The Fae King's Dream (Between Dawn and Dusk #2) - Jamie Schlosser Page 0,91
people uncomfortable or squeamish.
Which brings me to the favor I need from her… “I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”
“Yes?”
“You won’t like it.”
Whitley huffs out a laugh. “Now I’m really curious.”
“Hold.” Projecting my voice, I raise a hand as I pull back on the reins with the other.
Our caravan slows, and I steer our horse off the road to a well-beaten path in the forest. We need privacy for what I’m about to request because Whitley’s likely to put up a fuss. At first, anyway. Hopefully she’ll accept my proposal, because it would give me peace of mind.
When we get a good distance away from our group, I dismount and help her down to the ground.
“What’s going on?” She raises an eyebrow.
I take her hands in mine. “I want you to promise me something. A hypothetical favor, really.”
Apprehensive, her lips twist to the side. “I’m waiting.”
“If things don’t go our way with the coven…” Trailing off, I rub my chest, remembering the pain I felt in her premonition after the arrow speared my heart.
Whitley’s eyes narrow when she gets my meaning. “We said we wouldn’t talk about dying.”
“I said it’s hypothetical.” Yeah, she’s gonna be pissed. Here goes nothing. “If I end up with iron poisoning, promise you’ll do for me what you did for the prisoners.”
Yanking her fingers from my grasp, she steps back. “No.”
“Baby, please.”
“Don’t ‘baby’ me. I won’t do it. Not to you.”
“Won’t do what? Show me the same kindness you did to strangers? Show mercy?”
“Kill you!” she shouts, her chest rising and falling with quick breaths. “How could you ask me that?”
Anger flares through me, and I’m not sure if it’s hers or my own. “When you were down in the dungeon, did you see what happened to the criminals’ bodies?” I crowd her until she’s backed up against the horse. “Had their fingers turned black yet? Did they seize? Bleed from their nose and ears?”
“Stop.”
“Their suffering would’ve gone on for days, Whitley. Do you want that to happen to me? Would you be able to sit by and watch?”
“Just stop.” Her wobbly voice comes out small as tears fill her eyes.
The sight of her crying is my undoing. Wet drops spill down her cheeks as her chin trembles, and it feels as though someone’s strangling my heart.
“Don’t.” Cupping her face in my hands, I dry it with my thumbs before touching my forehead to hers. “Please, don’t cry.”
She grabs my wrists. “Then don’t ask me this again.”
Pulling back, I look at her. There’s a stubborn glint in her blue eyes. She won’t give in on this, and I’m not sure if I’m relieved or disappointed.
I’ll drop the subject for now.
“Is everything all right, your majesties?” Dermott calls from the road.
“It’s fine!” I yell back. “We were just having our first fight. Not sure if we’re going to make up now or later. I’m hoping now.”
Lips twitching, Whitley smacks my chest. “Later.”
After giving her an apologetic kiss, I motion to the horse. I’m about to help her onto the saddle when I hear something. It sounds like a child crying. Studying the shadows around us, I tilt my ear toward the dark forest in the distance.
I make out a distinct cry for help.
With one foot poised in the stirrups, Whitley scrutinizes my concerned face. “What?”
“Stay here.”
After calling Dermott and Kai over, I order Torius to stay with Whitley while I investigate. Following the weeping, I unsheathe my machete. We go off the path, stepping over sticks, leaves, and purple petals that have fallen from the trees.
“It could be a trap,” Dermott voices exactly what I’m thinking.
As he takes the lead, we head toward a massive guazy web between two trees.
Ah, shit. I don’t see the spider anywhere, but I know it’s near—they never go far from their home. And if there’s one, there’s more. They always live in clusters.
As Dermott hacks away at the barrier, he reveals a small clearing behind it. Trees surround the weedy patch in a circular shape, and there are at least a dozen other webs between the trunks and branches.
“Help. Please. Help me. Hello?”
I search for the source of the cries. “Does that sound like a sprite to you?”
“Yes,” Kai says, pointing his sword ahead. “There.”
And then I see her. There’s a little yellow-haired head sticking out of one of the webs.
Quickly, I move forward, keeping an eye out for the poisonous spiders. While a bite wouldn’t kill me, it would make me sick for several days.