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I brushedhis cheeks "Bram, baby boy, please wake up" My tears burned hot streaks down one, his life taken when he was just beginning to live and grow

Aroundunder hthroughI needed The trees bent backward, as if reeling away from us All I saere those who’d done this Other ele in the forest Who should never have dared to co forward, they sla theround They didn’t have time to scream, to cry for help

The queen spun "Well, well Perhaps I won’t kill you after all, Larkspur Your father toldOrto hide you froainst her teeth, and her eyes grew thoughtful "Yes, that is so he would do"

Words that were not nize, spilled out of my mouth

"Cassava, you will pay for these deaths"

The queen stuht hand tome "This is just a dream, Larkspur You know that Yourburrowers, as did your brother Pity as it was And you will no longer be able to reach your power--doing so will feel as if your soul is being ripped from your body You are weak, too weak to be of use to anyone"

My mouth opened to deny her, but then Ire burrowers I airl," she cooed, co I didn’t want to give up I whimpered, "No, that’s ainst my cheek "It’s not yours Go to sleep, Larkspur, and when you wake, re with tears to hers, knowing only that she’d done so that couldn’t be undone "I hate you I’ll always hate you"

She grinned down at ’s mutual, little bastard"

Chapter 2

I jerked awake, sweat rolling froainst the cotton sheets Beside h the thin sheet Thank the goddess he’d stayed over The dreams were never quite as bad when I had a warainst his back, the heat and ripple of hisof the dream "This is real, this isn’t a dreaainst et my heart rate under control How hts in a row, the drea me with the sheer solidity of it

Like it was a htmare No, I kneas just a bad dream, a way for my mind to make sense of my family’s senseless deaths Yet still, it felt so real

I peered over h the , it wasn’t even dawn yet, but I knew fro back to sleep, not withh slipped out ofin fits and starts as it stuck toaround my waist

"Lay down and shut your eyes, Lark," Coal o back to sleep if you try, but you won’t if you get up"

Leaning forward, I stretched nore Coal He didn’t understand, and I’d stopped trying to make him see h I knew they weren’t real My ht and craet the blood flowing through the and just as s I leaned over and ranto--"

"Go find a clue that tells you this isn’t a drea killer?"

I pulled my hand from him as if he’d scalded me "Don’t mock me, Coal"

"I’m not, but this is stupid It’s a dreah your head It’s just soirl to deal with the death of youra loved one so dear to otten over’ There were times he really was an ass Ti as I strode toward the ar in front of it The fluffy e in the hu to my half-sisters I yanked the armoire door open and pulled out my favorite clothes, which also happened to be the ones Coal hated My hu back from a Hunt Blue jean cut-off shorts that sat low on ged across the front I couldn’t even answer Coal I was so angry and afraid if I did answer him, it wouldn’t be very nice Actually, I was sure it wouldn’t be nice Tying th hair into a knot at the base ofto work"