The vines were my favorite place to mess around as a kid. Deep in the forest, this place was a mystical playground. The vines were thick enough to stand on, but one misstep would send you plummeting to the ground below.
I didn’t bother telling Jade that part.
“You really think this is a good idea?” Serefin asked me as Jade jumped from one vine to another, slowly beginning the ascension to the massive wall that separated us from the human lands.
“Saints, no,” I replied. “But I don’t think that’s stopping anyone.”
“Hey!” she yelled. “Are you boys coming, or are you just planning on sitting back all day while I do this alone?”
Serefin clapped me on the shoulder. “Good luck with that, brother.”
I cursed under my breath before following after Jade, easily leaping from vine to vine.
Jade was slower, of course. As fae, Ser and I had an easy advantage. But we slowed our pace down, giving Jade enough space to lead the way.
The vines slowly transformed from large, thick logs to smaller vines. Jade noticed this, too, and began crawling on all fours as she used her hands to swing across.
She didn’t look down once.
“You’re actually not bad at this, princess,” I chirped as she easily leapt from one vine to another.
Jade tossed her hair behind her back and laughed. “Did you expect otherwise, prince?”
“I can’t imagine humans have much experience with foliage like this. Certainly not in that forest of yours.”
Jade shook her head. “You have no idea what I’ve had to do to survive. Hunting in that forest was just the beginning.”
I shut up as we moved forward. For whatever reason, thinking of Jade struggling in the human lands put a knot in my stomach. I knew the humans were suffering, but there was more that Jade wasn’t telling me. There was more that she wasn’t comfortable telling me. And I didn’t like that one bit.
Yes, she had to hunt so she wouldn’t starve to death. It was messed up that a young woman would have to do something as dangerous as that to feed her family. But from what I had heard, her father was the opposite of help.
Jade’s foot slipped and she let out a scream as her body slammed against the thick vine beneath us.
I jumped forward, easily grabbing her wrist and securing her to the branch. I waited a few seconds before hauling her up to her feet, keeping a hand on her back until she steadied herself.
“Thanks,” she breathed, inches from my face.
I smiled. “I think it’s about time for you to face your fear of heights, princess.”
“Now?” she asked. “I can’t even see the wall yet.”
“That’s because you’re human,” Serefin answered from behind me. “You can’t see it. It’s glamoured.”
She lifted her chin. The hands she placed on my shoulders to get her balance remained there. “Fine,” she said. “But if you drop me, I’ll be pissed.”
A small growl escaped me. I couldn’t resist. I scooped her in my arms as she secured an arm around my neck. Jade was stiff with nerves, but I couldn’t tell if it was from me holding her or from us about to launch into the air.
I hoped it was the latter one.
Serefin jumped first, his wings spreading tightly around him as he navigated his way through the maze of small branches above us.
“Hold on tight, princess,” I breathed into her ear. And then I jumped.
Jade squealed as my wings surrounded us, hauling us higher and higher into the night sky. It was a good thing Jade couldn’t see in the dark. Because the wall was tall, and we rarely flew this high.
But she didn’t say a word, just buried her head into my neck as Ser and I made the silent ascension into the sky.
The wall was difficult for most people to see, even the fae. The humans of course would never be able to find it on their own, and they sure as Saints would never be able to cross it. This wasn’t the only way through the wall, but it was the best way to not get caught.
Getting caught wasn’t an option. Especially for the Prince of Shadows and his new human wife.
I lost track of how long Serefin and I had been flying. It wasn’t long until Ser and I peaked the wall, shimmering in glamour, and began our descent into the human lands.
CHAPTER 22
Malachi
I never understood humans. I didn’t hate them, but I didn’t understand them. I remembered that as we entered Jade’s old residence. The smell alone was enough to keep any fae away.
But I didn’t tell her that.