by Linsey Hall
“Exactly.”
The trees were tall—hundreds of feet in the air—and she was probably a good climber. A great climber. She wouldn’t have chosen this if she hadn’t thought she’d win.
But she didn’t know how fast I was. My Dragon Blood gave me insane speed and strength—which she’d never realized because she’d kept me locked up in a cage my whole life.
“Okay.” I shrugged. “Works for me.”
I wasn’t planning to play fair, anyway. I’d try to beat her on her terms, but if it didn't work, I had a backup.
Aunt clicked her fangs, an almost happy gesture, and I turned to leave the cabin. The back of my neck prickled, and I looked back at her. She followed us out of the horrible little building, and I kept my gaze on her every second.
She’d always been tricky and smart. No way I’d let her get the drop on me today.
In the clearing outside the house, Aunt stopped. The trees loomed high overhead, and she pointed to two of them with one of her front legs. “Those two.”
They were massive, with bark so thick and knobby I could use it for handholds. Many of the branches were wider around than the trunk of a normal tree.
“Go!” Aunt shouted, then raced forward.
She’d given me no warning this competition was even about to start, the bitch.
She was probably bored out of her mind here and just wanted to win something.
Over her dead body.
I sprinted forward, leaving Tarron on the ground. He was my backup, and I was glad to have him. I pushed myself hard, giving it every bit of speed my Dragon Blood could muster. I gained quickly on Aunt, reaching the thick trunks at the same time she did.
Aunt climbed onto the right one, so I took the left. With a leap, I jumped onto the tree and grabbed the thick bark, climbing as fast as I could.
We stayed neck and neck for the first hundred feet. Aunt had eight legs, but I had magical speed.
Sweat dampened my skin as I went higher, finally taking the lead. Out of the corner of my vision, I could see her hiss. Her rage almost vibrated on the air.
Faster, I climbed.
I barely saw the silvery jet of spiderweb that she shot at me. I darted left, narrowly avoiding it. The sticky stuff clung to the tree.
She shot another bolt, and I darted right.
“Cheating!” I shouted. “No offensive magic.”
She shot another bolt of web.
Anger surged inside me. This probably hadn’t ever been a race at all. She’d just wanted to get me up here and trap me with her web. With me out of the picture, she’d take out Tarron.
Then I’d be her prisoner.
Oh, hell no.
I kept climbing—mostly to get away from her at this point—and sliced my fingertip with my sharp thumbnail. Pain flared and blood welled.
I imagined lightning, crackling and fierce. The magic filled me, welling to life so fast that it burst out of me, nearly uncontrolled. It shot toward Aunt, blasting into the tree above her.
The explosion was so bright it nearly blinded me. Thunder boomed, followed by the crack of wood breaking. When the light cleared and I could see again, I saw the top of Aunt’s tree topple right, then plunge to the ground below.
Holy fates.
I hadn’t meant for that to happen. The lightning bolt had been ten times as big as I’d intended. I could have killed Aunt. Along with my only chance at getting the info I needed.
Fates, my magic was out of control. The Unseelie power within me was screwing everything up.
Aunt leapt from her tree trunk to the next one, clinging tightly as she shot another jet of web at me. It nearly hit me, brushing stickily off my hand. I yanked my hand free.
Out of the corner of my eye, on the opposite side away from Aunt, I caught sight of movement.
Spiders.
A dozen of them, each the size of a basketball. They scuttled toward me through the trees, eyes bright and fangs flashing.
Backup.
Aunt had called backup, and she was trying to surround me.
Rage and fear burst inside me, followed by magic. It swelled within me, the Unseelie side rising to the surface, fueled by my emotions.
It pulsed around my back, and my wings burst free. Sparkling and bright, they lit up the night around me. Power flowed through me, and I launched myself off the tree.
I flew toward Aunt, hurtling through the air. The Unseelie magic flickered inside me, bright then dim. My wings faltered. I slammed into Aunt and hung on, dragging her down from the tree. I tried to move my wings, but they resisted, flickering in and out of existence.
We hurtled to the ground, wind tearing at us, and I managed to shift so she was below me. We slammed onto the leaf-strewn earth, grunting.
I tried my faulty magic one last time, flicking my thumbnail over my fingertip to make it bleed. I called upon my persuasive magic, swiping my black blood across her hairy face, right between the eyes.
“Speak the truth to me,” I commanded.
She hissed. “You use your magic against me?”
I grinned ferociously. “And I’m loving every second.”
I was doing what I’d always wanted to do as a child, and it felt good.
She thrashed beneath me.
“Still,” I commanded.
She stilled, mostly.
“Tarron!”
He was at my side a moment later, a rope in hand, as if he’d read my mind. I scrambled off. Quickly, he bound my aunt’s legs to her body.
“How’d you get the rope?” I asked.
“I have a bit of conjuring.”
“Nice.” I inspected my aunt, who thrashed on the ground and glared at me, then dug into my pocket and pulled out the truth serum. I spoke softly to Tarron. “With my magic going a bit haywire, I didn’t want to rely on it.”
“You didn’t mean to blow up the tree?”
