The Spider Queen

by Emma Slate

  I cracked a smile, gearing up to ask questions.

  “I think you were drugged,” he said, voice hard.

  Thinking back to the previous night, I tried to remember if I’d set my drink down and some asshole had wanted to take advantage of me. But I couldn’t recall anything. It was all a swirling mess.

  “I was with friends,” I croaked. Maybe Francis had seen something.

  “Not by the time I got there.”

  “Why were you there?” I whispered.

  He blinked. “You don’t remember?”

  “No.”

  “You called me.”

  “I did?”

  He nodded.

  My head felt full and heavy. I slowly drew my legs up and rested my forehead on my knees. My hair spilled over my arms in a silky, tangled mess.

  “Thank you.” My eyes closed.

  I heard the splash of water and then the sound of Hunter lathering the soap between his hands. A moment later, he was washing my back, gently kneading the knots that covered me.

  “What the fuck must it be like to be a woman?” he muttered.

  “Hmm?” I didn’t open my eyes, but instead sank further into his touch.

  “Can’t even go out to a bar and have fun without worrying about shit like this.”

  I moaned softly.

  Hunter cursed. “You’re killing me, Poppy.”

  He dunked a washcloth into the bathwater before sponging off my back and arms. He pulled the plug and as the water drained, he helped me stand. After wrapping me in a towel, he lifted me, wet soggy mess and all, into his arms.

  “Uh,” I said as he took a step toward the door.

  He looked down at me and raised his eyebrows.

  “I have to use the…”

  “Ah, got it.”

  “I can do it alone,” I said. “If you could just—”

  “Call if you need help. Seriously.” Hunter shut the door to give me privacy.

  I struggled but somehow managed.

  Grasping the side of the sink, I hauled myself up and felt the world spin as I tried to leave the bathroom. I closed my eyes and waited for the nausea to pass.

  “Poppy? You okay?”

  I must’ve made a noise because suddenly Hunter was there, and he was lifting me into his arms. He placed me in the center of his bed, got me into one of his clean T-shirts, and then tucked me in.

  “I’m going to get you some orange juice,” he said. “Be right back.”

  I was asleep before he returned.

  I woke up again when the sun was no longer in the sky and the moon had taken its place.

  “Hunter? Hunter,” I said louder.

  “I’m here, Poppy.”

  A lamp turned on and Hunter’s face was awash in a soft glow. He looked exhausted and worried, and he was still in his clothes. Had he been keeping watch this entire time?

  “Will you hold me?” My voice sounded weak.

  “Poppy—”

  “Please. I need you.”

  He sighed and then he was in bed next to me, taking me into his arms. I rolled into the side of his body and pressed my lips to one of his collarbones.

  His fingers attempted to plow through my hair but they got caught in the snarls.

  “Thank you. For being there when it really counts.” I lifted my lips to his, but he turned his head, so I grazed his cheek.

  “What the hell, Poppy?” he growled.

  “What?” I asked.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I thought it was obvious.”

  Somehow he disengaged from me and moved onto his back to stare at the ceiling. “I’ve got some pride, you know.”

  Whatever energy I had stored up, I exerted all of it so I could drape myself across his chest, forcing him to stay.

  “I need you, Hunter. You’re real and tangible, and you care—”

  “You didn’t want me,” he interrupted. “I came to you and I apologized, and still you shut me down. Shut me out.”

  I looked at him, my head resting on the pillow next to his. I stared into his ear when I admitted, “I always wanted you. I was just too scared to admit it.”

  “The timing of you and me… It’s not going to work.”

  “I don’t blame you for thinking that. I’ve put up roadblocks every step of the way. I’ve pressed start and stop so many times that I… I understand that you don’t want to take another chance on me.” My hand reached under the covers and found his. “But if you let me, I’ll prove that I want you. That I’m ready.”

  Hunter was silent for a long time. Finally, he said, “You mean it?”

