The Fae King's Dream (Between Dawn and Dusk #2) - Jamie Schlosser Page 0,61

wasn’t my intention to keep you out.”

“I’m not mad. In fact, it’s the opposite. I’m impressed. I’ve encountered mind protection spells before and yours was impenetrable.” I kiss her temple. “We’ll just have to make the most of our time together while we’re awake.”

“I’m on board with that.” There’s a smile in her voice. “I’m not sure about this boat, though. You didn’t tell me we’d be on a pirate ship.”

I snicker. “It’s not a pirate ship.”

“I’m ninety-nine percent sure it is.”

“Okay, well, it was at one point,” I admit. “But it’s only a pirate ship if it’s being run by pirates. Are you secretly a pirate, my little carrot?”

Whitley scoffs. “I don’t think life on the water is my thing.”

I nod, understanding her apprehension. The vessel is too large to bring up to the port, so it floats about three hundred yards away. There are multiple billowing sails and I can hear the Night Realm flag flapping in the breeze.

“A ship this size can be intimidating, but I had our comfort in mind when I chose it. It’s the most luxurious ship in the kingdom. There are decks below with individual cabins for all of us. And don’t worry about storms. It won’t be a problem since Kirian is with us—he can manipulate the weather. Torius can control water creatures, so none will attack.”

Whitley twists around to look at me. “Are there fish big enough to do damage?”

“Of course. Then there are the mermaids.”

“You’re joking.”

“I’m not. They’re harmless, but they do like to cause trouble sometimes. It’s unlikely we’ll see any, though. They tend to stay in Dream Realm territory.”

Whitley slips an arm around my waist. “The truth is, it’s not the potential dangers I’m worried about. I get bad motion sickness. I’ll probably be spending a good portion of the trip with my head hanging over the side.”

“Oh,” Quinn pipes on our left. “I think I can help with that.”

A latch opens, followed by creaking hinges as a trunk lid is lifted.

Leaving my side, Whitley paces a few feet away. “What’s all that stuff?”

“Medicine, mostly,” Quinn replies. “For Zander and his kingdom. Kirian and I meet up with him once a month or so to give him supplies.”

“But aren’t those—”

“Human supplies? Yeah, some of it.” Quinn lets out a sheepish chuckle. “So, when we went to the hospital to get you? I sort of raided a cart full of gauze and syringes. I’m sure the nurses were way less concerned with some missing needles, considering a patient disappeared. Anyway, this—” some liquid sloshes in a glass bottle “—will keep you from getting nauseated.”

A cork pops, and I catch a whiff of a special kind of ginger root the gnomes grow.

Whitley sniffs. “Ugh. Are you sure?”

“It tastes a lot better than it smells, and it’s totally safe. I took it for morning sickness when I was pregnant with Dani. Take two sips every eight hours or so.”

“Cool, thanks.” Whitley slips the bottle into the pocket of her dress.

There’s a flutter of wings on my right. Six pairs. Torius, Kai, Tibbs, Dermott, and two soldiers we selected from the citadel. They fly out to the ship to greet the captain and inspect our quarters.

We wait several minutes until they sound a bell, signaling all is as it should be.

After loading their luggage into a rowboat, Kirian flies off with Quinn.

Whitley tugs on my arm and whispers, “Quinn has wings?”

“They’re growing, yes. Is she flying unassisted?”

“No, Kirian’s basically carrying her, but damn, she’s trying. Her wings are probably about a foot long and they’re shiny and translucent. Will I get wings soon?”

“Maybe. Since you’re fae, you’ll probably change faster.”

Isla joins Astrid in the rowboat, offering reassuring words to the witch. Because not only is my little friend not a fan of water, she’s also afraid of heights and refuses to let any of us fly her to the ship.

“Time to go.” I face Whitley. “Should we hop in with them?”

“Why wouldn’t I want to fly?”

“Last night wasn’t exactly the best introduction to it.”

“I’m not scared. Not with you.” She wraps her arms around my neck. “Show me what I have to look forward to.”

My trusting, resilient mate. I’ve been worried I ruined the experience for her, but I should’ve known better. It’d take way more than that to traumatize Whitley, a true fae in her heart.

“You asked for it.” Smirking, I grip her waist and leap into the air.

Whitley squeals, but it’s a happy sound. As we get higher, she hugs