Thank you for everything, Ree.
I felt her nod again, and then she added,I’m always here for you all, you know that. And I mean it, Prim. Stay safe, and may the gods, moons, and galaxy bless you on your search.
I mentally blew her a kiss. Give my best to Siam and Bennif. I’ll be in touch when I can.
We murmured a quick goodbye, and I closed our connection.
The second I was alone in my head, I sent thanks to the gods and goddesses for imbuing me with such strong magic that allowed me to link mentally with others. And remembering how strong and capable I was caused a smile to spread across my lips.
Optimism flared through me anew. I could do this. Iwouldfind the Stone.
I settled back in for the remainder of the ride out of the capital. I itched to get to the open Wood so I could move faster. Already, signs of the impending forest were visible. The Armoth District was falling behind me, and even more vines and leaves wove around the upcoming streets and architecture.
When I spotted a family ofspillinspeering out at me from a hollow in ababbotree, my smile grew even wider. The mother wildling blinked at me, and I raised a hand in greeting, but then a male fairy called from behind me, “Prim! Why the hurry?”
And just like that . . . my smile disappeared.
CHAPTER THREE
When Abel pulled up his carpet beside mine, I pressed my lips into a tight line. His carpet hovered only inches away since we flew at the same altitude. And of course, he flew so closely that we nearly brushed into each other. The only option I had to ditch him was to dive into the slower-moving traffic below and hope he wouldn’t follow. Not ideal.
Dammit. I’d been too caught up in chatting with Ree that I’d been oblivious as Abel snuck up on me.
Obviously, my plan to outrun him in the capital wasn’t happening. To make matters worse, once we got to the Wood, it would be even harder to lose him. Since fae weren’t allowed to fly above the trees, I had to travel on the Wood’s road. I sighed. All in all, I didn’t have many options to avoid him unless I wanted to choose a slower path, and that was still no guarantee he would leave me alone. He might just follow me theretoo.
“Didn’t you hear me calling you earlier? You didn’t reply.” Abel inclined his head toward me, and his amber eyes flashed. “Prim? Hello?”
I kept my attention straight ahead. “No, I didn’t hear you, but I can tell you if I had, I still would have ignored you. What can I do for you, Abel?” Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a sly grin spreading across his lips.
“So formal. Really, Prim, why the sour mood? As I mentioned earlier, I thought two heads together were better than one.”
I snorted. “Using that logic, the more that accompany us, the better. In that case, why not ask Lexer to join us too?” I was pretty sure I’d heard a rumor that another neighbor of ours was planning to hunt the Stone.
Abel’s brows snapped together. “Lexer? You want Lexer with you?” Jealousy clouded his aura, thick and menacing.
His aura brushed against my Shield—the magical barrier fae could erect to protect themselves against others’ magic—and the feel of him made me want to recoil. But I forced myself not to show any outward reaction.
“No, Abe, I don’t want you or Lexer to travel with me. I thought I’d made that abundantly clear.” I eyed the meager supplies on Abel’s carpet. He would be lucky if he packed enough food to last him a few days, and he didn’t seem to have any bedding. Perhaps he planned to stay at inns each night.
Or . ..
I narrowed my eyes. “Were you hoping to mooch off my supplies? Is that why you raced to catch up with me?”
His expression flattened, and his tone turned growly. “Of course not. You know how I feel about you. I don’t know why you keep fighting it. Besides, we’ll work better together as a team, even if you packed more than me.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Work better together for whom? You? Or me?”
“Both of us.”
“No thanks.”
“I wasn’t asking.”
Irritation prickled my skin. “That’s the problem, Abel. You never ask. You just force. And no matter how many times I tell you that I’m not interested in you, you refuse to give up.”
“Males like a chase. Don’t you know that? And I know a huge part of your refusals are because you enjoy playing hard to get.”
I gritted my teeth. We’d had this exact conversation so many times over the past two summers. He would never see reason, and I really needed to learn that I was wasting my breath every time I argued with him.
