Everwild (The Healer Series, #1) by Kayla Jo Page A

dark look on his face. They didn’t have a
choice but to follow the Faker, as he was already getting away from
them. Willow followed the Faker with Declan bringing up the rear.
She looked back at him a couple times, but he didn’t say a word.
She caught a glimpse of him holding his side, but then his eyes
darted to hers and she turned around quickly.
    Something wasn’t settling with her about
Declan, so she decided to make small talk with the Faker. “What did
you say your name was?”
    “I didn’t,” the Faker looked snidely back at
her and then flew forward, its wings slowly expanding and
contracting, buzzing softly like a fly.
    “I bet it’s a lovely name,” Willow prompted.
Suddenly, the Faker flew forward so fast he was gone. He blended in
so well with the surroundings that he vanished right before her
eyes. Willow gasped in surprise and almost started chasing after
him when he appeared right beside her shoulder.
    “Actually it’s not a very attractive name,”
the Faker said, making Willow jump again.
    “Will you stop doing that?” She insisted. “I
thought you left us!”
    “Duffleganger-Griply the Third at your
service,” the Faker said. “But mostly I’m called Duffy.”
    “Duffy?” Willow said suppressing a laugh.
“What an odd name!”
    “And I suppose being named after a tree and a
flower isn’t odd?” Duffy scolded her. Willow looked at him wide
eyed. “Shall I start calling you what your name literally is?
Tree-Flower? Or do you prefer the scientific name Salicaceae -Rosoideae ?
Either way doesn’t matter to me.”
    She heard Declan snort behind her and Willow
huffed. “I’d rather be called just Willow.”
    “Well, I’d rather you not laugh at my name, just Willow,” Duffy said faking hurt and sniffling. How he
did that without a nose, Willow couldn’t figure.
    A long pause followed that conversation. They
continued walking well into the evening hours, and the wilderness
of the Everwild grew ever darker. Willow’s feet burned in agony and
she longed to stop and rest, but Duffy took them through narrow
paths that twisted and winded through the trees. The light died
under the cover of the leaves, and the temperature dramatically
decreased. Willow was still wearing the dark green t-shirt and
jeans Millicent gave her. The t-shirt was still stained with her
blood and had holes in it from where Old Man Willow attacked her.
When the wind blew, it went straight through the holes sending a
wave of chills on her skin. She felt exposed, and knew she could
put the spare shirt on that was in the backpack, but it wasn’t like
the shirt was entirely ruined. She would try to make it last, at
least through the night.
    “Duffy,” Willow said contemplating on
something he said earlier, “What did you mean when you said you
could smell me from a mile away?”
    Duffy flew left and right staggering as if
drunk. She then heard a soft snore coming from him. Was he
sleeping? “Duffy,” Willow said louder. “I know you’re not sleeping.
Please answer me.”
    “Oh fine,” Duffy said and dropped back to fly
near her. “I suppose you won’t give up until I tell you, correct?”
Willow smiled and shrugged. Duffy smiled also, but his smile
stretched up his face and his sharp teeth made him look frightening
in the dark. It was like his smile wasn’t a real smile, but a
grimace. Willow rolled her eyes. Even his smile was a fake!
    “Every magical creature has a particular
smell to them,” Duffy explained. “Werewolves smell like wet
dog-that’s a give in, vampires smell sweet to attract their prey,
ghouls smell like death, goblins smell like stinky feet. You get
the picture. As a witch, you smell like sulfur, almost like a
potion brewing or something. But you’re also a Healer. Very rare.
With that comes more than just witch stink. You smell good .
Like really good, I want to eat you delicious, yummy in my tummy,
honey mixed with flowers and sugar, and--”
    “Okay, I get it,” Willow said