light as she breaks away from the formation. “We couldn’t have you trying to prevent us from restraining these two.” She smiles pleasantly, and it’s creepy as hell. “I’m Merina.”

The gray robe she wears is identical to the rest of her crew. They all vary in height. Some I estimate to be about three and a half feet tall, while others are probably just over four feet. Their hoods are pulled back, revealing their faces. Gray hair. Wrinkled skin. Gnarly scars over their eye sockets.

Nothing sets Merina apart, but I get the feeling she’s the boss. I’m tipped off by the body language of the others—they’re all poised slightly toward her. Their shoulders turned in her direction, their heads tilted as if they’re waiting for her to say something.

“And your name is…?” She motions at me.

“You already know.”

“Introductions are important.”

I bark out a nervous laugh. “What, you think we’re going to be friends now?”

“I had hoped so. It would be for the best.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I like you.”

Bullshit.

Because of the zap they gave me, I already know the answer—they want me to join the coven as their tenth member. I have more power than I realized, and I’m more valuable to them alive than dead.

That’s why I leave with them. After seeing the other possibilities, I’m positive that it really is the best choice—it’s the only one that leaves us all alive.

Unfortunately, everything went dark after I walked into the forest. I’ve seen nothing beyond that, and I’m still not sure how I’m going to escape.

And I’m going to escape. Somehow.

Joining the coven would be a nightmare. I could never use my power to hurt innocent people.

“What do you want?” Damon asks firmly, his hand staying planted on my waist. “If there’s a way to resolve this peacefully, tell me your terms.”

The smallest one cocks her head. “I thought you wanted us dead, dream king. Is that not your plan?”

“It was.”

“What changed?”

“You have blades at my parents’ throats,” he deadpans.

“But you’d come after us eventually, yes?”

Damon doesn’t want to respond. His throat works with a rough swallow. A muscle ticks in his jaw and wrinkles appear around his narrowed eyes.

This one is a Caller. Either that, or it’s the Extractor, and she’s drawing power from someone around us. Judging by the way Tehya’s slumping over sleepily, I’d say it’s her.

That’s why Damon’s being so forthcoming. He doesn’t have a choice.

“Yes,” he admits gruffly.

“When? A year from now? Ten, maybe?”

Damon wipes sweat from his brow. “As soon as I get the chance.”

With a smug twist of her lips, she shifts toward Merina. “They must be separated. The danger is too great when they’re together.”

Déjà vu hits me as Merina nods and she states, “We’d like Whitley to join us. To be part of our coven.”

“No,” Damon bursts out.

And to keep up the appearance of cluelessness, I gasp. “Why would I agree to such a thing?”

“Why not?” one of the members off to my right asks.

“For one, we’d both die,” I reason, instinctively scooting closer to Damon. As I hook my fingers in his beltloop, I hold onto him, dreading the inevitable.

“We can break the bond between you,” Merina suggests, just like I knew she would. “You wouldn’t suffer from mate withdrawals.”

“That’s not possible.” Damon glares.

“It is. We’ll even be generous and allow you to keep your sight, oh, mighty king of dreams.”

“I don’t care about that. Not anymore. I’d gladly go blind again if you’d just leave us alone.”

“Tempting, but no.” The witches shift their attention to me. “It’ll only hurt a little at first.”

Damon sends me a questioning glance, and I try to communicate with my eyes that they might not be bluffing. It’s not the first time they’ve claimed the ability to manipulate mate bonds. They said the same thing to the men who attacked our ship.

No, I don’t want our tether to be broken, but even without it, I’d still want Damon with every ounce of my being.

“Besides,” another one adds, “you’d be so drunk with power, you wouldn’t even notice his absence.”

They’re talking about separating us like our souls aren’t meant to be together. Like his breath isn’t just as important to me as