The Fae King's Dream (Between Dawn and Dusk #2) - Jamie Schlosser Page 0,97

propped on my elbows, I make sure I don’t crush Maisel.

I’m not even halfway out of our tent yet, and perspiration is already beading on my forehead. At this rate, I’m going to be soaked with sweat by the time I’m done with this mission.

Once I’m all the way through, I stand, expecting to get a nice breeze on my skin. Of course, I don’t, because I’m trapped in this woolen sauna.

“To the right,” Maisel whispers. “Do you see that little trail going into the forest? That will lead you to the distillery.”

Scanning the trees for the place she’s referring to, I lock onto an area where the bushes break apart. The trees are blooming with tiny white flowers, and the petals fall like snow. My cloak is going to disturb them. Guess I better move fast before anyone notices.

I forge ahead, walking between two tents on the outskirts. When a soldier steps directly into my path, I freeze.

He clears his throat.

This is it. I’ve been caught.

The man starts unbuckling his belt. Holding my breath, my eyebrows furrow as I try to figure out what the hell he’s doing.

He whips out his dick.

Pressing my lips together, I try not to make a sound as he starts pissing.

Gross.

I wait until he’s finished, then I silently skirt around him as he walks back toward the camp. When I’m far enough away, I finally exhale.

I don’t look back. Once I make it to the trail, I’ll be able to relax a little, but as I disappear into the forest, my heart pounds so hard I can feel my pulse in my head.

Calm down.

If Damon feels my fear, he’ll know something’s up.

“Talk to me,” I say to Maisel. “Tell me the about the plan.”

“Okay. So, most distilleries are underground, and this one is no exception. It’s built into a hill. There’s a marker—a stone shaped like a crescent moon. Just beyond that, there’s a grassy net covering the door.”

“Is it guarded? Locked?”

I feel her shake her head. “It’ll have a tripwire. That’s how they catch most of their test subjects.”

Fantastic. One mistake and I’ll be a lab rat. “Any other traps?”

“Oh, yes. At every doorway. Keep a close watch in the halls, too.”

“Okay.”

“At least they’re not heavily staffed,” she spouts optimistically. “There’s usually only one or two people working at the same time. Do you have the flask?”

I pat the metal container in my pocket just to be sure. “Yep.”

“Once you make it inside, you should see big barrels under dripping tubes. That’s where the finished product will be. Try to fill the flask all the way up. We don’t know how much you’ll need. Better to have too much than not enough. And cap it tight. You don’t want it to leak because you’re coming from the Dream Realm—there could be stardust residue on any of your belongings. You probably noticed the Day Realm favors candles over stardust for light, and there’s a reason for that. Accidental explosions have become the leading cause of death for fae.”

Nodding, I resist the urge to stick my hand out to wipe the sweat trickling down my face. As far as I can tell, there’s no one around, but I can’t be too careful.

“So, I’m curious about sprites,” I say, making conversation. “Are your men as pretty as you?”

“Sometimes more so. In our culture, the only way our roles differ is that females are typically messengers because we’re faster. Men are generally quieter, so they’re the scouts.”

“Scouts?”

“Spies. How do you think we know so much about what goes on in Valora? Someone might be watching us right now.”

Paranoid, I search the trees. “Would they tell on us?”

Maisel snickers. “Only to the other sprites. And you’ll keep our secrets, too, right? We like being mysterious.”

More secrets. I feel like I’m becoming a treasure trove of them, but I value her trust in me.

Holding out my pinky finger, I say, “Pinky promise.”

She stares at it. “What?”

“You hook your finger around mine, and it’s a done deal.”

“All right.” Her finger is so small, all we can do is bump them together, but it’s good enough.

“My lips are sealed.” I pause. “Except… would I have your permission to tell Damon?”

“I assumed you would. He’s your mate. You two might as well be the same person.”

“I wish I could be more transparent with him. All this sneaking around is tearing me up inside.”

“It’s necessary.”

Truth, but it still sucks. I can’t wait for all this drama to be over. Not only because we’ll