Page 62 of Into The Green

"And that would be a bad thing?"

"It would be a distracting thing," he corrected.

I mused on that for a second. "But isn't it a distraction regardless? I mean... you could have gone on, you know. Found Jade. You could have left me with Baba Yaga."

"No I couldn't."

"Because you were distracted..."

His smile went just the barest bit boyish. "I couldn't risk a fire ant castration," he said, lips twitching.

"Hey!" I said, shoving at his shoulders. "That's really annoying."

"If you'd fucking talk to me about shit, I wouldn't have to do it."

"Says the winner of last years' Most Communicative award," I drawled, making him chuckle, reaching up to boop my nose in such a casual way that it must have been characteristic of him, going against so much of what I had seen of him. But I had only gotten to see the Jasper he needed to be to survive: strong, brave, stoic. I didn't often get to see who he was when he wasn't just trying to navigate us through an impossible land to find his sister. Maybe he was sweet and gentle and kind.

"Cece," he said, head ducked a little, looking in my eyes.

"What?"

"Don't get your hopes up too high," he warned. His fingers slid up my thigh then slipped inward.

"What are you doing?"

"I can deal with the aftermath of me not getting any, but your sexual frustration is making it hard to concentrate."

"Then stop eavesdropping," I said with an eye roll.

"I'd rather do this..." he said, his fingers toying with the waistband of my panties.

"You said... someone could be watching."

"Fuck 'em."

His hand started to slip under. "Jasper," I reasoned, looking around uneasily. "We're almost to the Dark." I had no idea what the average Dark fae was capable of, but if fauns could sexually enslave me and they were Light, I wasn't exactly excited to get caught unaware by a Dark fae.

"Fine," he said, dropping his hand and pulling away, "but I swear to fuck, when we get Jade safe, I don't care if we have to co-opt fucking Baba Yaga's cabin so I can fuck you for three days straight."

"You know," I said with a smile, "I'd really like to see you try to do that."

"Alright," he said, raking a hand through his hair. "Let's get going and see if we can track down Doyle," he said, reaching down for my hand and it was so natural and sweet and unexpected that I actually pulled back instinctively. But his hand just tightened and gently pulled me along.

I fell into step beside him, watching the woods around us get more and more eerie. "Where do you think he might be?"

"My best guess is in Tenray Square."

"Tenray Square?" I repeated.

"It's a village right inside the Dark realm where there is a peace treaty among the Dark and Light so they can trade goods. But don't let that peace treaty idea comfort you. Most of the Dark fae play it hard and loose with the rules and it is clear that they run things there and the Light are only there because what they have might be useful. It isn't safe and you can't trust anyone."

"Except you and Doyle."

"Even us," he said, stopping suddenly, eyes severe. "If we start acting strange, if we do or say shit that doesn't sound like us, fucking run. Run all the way back to Baba Yaga and stay there until we show up for you or until you can find a safe way back to the human realm."

"Let's not get ahead..."

"Cece, I'm not being paranoid. Shit happens in the Dark realm. And it happens before you can even think to stop it. I know you think your shield can protect you and, don't get me wrong, it is an asset. But even that might not be enough. So pay attention, even to us, and run if anything seems off. Got it?"