“They won’t have you as long as you’re with me.” His hand reached out toward me. “Which is why we can’t be separated.”
I didn’t move. “The Wild Hunt—tell me what it is. Tell me what I’m about to walk into. I deserve to know that.”
His jaw worked. “She is cursed, Eurydice. A cursed fae who rises at the behest of the spirits. She rides a horse, and her wolves hunt alongside her. They cannot be stopped and they cannot be reasoned with. They can only be survived.”
“Where do they rise from?”
“The Underwood. It is our hell.”
So there was a fate worse than becoming a wraith. I couldn’t imagine it.
The ice spread further, rising into my throat. “Wraiths and the Wild Hunt. It’s a special kind of fucked, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” In the semidarkness his mouth twitched, but his hand stayed extended. “But it wouldn’t be the first time.”
I gazed at his hand, and then into his eyes. Even in this darkness, even with goosebumps running up my arms and my hair standing on end, I could perceive the change in Dorian. In his eyes, in his soft mouth. Here was my partner from the Eldermaze. Here was the man who had nearly died to save us.
I set my palm to his.
His fingers closed firm over mine. “Trust me, as much as you can. For as long as we’re in this, I won’t fail you.”
I swallowed. “Bold claim.”
The hint of his crooked smile appeared. “There’s a strong chance we’ll be gutted and eaten alive by wolves. Better?”
“Much better.” My grip tightened. “You lead.”
“Keep your voice to a whisper.”Dorian led me along the branch, away from the citadel’s interior and all light. Out here, the sounds became the sounds of the forest: the rustle of leaves, the creak of trees, the chittering and crying of creatures whose names I didn’t know.
I didn’t hear the wraiths. And I didn’t know if that was good or bad for us.
After a minute, he stopped. “You’re going to drop down. The next branch is a short distance below.”
“Just… drop?”
“Wait here.” As if I had a choice. He let go of my hand. Instantly I experienceda powerful disorientation in the darkness. The branch gave the slightest creak, and then a soft rustle sounded below me. Dorian’s low voice rose to me. “Step off. I’ve got you.”
The dizziness made me crouch and set my hands to the branch. “You’re certain of that?”
“Positive.”
I couldn’t even see him, but I had to trust him. It was the only way we’d make it through this. “I’m dropping now.”
I slid off the edge of the branch. My stomach lurched into my throat as I fell. Then warm hands caught me at the hips and slid up my sides, steadying me.
“Well done.”
My heart was a canary. I gripped his forearms. “Tell me we won’t be doing that again.”
“We’re on the next tree now. From here, we’ll climb down.”
“Dorian—”
“I’ll carry you.” His hands stayed on my sides. “It’s the only way.”
The resistance in me deflated in the face of necessity. I nodded.
I sensed him crouching before me. “Hold on to me. I’ll need my hands and feet to get us down.”
