He’d imagined her in his world so often, but never like this. Not with power over him.
“I can’t help it if I’m quiet,” he said. “You can sit down again, it’s all right.”
Jess folded her shaking legs under her.
“What was it?” she regretted asking as soon as she said the words.
“A wolf. But it’s all right; it can’t get through to your world and it won’t hurt you with me here, not one on its own.”
His answer didn’t quite make sense, but she told herself it didn’t matter.
“I want Freya back. Where is she?” A terrible thought occurred. “Is she all right?”
“Yes.”
“Then take me to her.”
“It’s not safe to go too far from the fire while it’s dark. There are wolves, remember? And they’re a lot fiercer than the ones in your world. You’ll have to wait until daybreak.” A sudden gust of wind stirred his hair and sent sparks flying as he spoke. Jess reached to push a toppling log back into the fire while she thought about that.
“All right, we’ll wait until morning,” she agreed.
There was another gust of wind and, as though a curtain had been pulled, the sky was suddenly burning with stars as the clouds above the forest frayed into rags.
Jess looked up, open-mouthed. If she had needed anyproof that she was no longer in her own world, here it was; stars flared coldly above her in numbers that she had never imagined. She searched in vain for a familiar constellation, but there was none.
She felt Finn’s eyes on her, and brought her gaze back to his face.
“It’s not the same sky,” she said.
“It’s not the same world.” He glanced up. “We have more stars, but you have the moon.”
“There’s no moon here?”
Finn shook his head.
“But how… I don’t understand.” Jess was baffled.
“You don’t have to,” Finn said, and she turned to look at him properly as she heard the edge to his voice. “Why would you want to know about this world? You’ve come for your friend, that’s all. Isn’t that right? You’re not interested in us.”
“I’m… You’re right. I’ve come for my friend. That’s all I want,” Jess said, but it wasn’t true any more.
“Go to sleep,” said Finn, in a voice that was far from friendly. “You’ll get your friend in the morning.” His fingers were at his throat again, trying to ease the thing round his neck.
Jess didn’t know what else to do, so she curled up in the lee of the fire and pretended to sleep, Finn’s face caught behind her eyelids, half seen and undecipherable.
Finn watched as she fell properly asleep.
He felt he knew her, even though he’d never spoken to her. He’d spent so much time watching her that he sometimes felt he knew what she was about to do before she did.
The snatched glimpses weren’t enough. He’d wanted her here, with him.
And now she
was
here, in his world. But she was only here because of her friend. That wasn’t what was meant to happen. And when his family found out she was here… What had he done?
Jess slept fitfully. Fragments of dreams chased her to morning and she opened her eyes to find that the fire had died to a bed of grey ash, and the Kelpie boy was watching her.
She blinked several times, for the air between them seemed to shimmer and shift, then she sat up, pushing hair out of her face, aware, to her consternation, that she had flushed to her fingertips. Finn continued to watch her.
“Did no one ever tell you it’s rude to stare?” she asked.
He frowned. “Why? How else are you supposed to learn what something really looks like?”
“It’s… you’re…” Jess was determined not to be lost for words. “You’re not supposed to make it obvious that you’re that interested in anyone. Anything.”
He mulled it over.
“That makes no sense.”
She blinked a few times, trying to force everything to stay still.
Embarrassingly, she found herself drawn to stare at him in turn. It was the first time she’d had enough light to see
“I can’t help it if I’m quiet,” he said. “You can sit down again, it’s all right.”
Jess folded her shaking legs under her.
“What was it?” she regretted asking as soon as she said the words.
“A wolf. But it’s all right; it can’t get through to your world and it won’t hurt you with me here, not one on its own.”
His answer didn’t quite make sense, but she told herself it didn’t matter.
“I want Freya back. Where is she?” A terrible thought occurred. “Is she all right?”
“Yes.”
“Then take me to her.”
“It’s not safe to go too far from the fire while it’s dark. There are wolves, remember? And they’re a lot fiercer than the ones in your world. You’ll have to wait until daybreak.” A sudden gust of wind stirred his hair and sent sparks flying as he spoke. Jess reached to push a toppling log back into the fire while she thought about that.
“All right, we’ll wait until morning,” she agreed.
There was another gust of wind and, as though a curtain had been pulled, the sky was suddenly burning with stars as the clouds above the forest frayed into rags.
Jess looked up, open-mouthed. If she had needed anyproof that she was no longer in her own world, here it was; stars flared coldly above her in numbers that she had never imagined. She searched in vain for a familiar constellation, but there was none.
She felt Finn’s eyes on her, and brought her gaze back to his face.
“It’s not the same sky,” she said.
“It’s not the same world.” He glanced up. “We have more stars, but you have the moon.”
“There’s no moon here?”
Finn shook his head.
“But how… I don’t understand.” Jess was baffled.
“You don’t have to,” Finn said, and she turned to look at him properly as she heard the edge to his voice. “Why would you want to know about this world? You’ve come for your friend, that’s all. Isn’t that right? You’re not interested in us.”
“I’m… You’re right. I’ve come for my friend. That’s all I want,” Jess said, but it wasn’t true any more.
“Go to sleep,” said Finn, in a voice that was far from friendly. “You’ll get your friend in the morning.” His fingers were at his throat again, trying to ease the thing round his neck.
Jess didn’t know what else to do, so she curled up in the lee of the fire and pretended to sleep, Finn’s face caught behind her eyelids, half seen and undecipherable.
Finn watched as she fell properly asleep.
He felt he knew her, even though he’d never spoken to her. He’d spent so much time watching her that he sometimes felt he knew what she was about to do before she did.
The snatched glimpses weren’t enough. He’d wanted her here, with him.
And now she
was
here, in his world. But she was only here because of her friend. That wasn’t what was meant to happen. And when his family found out she was here… What had he done?
Jess slept fitfully. Fragments of dreams chased her to morning and she opened her eyes to find that the fire had died to a bed of grey ash, and the Kelpie boy was watching her.
She blinked several times, for the air between them seemed to shimmer and shift, then she sat up, pushing hair out of her face, aware, to her consternation, that she had flushed to her fingertips. Finn continued to watch her.
“Did no one ever tell you it’s rude to stare?” she asked.
He frowned. “Why? How else are you supposed to learn what something really looks like?”
“It’s… you’re…” Jess was determined not to be lost for words. “You’re not supposed to make it obvious that you’re that interested in anyone. Anything.”
He mulled it over.
“That makes no sense.”
She blinked a few times, trying to force everything to stay still.
Embarrassingly, she found herself drawn to stare at him in turn. It was the first time she’d had enough light to see
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