  “Actions speak louder than words, right?”

  “Right.”

  I snuggled against him. After a moment, his arm came around me, hauling me into his side. “I’m gonna seduce you Hunter Jones. Just you wait.”

  Chapter 18

  “Poppy,” Hunter whispered.

  “Hmm.” I snuggled closer, wanting to breathe him in, wanting to take the feeling of his security and wrap it around me like a blanket.

  “My arm is falling asleep. And I’m starving.”

  I opened my eyes and slowly moved a leg. It worked, and there was only a lingering soreness.

  No pain.

  My mouth was dry and I wet my lips. “What time is it?”

  “Mid-morning.”

  I rolled away from him and stretched.

  “For the love of all that is holy,” he muttered.

  “What?”

  “You’re going to be the death of me. I can feel it.”

  Frowning in confusion, I looked at his face—and understanding dawned. He was staring at me with unabashed hunger.

  I swallowed. “Oh.”

  “Yeah, ‘oh.’” Hunter sat up and ran a hand through his messy hair. “Breakfast?”

  I nodded.

  “Can you get up on your own, or do you need help?”

  “I’m good,” I assured him.

  He leaned over and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Find some sweats in my dresser. I’ll get breakfast started.”

  Warmth curled through my belly. “You’re cooking?”

  “Yeah.” He tried to move away, but my arms shot out and enveloped him from behind. I pressed my cheek to the center of his back and just held on, taking a moment.

  “What?” he asked.

  “You’re better than anyone should ever be allowed to be.”

  He chuckled. “I have no idea what that means.”

  I released him and with a rueful shake of my head, I held in everything I was beginning to feel for him. He’d come to my rescue on more than one occasion, yet he wasn’t demanding or asking me for more than I could give. He wanted to get to know me and no matter what I admitted or revealed, he didn’t shy away.

  “Don’t be long,” he said, with a quick kiss to my lips.

  I watched him leave his bedroom, admiring the view of his athletic body. Long and lean, sun-kissed skin, blond-haired.

  Not the type of guy I thought I wanted. But I did. I wanted Hunter.

  I got up and went to his dresser, starting at the top drawer and working my way down. The bottom drawer had a wealth of sweats. I found a pair with drawstrings. As I pulled it out, my hand encountered something cool and smooth. A necklace. On a simple silver chain dangled a square, stained-glass pendant, no bigger than a Scrabble tile. The picture was a red flower I recognized.

  It was my name.

  I debated on putting it back in the drawer and pretending I’d never found it, but curiosity won out. Leaving Hunter’s bedroom, I held the pendant in my hand. It warmed to my touch.

  Hunter stood at the kitchen counter whisking a bowl of eggs, back to me.

  “What is this?” I asked.

  “Breakfast,” he quipped without turning around.

  “No—this.” I walked up next to him and held out the necklace. “I wasn’t snooping, I swear. It was in the drawer with your sweats.”

  “I know you didn’t snoop
.”

  “You wanted me to find it,” I said with realization.

  He smiled. “Maybe. I bought it for you.”

  “When?”

  “I found it the night I took you to the junk store.”

  I stared at him for a long moment and then I said, “Will you help me put it on?”

  His smile was wide and effortless. He set down the bowl of eggs and then reached for the necklace. Just as the clasp snapped into place, the front door of the apartment opened. Jonah and Anita entered, laughing and smiling.

  Anita’s face froze when she saw me. Her gaze flitted between Hunter and me. She didn’t say anything but raised an eyebrow.

  Later, I mouthed at her.

  She nodded and grinned.

  “You guys hungry?” Hunter asked, getting back to making breakfast.

  “Starving,” Jonah said. “We had smoothies this morning. I need something legit.”

  “Antioxidants are good for you,” Anita interjected.

  Hunter laughed. “I’m making bacon.”

  “Perfect.” Jonah headed to the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of orange juice.

