Rika was utterly motionless for a moment, Jayce on one side, Sionnach outside the cave opening. She was confused by Sionnach’s help, by his actions here tonight, and by the way he’d seemingly helped push Jayce toward her while saying such things that made her wonder if she really knew the fox faery at all.

Carefully, she touched Jayce’s forearm. “Please stay here for a minute. I need to talk to him, but I’ll be right back.” She swallowed nervously and then added in a rush, “I really want you to stay . . . not just for your safety, but because . . . I want you here. He’s my friend though, and I need to find out what happened, and he doesn’t want to talk in front of you. Please just give me a minute.”

After a moment, Jayce sighed and said, “Why not?” Then he walked toward one of the tunnels with his bag without saying anything else.

As soon as Jayce disappeared into the tunnels, Rika ran outside and found Sionnach staring at the desert. He’d slid to the far side of the ledge in front of her cave, precariously perched so he wasn’t visible from inside, and Rika wondered briefly if he’d stood out here like this when she was unaware of it. Right now, that wouldn’t surprise her.

“What did you do to get his things?” Rika demanded in a whisper.

“Nothing special.” Then in a blink Sionnach suddenly looked like Jayce, but still dressed in his own clothing. “Just a simple glamour, princess. You might only use them to stay hidden, but there’s a world of possibilities. I stopped at Jayce’s house before I came out here so I could explain to Jayce’s father that I’d be off camping with Del . . . and then stopped and told Del I’d met the girl of my dreams and was going to see her.”

Rika blushed. “I’m not—”

Sionnach was still wearing Jayce’s face as he said, “The girl of my dreams? You are. You’re one of the most amazing”—he pulled her into his arms, holding her in a position appropriate for slow dancing or kissing—“gorgeous”—he stroked her hair—“unusual girls I’ve ever met. Who wouldn’t want to hide away with you?”

When Rika didn’t reply, Sionnach leaned in like he was going to kiss her. “And you believe in me enough that you aren’t seeing through the glamour . . . or are you seeing the real me right now, Rika?”

Rika remained immobile in his embrace. Her hands were on his upper chest, and that was all that kept any distance between them. Then, she said his name, half question she didn’t want answered and half answer to the question he’d posed. “Shy?”