one of your friends go. But you haven't given it to me yet." His eyes lingered on her lips. "Would you like to now?"
Fury sparked in Jenny. "You-!" She turned away
so he wouldn't have the satisfaction of seeing her angry.
"I've upset you. You're offended," he said. He sounded genuinely penitent. Jenny couldn't keep up with these mercurial changes of mood. "Here, I'll give you something to make it up to you."
Reluctantly Jenny turned again. He was holding a rose-a white rose. Or maybe it was silver-in this light it was hard to tell. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.
As she took it, Jenny realized it wasn't real but was exquisitely wrought, perfect down to the tiniest detail. Half opened, the blossom shimmered in her hands. The petals were cool but soft.
"Made from silver dug out by black elves in the deepest mines of the earth," Julian said. Jenny shook her head at him.
"That's all folklore. Are you saying you're really the Erlking? Do you want me to believe in Hansel and Gretel, too?"
"I've been more things than you can imagine. And what I want you to believe is that children can go into dark places and disappear. After which people might tell stories to explain it-sometimes true stories, sometimes not."
Jenny felt disconcerted again. "Anyway-it's a beautiful rose," she said and stroked it against her cheek.
Julian's eyes gleamed.
"Let's go walking in the courtyard," he said. "You can really see the moonlight there."
The courtyard had a number of natural chimneys, and moonlight flooded down. Jenny felt almost awestruck at the beauty of the landscape. The moonlight threw a sort of magic sheen over everything, and the cavern was weirdly beautiful with its dark shadows and bright patches of silver.
Julian looked the same. Every shadow on his face was dead black, and there were silver points in his eyes.
"Have you ever wondered why you can go into dangerous places without getting hurt?" he said abruptly. "Why the stray animals you pick up never bite you, why you don't get mugged-or worse-when you wander around bad parts of town at night?"
"I..." People were always yelling at Jenny for exactly the things he was talking about. She herself had never given it much thought, but now a wild suspicion was rising in her mind. "No," she said. "No, I haven't."
His eyes remained on hers. "I've been looking after you, Jenny. Watching over you. No one can touch you ... no one but me."
"That's impossible." It came out in a whisper. "You ... I've done those things all my life...." Her sentences were coming untangled.
"And I couldn't have been watching you that long? But I have. I've always loved you, Jenny."
The power of his gaze was frightening. Jenny was confused by her own emotions. She knew she should feel only hatred, only anger toward him, but by now she had to admit that part of her was fascinated by him. He was a prince of darkness-
-who had chosen her.
She turned and walked away from him, trying to gather herself.
"l nave never been in love before, Julian said. "You're my first-and you'll be my only."
There was music in his voice, and the words settled like filigreed snowflakes around her, wrapping her in otherworldliness.
Jenny turned around and he touched her.
His touch was as tenuous as gauze on her cheek. Jenny was so surprised she didn't move. Then she looked down stupidly. He had taken her hand.
But I thought you couldn't...
His fingertips were as cool as jade against her skin. Tingles followed in their wake. She had an urge to press her cheek to his open hand.
Don't, she thought. Don't, don't, don't...
"Don't," she whispered.
He went on stroking her hand, thumb gently circling in her palm. A sensuous and dangerous feeling. Jenny felt herself start to come undone.
His touch was so delicate-he'd disengaged her hand so gently from the rose. ...
From the rose, Jenny thought.
His gift. She'd held it in her hand. She'd stroked it against her right cheek-the cheek he was touching now.
She stepped back. "You ... tricked me."
He still held her hand. "Does it matter?"
"Yes, it matters," Jenny said furiously, trying to pull out of his grasp. How could she have been so stupid? It was a game he was playing with her, to get permission to touch more and more of her. "I understand now-I'll never touch you or anything you give me. That trick won't work again."
His lips were smiling, but there was something hot and deadly serious in his eyes. "Maybe not-but