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Sav

I waggled my eyebrows at Juniper, but schooled my face into neutrality when Jack’s gaze swiveled to me.

“Do you know the satyr?”

My eyes widened. “What?”

Juniper struggled to get her elbows underneath her and pushed herself up.

I darted from my seat, rushing to help her up. “I’m pretending to be human,” I said under my breath in Elvish.

Juniper shot me an incredulous look but accepted my hand as she swung her legs over the side of the bar, whimpering softly.

“Are you okay?” Jack asked right fucking behind me.

Ice shot down my spine.

He held out a hand, and Juniper took it, sliding off the countertop. She staggered, but after a moment, she straightened and thrust her shoulders back, tugging her fingers from his. She gave Jack an odd look before searching my face.

“We can’t go out there,” I said, glancing at the blood on Juniper’s legs. “They’ll finish what they started.”

“Do you have anywhere to go?” Jack asked.

“Just Faerie,” she said, eyes narrowing. “Now that my home is gone.”

Jack’s body radiated heat against my back, a furnace boiling my blood, and I leaned closer to Juniper. “We can’t get to Faerie. They have Central Park surrounded.”

“We?” Juniper’s mock affront would have made me snort if Jack wasn’t standing so close. “I’m not going anywhere with you humans.”

Jack cleared his throat. “Oh. I thought you knew each other.”

Juniper’s gaze slid over my shoulder. “Why? Because I called this one girl? I call everyone what they are. Boy.”

Jack let out a startled laugh. “You know I want to help you.”

His heat was pressing in again, making my pulse pound, but unless I wanted to climb in Juniper’s lap, there was nowhere to go.

“Why? Because you brought me food one time? Human help got me into this mess in the first place.”

She shoved past me, knocking me into Jack’s chest.

They knew each other. That much was obvious.

Juniper marched for the exit.

“Wait,” Jack said, and she halted, hand hovering over the handle.

She eyed the two of us with enough contempt that I felt it might not all be an act. Damn. What did I do? “I’m going to Faerie to report what happened to the courts. Then we’ll see how brave your little faction is.”

She turned on her heel once more and yanked the door wide, storming out. Jack ran after her, but I hesitated. It swung closed behind them, blocking my view of the outside world.

Juniper had some big balls I’d give her that, but images of her torn, bloody flesh and the green stained bolts on the bathroom floor sent terror shooting through me.

One didn’t survive as long as I had by making rash decisions, like charging into the middle of the AFF after nearly becoming a demonstration for Dane Clyde’s propaganda.

I felt deep in my bones that if she went out there now, she wouldn’t survive it this time.

I bit my lip. I’d spent less than an hour in those iron cages, and it was worse than anything I could have imagined, but Juniper could die if they caught her a second time. For some immeasurable period, I was frozen between doing the right thing and saving my own ass.

I cursed under my breath, squared my shoulders, and went after her.

She might hate me later—but at least she’d be alive to do it.