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I'd only been to the Realms a couple of times, both when Reth forced me, and it was so strange and alien, I couldn't imagine growing up there. How Jack could navigate both worlds, even survive in the Faerie Realms, was beyond me. Was he a specific faerie's servant? Maybe he was a sort of contract faerie employee, like I was for IPCA, and they taught him how to use the Paths.
Finding out more about Jack only made him a bigger enigma. "How, though? I mean, I'm sorry, but plenty of people are kidnapped and taken to the Realms, and I've never heard of them coming back. How do you do it? Did they teach you?"
"Living there, well, it changes you. And, besides, if you were constantly being left places by yourself with no way to get out of them unless a faerie happens to come along and find you-which sometimes takes a very long while indeed-you'd get a little innovative, too, wouldn't you? It's amazing what one can learn if it means not starving to death. Faeries aren't as mystical as they want you to think. I'll teach you some tricks one of these days. "
I set my head back against the trunk. "I'll pass, thanks. I've had enoug
h faerie for a lifetime. Several, actually. "
Jack's stomach growled loudly. "I need food. "
"I have a shift at the diner tonight. I could probably hook you up with a free dinner. " The words were out of my mouth before I realized that would mean bringing Jack-from my secret job-to my real job. Not a good idea. Besides which, I wasn't sure how much I wanted him in my life, anyway. There was that connection we had, yeah, but it made me more uncomfortable than anything else. I felt in Jack so many of the things I didn't like about myself-the lying, the evasiveness, the selfishness. He seemed completely at ease with those traits, though.
"Yes," he said, "and I could probably vomit the putrid food back up all over you. I live in Faerie, remember?"
I grimaced. "Oh, duh. Sorry. "
"I'll go grab something quick. You wanna come with me?"
"There is not an ounce of me that has any desire whatsoever to set foot in the Faerie Realms ever again. "
"Boring. I'll be right back then. " He jumped up and was gone before I had a chance to tell him he could drop me off at the diner first. I looked warily around the meadow, hoping that the unicorn would keep his personal space issues far, far away from me. Relatively certain that my maiden self was safe, I closed my eyes. Maybe Jack wasn't so bad, after all. Weird feelings aside, this afternoon had been pretty fun. He seemed to be good at fun. I liked that.
I got in a decent nap before Jack came back. "So, what should we do now?" he asked, positively buzzing with energy on a full stomach.
"Now," I said, rubbing my neck where it had stiffened up because of my position, "we should take me back so I can work my shift at the diner. "
"Who cares about the diner. Anyone can move dishes around and be grouchy at customers. How about we find some dragons? Or spit off the top of the Empire State Building? Ooh, or there has to be a movie premiere somewhere we can crash. "
"Oh, shut up. I have to work. "
"Why?"
I shrugged, holding out my hand. "It's part of my life. "
"Yet again I ask, why?"
Because I couldn't admit that I had another source of income and no longer needed that job. Because I had to keep up appearances that IPCA wasn't part of my life again. Because I felt like I owed it to David for taking me in. "Because it is. Let's go. "
"Admit it. You like wearing those stylish little uniforms. "
I laughed, smacking his shoulder. "Nothing's hotter than cows. But, wait, when have you seen me in uniform?"
He held up his free hand as he concentrated on opening a door in a wide tree. He had a knack for not answering questions. A door appeared and we squeezed through. Jack always needed a surface to open doors, but I had seen Reth open doors in the middle of the air before. I wondered if that was harder.
"Pick up the pace, Evie. If we want to get you to work on time we've got to mooooove faster. "
I groaned, laughing. "That has got to be the worst pun I've ever heard in my life. " I was still laughing when Jack opened a door and we walked out into my room-nearly bumping into Lend, whose eyes took in the faerie door, Jack, and our clasped hands in a single sweep.
Bleep.
Chapter Sixteen
Oh, So Busted
I stared openmouthed at Lend. What could I say? How could I talk my way out of this?
"Hey-oh! Glad there are no frying pans handy tonight!" Jack grinned, then looked from Lend to me and back again, shoved his hands in his pockets, and backed up through the door. "Uh, good luck with that, then," he said as it closed.
