“Not sure I understand any of this,” she said, pulling away from him. “Maybe you are the one who is … mad?”
“Were you bruised in the time portal?” He wasn’t letting go.
She sighed and grimaced. “That big oaf put his grimy, rough hands on my face when he tried to force a kiss out of me.”
The Fae Prince’s face suddenly took on an ominous expression, and he said on a low growl, “I shall go teach him some manners! Such behavior cannot be tolerated.”
She laughed, but when she saw he was serious she shook her head. “I doubt anyone could teach that Neanderthal manners. But never mind him. I’m okay, and we need to keep a low profile and find a way home. Home—let’s just concentrate on getting home.” A tentative smile curved her lips, and she offered, “Thank you, though, for your concern.”
She watched him as he looked out into the distance and said with an off-handed wave of his big, strong hand, “Of course I am concerned. You are here in part because I failed to stop the Dark Prince. Thus, I must consider you a lesser being under my protection.”
“A lesser being?” She hauled off, smacked his chest, and then resisted the need to cry out in pain from the impact. She said with a hiss, “I’ll show you lesser being.” It occurred to her, though, that however much she did not like hearing him call her that, it was in fact precisely what she was.
“Why do you attack me? It is, of course, a waste of time, but why do you do it?”
“Did no one ever teach you about manners? You don’t insult someone by calling them a lesser being!”
“But it is the truth,” he said, looking at her with puzzlement.
“Truth? Whether it is truth or not, it is not nice, and it wasn’t necessary. You are a Royal, yes, but you are also, arrogant and as cold-blooded as a … shark. How do you like that?”
“But you are not being factual. I am not cold-blooded.” He suddenly moved even closer to her. “I am, in fact, quite warm-blooded.”
If she hadn’t been so annoyed with him, she might have admitted he had just sent chills up her spine. However, she was annoyed with him and not admitting anything. She wagged a finger and said, “You go about your business because it is your business, regardless of the consequences to others trapped by your … your … whatever it is your business is. You haven’t got a clue how to conduct yourself when in the company of those who aren’t Fae—Royal or otherwise. That is cold-blooded, that is thoughtless, and, and … never mind!” She threw up her hands.
He eyed her for a long moment and then offered, “You are very emotional, but perhaps we can get past that and begin again. Before we proceed, you may tell me your name.”
She glared at him. She realized, however, she was in a precarious situation and would need to rely on him to get her out. He didn’t seem intent on doing any of the things Fios had been taught to fear. He didn’t, in fact, seem to wish to scurry her off to Faery as she had been raised to believe. Thus, she said, “Jazmine Decker, and I am not emotional! I have just been, according to you, shoved into the past—the year 1816 in fact. I have been accosted by a brute of a smithy and told we are stuck here in the past. What do you expect from me, hearts and roses?”
He eyed her thoughtfully. “I am not really certain what to expect from you, as you are a human female, and why should I expect hearts and roses? It seems a very odd thing to expect, but back to the human thing … I find that you are not quite human—are you?”
“Oooh!” She felt the urge to punch him again but calmed h
erself. “Okay, give me something to call you.”
“Something? It is more than something,” he said, his chin up and one well-shaped eyebrow arched. “I am Trevor, Prince of Lugh.” However, after a brief pause he made the mistake of adding, “And, yes, you are emotional. In fact, I find you more so than some of the humans I have interacted with recently. Although Red says humans can be quite practical and logical, I have not yet witnessed it.”
“Oooh,” she seethed again. She glared at him and then once again quieted herself as curiosity got the better of her. She inquired, “Who is Red, another one of your cold-blooded Royals?”
“Red is what I have called Princess Royce since childhood—because of her flame-colored hair. We are very different, she and I, but also the best of friends, and Red is anything but cold-blooded.”
She eyed him. “A childhood friend? I never thought of Fae as ever being children.”
He ignored her and said, “What you need to know, Jazmine Decker, is that we were taken through a time portal. Pestale, the eldest Dark Prince of the remaining three Dark Princes, did this not so long ago when he meant to take over both the Seelie Fae Realm and the Human Realm. We, of course, defeated him, but against my wishes he was allowed to live.” Trevor paused as he gritted his teeth and composed himself to add, “See now what comes of it?”
“I’m with you on that. Never let your enemies live to come back at you one day.” She frowned and then asked, “Right, okay, if he escaped, why did he try to get into the present if he meant to come here to 1816? That doesn’t make sense.”
“No doubt something went wrong in his calculations. Opening the portal from the Dark Realm is not easily done.”
“Well, this time I hope you intend to finish him off. This playing with portals and time is so not good,” Jazz said irritably as she looked around. She was venting; she needed to vent. She really wasn’t sure that she wasn’t just hallucinating. It would be so much better if she were having some kind of fantasy.
“Indeed, perhaps you are more intelligent than I had at first assumed.” He put up his hand to stall her when her finger came up and pointed at him, and he hurriedly added, “Obviously, he meant to travel to our present time but miscalculated and was sent into the past. We were taken with him, as the portal must have encompassed a larger area than he anticipated, and anything living was sucked in with him. I am certain he is still working on a way to get to our time, which we must counter at all costs.”
“WE? There is no we trying to stop a Dark Prince. There is you trying to stop a Dark Prince and me trying to get home.”
He shrugged. “You are here and perhaps capable of distracting him while I take him down. You might prove useful in this manner.”
For a moment, Jazz was sure she felt steam rise in her head and exit her ears. “I might prove useful?” She poked him in the chest and said, “I want to get home, so I am hanging with you. Big ol’ period to that!”