“EEEK—mmph!” Mina yelped loudly but was quickly hushed by Jared’s hand over her mouth.
“Mina, you really should be quieter,” he whispered into her ear, as he gently put her down on the ground. He took a deep breath and tried to hide his smile. She smelled like strawberries and vanilla. A scent that—in the Fae world—wouldn’t be considered all that beautiful or fascinating. But to him…on her it was just right.
Mina spun to face him and pushed him on the chest. Her little eyebrows pinched together in annoyance, and her maple brown eyes filled with anger. Her cheeks were flushed. Her lips pursed as blood rushed to her face—all the way to the top of her ears. Just seeing her riled up, thrilled Jared to no end.
“I am being quiet you big oaf. You’re the one who appeared out of nowhere to try to attack me.” She bit her lip and flung her ponytail backward over her shoulder to stare through the bushes again, focusing on her target.
Jared leaned down next to her in pretense, watching whatever she was watching. Now they were hiding like criminals, huddled in the bushes outside a house in the middle of the night. The night had started out warm and humid. However, over the last few minutes, the temperature had dropped considerably, and they were now surrounded by fog. The little yellow Cape Cod they were surveying backed up to a greenbelt with a creek. Even now, they could hear the creek ten yards away, and the air was filled with the sound frogs croaking.
Mina had been on edge for days, sensing that another quest was coming.
She was right, there was one. But this time, he didn’t necessarily want to help her figure it out. He just wanted keep her safe. Confronting the evil Fae would absolutely endanger her life. So what if he was a little slow in the help department? It’s not like he’d had played the role of Helper often over the years. He was servant to the Grimoire. Bound, entrapped—anyway he looked at it, it sucked. But for once in his long life, he’d actually shown himself, his true self. And to a girl no less! Jared had hidden his form from many of the Grimms that had come before, but something made him answer Mina’s cry for help in the beginning. Something about her called to him…and called out to the Story as well.
The Story. He felt uneasiness in his gut and couldn’t help but reach out and put a protective hand on Mina’s shoulder. She jumped, and her breath caught in her throat. She turned and began to pummel him in the arm.
“What do you think you’re doing? Stop it!” she hissed quietly. She turned back around, but not before she mumbled something about boys and watching too many scary movies.
He smiled. Couldn’t help but smile. She did something to him that no one ever had before. She made him feel human, with all of their peculiar range of emotions.
There was another sudden drop in the temperature, and he knew the quest was coming. He needed to get Mina out of here.
“We’ve been here forever because of your girly hunch. I need food, let’s come back another night, and we can play spy versus spy then.” He waited to see if he could goad her into moving. She shifted her shoulders and reached into her pocket. He felt a little surge of happiness. She was going to leave with him.
Something white came flying through the air and hit him in the chest, dropping onto the dewy ground with a thud. Jared reached down to pick it up. It was a granola bar. A slightly squished granola bar. So, she’d take a little more convincing.
He lifted his lip in fake disdain. “What, were they out of chocolate chip?” He was running out of time. They needed to leave. Now.
“Jared, if you don’t shush it, I swear I’ll—”
Quick footsteps sounded down the driveway, and he snapped back to attention as he felt Mina tense in front of him. They both stilled and waited in the darkness as the figure slowed and approached. Jared dropped the granola bar on the ground and watched.
A girl with curly reddish blonde hair walked down the driveway toward them, sniffling. She was short—probably shorter than even Mina. Her heart-shaped face looked flushed and tears poured down her fair cheeks. She wore a pair of shorts with a boy’s blue Lincoln Heights high school letterman jacket. She clutched a brown satchel that was slung over her shoulder and glanced behind her, as if she knew she was being followed. Her pace quickened, and she passed the house’s front door and to go around back.
She was only feet away, but didn’t see them. With a strangely expectant expression, she turned to look up the driveway. Jared followed the girl’s gaze and noticed another shadow approaching—a much larger silhouette.