Sighing, I splash through the creek. My feet are bare—I don’t know if there were shoes to go with the dress that I kicked off while dancing, or if this is part of the look—and the hem of my ridiculous dress soaks up water, even though I try to bunch it up above the shallow current.

I don’t know what I plan to do. I march unnoticed past dreamy-eyed faeries until I’m standing, in a mud puddle of my own making, in front of Raze.

“You taste...like honey...” he mumbles, because even though his mouth is occupied, he can never shut up.

The faerie girl chuckles into another kiss. “You taste like desperation,” she says. “Or is it loneliness? It’s so mortal.”

In all of time, there has never been an awkward throat-clearing as awkward as the one I give then.

The uninvolved faeries notice me first. They look almost like startled deer—curious, but motionless. Waiting to see what I do next.

What do I do next?

“Shoo.” It comes out of my mouth without passing my brain. You can’t just shoo faeries like they’re mosquitos buzzing a little too close, but I do. “Go on, shoo. Go dance an eternal waltz or something.”

They just keep staring at me. It’s strange, like they’re looking through me at something else. I have to fight to keep from checking over my shoulder for someone bigger and scarier. A surge of confidence pushes me forward, and I think maybe it’s coming from the same place as the tide of magic.

“Shoo!” I repeat, this time with a hand motion and a step forward. They pause for a moment, then scramble to their feet. I wait for them to turn me into a chipmunk or something, but then they dash past me, leaving behind a breeze that smells like wildflowers.

Okay, that just leaves me and Raze and one more faerie. This shouldn’t be that hard. Then again, they haven’t even looked up at me once.

I clear my throat again. I’m trying not to stare but also trying to catch his eye, and this is the most uncomfortable I can ever remember being in my life. I don’t want to watch Raze kiss some other girl—

I mean, any girl. Anyone. I’m not jealous, because in order to be jealous of something, you have to want it yourself, and I definitely do not want...

“Raze,” I snap. That works. His breath hitches when their lips part.

I grit my teeth.

The faerie girl looks up at me through long eyelashes. Her eyes are the same luminous gold as her hair, so rich I feel like I’m sinking in them.

“I-I...” I stammer. Raze gives me a confused pout. I can’t tell if he recognizes me or not. His eyes are peaceful and vacant and a little sleepy. “I-I need to steal you away? For...just a moment.”

The faerie girl’s head rolls back lazily. “Ugh, leave him alone. He’s having fun.”

Raze seems to agree with that. He leans back towards her.