Page 81 of Into The Green

"So, what... ten minutes or so?" I asked, smiling, trying to lighten the heavy mood.

"You're stuck with me now, honey," he said, pushing up and back, sliding out of me. He stood, moving back toward where my makeshift bathroom was situated, throwing out the condom then walking back to me as I sat up. He extended his hand and I took it, letting him pull me to my feet. His hand traced up my arm then down the center of my chest, resting his hand over my ribcage and I knew exactly what he was going to say before he said it. "What's with the hunger strike?"

"I've been too nervous to eat," I said with a shrug, feeling a bit more insecure about my wasting body now that we weren't in the heat of things. I reached for my towel, swatting his hand away, and wrapping it around me. "I mean, for all my research," I said, tossing a book off my clothes pile as I reached for something to put on, "I don't really know how things work in The Green. I don't know how to get away from these guys or why they want me or what I can do to be able to breathe again," I admitted, slipping leggings up under my towel then slipping my arms into a gray sweatshirt. I yanked off the towel and turned back to find Jasper in his pants, his shirt in his hand.

"Come here," he said, holding an arm out wide. And, well, when you were sure the man you were beginning to love was dead for months then he suddenly showed up, gave you the best sex of your life, then offered you a hug... yeah, you didn't hesitate to fold yourself into his arms. I closed the few feet and wrapped my arms tight around his back, my face buried into his neck, letting out an involuntary whimper that made his arms tighten around my hips and shoulders. His head turned and he kissed my temple. "Take a breath, Cece," he said softly and I did. "We'll figure it out. For fuck's sake... we've dealt with fauns, my torturous parents, Baba Yaga, Dark fae auctioneers, and Dark realm work camps. I think we can handle a couple fucking redcaps at this point."

"We didn't exactly get out unscathed, you know," I said, my hands stroking over the smooth skin of the scars on his back.

"So what? Scars are sexy. They tell stories. Life's no fun cuddled in a protective bubble. We've seen some shit and lived through it. If we get a couple more... who cares?" He paused, letting that sink in. "So are you done making yourself sick about it? Can I take you to get some food then maybe convince you to go visit Jade?"

At the mention of food, my stomach let out a loud grumble that made Jasper chuckle. "Insatiable appetite for a fae. Glad some things never change," he said, untangling from me so he could slip his shirt back on and go find his wallet. When his back was turned, I slipped into clunky combat boots, slipping as many talismans, vials, and gemstones in as possible before grabbing a couple iron bracelets I'd found and slipping them onto my wrists.

"Ready?" he asked, holding his hand out to me and I smiled when his fingers slipped between mine, comforting, supportive.

"Yep," I said as we both moved through the door, stopping dead one foot outside, both going ramrod straight.

Because there in a semi-circle blocking an escape, were the redcaps from my sleeping and waking nightmares.

And directly in the center was a man I had never seen before. He was tall, broad shouldered, black-haired, with a jawline that could cut glass, black clothes, and a stern brow.

I'd never seen him before.

But those honey-brown eyes he had? Yeah, I saw those every single time I looked in a mirror.

"Jesus fuck," Jasper hissed, holding my hand tighter.

"Celestine," the man said, his voice smooth, deep. "I figured it was time for a little family reunion."

It took everything in me to summon enough saliva to be able to speak. "Who are you?"

Jasper turned to me, everything about him serious. "That's Cass, the Unseelie king."

"And your father," Cass added, making my stomach clench hard.

I was Dark fae?

And, what's more, the redcaps worked for my father?

My father had me tortured?

NINETEEN

Jasper

See, even with not spending much time in The Green over the years, some things were inescapable. Like knowing who the major players were, who ran the Courts, who sat on the fucking thrones. The Light was having a crisis of no successor and had been for almost two decades since Dany, short for Danburite, lost her shit. There were high hopes for her. She was the most powerful Light fae in several generations. But she went crazy and her mother was left in power, wondering what the hell she would do when she got too old to manage it anymore.

On the other end of the spectrum, there was Cass. Cass was short for Cassiterite and he was a fucking prodigy of ruthlessness from his father's coat tails. The most promising Dark fae ruler in history. He ran things with no attempt at empathy, civility, or the idea of second chances. You fucked around with him or his, you generally made the decision to off yourself before he got his hands on you.

So, yeah, I knew Cass.

I also knew all about Cece's nightmare memories where his redcaps scared the life out of her and cut her up.

He really earned the fucking father of the century award.

"You've got to be kidding me," Cece snapped, surprising me.

"I assure you, I'm not," Cass said, arms tucked behind his back while his redcaps started their chanting shit beneath their breaths.