The Fae King's Dream (Between Dawn and Dusk #2) - Jamie Schlosser Page 0,56

doesn’t listen. We just keep getting higher and higher. And I keep kicking. Punching. Scratching.

Everything feels hopeless, but I channel that emotion into anger.

Never give up.

At least part of Damon’s lesson will get put to good use. Because I’m not going to die without putting up one hell of a fight first.

Damon

I’m fighting the urge to close my eyes as I get to Astrid’s room. Exhaustion weighs down on me, but I have business to attend to. When I left Whitley in our room, she’d been sleeping soundly for at least an hour. I wanted to stay near in case she had anymore nightmares, but I need to talk to my best advisor.

Knocking out of common courtesy, I give Astrid a few seconds to say, “Come in,” before I turn the knob.

For once, there’s no emergency. No rush. I can just sit down and have a snack while I pick Astrid’s brain.

Apparently, she has the same idea because my ass hasn’t even sunk into the seat yet when she shoves a plate of dried fruit and seeds in front of me.

“What’s your plan, your majesty?”

I smile as I chew around a mouthful. “You don’t already know?”

“The coven has cast a wicked distortion spell.” Astrid sighs heavily, and her mattress creaks when she sits on the end of the bed. “I can’t see what’s coming.”

Unperturbed, I shrug. “We’ll see them in Dawn and Dusk. At least that’s for sure.”

“Don’t get cocky. You’d be a fool to think they won’t cause trouble on our journey. They’re planning something. They wouldn’t be blocking my vision otherwise.”

She’s right.

And that’s why they have to die.

I don’t want to tell Astrid. Although she has no connection to the coven, she’s a fellow witch and, like them, a troll. I’m not sure how she’ll feel about me murdering her own kind.

“Others might have more sympathy for the coven than I do,” I start to explain. “Yes, they suffered greatly, but they weren’t innocent. Thousands have died because of their plague. They tried to kill Quinn. Not only did they murder Whitley’s family, they tried to kill her as well. We know they want me dead, too.”

“If you’re trying to convince me they must meet their demise, you can stop right now. I agree with you. But,” she adds, emphasizing the word. “There’s something you must know—if you end them by your hand, all their curses will remain forever, including the plague.”

I nearly fall out of my chair. “That can’t be true.”

“It is. Why do you think the word S-T-R-I-K-E continues to cause trouble? That wizard died a long time ago, but the curse lives on because someone killed him.”

Fuck. “And I’m guessing I can’t have someone else carry out my orders?”

“Nope.”

“Well, how am I supposed to kill them if I I’m not allowed to kill them?” I deadpan. “Am I missing something?”

“They have to die by natural causes or by suicide.”

“What the fuck, Astrid?” I hold out my hands. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

She lifts a shoulder. “Because your intentions were different in the past. You never wished to harm them before, so it was irrelevant.”

“Can you cast a spell to make them take their own lives?” I ask hopefully. “You’re stronger than any one of them.”

“Yes, I am, but there’s only one of me. They have the advantage in numbers. They’re bound together by unbreakable vows. They act as one unit.”

The allure of joining a coven. Power gets multiplied.

Which means my plan is screwed. I’d wanted to set up an ambush. After luring the coven to the clearing, I was going to have Kirian and my men attack. Hopefully before I got shot.

That’s all blown to the stars now.

A prickle of fear works its way up my neck. I rub the skin there, confused by the sudden shift in my emotions. Yeah, I’m concerned but not scared, so it doesn’t make sense when my heart starts to hammer. Sweat breaks out on my forehead, and my fingertips get cold.

As I shake out my hand, I realize the sensations aren’t coming from me—it’s Whitley’s fear I’m feeling.

She’s in trouble.

Not even taking the time to dismiss myself, I bolt from Astrid’s room, sprint down the hall, and leap up the stairs with the help of my wings.

“Torius?” I call as I get to the top of the steps. “Tibbs?”

No reply. I can hear them breathing outside our room but it’s slow and even.

Asleep. Foul play, no doubt. Torius is Kirian’s best friend and star warrior, and