Page 55 of A Court of Sugar and Spice
“We have no such diseases in Faerie,” says Lir. “Which is fortunate for my cousin, or he would be riddled with them.”
He attempts a smile, but I can tell something I said has troubled him deeply.
Impulsively I say, “What if we stayed in Faerie?”
“No.” He finishes with my bandage and tugs my sleeve down to cover it. “You can’t. I won’t allow it.”
“Why not? You told me once that some humans do live in Faerie. We could stay here.”
“It’s too dangerous for humans here. They’re always delighted with the prospect of not aging, but they don’t realize how many other dangers exist in this realm. Most perish before they can enjoy the lengthy lifespan they hoped for. And what would you do in Faerie? How would you earn your keep? Your sister can paint, at least—the Fae do love a human with talent—but what canyoudo? Besides fuck?”
I stare at him, my lungs and throat tightening, tears stinging my eyes. “You keep doing this. Reducing me to a slut, a whore.”
“Because that’s how you’ve presented yourself to me. By word and deed, you’ve told me who you are. Own it, or change it. There is no in-between.”
“You keep making me hate you,” I whisper.
“Good.” A muscle flexes in his temple. “That will make everything easier.”
He stalks out of the clump of trees, leaving me alone in the beautiful grove, with the blood-stained petal at my feet.
17
I’m too excited to fall asleep.
I lie in my bedroll, with the moth-girl Cahren on one side of me and Louisa on the other. Above me arch black boughs and snowy blooms, with the night-blue dome of the sky behind them. The stars are familiar, but their arrangement seems reversed, and I remember what the Nutcracker said, about our world and this one being two sides of the same coin.
After what seems like forever, a tall, lithe figure moves soundlessly past my sleeping spot. His scent of peppermint, snow, and chocolate wafts over me. Quietly I ease out of my blankets, slip on my boots, and follow him.
Once we reach the edge of the clearing, the Sugarplum Faerie turns, and I nearly gasp at the hectic excitement in his eyes.
He sweeps me into his arms and rises with a quiet hum of wings, expertly navigating tree limbs until we break out into the open sky, hovering in place. It’s colder up here—a star-riddled, frozen darkness that bites into my bones.
His hot breath gusts against my ear. “You want this, darling? You want me to chase you, claim you, fuck you by force?”
I’m wet just from hearing the words. “Yes.”
“I’ll do it. I’ll use you however I want—break you down to quivering bones, flay your sweet pussy with my tongue. Tell me a word you’ll say if you want it all to stop.”
“Drosselmeyer,” I whisper, and he flinches.
“Let’s hope you won’t have occasion to speak that name. And now, sugar, I’m taking you far away, so the others can’t hear you screaming.”
I don’t have time to answer before he streaks away, across the tops of the trees. He keeps flying, skimming this way and that until I have no idea which direction the camp is. And then we drop—a stomach-flipping plunge, right into the center of a snowy clearing.
Finias releases me, but I stay near him, almost touching his chest, looking nervously at the black shadows under the trees.
The Sugarplum Faerie’s claws curve under my chin, tilting my face up. He’s a different creature out here, in the dark—taller than ever, it seems, with eyes of molten death and teeth like a chain of knives that glitter as he smiles, cruel and mocking.
When he speaks, his usually light, merry voice is far deeper and more dreadful. “You act as if you feel safe with me.”
“I do.”
“You shouldn’t.” He exhales, peppermint coolness across my lips. “You realize I demolished the Rat King’s soldiers with relative ease. All by myself.”
“Y-yes,” I murmur.
“Do you know how easily I could kill you?” The words are a lethal hiss, and a tremor of true apprehension thrills through me. “One hand around this little neck, cutting off your breath—or a flex of my fingers—a quicksnap.” He spits the word, and I startle in his grip.
