Jayce smiled though. “I wish I’d seen you then . . . maybe you wouldn’t have run away earlier.”

Tentatively, she said, “I don’t need to run right now.”

Despite how awkwardly she’d handled everything, he still seemed interested. “So do you want to walk”—he gestured at the benches—“or sit? We’re probably both too sore to walk too far.”

Faeries clustered closer, surrounding the bench. They didn’t speak, chortle, or react. They just pressed too near, their bodies brushing against hers and his, making Rika tense. She should tuck him into some safe steel-walled house. But I want to talk to him. She shouldn’t do it, but still she said, “Stay. I want to just stay here with you.”

“Later,” Jayce called to Del and Kayley. Then he put a hand on the small of her back. “There’s a quiet spot out this way.”

At the feel of his hand against her—even though there was a shirt between her skin and his hand—she hesitated, and then, shakily, let him guide her to a bench. Lingering with him felt more dangerous than anything she’d done since becoming a faery. There had only ever been one other boy she’d trusted, and he’d stolen everything from her. The fear and the memories of that mistake rushed back so intensely that she felt paralyzed and stopped mid-step.

“You said you didn’t need to run; remember?” Jayce said. She nodded and took another tentative step.

Behind them, faeries whispered. A number of them vanished in different directions, and she was silently grateful that they weren’t going to challenge her here. Maybe Sionnach was wrong about the threat; maybe the faeries had better things to do. She didn’t know, and just then, she didn’t care.

All that mattered was that she was with Jayce. They walked toward a bench, and she realized that he still had his hand on her back. He was touching her, and they were alone together.

Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Sionnach amused himself by flitting in and out of visibility around one of the somewhat nearby towns: starting a quarrel between strangers, kissing a mortal girl and fleeing while her eyes were still closed. I’d rather be keeping an eye on Rika. She was his priority, a project of sorts, but not every detail of his plan was something he could handle himself. It hadn’t been easy, but he’d lured the skittish faery out of her cave. The next step was up to her; he just hoped she didn’t screw it up. Or find out what I’m doing.