Jack

S omething warm and heavy pressed into my chest, and my eyes flew open.

Long auburn hair tumbled around my face, and I gently brushed it aside, inhaling her sweet, floral scent.

Sav. Her head rested on my shoulder, one arm draped across my waist. My body was warm everywhere she touched me.

My left arm tingled beneath her head, but I would sooner let it go numb than move it and risk waking her.

We were still beneath the tree where we’d settled the night before, her body curled against mine like it had always belonged there. My heartbeat slowed to match hers, and my eyes drifted shut again.

“Jack. Get up.”

I blinked, looking up at her standing a few feet away, her arms crossed. My gaze followed her curves, halting on narrowed eyes and the glint of steel in her hand.

I sat up. "What happened?"

"Your hands were all over me."

I glanced down and groaned. "Sav, I swear—I was asleep. I didn’t mean to..."

Something sharp whizzed past my head embedding in the tree behind me with a thunk.

"Whoa!" I shot up, throwing my hands out.

Her smirk faded. “In Faerie, we don’t touch a female without her permission. Ever."

Another blade zipped past, slicing the edge of my ear. I touched it and my finger came away red.

"Understood," I said, holding perfectly still. "Truly. I hope you believe I’d never do anything without consent. Even asleep."

Her lips twitched upward, and she sauntered toward me. My back hit the bark as she leaned in, her fingers gliding up my chest and along the side of my face. Her mouth brushed my ear.

"I’ll hold you to that."

She yanked the dagger from the tree and spun, her hair whipping me in the face before she disappeared into the forest.

I followed, groggy and frustrated, to a nearby stream. I cupped water in my hands, splashing it over my face and trying not to replay the moment her body had been wrapped around mine. Or the way she’d flung those blades. Or how something about her fury was... maddeningly attractive.

She stood and straightened her skirts. "Come on. We need to make better time today."

I wiped my hands on my shirt, cleared my throat. Walking anywhere right now was going to be a challenge.

"Should we... get breakfast?"

She shot me a look. "They don’t have Starbucks in Faerie, Jack. If I see any edible berries, I’ll let you know."

So we weren’t going to talk about it. Fine.

As we trekked, I kept my wary gaze on the stream to our right, half expecting a sudden appearance from the shirtless prince.

A thought struck me. It was his arms I’d seen grabbing Sav back on Earth.

Even then, he’d been protecting her. He was fairy prince, meant for this realm. He was the logical choice for Sav.

And what was I? Not fae. Not human it turned out. And I didn’t know what that meant. Unless it was the magic of Faerie affecting me somehow.

A flicker of orange caught my eye. A fox, its fur streaked with black, watched us from behind a log. One glowing purple eye met mine before it dipped out of sight.

"Sav," I whispered.

She looked up from the stream. "What?"

I tipped my chin toward the log and mouthed, "Fox."

Her gaze sharpened. "Where?"

I pointed. She nodded and crept forward, slipping a dagger from her belt. Silent. Even the leaves didn’t rustle beneath her feet.

"Sav, don’t!" I hissed.

The fox darted from cover and vanished into the woods. She swore, rounding on me.

"Why did you do that?"

"You were going to kill it. Even if it was spying, that doesn’t mean it deserves to die."

She sheathed her dagger with a sigh. "I wouldn’t have killed it. I was going to injure it so it couldn’t follow us."

Somehow Sav thought that meant it was okay. I would never understand her logic.

We walked on until the trees began to change. They grew taller, their bark smoother, and sunlight began to trickle through the canopy. The ground shimmered with hazy orange light, and rows of brilliant yellow flowers burst into view.

They were mesmerizing.

I stepped toward one, drawn in by the scent. It was the most intoxicating thing I’d ever inhaled. I reached for the petals.

"Jack! Stop!"

Sav slammed into me, tackling me to the ground. My head hit the mossy earth, shaking me from my dazed state. Before my eyes, the flowers morphed into rows of snarling, snapping creatures. Tiny dragon-like beasts with thorned petals and needle-sharp teeth.

"What the hell are those ?"

"SnapDragons," she said, standing over me. "Flower fae. Guardians of the summer court."

"They don’t look like flowers."

"They did a moment ago."

I scrambled to my feet. "How?"

"Glamour. Most fae have it—the ability to change their appearance and lure others in."

She turned and walked ahead, her red hair refracting like fire in the light.

Glamour. A mask. Just like everything else here. Just like everything about her.

And yet... I wanted to know what lay beneath.