“Not precisely.” I walked toward Aunt, bracing myself for the job ahead. I didn’t want to get near her snappy fangs, that was for sure.
I uncorked the vial and commanded, “Be still.”
She fought my persuasive power, but finally stilled enough that I could pour the serum into her mouth. I yanked the vial back and stepped away.
“I’ll never tell you anything,” she spat.
“Yes, you will. And I should have done this right away. Now, tell me where the entrance to the Unseelie Court is.”
She spat ineffectively—a nasty habit she was really going to have to get over—but finally spoke, the words forced out of her by the potion. “The entrance is at the Circle of Night, a sacred Unseelie place.”
“Where is that?”
“In the Highlands.”
“I’m going to need more than that to go on. The Highlands are pretty big.”
“It’s in the central Highlands, but that’s all I know.”
I frowned. It looked like the words were forced out of her. My magic might be acting weird, but the potion was infallible. She had to be telling the truth.
I looked at Tarron. “What do you think?”
“She seems like she’s telling the truth, and it’s more information than we had before.”
“It’s what Cass needed to pinpoint the location.”
“It’ll have to be good enough,” he said.
“Help me,” Aunt said. “Turn me back.”
I stared at her. “No. And frankly, I’m enjoying your misery. You brought this on yourself.”
“Bitch.”
I grinned. “Sure, I’m cool with that.”
I turned on my heel and left, leaving my aunt tied up in the forest.
Tarron joined me, and we strode from the forest.
“You’re ruthless,” he said.
“Can you blame me?”
“No. And I like it.”
I smiled. I’d enjoyed the sight of Aunt, tied up. A spider. Miserable and alone. A perfect punishment for what she’d done. I probably should have taken a photo for Aeri.
; A shriek sounded from behind us, pure rage. Pure evil.
“She’s pissed.” I grinned.
A rustling sound came from the forest around us. Magic filled the air with ominous intent.
“Something is coming,” Tarron said.
I got the overwhelming feeling that I should start running.
Burn appeared at my side, the big thorn wolf growling low in his throat.
That was a definite sign that something dangerous was about to happen. Burn always showed up to have my back. It was like our souls were connected and he could sense when I was in trouble.
“Go,” I said. “Run.”
I’d just picked up the pace when I spotted the spiders dropping down from the trees. The same basketball-sized ones that she’d sent to hunt me earlier.
Her minions.
I drew a dagger from the ether and hurled it at one who hung right in front of me, dangling from a long line of spiderweb. It pierced him through the belly, and he hissed, skittering back up his line.
Next to me, Burn shot thorns at the spiders scuttling along the ground. Tarron fired blasts of sunlight, making the whole forest glow. Spiders fell, but more appeared.
So many.
And they headed right for me. As if Aunt had given them special instructions.
The bitch probably had.
I threw another dagger, sprinting as fast as I could. The blade pierced the spider through the head, and it tumbled backward.
“We have to get to the exit tunnel!” I gasped. It was the only place we could transport from.
Despite Burn’s best efforts, the spiders got closer, scrambling along the ground. Tarron hit the ones that descended from the trees, but he couldn’t keep up. There were just so many. My lungs burned as I ran. Tarron couldn’t even fly out of here because there were so many spiders hanging in the air, their nets filling the trees above.
Fates, please let us be close to the exit.
I hurled another blade, taking out a third spider, but I was running out of weapons. Dare I try to make sunlight magic the way that Tarron did? It was sending them flying.
No, too risky.
I could burn us to death with it if my magic went haywire.
Panting, I sprinted for the edge of the forest. I could just see it, a spot where the trees began to thin.
“Almost there,” Tarron said.
Pain flared in my left calf, and I stumbled. I looked down, horrified to a see a spider with its fangs sunk deep into my leg. I drew my sword from the ether, but Burn was faster. His white jaws clamped around the spider’s body and tore him off.
But it was too late.
Agony shot up my leg.
I gasped. “Poison.”
I could feel it.
The horrible liquid raced through my veins, freezing up my muscles. I limped, going slower and slower. Burn growled and shot thorns at any spider that dared approach, but I was losing the ability to move.
Panic fluttered in my chest, making it hard to breathe.
We were nearly to the edge of the forest, but I couldn’t run anymore. I stumbled, nearly stopping.
Tarron whirled around and raced back toward me, sweeping me up into his arms, then sprinting forward.
I clung to him. “Thank you.”
He didn’t respond, just ran as fast as he could, racing through the forest with the thorn wolf at his side. We reached the edge of the trees and spilled out into the tunnel that led to the main market in Grimrealm.
Heart pounding, I looked back over Tarron’s shoulder.
The spiders stopped at the edge of the trees, unwilling to venture out into the main tunnel.
But then a few did, driven by Aunt’s enraged screams, which I could still hear.
“They’re still coming.” The words were slow as they left my lips. My tongue felt numb.
The poison.
It was spreading.
Spiders advancing from behind was the last thing I saw before I passed out in Tarron’s arms.
7
Agony tore through me as I opened my eyes. The ceiling soared high overhead, beautiful pale wood forming arches to support it. A fresh breeze blew across my face, smelling of night-blooming flowers.
