Page 320 of The Spider Queen

The air was cold and my teeth were chattering. I slowly opened my eyes, and my breath caught in my throat. I was staring at a near-black sky above me, so dark and remote that the stars almost looked close enough to touch. I raised my hand, trying to grasp at the flickering lights. But they were still too far away.

With a measure of disappointment, I slowly sat up, so I could slip the dome into my bag.

Only then did I get a proper look at my surroundings.

I gasped.

White, puffy clouds. Winged creatures lazily circling through the air. The sky streaked with golden stardust.

I slid my knees up to my chest and tried to curl into a ball to contain whatever heat I had left in my body.

One of the winged-creatures flew toward me. It swirled and turned its giant reptilian body, flapped its golden-scaled wings, and then landed.

I blinked, never having seen a dragon before except in the ancient tomes that belonged in my parents’ archive room.

The dragon dipped its head, but its eyes weren’t on me. And then it was shapeshifting, like Hunter had done to grow two legs instead of a tail, only this time, in the dragon’s place, stood a naked woman. Her blond hair covered her breasts and fell down her back to stop at the curve of her bottom. She reached down, grasped part of the cloud in her hand, and twirled.

The cloud was now wrapped around her body. With her free hands, she grabbed her hair and threw it into a makeshift bun. She snatched another section of the cloud and used it to bind her hair.

I stared at her in wonder.

“Stella,” she said with a wide smile. “You made it. I’ve been waiting.”

“For how long?”

“Long enough.”

She plopped down on the cloud in front of me. Her eyes raked over me and her smile widened. “I haven’t seen you since you were a baby.”

I blinked. “You know my parents?”

“Yes. I came to your naming day ceremony, but after that, Thane and Poppy refused other creatures entrance to Purgatory in an attempt to protect you.”

I nodded. It was why I’d been so lonely growing up.

“How are they?” I blurted out, greedy for any information about them. “Have you spoken to them recently?”

“I have not had any communication with either of your parents for some time now.”

“Why?”

“They are”—she paused—“unable to communicate with the outside world.”

“I don’t understand,” I said with a shake of my head.

“As soon as Lucifer realized they’d sent you to the mortal realm, he confined them to Purgatory.”

“I have to get them out. I have to—”

“Easy,” she said, trying to calm me. “When you find the three pearls—if you find them—then you become law unto yourself. You will break the bargain struck between your father and Lucifer for your mother’s life. It will nullify the spell he placed on Purgatory as well, freeing your parents.”

I was light-headed when I thought of such a drastic undertaking. “I have one pearl.”

“Good. Which one?”

“The pearl from the merrow. I was in Atlantis.”

Her eyes glistened with longing. “Atlantis. What a sight that must have been.”