Page 91 of Into The Green

"What is going on here? Is there some Kool-aid around that I should be aware of?" I asked, eyes bugging at Jasper who let out a chuckle that rumbled through my body.

"Funny thing happened when I followed you and Cass back into The Green..."

"I told you not to come!" I snapped, immediately exasperated. What can I say? He had that effect on me.

"Yeah, that was gonna happen," he snorted, shaking his head. "Anyway... my father was waiting for me," he said and I felt myself stiffen, dread filling me as my eyes scanned him wildly, looking for signs of injury. "Long story, but the result is the same. He told me to come here, that your father was Cass, but that your mother was..."

"Dany," I said with a nod. "I also have a brother named Jet," I said, my voice catching on his name, the memory of his screams piercing through my head.

"Jet is recovering just fine under the watchful eye of a Dark healer," the woman said, her voice having a calming effect on me. "My name is Ang, dear, I am your grandmother."

"And the Seelie queen," Jasper added with an emphasis I wasn't sure I understood. What? Was I supposed to freaking curtsy or something?

"What is Ang short for?" I found myself asking without thinking.

"Angelite," she answered without missing a beat.

"Angelite," I felt myself laugh a little, all my lessons in my little train car coming back to me, feeling time-fuzzy despite it only being days since I was trapped inside it. "Celestine, Angelite... do I have a cousin named Larimar?" I asked, letting out a strange laugh that didn't feel natural. "I mean if we are going for the angel theme, that would only be fitting, right?"

"Honey, what's..."

"It's okay," Ang said, releasing Jasper and holding up a hand. "She's tired. She's been through a lot. Have you eaten, dear?" she asked, moving toward me, but not touching me, a small courtesy I really appreciated at that point.

"No," I said, despite my pockets still being full of nuts I had gathered with my brother. Anytime I thought about eating, the last image of the redcaps flashed into my head, bent forward, throwing up violently, a fair amount of blood mixed with the puke.

"Hey," Jasper said, moving toward me, reaching for my wrists. "It's okay. It's over."

Except it wasn't. Jet had been very emphatic about saying a specific word. I turned back to Ang who was watching me with a maternal little smile, looking very much like she was drinking me in, like I was a sight for sore eyes. "I need asylum," I said, the words a little weird on my tongue.

"Of course you may have asylum, dear," she said, waving it away. "Now why don't you let your man here take care of you for a while? You can come see me whenever you are ready." She patted my cheek and I felt insecure about the build-up of dirt and sweat there, before moving away, impossibly graceful even in her age.

"Jasper..." I whispered, shaking my head, not sure if I could even begin to understand what was going on after three days of running, running as fast as my legs could carry me, more paranoid than I had ever been before. I clutched jasper in my fist and jumped at every flight of a bird or chirp of a cricket. I didn't let the sprites wash my hair when I stopped to drink. I didn't eat anything. I didn't sleep. And, once, when I thought I caught the backside of some big furry animal, I jabbed my fingers in my ears and hummed as loud as I could as I took off at a dead run. My brain was running on fear and little else.

"Okay," he said, sliding an arm around my waist and leading me over toward the buffet table. He stacked a plate in silence as I leaned into his neck, breathing him in. He led me into the castle, so much like Cass' but in white, much more open and inviting. We went up a flight of stairs and down a hall where he opened a door and ushered me inside. His arm fell from me as he put the plate on the white bed. White, everything was white. Much like Opal's home except where her house felt cold and sterile, Ang's castle felt like curling up in fresh towels after a bath. "Good idea," he said, holding a hand out to me and I took it, letting him lead me into the room at the side where a giant bathtub was set up, steaming hot like Ang had maybe ordered it to be filled, with rose petals floating around the water. "Hey," Jasper said, his voice a little rough, making my head snap up. "You're almost blank in there. What happened? Did he..."

I shook my head as Jasper reached for my jacket, peeling it off me. "No. He was pretty decent toward me for an evil bastard," I said with a shrug as Jasper dropped down in front of me and started untying my boots. "I burned my brother, Jasper," I told him in a horrified whisper.

He lifted my leg, slipping my boot off and smiling a little when the boot rattled with gems and talismans. He was silent for a moment and I felt the flutter of him inside my mind, looking for the memories. I made no attempt to hide them, knowing it would be hard if not impossible for me to find the words to describe everything. "Cece, he told you to," Jasper said, looking up at me. And damn if he wasn't the best thing I had ever seen. My hand reached out and landed on the side of his head, stroking over the short hair there.

"I know, but he's my brother."

"He was a dick."

"Still my brother," I said and Jasper gave me a small smile.

"Alright. I get it. Are you taking this bath alone?"

I felt my lips tip up. "Take your clothes off, Jasper."

"Well," he said with an eyebrow wiggle. "If you insist..."

I laughed at that, kicking out of my other boot while he lifted his shirt off. It had only been a few days, but it felt longer. Hell, being away from him for five minutes would probably be painful from this point forward. It seemed if I turned my back, he disappeared.

"I'm not going anywhere," he promised me, making my head jerk up a little guiltily. "I had to ask for asylum too. So you're stuck with me now, like it or not," he said with an almost vulnerable smile.

"Oh, I think I can learn to... tolerate you," I said, leaning into his naked chest.

"You know, I think I know a cure for that smart mouth of yours," he said, making me smile into his neck.