Through bleary vision, I could see Tarron, leaning over me. Concern creased his face, and his warm hand pressed against my stomach.
“What’s going on?” The words were raspy and quiet as they escaped my lips.
“Healing you.” Tarron bit out the words, his attention clearly focused on the task at hand.
I closed my eyes, memories flooding through me. We had the name of the entrance to the Unseelie Court. I’d left Aunt in the forest. A spider had bitten me.
The poison.
My eyes flared open, worry tightening my chest. “Burn. Is he okay?”
“Didn’t get bit. Disappeared.”
The thorn wolf tended to do that. Worry alleviated, I couldn’t help but focus on the pain in my leg. It was worse there, but it spread through my whole body, all the way to my head and fingers.
But Tarron’s hand was a warm comfort on my stomach, his healing light flowing into me. It drove away the pain, fighting it back inch by inch. He was neutralizing the poison, somehow.
As the pain faded, pleasure took its place. The absence of pain could feel like pleasure, true. But this was more than that.
It was being close to Tarron. Feeling his touch on my skin. His hand on my body.
I drew in a slow breath, relieved to find that the horrible stench the potion had given us had gone away. All I could smell was the fresh forest scent of Tarron’s magic and the distinctly masculine scent of his skin.
He was so close that I could see the light gleaming on his hair and the amazing green of his eyes. Full lips and sharp cheekbones.
He really was perfect.
His broad shoulders blocked out the light, and as desire replaced the pain, I longed to reach up and touch him. It was the strangest thing, how his healing touch made me feel like I knew him. It created a connection between us—one that I liked.
We might not trust each other. We might be fighting the connection between us.
But our bodies weren’t.
“How are you feeling?” His voice was strained from the effort, and he didn’t let up on his work.
“A lot better. Pain’s almost gone.” It was only in my leg, now.
It had faded enough that I could ignore it.
My gaze riveted to his lips as thoughts swirled in my mind.
I didn’t even know if he liked me, but I couldn’t help it.
He’d destroyed the dungeon that had kept me caged as a child. He had saved me from the spiders.
When the last of the pain faded and my skin had knit back together, he removed his hand. I nearly gasped at the loss of the warmth. But he hovered over me, his body curled almost protectively over top of mine.
His gaze met mine, and I wasn’t shocked to see heat there. Desire. His eyes were already shifting from black to green.
I couldn’t feel this so strongly for someone who felt nothing in return.
My palms itched to reach for him. To clutch him close and run my hands over the hard muscles of his shoulders and arms.
“Mari.” His voice was low, rough. His gaze traveled over my face, down to my chest, then back up to my eyes. “Remove the glamour.”
I blinked.
“You still have red hair.”
Ah. I let the magic fade from me, retuning me to normal. It hardly seemed possible, but he looked even more torn up. Like he wanted to ravish me.
“You prefer me with black hair?” I asked, remembering how his eyes had once darkened with desire at the sight of me in my plunging dress and with my makeup and hair done to the extreme. “And made up?”
“I like you however you want to be.” Truth vibrated in the words. I liked myself in my extreme disguise, so he liked it too.
His scent wrapped around me. He was so close that I could feel the heat of his skin.
Every inch of me vibrated with tension. With suppressed longing.
I moved for him at the same time he moved for me. We collided in a rush of desire, his lips crushing mine. I parted my lips, moaning, and he devoured my mouth.
His skilled lips moved over mine. He nipped, then licked. Brushed, then drove deep.
My head spun and my body heated.
With shaking hands, I reached for his waist, my fingertips finding bare, hot skin. I ran my hands over the hard muscles to his back, unable to get enough of him. He arched into my touch, as if he never wanted me to stop.
With a groan, he moved his lips to the side of my neck. He trailed kisses down the sensitive skin, occasionally scraping with his teeth.
Had his fangs appeared?
I shivered at the thought.
He bit down lightly, not breaking the skin but hard enough to make desire flash hotly through me. I pressed closer toward him. His hand dipped beneath the hemline of my shirt and brushed against my waist. It moved toward my chest, and I ached for his touch.
More.
Heat rushed through me as I pulled him down on top of me, my head spinning at the heavy press of his body against mine.
He groaned. “Mari.”
He’d shifted fully, his eyes black and his horns silver. White canines had sharpened into fangs, and he was so sexy I felt like I was burning alive. His desire for me lit me up inside.
I spread my legs, welcoming him close.
Tarron held himself over me, pressing against my most sensitive places. Pleasure shot through my veins like fire. He moved against me in the most incredible rhythm, making desire coil tight inside me.
I arched, trying to give him space to touch more of my bare skin.
There was too much clothing between us. I wanted to take it off, but I was too busy running my hands over his strong arms and back, trying to touch as much of him as I could. He caged me in with his hands, his lips trailing down my neck and pressing hot kisses to the sensitive skin.
Everything tightened inside me, desire threatening to make me explode. I’d just wrapped my legs around his hips when a loud knock sounded at the door.
He cursed and pulled his mouth away from my chest.
“Tell them to go away,” I said.
The knock sounded again.
He groaned, sounding torn.
