Page 146 of Blood of the Fairest

"I really don't want to drink this."

"Do it for me, please. You don't seem to realize how torturous it is to watch you starve yourself for your morals."

"It's not just my morals."

Eris's voice is gentle. "I know you detest gore. I've inferred that it must be tied to whatever lurks in your past that you don't speak about. But…Verena, there's a chance you may remain in this world a while longer, so you'll have to adjust. I need you to adjust, so you don't keep suffering. It's only blood. Everyone makes more of it."

Everyone but those dead bandits behind me.

I take a deep breath. "Damn it, I hate that you're practical."

"No, you hate that I'm right. Be swift drinking that, for the Loomdark is not safe to linger in."

He's right. I need to get a move on.

Taking a deep breath, I raise the helmet to my lips.

35

Verena

A few minutes later, I've ditched the emptied helmet to move quickly and silently through the woods in the direction Eris told me to go.

The Loomdark is so dark I can barely see, but I glimpse several pairs of glowing red eyes in the distance. They blink at me, but they don't move closer.

At one point, two faintly glowing things shaped kind of like giant jellyfish drift past. One of them makes a low cooing sound as it passes way too close for comfort, but it doesn't try to take my soul or eat my face off.

As a big fan of keeping my face, I appreciate that.

When I finally step out of the cool darkness of the Loomdark and back into the warmth of Aurefeld, I look quickly over my shoulder one last time, just to see if a twisted branch is about to shish kebab my head, too.

But nothing happens.

"Verena!" Snow White's voice cries out.

She's running across the field to me. I take off toward her. Anika, Ingrid, and Wulf are at her side, Anika still holding a bloodied sword and Ingrid holding up a torch for light. We all meet somewhere in the middle.

It's a good thing I'm as tall as I am because Snow would knock a smaller woman over with how enthusiastically she barrels into me.

"Thank the goddess," Snow White sobs, throwing her arms around me.

Words pour out of her a million miles a second while I hug her back tightly, patting her shoulder to comfort her.

"You're safe! I thought the Loomdark devoured you, and I'd never get to see you again or talk to you or admit that you were right and I really, really like Hagen, and I was so worried I wouldn't get to show you how perfect it would be if you just stay here with the Huntsman and⁠—"

As if on cue, I'm pulled from Snow White's embrace—and just like that, my face is buried in Wulf's chest. His strong arms banding tightly around me make it seem like it's just us in this world.

Mm-hmm. Yep. This is the bear hug I needed.

"Are you all right?" his low voice rumbles where my ear is pressed to his chest. "Your heart is too swift with fear."

"Yeah, well…I don't like getting my frequent kidnapping card stamped. I seem to get abducted more than most people," I add, exhaling shakily as I fight back more memories.

One of his hands smooths gently over my hair. There's heavy regret in his voice.

"I am sorry I was the first to frighten you so."

"You were the second."