Jumping in Puddles (23 page)

Ellie straightened and looked straight at him. “Think before you speak.”

He nodded.

“I’m a faerie.”

He had to repeat the phrase in his head several times before he could convince himself of what Ellie had said. Not furry. Not fairly. Faerie. A faerie king had signed that bill of sale. Was this some weird cult of crazy people? Faeries did not exist. Because if they did, so did vampires and werewolves and the Easter Bunny. But…

Ellie needed him to believe. So did her parents. They sat waiting, watching him. Something bad would happen to Ellie if he didn’t go along with this. Jago thought about just saying he believed and suspected that wouldn’t work.
A faerie?
He had to think before he spoke and remember what she’d done.

She’d transformed his room and that bedroom in a ridiculously short space of time. Picked an unimaginably large number of strawberries and made balloons float in the air with no helium. The way her eyes changed. The unlocked door to the baron’s hall. The biggest miracle of all, she’d made him happy. Why shouldn’t he believe? What did it hurt to believe? Who would it hurt if he didn’t? He’d seen miracles happen in hospital. People he’d thought would die who hadn’t. He had no explanation for their recovery other than their sheer strength of will. Because they believed in something.

He took her hand in his and felt her fingers trembling. One chance to tell him? What happened if he didn’t believe? He
had
to.

I’m in love with a faerie.

Why not?

He pulled her close and whispered in her ear, “Do you come with a magic wand?”

Ellie let out a nervous laugh.

“I love you,” he said quietly.

It was as though her parents and the kitchen dissolved around them. All Jago could see was Ellie, his perfect, kindhearted Ellie with her lovely smile and gentle eyes. His world was already crazy. What was a little more craziness?

The sound of something hard being dropped on the table brought him back to his senses. Ellie’s father took his hand from a piece of slate.

“Careful, Nev,” said Ellie’s mother. “Sweetheart, I’m not sure you ought to take all the Kewen back.”

“She has to. Those are the rules,” said Nev. “It says in the book.”

“Maybe we could copy the bill of sale,” Ellie suggested. “Just in case.”

“Good idea.” He mother took the paper over to a printer in the corner of the kitchen.

“What’s the slate for?” Jago asked.

“It’s the way to take the Kewen home. For each seeker in every generation there’s a different method inside the slate. Dad’s was jumping from a plane without a chute, and he’s scared of heights.”

“My God,” Jago gasped.

“I can’t look out of an upstairs window without feeling queasy,” he said. “I only had to do it if I found the Kewen. I’d jump from the plane and land in Faerieland. I think it was the final act of revenge, to make us do the thing we most dreaded.”

“Did you know that was what you had to do while you were looking?” Jago asked.

“Not until I passed the baton to Ellie. After I’d looked for fifty years, it became her turn.”

“Hang on a minute,” Jago said. “What about Ellie’s suggestion that this was never about punishment? Maybe the king didn’t want the Kewen found because that might have revealed he’d purchased children. Perhaps his ancestors don’t even know. You could have jumped from the plane and died. I’m not letting Ellie jump from a plane with or without a chute.”

“Mine’s unlikely to say that.” Ellie exhaled. She put her hand above the stone and then pressed down.

The gray slate faded to white. When Ellie lifted her fingers, they read what it said there.
To bring the Kewen home, jump into the Thames from London Bridge.

“But you can’t swim,” Jago blurted.

“I think that’s the point.” Ellie squeezed his fingers. He could feel her shaking.

“I’m not letting you do it.” He gritted his teeth.

She raised her eyebrows.

“Okay,
let
was the wrong word.”
I’ll tie you up so you can’t get anywhere near the river
were the right words. “But you won’t do it alone. I’ll jump with you, and if you need help to get to the side, I’ll be there.” This was not going to happen. Those jewels would take her down.

“We need the others home to talk about this,” her father said. “That bill of sale gives you a chance to negotiate our return. I don’t want us seen as thieves when we weren’t.”

“We used Micah’s car,” Ellie said. “He’s keeping an eye on Jago’s place in case those so-called friends of Pixie’s turn up looking for the Kewen. We could Skype him on his phone.” She sighed. “We’re pretty tired. Do you have any clothes Jago can wear? I thought we’d have a shower and go to bed for a few hours.”

