Altair drops his lips to my forehead. “You should get some rest. Tomorrow will be difficult for you.”
“I don’t know if I can sleep,” I admit.
“I’ll stay awake,” Altair promises. He pushes himself into a sitting position and glances down at me once more before staring back out into the night. “I love you, Verity Chastain.”
His words send a tremor of desire through my body and into my core. I bite my lip, blushing. “I love you, Altair.”
“Now sleep,” he orders sternly.
I roll my eyes but don’t retort that he isn’t my boss even though I would very much like to. A smile plays on my lips. It’s been a long time since Altair and I had a normal conversation that had nothing to do with the Shades or Sadal or Erzur. It felt right—more than right—to spend the night listening to stories of his life. There’s so much I don’t know about him, so many years to spend reminiscing about with him. And I want to do it all. I nuzzle into my cloak, thoughts swirling around the Fae King beside me.
Sleep takes me while I smile.
I open my eyes to darkness. I’m in the desert still, but there is no fire to light the night, and the gossamer cage is out of sight. I spin in a slow circle, trying to get my bearings. I’m alone, the others are nowhere to be seen. My jaw clenches as I stare into the night. The air shifts and I hear the sound of something being scraped over the dirt. A foul scent fills the air, sickly sweet. A shiver lances up my spine, and then another, until I can’t escape the feeling that I’m being watched.
A dark shape moves, looming over me. It's tall and thin, with a large head and a long neck. It's blacker than the night. I bite back a scream, wrapping around myself instinctively. Pure evil and dread wash over me, sticking to me like tar. The shadow pounces, and I see wicked, yellow teeth gleaming. Yellow eyes open, batting at me. A scream rips from my throat as the Shade closes in on me. Its long, spindly arm reaches for me, fingers shaking. I stumble backward, screaming.
The Shade inches closer. It purrs as if it enjoys my fear. I whirl around, scared to turn my back to it but too frightened to stand still. I sprint into the darkness, away from the Shade, in any random direction. My lungs burn, thighs aching with the effort of rushing. I've never run so fast in my entire life. I can hear the Shade over my shoulder, the pounding of its limbs on the ground as it hurtles across the desert. I feel itching between my shoulder blades and duck just as its clawed fingers swipe at the air above my head. I'm going to die, I think, heart racing.
The loud breath of the Shade fades away, and its footsteps slow. I dare a glance over my shoulder and see it falling back, still smiling. My brows furrow suspiciously, but I keep running. I have to make it back to the group, to Altair. I can only hope I’m moving in the right direction. It might be smart to stop, to wait until morning when I can see my surroundings and look for anything familiar. But the Shades are out there, likely watching me. So, I run.
Suddenly, a black shadow leaps up, blocking my path. I skid to a halt as the Shade reveals itself. More pour out of the darkness and surround me. My throat is dry with fear as I take them all in. There's an endless number of them, and I lose count once they all cluster around me. That feeling of dread and hopelessness, as if I'm on the edge of Hell, hits me again. My legs are like jelly.
“What do you want?” I ask. My voice is high and trembling with fear.
The Shades smile at me, and the sight makes me sick. But they like to hear my voice, they like it when I speak to them. I can feel their pleasure radiating off of them with the evil aura they ooze. "To be like you," one of them rasps, reaching for me.
Chapter 15
Altair
Bright, yellow light pierces through my closed eyelids, waking me. I yawn and roll into a sitting position. The stress and physical demands of our journey and the war before it are catching up to me. My bones ache from sleeping on the hard ground and I roll my neck, popping it. When my eyes adjust to the bright light, I look immediately to my left, where Verity was sleeping. But the ground beside me is empty, not even an impression of her left in the baked earth. I spin, eyes roving over the camp in search of her. The others sleep, oblivious to the bright light overhead from the sunless sky. I narrow my eyes, fear coiling in my chest.
I glance at the prison, hoping Verity waited to study the cage until one of us could keep her company. I see Verity through the haze of morning heat, crouched beside the cage. Her shoulders are curved, head bent in concentration. I shake my head, making a note to remind her that Freia is too dangerous to be near alone. But I know Verity wouldn’t appreciate such a warning, even if it was made in good faith.
I squint, looking closer to see a gossamer thread in Verity's hands. She twists it around her fingers and stretches it, twisting more, and looping it in complicated braids. All the while, more white silken webs slip from her fingers into the loom of her hands. Pride sweeps through me, driving out any fear I had for her. She's
