escaped….”
He plucks a piece of ripped-up seat belt off his leg. I don’t know how it got there.
“You lost consciousness. I availed myself of the opportunity to leave.” He smiles. It’s a wicked smile. Kind but not kind. Handsome but dangerous. Feral almost. I can see why Nick nearly killed him. Nick…..My father’s warning echoes in my ear. Still, I need to call someone—the fire department at least.
“Do you have a cell phone?” I ask.
He gently touches my cheek. Gently? “I do, but I cannot let you use it. Then they will have my number.”
I try not to shrink away. “Please. I’m hurt…”
He seems to think about it and then nods. He does something. “I am blocking the number. I have called 9-1-1.” He then speaks into the phone. “There has been a one-car accident on Route 3 about a mile past the Bedford Convenience Store. The car is on fire.
One person injured. It’s not life threatening.
“There. Done.” He clicks the phone off and stares at me. “You still look faint. Can you manage sitting up?
“Thank you.” I fall back into the snow as he starts to put his arm around me to support me. It gets stuck under my body, really awkwardly. “Sorry.”
“I apologize,” he says at the same time. I didn’t know pixies could actually say they were sorry. He pulls his arm out slowly so it doesn’t hurt me too much.
He seems to listen to the woods. “I am going to have to go in a second, little one. Are you going to be all right by yourself?”
“Little one?” Anger wells up in me again.
“I do not know your name.” He squints down at me. His eyes are a beautiful deep green like the tops of pine trees, but it’s a glamour. It’s not what he really looks like. His eyes are silver like all pixie eyes. The glamour makes him look human. It’s part of the magic.
“I should know your name now that we have both rescued each other.”
I don’t give it to him. I don’t want him to do what my father did and start whispering it at me when I’m in the woods, trying to get me confused. Instead I ask again, “Why were you in the road?”
“I was waiting for you.”
I nod like it makes sense. It doesn’t make sense. “I don’t feel right.”
“You are in shock.” He lightly presses his fingers against my arm. “You are hurt. You are also turning a bit blue.”
“It’s cold.”
He lifts an eyebrow and shifts position, cringing again as he moves. “I do not believe that is why.”
“Are you hurt?” I ask. “Your stomach—”
“Is already healing. I am not a hundred percent yet, but I appreciate you asking and thank you for saving me that day.”
The snow shocks the skin on my bare palm. I study him. He looks so normal. I try to focus on his face, that wind-ruffled blond hair, his eyes. Try to see the pixie under the good looks. “Why were you waiting for me on the road?”
“I want you to lead me to them.”
“To who? The other pixies?”
“Yes.”
“That’s not going to happen,” I say. I take a big breath and my ribs sting with pain.
He puts his hand behind me head. “No deep breaths. I believe you have bruised your ribs.”
We are so close. His face is inches away. I swallow hard. “You have to promise not to hurt my friends. Hurt me if you have to, but leave my friends alone.”
“I shall never hurt you.” His eyes stare into mine for a minute. “I hate to leave you, but you will be all right.”
He sounds so sincere, as if he really wants to help. “Tell me about the Valkyrie,” I press.
My chest burns.
“I shall sometime.”
“No. Now.”
He slips his hand out from the back of my head and then stands up and pats my shoulder like a mom would. He only does this a couple of times before he says, “Your wolf is almost here.”
I cough and then manage, “My wolf? How do you know that?”
“His scent is all over you.” He flinches as if the scent is bad, like cooking broccoli or something. For a second he almost looks sweet and
He plucks a piece of ripped-up seat belt off his leg. I don’t know how it got there.
“You lost consciousness. I availed myself of the opportunity to leave.” He smiles. It’s a wicked smile. Kind but not kind. Handsome but dangerous. Feral almost. I can see why Nick nearly killed him. Nick…..My father’s warning echoes in my ear. Still, I need to call someone—the fire department at least.
“Do you have a cell phone?” I ask.
He gently touches my cheek. Gently? “I do, but I cannot let you use it. Then they will have my number.”
I try not to shrink away. “Please. I’m hurt…”
He seems to think about it and then nods. He does something. “I am blocking the number. I have called 9-1-1.” He then speaks into the phone. “There has been a one-car accident on Route 3 about a mile past the Bedford Convenience Store. The car is on fire.
One person injured. It’s not life threatening.
“There. Done.” He clicks the phone off and stares at me. “You still look faint. Can you manage sitting up?
“Thank you.” I fall back into the snow as he starts to put his arm around me to support me. It gets stuck under my body, really awkwardly. “Sorry.”
“I apologize,” he says at the same time. I didn’t know pixies could actually say they were sorry. He pulls his arm out slowly so it doesn’t hurt me too much.
He seems to listen to the woods. “I am going to have to go in a second, little one. Are you going to be all right by yourself?”
“Little one?” Anger wells up in me again.
“I do not know your name.” He squints down at me. His eyes are a beautiful deep green like the tops of pine trees, but it’s a glamour. It’s not what he really looks like. His eyes are silver like all pixie eyes. The glamour makes him look human. It’s part of the magic.
“I should know your name now that we have both rescued each other.”
I don’t give it to him. I don’t want him to do what my father did and start whispering it at me when I’m in the woods, trying to get me confused. Instead I ask again, “Why were you in the road?”
“I was waiting for you.”
I nod like it makes sense. It doesn’t make sense. “I don’t feel right.”
“You are in shock.” He lightly presses his fingers against my arm. “You are hurt. You are also turning a bit blue.”
“It’s cold.”
He lifts an eyebrow and shifts position, cringing again as he moves. “I do not believe that is why.”
“Are you hurt?” I ask. “Your stomach—”
“Is already healing. I am not a hundred percent yet, but I appreciate you asking and thank you for saving me that day.”
The snow shocks the skin on my bare palm. I study him. He looks so normal. I try to focus on his face, that wind-ruffled blond hair, his eyes. Try to see the pixie under the good looks. “Why were you waiting for me on the road?”
“I want you to lead me to them.”
“To who? The other pixies?”
“Yes.”
“That’s not going to happen,” I say. I take a big breath and my ribs sting with pain.
He puts his hand behind me head. “No deep breaths. I believe you have bruised your ribs.”
We are so close. His face is inches away. I swallow hard. “You have to promise not to hurt my friends. Hurt me if you have to, but leave my friends alone.”
“I shall never hurt you.” His eyes stare into mine for a minute. “I hate to leave you, but you will be all right.”
He sounds so sincere, as if he really wants to help. “Tell me about the Valkyrie,” I press.
My chest burns.
“I shall sometime.”
“No. Now.”
He slips his hand out from the back of my head and then stands up and pats my shoulder like a mom would. He only does this a couple of times before he says, “Your wolf is almost here.”
I cough and then manage, “My wolf? How do you know that?”
“His scent is all over you.” He flinches as if the scent is bad, like cooking broccoli or something. For a second he almost looks sweet and
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