“I’ll get something out,” said her mother.

Ellie rose to her feet and pulled Jago with her.

Her father tugged her into his arms. “I still can’t believe you found it. You’ve made your mother so happy. She’ll be able to see her family again. Keep the Kewen with you.”

Jago held the bag while Ellie put everything back inside. Funny, but Jago didn’t think Ellie’s mother looked that happy. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.

ELLIE CONCENTRATED ON putting one foot in front of the other as she walked upstairs. She was amazed she made it to the top step without stumbling, because fear had wrapped its tentacles around her heart and was squeezing hard. Taking a breath was impossible.
Jump into water from a bridge? OhGodOhGodOhGodOhGodOhGod.

Jago wrapped his arms around her. “I won’t let you do it on your own,” he whispered.

She melted into him and sucked up a ragged breath.

“Which is your room?”

Ellie nodded down the corridor.

Jago’s eyes widened when he went in. “Wow, Ellie. Did you do this?”

“Yes.”

He tugged her to the bed, and they lay on their backs. She’d painted the walls and ceiling to look like the sky with different types of clouds.

“That’s cumulus, right? The one that looks like a cauliflower,” he said.

Ellie pointed to another. “Altocumulus.”

“As if someone’s tipped out a bag of cotton balls.”

She smiled. “And the celestial brushstrokes of cirrus over there.”

He rolled on his side to look at her. “Why do you still live at home?”

“I like it here. I don’t like to be on my own… Do you really believe? No, don’t answer that.”

There was a tentative knock on the door, and Jago sat up.

“Come in,” Ellie called.

Her mother entered with a pile of clothing. “I’ve put a new toothbrush and a disposable razor in the bathroom.”

“Thank you,” Jago said.

“Mum?” When her mother turned, Ellie saw through her false smile. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Everything’s fine. We’re going home. Fantastic. Shout out if there’s anything else you need. I have a lot…a lot to do.”

The door closed, and Ellie turned to Jago. “She doesn’t want to go.” She shook her head in disbelief. “All these years while Dad searched and then me, and she doesn’t want to go back. It’s going to break Dad’s heart.”

Jago’s hand crept over hers. “What about my heart?”

“I want to stay with you.”

“What if you can’t?”

She shook her head. “Oberon won’t want it known one of his predecessors bought children. I’ll threaten to tell if he doesn’t let us decide whether we want to stay or not.”

“And when he throws you in a dungeon and gets dragons to guard you? How are you going to threaten him then?”

“There are no dragons left.”

Jago raised his eyebrows. “I take it there are plenty of dungeons.”

“Probably.”

“You need a plan.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t jump into the river with the Kewen. What if I lost it?”

“But without it, why would you be offered a way back to Faerieland? You have to keep it with you. Only take the copy of the bill of sale. That might offer some sort of insurance.”

There was another knock on the door. This time it was her father. Jago fell off the bed in his scramble to get up.

“Just wanted to say well done again, Ellie. I’m so proud of you. I’ve felt guilty all these years for depriving your mother of her family and friends, of the world she grew up in. Different for me, of course, because this is all I’ve ever known. But I’ll be able to get used to things over there. There’ll be something I can do, I’m sure. The family will be together, so that will be great. Well, I’ve leave you to it. I’ve called Pixie and Asher and told them to come over this afternoon.”

It wasn’t her imagination, was it? He didn’t seem so keen on the idea of living in Faerieland either.

Once he’d gone, Jago said, “I think your family needs to talk about this. What if you don’t go back? What if you sell the Kewen and split the money? What can Oberon do? All this has been based on the belief that your family desperately wanted to return to Faerieland, and it seems the dream has faded over the centuries. Your father’s become so obsessed with the search, he’s not taken into account the consequences of success.”

Ellie’s head ached. Jago crawled onto the bed behind her and wrapped her in his arms.

“Now I know faeries exist; what else is out there?”

“Vampires, werewolves—”

“Really? Have you met any?”

“Yes.”

“Oh God. How—how long will you live? A lot longer than me, judging by how young your parents look. Going to look after me when I’m old and gray?” He gulped. “Can you turn me like vampires do, or are you going to be stuck with a doddery old guy while you look just as you do now.”

