Page 46 of To Quench Her Thirst

“How many generations have the Vargans been doing this?” Addie was still trying to understand.

“Too many to count,” Ls Prissa snapped. “And this year,youget to take part in our sacred tradition.” She gave Addie an angry smile. “I’m sure you feel young and pretty now, but you won’t for long!” She cupped a hand to her ear. “Listen, I heard her coming now—once Sheelash sucks you dry the way you drained your Protector, you’ll look old and withered like me for the rest of your life!”

To her horror, Addie heard it too—the sound of many light, whispery footsteps creeping across the floor. She looked around, trying to locate the source of the sound but nothing was visible…yet.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it, shall I?” Ls Prissa said brightly.

“No, please don’t go—don’t leave me here!” Addie begged. “I never promised to give up my youth to a giant Spider Goddess. You said as soon as The Quenching was over, I couldleave. And besides, I need to get Drago back to the Mother Ship—maybe they can still save him if I go right away!”

Though how she was going to manage to drive the long-range shuttle back herself, she had no idea. She could, however, call for help. Drago had insisted on teaching her how to work the long-range transmitter in case they ever got separated and she needed to call the Mother Ship.

At that moment, as they were both looking at him, Drago stirred and a low groan escaped him.

Addie’s heart leaped with excitement.

“There—do you see?” she demanded. “He’s alive! He can still be saved if I take him back to the Mother Shipright now!”

“You can go when The Quenching is over—not before,” Ls Prissa said coldly and started to leave again.

“No, wait!” Addie grabbed for her thin arm. “The Quenchingisover—my thirst is completely quenched!”

“Yourthirst might be quenched buthersis not.” Ls Prissa nodded to the far side of the room where something was moving in the shadows. “I’ll come back for you once Sheelash has had her way with you.”

Then she shook Addie's hand off her arm and swept regally out of the Room of Sighs, still wearing the glittering tiara on her head. The doors boomed shut behind her and Addie knew with a sinking heart that they weren't going to open again until something terrible happened.

She and Drago were all alone with the Spider Goddess and there was no way out—they were trapped.

26

ADDIE

Addie stood there, frozen for a moment. Then she heard the sound again—the softswish, swish, swishof many quiet feet approaching. It reminded her of a scene in a horror movie, where the victim can hear the killer coming but can’t see him yet.

Or in this case,her.

The thought sent a shiver down her spine but then she heard another soft groan from Drago and remembered that her Protector was still alive!

“Drago? Drago!” she exclaimed, rushing over to the iron chair to pat his cheeks again. “Drago, please wake up! We’re in big trouble here—please!”

Slowly, his eyelids came open.

“Fuck!” he groaned. He looked pale and tired. “What the fuck is going on?”

“Ls Prissa was just here telling me a crazy story about how she won’t let us go until Sheelash sucks away my youth!” Addie said quickly. “We need to get out of herenow.”

Drago tried to sit up but his wrists and ankles were still strapped to the chair.

“Fuck me,” he muttered, slumping back down. “Why ‘m I so fuckin’ weak?”

“That’s my fault—I think I drank too much of your blood,” Addie said apologetically. “I didn’t mean to but I got so thirsty and…”

The words died in her throat and she forgot what she’d been going to say. A huge black shadow had fallen over the two of them. Turning, her heart in her mouth, Addie saw a sight that made her knees feel like they had turned to Jell-O.

Standing just a few meters from the throne where Drago was held prisoner was the most monstrous spider she’d ever seen. She’d been halfway expecting another cat-sized spider like the one in her room. Or, at worst, maybe a large dog-sized one. But what she saw took her breath away.

Oh my God!she thought, feeling like a scream had gotten stuck in her throat.It’s bigger than a car!

In fact, the spider was about the size of a Monster Truck—one of those huge vehicles on jacked-up tires that rolled over other, normal-sized cars at redneck events and crushed them as the crowd screamed in excitement.

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