A Labyrinth of Fangs and Thorns: A Dystopian Fantasy Romance (Fae Guardians, Season of the Vampire Book 2) by Lana Pecherczyk

Author:Lana Pecherczyk [Pecherczyk, Lana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-10-30T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 19

“I’m jumping.”

Peaches’ two words gave Haze a heart attack. “What?”

“I’m going to jump over the gap and grab the cage.” She nodded, as though silently convincing herself. “It’s an easy gap.”

“Are you mad?”

“It’s fine. You can reach out to grab my hands and hold on to me. Then you can feed from me.” She met his eyes. “I might not get another chance to come. You need to feed.”

“They won’t let me starve.”

“You’re starving now! I can see it in your eyes.”

“Don’t you dare,” he said, but she was already looking up and around the cage, inspecting it.

“There’s a rope pulley above. Maybe it’s better if I get up to that and shimmy down to the cage.”

He shut his eyes, unable to believe what he was hearing. She would fall.

His stomach bottomed out.

She would fall.

“Don’t,” he whispered. But his voice was so small, coming from a far distant place. He started to see blood and broken wings. He heard a baby wailing for her mother. Vomit rose in his gullet, but nothing came out. Haze forced himself to breathe through the memory. Not now. Don’t lose it now.

But the hunger made him weak. It invited delirium to his side, like a thief stealing his sense. Sounds echoed. A part of him heard Peaches climbing higher. A part of him could see her slipping and falling to her death. And a part of him revolted. No. She would not die today.

He would protect her with his life.

He opened his eyes and located her. Two dainty slippered feet had climbed high enough that he’d lost sight of her face.

“Yeah,” she muttered. “The rope up here goes straight down to the top of the cage. It’s knotted securely. There’s no way I can undo that and lower the cage. I’ll climb down the rope. It’s safer than me jumping. Easy.”

“Crimson help me.” The top of the cage was barred, just like the outside. He could see through. She was right. The staircase ended in a platform beneath the pulley. She touched the rope. The cage wobbled. He braced and balanced himself until the wobble eased. A trickle of hope splashed through him. Maybe she was right. Even though the next words hurt to say, he knew he had to trust her. To allow her this choice, even though his every instinct wanted to keep her safe. “You ease yourself down as slowly as you can.”

“Got it.”

“I swear to the Well, Peaches. If you slip, I will murder you.”

A short laugh and then she lowered herself onto the rope and twisted her legs so she clung like a monkey. The pulley groaned and moaned, getting used to both their weights. He sent a silent prayer to the goddess that Peaches’ arms would remain steady, that her grip would be strong. The cage rocked as she shimmied down. He held his breath and exhaled as she made it to the cage.

“See?” she said breathlessly. “Easy.”

He shook his head. “You’re insane.”

“Brave,” she corrected. Swallowed. “I’ve been doing as you said.

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