As its skittering footsteps retreated upwards, I dropped to my knees and wiped the damp sweat off his face. My chest felt as hollow as Melusina, seeing him in this weakened and bleeding condition. I placed both hands on his shoulders and choked back a sob. Would it be fair to wake him when he was in so much pain?
What if he was trapped in a nightmare with the Fear Dorcha and suffering the same amount of agony? At least while awake, he could protect himself with shadows. Reaching down to the hand that held the silver ring, I intertwined our fingers and inhaled a deep breath. The ring pulsed in time with the rapid beat of my heart, and the cornerstone against my chest throbbed in unison. Pulling him out of the dream was the right thing to do.
We were mates now, joined by love and magic. If the Dagda was right, I could wake him with a kiss. I pressed my lips on Drayce’s and drew back. His eyes remained closed without so much as a twitch on those thick lashes.
“Drayce,” I whispered.
His calm features morphed into a rictus of agony.
“I’m sorry.” My voice cracked.
“What’s happening?” he croaked.
“It was the spider,” I murmured. “Remember when it reached into the ceiling for spices?”
He nodded. “A sleep enchantment?”
“Sleep dust.”
Drayce winced and groaned. “I should have known.”
“I’ve got to wake the others before the spider returns to eat them, too. Can you wrap yourself in shadows until I return?”
He grabbed my arm. “I’ll come with you.”
“But you’re hurt—”
“No.” He pulled himself upright, determination hardening his features. Shadows wrapped around Drayce’s middle like a corset, making him hiss. “Help me up.”
I wanted to protest, but the stern look he shot me said that arguing would be futile. As Drayce shoved himself off the ground, I slid myself beneath his shoulder. “Lean on me.”
Drayce grunted, and his weight settled on my side. I wrapped an arm around his back, offering him my full support. Weeks ago, when I was human, I would have stumbled under the weight of his larger body, but somewhere between inhaling the Banshee Queen’s dying breath and now, I’d increased my physical strength.
We hobbled through the walkway between the cobwebs, over rotted, creaking floorboards, and back into the dim hallway, stopping at each cocoon for Drayce’s shadows to tear our companions free. Up ahead lay Melusina’s body on the floor, still impaled by my iron dagger.
“Is that her?” Drayce asked.
I exhaled my disgust and anger in a long breath. “She was trying to swallow me.”
He didn’t respond. Perhaps he already knew how she had assimilated previous bodies.
“Will an iron dagger be enough to kill her?” I pointed the torch down the hallway at Melusina’s prone form.
Her chest no longer rose and fell with breaths. Maybe I didn’t need to tear her apart with claws as Drayce had once directed Queen Pressyne’s skeleton. Maybe my use of iron had fulfilled the requirements for killing a nathair.
“Perhaps not,” he replied. “But we need to deal with the Fear Dorcha.”
Even though I insisted I didn’t need his help, Drayce and I pulled Aengus, Rosalind, and Cathbad together in a tight huddle, but after settling the druid next to Rosalind, Drayce slid down the wall, panting hard.
“Drayce.” I knelt beside him, worry squeezing my chest.
“I need to gather my strength.” Spiderwebs mingled with his dark hair, and sweat poured down his brow.
Having one’s insides eaten by a spider wasn’t something a person could recover from with rest. I would have to make Drayce stay behind and protect the others with his shadows, while I faced the Fear Dorcha alone.
Something moved in the periphery of my vision, making my gaze snap up. Large, green eyes darted around the corner followed by a yellow tail.
My nostrils flared.
It was Erin, and she had just given me an idea.
Chapter 26
Rising to my feet, I glowered down the darkened hallway after Erin, whose hoof beats sounded as though they were headed downward.
The wretched doe could have warned us about the perils we would face on entering the Summer Court. Instead, she led us to a tree that devoured Aengus and spewed a sap that made us sleep.
A growl reverberated in the back of my throat, and I clutched the glowing torch. When I finished with her, she would regret being loyal to the Fear Dorcha.
Drayce wrapped a hand around my ankle. “What are you doing?”
My heart shattered as I stared down into drooping eyes set within pale, slack features. This was worse than when he got poisoned by the Keeper’s venom. At least then, I’d been able to use my knowledge of herbs to draw out the toxins. There was no cure for having been partially eaten by a spider except perhaps magic.
“Pull your shadows around yourself and the others,” I said. “I’ll be back, soon.”
He shook his head. “You can’t—”
“Drayce.” I reached down and squeezed his shoulder. “Please, trust me.”
With a nod, he spread shadows out from beneath his legs. As they stretched around Aengus and the others, I turned around and raced down the hallway, passing Melusina’s body lying among the cobwebs.
Rotted wood yielded under my boots, at times feeling like the floor would give way and drop me into another dream.
Clenching my fists, I rounded the corner and reminded myself that this was no dream. No dream could be so detailed. No dream could be so horrific as the reality of Melusina’s attempt to take over my body or a spider eating Drayce alive. No dream could ever fill me with such anger and despair.
The next stretch of hallway led to a wide, spiraling staircase of steep, marble treads and silver railings. Erin clamped her mouth around the handrail and made tentative, fumbling steps. A slow smile curved around my lips. She couldn’t negotiate steps in her four-legged form, and I was going to take full advantage.
I padded down the the stairs, making sure to stay several feet away
