His eyes were extra light as he thought it over. "My favorite is pasta and stir-fry, with lots of fresh herbs and vegetables. It’s fun to throw ingredients together and experiment with flavors."
"What's the best thing you cook?"
No hesitation. "I make this incredible garlic and chili chicken dish with rice." He closed his eyes like he was savoring the memory of it and I found myself drinking in his fucking face like I was dying of thirst.
Jacob Compass was a thirst trap and I almost got stuck.
"What else?" I choked out, needing him to stop doing whatever he was doing to my sanity and hormones.
Green-as-fuck eyes assaulted me and I suddenly wondered if that was worse.
"Well, there's my stroganoff and beef subs. I promise you’ll want to marry me after you taste those."
My heart did this weird rapid beat.He's just flirting with you. He does that as easily as breathing.
I tried to remind myself of that, all the while ignoring his little smirk. This side of Jacob completely disarmed me; I was in no way ready to deal with a flirty fey.
The pilot's voice came over the loudspeaker: "We will be landing in approximately thirty minutes. The weather is a little rough today, so return to your seats and make sure your seatbelts are fastened tight and low."
I clicked mine back into place; Jacob did the same and I was surprised. Usually he'd be too arrogant to think a little turbulence could hurt him. Probably he was just humoring the humans; it was something a lot of supernaturals did. They didn't respect the human race, but in all fairness, the humans didn't really have much respect for anything beneath them either, including animals, plants, or the very land they needed to survive.
Supernaturals were much more evolved in that way.
"Were any of the supernaturals ever human?"
I jumped, only just noticing that the president had taken a seat much closer to us. Right across the aisle to be exact. He was watching me with an inquisitive expression, and for the first time he seemed just like a regular guy trying to make small talk.
"Are you evolved from us?" he continued. "I've been doing as much research as I can, but very little knowledge of your existence is anywhere. It's … peculiar."
Jacob's expression was neutral as he returned the probing gaze of the president.
"Supernaturals were never human," he said simply. "We’re not evolved from you.X-Mendid not get it right, butSupermancame a little closer."
"So, you're from another planet?" he pushed, jumping on the Superman thing immediately.
The jeweled lands flashed across my mind, especially the ruby lands where I'd been born. For some reason Faerie never felt like another planet to me, more like an extension of Earth. Earth 2.
"Yes, but not one in your solar system," Jacob said. "Supernaturals originated in a world we call Faerie. At one point we were all much closer in abilities, but over time we evolved, creating the four races you’ve learned about. Our energy required different things to flourish, and in turn this divided us."
"You suffer from race wars too…?" the president asked contemplatively.
We both nodded. "Absolutely," Jacob said. "But we've formed communities where all races live together in a bid to prevent any further fighting. For many years it has worked to keep the peace."
The president leaned back in his chair, and I felt my ears adjust as the plane continued to descend. "You're the equivalent of the president for your people in America, right?" he asked Jacob.
The fey nodded. "Yes, but unlike humans, it's not a voted role. The power of the supernatural determines if they’re able to rule."
This had a shrewd look appearing on John Caine's face. "So you’re very powerful, then?"
Jacob wasn’t remotely cagey in his reply. "Yes."
The president nodded. "Yes, that's perfect. We might be walking into something that would be disturbing for most people. I want you to be prepared for what you'll see, and to remind you that everything we’re doing here is in the hope of achieving a peaceful world. Eventually."
I managed not to snort out a derisive laugh, because what a fucking line that was. He could justify any of his actions under the guise ofone dayachievingpeace.Howaltruisticof him.
Thankfully we didn't have to hear any more of his pearls of wisdom, because we were landing. It was a smooth transition onto the runway, and then we were taxiing across to what looked like a large private airport hangar.
"Where are we?" I asked as we stepped out into the moderate temperature. It felt like a spring day, despite the arid landscape outside of the airport. There was a sheen on the horizon, though, that spoke of a much hotter day coming our way.
