"Fave word," I mumbled. "And you're my fave person."
He swept me up into his arms, cuddling me close to his chest, and I didn’t even bother to protest. When he moved it was so fast that everything swum around us in shades of green and blue. I had no idea where he was taking us, and I honestly didn't care.
In this moment I would have gone anywhere with Jacob Compass.
The strength of his arms made me feel safe. The calm beat of his heart encouraged mine to slow and sync. The soft melody he started to hum trickled down my spine, sending goosebumps across my skin. The melody that we’d both shared. The one that had saved my life many years ago.
He must have felt me watching him, and as he looked down, our lips met again.
"I could taste you all day, Ruby," Jacob groaned. "It's addictive."
"Tell me we're near a bed," I replied breathless. "Or any flat surface."
My body was burning, the embarrassment from Louis long forgotten in my current need.
Jacob pulled back, looking around to make sure we were at the right place. "I'm taking you somewhere I've never taken anyone," he said. "I found it when I was young, and only fey can enter. It's been my secret place over the years, my secret hideaway from the world. Jessa has been to the doorway, but she couldn't enter."
I swallowed roughly. "What if I can't enter?"
Jacob brushed his nose across mine, eyes soft. "You're my mate. You’re a fey."
He was so confident in me. I needed to try harder to see what he did.
Part of me wanted to mentally catalog the path to this special spot of Jacob's, but I was caught up in staring at the fey himself. It was only when he released me, air holding me up as he slammed his hand against a pair of huge trees, that I finally looked away.
Blood streaked his palms as he pulled them away, and a shimmer floated down between the large overhanging branches. It looked like a smaller scale of the shimmery wall we’d crossed between Faerie to Earth. "We used to scour this forest searching for the prison," he said as he moved forward. "We uncovered many secrets. Including this place. My brothers were always so pissed that they couldn’t see what I did in here."
I closed my eyes as we crossed, but there was no resistance at all. Just as Jacob predicted, I was allowed to cross with him.
On the other side was a literal fairy garden … or at least the way I imagined one. A field of wildflowers, spanning as far as the eye could see. Mostly white, but there were scatters of violet and soft pink as well. "No one else can see this?" I choked out, gesturing for him to let me down.
When my feet were on the ground, I kicked off my shoes, allowing my feet to sink into the soft grass. It was almost soothing against my soles, sending relaxing energy into me. Jacob's heat pressed along my spine, and I could have groaned at how good he felt. How good it all felt.
"I don't think this is strictly on Earth," I murmured. "I feel like this is a small rift that's allowing Faerie to filter into this planet."
Jacob's laughter was a slow trail of delight across my senses. "That's exactly what I think too."
We didn't have any more time to waste, so I took a few deep breaths, and turned away from the view. "Being here doesn’t mean time is moving faster on Earth, right?"
Jacob shook his head. "I tested it many times. There is no change when I'm in here, so we're safe."
A thought came to me. “I wonder if your brothers could enter now. Your powers are all mingling and blending as one.”
Jacob paused, his hands on my hips. “Actually, none of them have tried since our powers started to merge more. Maybe they have enough fey in them—something to consider once we’ve dealt with this dragon slash president bullshit."
Story of our lives.
31
Jacob Compass
She was fucking killing me. The emotions pouring through our bond were strong enough to drop a regular supe to their knees.
"We don't have to do this," I reminded her. She stood before all others for me.
She stopped exploring, turning to me looking open and relaxed. "I will legit murder your fey ass if you say that one