East scratches his arm, appearing a bit twitchy. “I didn’t realize that could interfere with it.”
“Not always, but what you promised could.” He stares at Easton in an unnerving way, making East grow even more fidgety.
“How come I get the feeling there’s more to the promise than you told me?” I say to East, desperately trying to ignore the hunger flooding my body, begging me to feed off him.
This is almost as bad as having darkness inside me.
Okay, no, I take that back.
East flicks a glance in my direction, worry written all over his face. His lips part, “I—” His gaze snaps to our right where Foster is standing near a thick oak tree that’s shedding purple and silver leaves to the ground.
His eyes are sizzling with lightning and his muscles are rippling with tension that electrifies the air.
Clearly, he’s upset about something, so I’m surprised when he calmly says, “I came out here to see what was taking you guys so long.” He momentarily stares at East before his gaze drags to me. “Are you ready to get this link fixed?”
I nod, knowing I should be ready, that I’ve wanted it to be fixed since it was altered, but the move feels like a lie.
“Okay.” Foster steps toward with his hand extended.
I place my hand in his and when our palms align, he goes rigid. His finger sketches along the icy patch and then he shakes his head, throwing a harsh look at East. East doesn’t respond, taking off through the trees in a hurry.
“You should go easy on him,” Porter tells Foster as he moves up beside me. “He was only trying to make it easier on her.”
“I’m sure he was,” Foster mumbles sarcastically.
He pulls me with him as he starts toward the tree house. With a sigh, Porter trails after us with his hands stuffed inside the pockets of his jeans.
No one speaks as we make the short walk back, but I can tell it’s upset Foster, which makes me question if East left out some of the details about a blood promise. I want to be upset with him about that, but ever since we made the promise there’s been a lack of guilt crushing at my chest, so it’s difficult to get worked up about it.
“So I’m about to meet a faerie?” I say in an attempt to shatter the maddening silence between us.
Foster nods, glancing at me. “It’s the only way Hunter is going to be able to fix the link.”
I wet my dry lips with my tongue. “Is she going to be like that faerie that was locked in your parent’s bedroom?"
Foster gives my hand a squeeze. “Camille is nice and Hunter assures us she’s completely trustworthy.” But a bit of skepticism rings in his tone and nervousness creeps up inside me as we arrive at the bottom of the tree where the tree house is.
What’s strange is that I can’t spot the actual tree house structure. Where is it? Inside the tree?
I expect us to have to climb up the tree, but Foster walks up to the trunk and opens up a thick, wooden door hidden behind vines.
“Why didn’t East take this way when we left the tree?” I wonder as we step inside the hollowed out trunk.
Foster shrugs, but his fingers stiffen in mine. When I give him a questioning look, though, he puts on a smile.
“I’m fine,” he assures me as he guides me deeper into the tree trunk, the air growing heavy and damp. “I’m just ready to get this link fixed.”
I nod in agreement, but again, I question if I’m telling the truth. But my feelings make no sense to me. Ever since the link was altered I’ve wanted it to be fixed. Now I feel so hesitant, as if something deep inside me is sending out a warning. But warning for what?
I try to make sense of my emotions as we inch further into the tree trunk, but end up feeling even more confused. The deeper we get into the tree the darker it gets, roots sprouting from the dirt in the walls and moisture builds in the air.
I’m just about to ask Foster where we’re going when we enter a wide space lit up by glowing lanterns hanging from branches on the walls. Dry leaves and rose petals cover the ground and a flowery chandelier hangs from the leafy ceiling.
“Wow, it’s really pretty in here,” I remark as I peer around. “The space seems so much bigger than what it appears to be on the outside.”
“All the trees in this world are laced with magic,” Foster explains. “It’s part of the reason why so many fey live in them.”
“Why haven’t I seen any fey around?” I ask. “I mean, I saw a falopixie, but that’s it.”