“No…” My brows fall into a V because I don’t see his point. “Why?”
“Because I don’t want you to do”—he furiously waves his arms around him—“whatever we’re setting out to do here, drunk.” Then he rakes a desperate hand through his messy, multihued hair. I bet if he could, he’d turn tail and run off home now. But how would that look coming from the big, bad Wolf? Chickening out when a mere, weak girl is holding her ground? He looks first at me and then at the bottle. In the end, he takes a deep draught from it. I don’t know if he does it to calm himself or if he’s just trying to eliminate the stuff so I don’t get any. But when his gaze falls to the empty basket in my hand, he releases a helpless sigh.
A hint of surrender appears in his eyes as they find mine. Then he throws the bottle off the bridge and into the water. It bobs up and down as the stream carries it away.
For an infinite moment, we both just stand there on the wooden bridge and look at each other. Then we turn to the other shore where the Plush Toy Forest stretches out before us.
“You’ll get us in trouble,” Jack says, finally capitulating to my plan.
I offer him a bright smile. “And you’re scared of trouble since when?”
Mischief gleams in his eyes as the left side of his mouth tilts up, and he snorts. I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist a provocation like this. Filled with a wave of excitement, I toss the basket after the bottle, grab Jack’s hand, and pull him along with me into a whole new adventure.
Chapter 4
Jack
She’s cute when she’s excited. I never noticed that before. It’s the only reason why I give in and following Riley to the other section of the forest.
The Plush Toy Forest is dangerous ground. Too many bears and bunnies live here.
Since the call of our own story already started, it won’t be long until the wolf in me wants out, needing to satiate its hunger. I guess it wouldn’t be that big of a deal to gobble the middle one of the three little pigs. There’d still be the bricklayer and another one left. But if a certain piglet or a delicious yellow bear crosses our path at the wrong time, things could take an unpleasant turn in Fairyland.
I’d rather avoid that and get back in time to finish our play. Old Mrs. Redcoat is probably waiting for her cake, too. She won’t be happy to find out that Riley stuffed the entire thing down her throat. A smile pulls on my mouth at the memory of her bulging chipmunk cheeks when she ate it. Crazy girl. I didn’t know she could be this reckless.
“So, what do you want from Cupid?” I ask as we stroll through the picturesque wood. She’s still holding my hand, tugging me along as if she’s worried I might change my mind and take off in the other direction. Well, honeydrop, if I did, you’d be hanging over my shoulder and coming along, too. Promise. No chance I’m going back without her. In fact, I’m only waiting for her to realize what a harebrained mission she’s put us on and come to her senses. We won’t be able to deny our roles for too long. The situation will turn nasty if we do.
“From Cupid?” She looks at me in exhilaration, not slowing down a bit. “Nothing. And I really hope he’s not around when we reach his tree.”
Now she has my guts in a curious twist. When she said that she wanted romance and mentioned the dwarf-angel in diapers with his magical bow and arrow, I thought she might have heard of a way to shake up our story a bit. Whether the fluttering little guy can really do something like that, I’m not sure. Maybe if there was an official, legitimate hearing with the great storyteller. But, frankly, I’ve never heard of anyone ever actually meeting that ghostly voice of the tales. For all we know, he might just be a myth.
“Going to steal a few apples from his tree?” I joke because I can’t imagine what else Riley would be so eager to find out here.
“Not apples…” Her rakish gaze meets mine from under her hood as the forest clears in front of us. We reach a sunlit meadow with a single, huge, lush green tree in the very middle. “Just some twigs.”
“Twigs?” I laugh. “What do you want with—?” The words die in my throat. I pull her to an abrupt stop, whirling her around to face me. “Wait. You’re not going to—”
“You bet!” Her delicate hand slips from mine, and she props both of them on her hips. “I have a right to romance. And if I have to take it into my own hands, I will.”
“This tree is magical. It’s forbidden to break twigs or branches from it. I’m not even sure you’re allowed to touch it.” I gesture down her body. “Unless you’ve got a set of wings stored under that cloak that I don’t know about.”
“When exactly did you change into a square, puppy dog?” she mocks me. “I know people who know people who tell stories about you… And your reputation speaks for itself.”
The hypocrisy isn’t lost on me. When have I ever let someone stop me from doing something forbidden? On the other hand, it’s not funny to get chased down by angry villagers with pitchforks that want to skin you alive. In fact, I’ve been happy to keep a low profile for years. Besides, this is about the girl I’ve been playing out a tale with since the beginning of time. I’m not sure I like that she’s going to make severe changes to what we have.
“I’m the mean Wolf in this tale, remember? I’m meant to be bad. You’re…sweet little Red Riding Hood.” I emphasize the last words to make my point clear.
Riley contemplates that for a long moment. Her face stays stoic, her hard gaze never wavering from mine. Until she suddenly lifts on her toes, leans in very close, and slowly whispers in my ear, “Chicken.”
An annoyed growl emanates from my throat. The girl obviously needs a private lesson in the kind of animal she’s dealing with here. With a tight grip on her waist, I pull her in fast and snarl in her face, “If I wasn’t afraid to eat you alive, I’d let the Wolf out right now to settle this argument once and for all.”
A small gasp of surprise breaks free from her slightly parted lips, and she shoves at my chest. But the first second of shock fades, and a snide gleam enters her gaze. “Don’t go macho Wolf on me here. Rather, come and help me break off a couple branches instead.”
I don’t even have time to utter a reply because she’s clasping my hand and pulling me toward the giant tree in the wake of her ever-so-sprightly stride. What the hell— Why do I let this girl command me around so much of late? No one has ever shot me down like she just did.
Then again, it feels strange to be with her outside of our tale. Each of our lines has been set in stone. There hasn’t been the smallest deviance. Ever. I’ve known this girl—her every move and word—by heart for what seems like forever. Now, for the first time in so many years, I don’t know what to expect from her.
Confusion locks my tongue down as I let her drag me across the luscious, green meadow. She’s like the young, spirited puppy dog she loves calling me so much.
Riley stops beneath the tree and takes off her bow and quiver to lean them against the trunk. Then she tilts her face up to gape at the overhanging branches. They’re a little too high for her to reach. The realization spawns a sigh. Well, bad luck, little girl. I guess she’ll have to drop the crazy idea now, and we can finally head back.
Or… She releases the single button of her cloak at her throat and takes it off.
“Mmm, stripping?” Now things are getting interesting. “Go on,” I tease her with a smirk, leaning back against the tree and watching her, my arms and ankles crossed.
“No, not stripping.” She cuts me a sharp glare and then throws the bundled cloak at my face. I pull the red thing off my head and clasp it. Riley also takes off her shoes and then stalks toward me barefoot. Facing off, I have no idea what will come next from her. But I wonder…
“Lift me.”
Her words derail my thoughts. I’m speechless for a second. “What?”
“Help me up,” she orders. “I need to break off some good branches.”