Ellie kissed the worry from his face. “I’ll always look after you, and I don’t know if I can turn you into a faerie. I could try biting you.”

He laughed. “How old are you?”

“Double what you think.”

He raised his eyebrows. “I like the idea of being your boy toy.”

Ellie stroked his lower lip. “I know all this is surreal, and I don’t know the answers to everything, I just know I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you, and whatever happens, nothing will take that away from me.”

He kissed her then, and Ellie tried not to clutch him too tightly, tried not to think about a world without him in it. Love at first sight, an invisible thread tying them together, even when they were apart. Ellie didn’t want to lose him, but even if she did, she’d never stop loving him.

“How big is the shower?” Jago whispered against her mouth. “Room for me to demonstrate the awesome power of
my
magic wand?”

She laughed. “Let’s go and see.”

She led him along the corridor to her bathroom, shared with her siblings when they were around, but usually all hers. There was a freestanding claw-foot tub in front of the window and a large shower inside a curved wall of glass in the corner. They cleaned their teeth together at the washbasin, and even that simple act made Ellie’s heart thump faster. As she watched Jago shave, she stripped off her dress, bra, and sandals and came up behind him to wrap her arms around his waist.

Ellie untucked his shirt and unfastened the buttons. When she pressed up close behind him and slid her hands over his chest, Jago groaned.

“How am I supposed to concentrate on not cutting myself?”

Her hand slipped lower. His cock was already hard.

“Hurry up,” she whispered. “I want to play with your magic wand.”

He laughed. “I think we’ve gone far enough with that one.”

As she reached for his zipper, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

“Want to answer that for me?”

Ellie brushed his cock with her fingers as she retrieved the mobile. “It’s Henry.”

“Answer it. I’ve nearly finished.”

“Hi, Henry,” she said and put it on speaker.

“Where are you? I assume Jago’s with you? Or have you dumped him somewhere and stolen his mobile?”

“He’s shaving. We’re in London at my parents’ house.”

“I have a tall, dark-haired guy standing next to me who says he’s your brother.”

“Slightly sulky, doesn’t say much, calls himself Micah?”

“Yep,” Henry said.

“He’s just keeping an eye on things while Jago’s away.”

“I can do that.”

She caught the hint of annoyance in Henry’s voice. “I know, but there’s a chance some people might come looking for the treasure, and Micah’s good at getting rid of undesirables. Almost makes up for his terrible personality.”

“I heard that,” Micah said, and Ellie smiled.

Jago wiped the remaining foam from his face. “We’ll be back soon, Henry. Tomorrow hopefully.”

“Good, because I’ve had a call from the local paper. They want to interview you.”

Jago groaned. “Bloody hell.”

“Less of the complaining. It will be great publicity for Sharwood. Can you believe we’ve had paying visitors arrive already this morning? Though a few of them almost turned round when Ellie’s brother scowled at them. Diane’s son is on the gate, and until we set up some sort of café, Diane and I are making drinks. She’s baking too. I’m going to be the size of an elephant because she insists on me testing everything.”

“You’re already the size of an elephant,” Jago said.

Henry growled.

“Ellie?” Micah said.

“Yep?”

“Was the reaction what you’d expected?”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“Okay. I’ll call you later.”

She switched the phone off. Jago removed his shoes and socks and shrugged out of his pants and boxers. He curled his fingers around Ellie’s and tugged her across to the shower.

“No more interruptions. I want you to just stand there and let me wash you,” he whispered. “You’re a very dirty girl.”

And didn’t
that
send a shudder of pleasure ripping down her spine.

Ellie turned the dial and closed her eyes. She tipped her face to the warm water and instantly felt soothed. Jago started with her hair, rubbing shampoo into her scalp, the pressure of his fingers so sensual, Ellie crumpled against him.

“Oh wow. That feels really good. Keep going for a couple of hours.”

“You have the most beautiful hair,” Jago said. “The only problem is that almost every time it brushes against me, I get a hard-on.”

She chuckled.

“I lied. It isn’t just your hair. You only need to be in my vicinity, and my cock reacts.”