  “Why don’t y’all sit down,” Hunter said to Anita and me.

  “You don’t want any help?” I offered.

  “Jonah will be my sous chef.”

  Jonah clapped his hands together and grinned. “Right. We’ve got women to impress. Let’s do this, dude.”

  Anita grabbed my hand and pulled me to the couch. We sat down and she whispered, “What’s going on with you and Hunter? I thought you said you were just going to be friends?”

  I glanced over my shoulder, but the boys were occupied with cooking antics. “Um. Yeah. We were. But…I like him. We’re together.”

  She raised blond eyebrows. “You mean together together?” When I nodded, she grinned. “Yes! Finally!”

  “Finally?” I snorted. “We’ve only known each other for a few weeks.”

  “Still, you drove that guy crazy with your back and forth.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Jonah. Guys talk. They just don’t want you to know that they talk.”

  “Got it,” I said with a laugh. “Well, we’re together now. So that’s all that matters.”

  She frowned. “Explain something to me, though. You went out with science dorks Friday night.”

  “Hey,” I warned. “We’re not dorks. We’re geeks.”

  “Yeah, whatever. And no—now is not the time to debate the differences.”

  “Yes,” I admitted slowly. “I did go out with science people Friday night.” Which reminded me, I needed to shoot a text to Francis asking if he’d seen anything weird the night we went out. It wouldn’t hurt to text Jacky and John, too.

  “So, how did you wind up here?” she demanded. “Wait, did you come over here for a late night—”

  “No,” I interrupted. “Hunter and I met out at the bar and then I went home with him.” I didn’t want to tell her I’d been drugged and Hunter had come to my aid.

  I felt a mental nudge against the wall I’d erected to keep Thane out. Instead of answering whatever question he was asking, I reinforced the barrier. It was the only way to maintain the last shred of sanity I still possessed.

  “And you’ve been here for two days?” she demanded.

  Wanting to get Anita off that line of questioning, I showed her the necklace. She looked impressed. Jewelry, any kind of jewelry from a guy, was a big deal. Or so she informed me.

  After breakfast, Hunter and I made plans to meet up later in the day. But I needed a shower and a change of clothes. Plus, I had to talk to Francis and company.

  Anita stayed with Jonah and though Hunter offered to walk me home, I told him I wanted time to myself.

  “You sure?” he asked. “You aren’t going to use that time to rethink everything, are you?”

  I laughed and pulled him close. “No. I just want some time to go all squishy over you.”

  He wrapped his arms around me. “I like the idea of you all squishy over me.”

  As I walked home in his clothes, I sent off a few texts to Francis and the others. There was no immediate reply, so I forced myself to put my phone away. I was glad Anita had stayed with Jonah because there was something I needed to do.

  I let myself into the apartment and then slowly made myself go into my bedroom, expecting to move Thane in his glass cube to the back of my closet and leave him there.

  But the cube—and Thane—were gone.

  Chapter 19

  I gently lowered the mental wall. There was nothing coming through. It was a dark void.

  Thane? Where are you?

  No reply.

  I called to him again, but there was only silence.

  I pulled my room apart, but Thane was nowhere to be found.

  Thane! I yelled, a bit more desperate.

  I briefly thought about texting Anita and asking if she’d seen the cube, but I knew that would set her off.

  I believed in the validity of science because I liked the answers it provided—hypotheses could be proved or disproved. Right then, I didn’t have any valid explanations for why Thane was missing, and it messed with my head. I hated puzzles I couldn’t figure out.

  Late winter sunlight streamed through the blinds. Speckles of light hit the wall. I traced it to the stack of books that faced my computer. I set my hand down on top of the stack and curled my palm. It felt like gravel in my hand. Peering closer, I realized they were glass remains.

  Had Thane broken out of his cube?

  How?

  I looked around the room again, wondering what had transpired here while I’d been in Hunter’s bed. Maybe Thane had been fighting his own battle.

