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Sav

O f all the inopportune times to run into Kaspar, of course it was when I was close to convincing Jack to come with me.

But in the end, it was a blessing in disguise, my once oldest friend had a way of popping up when I needed him most. He may not be a guardian to the pocket entrances of Faerie on land, but the prince of lakes and streams had his own access between realms. That I had been actively avoiding speaking to him for three years hadn’t deterred him in the least from offering his aid.

Jack crunched over dried leaves as he approached from an entirely different direction than I’d seen him before.

At least he was smart enough not to come directly to me and give us away.

I ducked behind the massive oak, exhaling slowly.

Of course the mousy girl with limp hair had found him the moment I left him alone.

The twisting feeling in my gut when I’d spied them wrapped together in an embrace could only be because I hadn’t eaten in hours.

It had absolutely nothing to do with Jack.

“Hey,” Jack said.

“Let’s go. I found a way into Faerie.”

I peeked out from behind the tree, spying Alice disappearing into the darkness. One of the three little pigs was headed in our direction, a gun strapped over his chest, and some distance away, the outline of another human was approaching.

“This way.” I darted out from behind the tree, but warm fingers wrapped around my arm, spinning me back to him. My heart picked up speed as energy thrummed through me at his touch.

“No. Sally. Listen to me.”

My eyes widened as I took in Jack’s broad frame. There was a stubborn set to his chin that said he wasn’t going anywhere with me until I heard him out. I straightened, glancing over his shoulder and nodded once. “Please, Jack. I have to go. Be quick.”

His dark brows lifted slightly as he searched my face. “I can’t drop everything to go with you to Faerie. I’m in the middle of something.” He folded his arms over his chest.

I stepped closer, laying a hand on his muscled forearm.

Whatever it was he thought he was doing, I had to convince him I needed him more.

“I need your help. Please?” His gaze dropped to my hand on his forearm and his jaw flexed.

When he looked up, I raised both eyebrows. “You know where the prisons are.”

Jack’s mouth pressed into a flat line. “I can draw you a map. You don’t need me.”

I bit my lip. This would be harder than I thought.

“I don’t have a good relationship with the courts.

It will take more than my word for them to believe what’s happening here.

A human—speaking on behalf of the fae—would be accepted as truth.

” I pulled my hand back, rubbing my bare arms. “And, I thought you wanted to help me. After you let them take Juniper.” I glanced past him at another approaching human.

He was wasting time I didn’t have. I took a step back, putting distance between us. “But. If you can’t go.”

His eyes rolled to the sky, obviously fighting a battle with himself. “Fine,” he sighed, resignation in his voice. “But I can’t be gone long. I have things in motion here.”

Voices in the distance were drawing near, and I frowned, darting another glance over Jack’s shoulder, heart thrumming in my chest. “Of course. We’ll go straight to the court, ask for their aid and return.”

“Hey! Look!” Someone shouted. “It’s the fairy lover!”

I swore. “Time’s up,” I said, grabbing Jack’s hand and tugging him behind me. Lunging over a hedge, I heard his muffled humph behind me as he followed. I glanced back. “Hurry!” I shouted as several armed men closed the distance behind us.

Jack picked up speed and we ran faster.

A massive aquamarine-hued kelpie appeared beside us in the stream, sailing over the water as we ran beside him. His immense blue eyes flashed to me, and I nodded. He tossed his head sideways at Jack, and those large horse eyes seemed to narrow on me.

I ran faster, and in moments, Jack began to lag behind. A bullet whizzed past my head, then another, dangerously close.

“Kaspar, pick him up! They’ll shoot him!”

The kelpie whinnied and nipped at Jack who shouted in protest, slowing down.

“Jack, get on. He’s taking us to Faerie.”

Jack eyed the beast warily, but another gunshot cracked, and he dove onto Kaspar’s back.

Kaspar leaned his powerful neck around and snapped pointed teeth at Jack.

Jack nearly toppled off his back as he scrambled away from his bite.

“Scoot up,” I shouted.

Jack managed to right himself, swinging a leg over the kelpie’s back and I leaped into the air, landing behind him as three more bullets sailed through the air.

“Dive Kaspar!"

Waves swelled around us, and he sank beneath the water. I wrapped my arms tightly around Jack’s waist and my legs around Kaspar’s sides as I whispered into Jack’s ear before we were fully submerged: “Hold your breath.”

We were swallowed by dark, frigid water as Kaspar dove below the surface of the stream for just a moment before he rose back up.

Jack inhaled a heaving breath, and we sank again.

This time, Kaspar moved swiftly, aiming straight for the shimmering chasm at the bottom.

We were cheating, using the prince of lakes and streams to take us through the rift between worlds, but we would know in a moment whether Faerie would accept Jack or not, and there would be nothing I could do if it didn’t.