cross over, I need to be the one holding her.”
He gave her a look, but that same time constraint prevented any more discussion. As he shifted his burden, the dryad’s gray-green eyes opened briefly.
“We’re taking you home, lass,” he murmured. “Hang in there another couple minutes.”
“You have great faith in my ability to open this portal,” Lyssa said, worry making her tone sharp.
Jacob settled the Fae in his lady’s arms. Lyssa held her capably even though it looked incongruous, the two females of like size. In fact, the dryad was slightly taller. Since he was already in trouble with his queen, her arms were occupied, and he might be dead or at least in excruciating pain in the next few moments, Jacob gave his lady a healthy pinch on her delectable ass, adding a squeeze that he couldn’t help but make a caress. Her freezing glance became something else as she picked up on his shift in emotion. “You did say I was a pain in the ass, my lady. And I have total faith in you. Always.” It was the right combination, for it jabbed at her royal temper, even as it reassured. She stepped to the bank of the creek. Jacob stopped at her side.
Closing her eyes, Lyssa breathed in, tuning everything out, the dryad’s fading life spark, the fact Jacob could be incinerated in the next few moments.
She made it all go still, reaching out for whatever it was her Fae blood could sense. It was close to the dividing line of night and dawn and they stood at a body of moving water in a park that had been here for many years. It had to work.
Jacob stayed still beside her, trying to hold his breath, trying not to sway on his feet as the flames of hell began to lick at the soles of his feet, sweeping upward. He wasn’t bursting into flames, but he could feel it coming, any moment.
“Put your arms around both of us, Sir Vagabond,” she said, in a frustrated tone. “I have no idea how this is going to go, but I can feel—Now. Put your arms around me
now
.”
At the snap of the sudden command, he wrapped his arms around her. Their combined weight slid them off the bank, and she staggered, having to hold on to the dryad rather than use her arms to balance.
The creek rocks stabbed through the thin slippers she wore. Jacob wore boots, but the rush of water soaking his jeans was bliss. He tightened his grip on both women, bracing himself to hold them steady.
But he could only hold them steady against the things he knew.
He felt it then, too, what Lyssa had sensed. An energy rushing down upon them. And music. The melody was familiar, tugging at him like a mother’s lullaby, calling him… somewhere. The doorway and the music were in that energy rush, forming a bill owing mist as it rolled toward them.
It wasn’t coming fast enough. Raising his head, Jacob saw the dawn light pierce through the trees, sucked in a breath as sunlight stabbed through his chest like a stake. Then that sunlight expanded outward, blinding him, and the water rushing over his feet became diamond shards, slashing his skin.
Once, when working at the Ren Faire, he’d been thrown from a horse. His foot had caught in the stirrup and the mare had panicked. As she bucked and twisted, her hooves hit him in the head and other far more tender parts. She’d dragged him a good pace before they’d been able to calm her and get him free. That was a fond memory next to this. The slam into hard ground, like a giant had picked him up and hurled him against a brick wall, made the rocky pasture ground he’d bounced across seem like a feather bed in comparison.
“Shit.” He didn’t use the word often, but the moment seemed to require it. He tried to move and none of his limbs responded. Panic sliced through him. Surely he hadn’t arrived in the Fae world injured and unable to protect Lyssa, a complete liability to her. Of course, knowing his lady, she’d get tremendous female satisfaction from winning the coveted I-told-you-so laurel.
If you are able to be
He gave her a look, but that same time constraint prevented any more discussion. As he shifted his burden, the dryad’s gray-green eyes opened briefly.
“We’re taking you home, lass,” he murmured. “Hang in there another couple minutes.”
“You have great faith in my ability to open this portal,” Lyssa said, worry making her tone sharp.
Jacob settled the Fae in his lady’s arms. Lyssa held her capably even though it looked incongruous, the two females of like size. In fact, the dryad was slightly taller. Since he was already in trouble with his queen, her arms were occupied, and he might be dead or at least in excruciating pain in the next few moments, Jacob gave his lady a healthy pinch on her delectable ass, adding a squeeze that he couldn’t help but make a caress. Her freezing glance became something else as she picked up on his shift in emotion. “You did say I was a pain in the ass, my lady. And I have total faith in you. Always.” It was the right combination, for it jabbed at her royal temper, even as it reassured. She stepped to the bank of the creek. Jacob stopped at her side.
Closing her eyes, Lyssa breathed in, tuning everything out, the dryad’s fading life spark, the fact Jacob could be incinerated in the next few moments.
She made it all go still, reaching out for whatever it was her Fae blood could sense. It was close to the dividing line of night and dawn and they stood at a body of moving water in a park that had been here for many years. It had to work.
Jacob stayed still beside her, trying to hold his breath, trying not to sway on his feet as the flames of hell began to lick at the soles of his feet, sweeping upward. He wasn’t bursting into flames, but he could feel it coming, any moment.
“Put your arms around both of us, Sir Vagabond,” she said, in a frustrated tone. “I have no idea how this is going to go, but I can feel—Now. Put your arms around me
now
.”
At the snap of the sudden command, he wrapped his arms around her. Their combined weight slid them off the bank, and she staggered, having to hold on to the dryad rather than use her arms to balance.
The creek rocks stabbed through the thin slippers she wore. Jacob wore boots, but the rush of water soaking his jeans was bliss. He tightened his grip on both women, bracing himself to hold them steady.
But he could only hold them steady against the things he knew.
He felt it then, too, what Lyssa had sensed. An energy rushing down upon them. And music. The melody was familiar, tugging at him like a mother’s lullaby, calling him… somewhere. The doorway and the music were in that energy rush, forming a bill owing mist as it rolled toward them.
It wasn’t coming fast enough. Raising his head, Jacob saw the dawn light pierce through the trees, sucked in a breath as sunlight stabbed through his chest like a stake. Then that sunlight expanded outward, blinding him, and the water rushing over his feet became diamond shards, slashing his skin.
Once, when working at the Ren Faire, he’d been thrown from a horse. His foot had caught in the stirrup and the mare had panicked. As she bucked and twisted, her hooves hit him in the head and other far more tender parts. She’d dragged him a good pace before they’d been able to calm her and get him free. That was a fond memory next to this. The slam into hard ground, like a giant had picked him up and hurled him against a brick wall, made the rocky pasture ground he’d bounced across seem like a feather bed in comparison.
“Shit.” He didn’t use the word often, but the moment seemed to require it. He tried to move and none of his limbs responded. Panic sliced through him. Surely he hadn’t arrived in the Fae world injured and unable to protect Lyssa, a complete liability to her. Of course, knowing his lady, she’d get tremendous female satisfaction from winning the coveted I-told-you-so laurel.
If you are able to be
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