  After I put everything back in its place and cleaned up the glass, I went to shower. While I waited for the water temperature to adjust I reached out to Thane once more, hoping he’d answer me this time.

  I don’t know what happened to you, Thane. I hope wherever you are, you’re safe.

  I stepped under the hot water and washed away the last couple of days. There were gaps in my memories and dreams of shadows and terror, and I tried to make peace with what could’ve happened but didn’t. Hunter had shown up and saved me from a terrifying fate.

  But by the time I got dressed, I wasn’t feeling any better. In fact, my funk was worse. Francis hadn’t gotten back to me, there had been no communication from Thane, and even though I tried not to think about Friday night, questions pounded at my skull.

  The late Sunday morning was bright and clear. Spring would be here soon and I couldn’t wait. There was nothing like Charleston in spring. Everything was green and pink. I was sick of the deadness of winter.

  I left the house and meandered back toward Hunter’s apartment. I thought about calling him, but he rarely called me; he just showed up. I liked that about him.

  “Hey,” he said, a smile transforming his face as he opened the front door. “I thought I was going to pick you up at your place.”

  “I wanted to surprise you this time,” I said.

  He closed the door behind him and locked up. “Where are we going? Are you hungry?”

  “Can I show you something?” I asked.

  He nodded, looking quizzical. Hunter didn’t say anything; he let me lead. Only when we started heading north into the not-so-nice part of Charleston did he speak up.

  “What’s all the way out here?”

  “Francis wanted to show us something he’d found. I want you to see it.”

  “Okay. Cryptic much?”

  I squeezed his hand. “Trust me.”

  The crumbling building wasn’t hard to find in the daytime. Foot traffic was minimal. The only sounds were the cawing of birds that flew in a V formation over our heads.

  “We’re here,” I said quietly.

  His eyes left my face to look at the building. The painting of the dark-haired man with dark eyes was on full display, and though it had appeared more ominous at night, it still
conveyed intensity in the daytime.

  “This is unbelievable,” he breathed, his hand dropping from mine. He took a step toward it. “It’s not signed, which is weird. Who wouldn’t want to put their name all over this? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “I did this,” I admitted.

  His head whipped around. “You?”

  I nodded.

  “When?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  Hunter frowned. “How can—”

  “Apparently I’ve been sleepwalking.” I looked at the painting. “I went to the doctor, and he gave me a mild sleeping pill. I think it’s time I take them.”

  I turned my back on the wall and faced Hunter. “I don’t know how I did this without realizing it. Something’s happening to me, Hunter. Something I can’t explain.”

  “The night you came to my apartment…”

  I nodded. “I’d had a bad night, and I just needed…you.”

  His hand came up to cradle my cheek. “You can tell me anything, Poppy. I swear.”

  “Can I?” I took a deep breath. “Because I’m not even sure how to make sense of what’s going on. I’m afraid to take the sleeping pills, but I’m terrified of what could happen if I don’t.”

  “I’ll be your sleeping pill.”

  I raised an eyebrow.

  “I meant, I’ll sleep next to you. Make sure you don’t wander off. I’m a light sleeper. I’d know.”

  Relief blasted through me. “You’d do that for me?”

  His eyes were vivid blue and steady. “I’d do anything for you.”

  We walked hand in hand back toward downtown. I bought him a sweet tea and we strolled around the Market area.

  Hunter was in the middle of trying to get me to buy a floppy hat meant for a tourist when my phone rang.

  “It’s Francis,” I said to Hunter.

  He nodded at me to take it.

  “Hey, Poppy. Just got your message. What’s up?” Francis asked.

  “What’s up?” I repeated, voice strained. “Tell me what happened Friday night.”

  “Um. We went out. John and Jacky started macking on each other so they left. You and I stayed for another drink and then I went home with the bartender.”

  “Yes, but what happened to me?” I demanded.