AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Squibbit straightened suddenly, her attention now completely focused elsewhere. Had something spooked her?
Before she could bolt, I shot out from behind the tree and dove toward her. I managed to grab her before she could move, literally eating grass on the way.
Artfully rolling with my prize (no, not really), I got to my feet and jumped behind the closest tree just as a man and a woman entered the clearing. They spoke to each other, and I recognized the voices as the two who had burst into the abandoned backyard earlier.
Okay, so these two were clearly going after Squibbit, not the Fae kid. Good to know.
One of them said something in an awed tone. The other didn’t respond. I gave them a few more seconds, thankful that Squibbit was squirming in my hands but not trying to bite, then peeked around the tree.
The two were kneeling by the artifact, completely mesmerized by it.
Perfect.
Yes, I was taking full responsibility for this wonderful extra byproduct of my great plan.
Approaching carefully, I studied the two strangers. They looked human enough, dressed in jeans and T-shirts. The woman had long hair gathered into a ponytail, and the man sported a close shave. They lacked the beauty the Fae seemed to have encoded into their DNA. Half-Fae, perhaps?
I looked down at Squibbit, who had stopped wriggling. “Now, why do these two want you so badly?” I whispered, wary that any loud noises might break their trance.
Squibbit twitched her nose, as if saying, who knows what goes through hooman minds?
She began wriggling, extending one of her arms. Was she trying to point at something?
I leaned toward the woman and noticed a strange-looking bracelet on her wrist. It was metallic, not a watch, and didn’t fit the casual theme of her clothing. An identical bracelet graced the man’s wrist. Artifacts? Some sort of homing beacon that allowed them to follow Squibbit?
Ah, well, Aidan would be happy to study these.
I tugged them off their wrists one-handed and put them on mine. Usually, I would be risking some sort of anti-theft spell put on them, but as long as Aidan’s pendant was active, any spell affecting me would remain dormant.
“Let’s go, Greenie,” I whispered, turning to my faithful hound.
Who was watching the sphere like all his Fae hound dreams had come true.
I touched his neck, and his attention immediately switched to me and Squibbit. His tongue lolled.
“Friend, not food,” I reminded him. “Lower, please.”
Greenie did so for a change, and I squirmed on top of him. In the next moment, we were out of the clearing and somewhere else in Fae—among tall, thick trees that blocked most of the little ambient light. I didn’t step off Greenie. This far from someone’s territory, the scary type of Fae creatures could attack at any moment, but I held Squibbit in front of me.
“Are you someone else’s pet?”
Squibbit blinked.
“One blink for yes; two for no.”
Squibbit scratched her nose.
“I’m serious,” I chided. Fae creatures were a lot more capable of understanding than people gave them credit for.
Squibbit gave up the act and looked at me intently.
“Do you want to be with the little Fae girl who’s been feeding you candy, or do you want to remain on your own?”
Squibbit looked at me like I was stupid. Greenie huffed a snort.
Okay, fine, not my smartest question.
“Want to go to the little Fae girl?”
