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Jude glanced behind her for the third time in as many minutes. It wasn’t so much that she was worried about Prince Cardan being lost. She kept eyeing him because she couldn’t understand his motivations.
At first she assumed he had been plotting something nefarious when he accompanied Locke (who had been the only one of the pair invited) to come shopping with Taryn, Heather, Vivi, and Jude. She had held the reins of her ragwort steed so tightly when he climbed on behind her, his hands resting uneasily on her hips, that her knuckles were still paler than usual. She’d half expected him to push her off the creature so that she would be swallowed up by the sea. Then they’d landed in a small tree-covered patch just across from the mall parking lot and he had slipped down gracefully and offered her his hand as she dismounted. She, of course, ignored his assistance, but it was so off putting that she didn’t have a single biting remark to throw at him.
When Heather and Vivi had dipped away, she’d barely noticed. She knew that Vivi wanted to savor every free moment in the human world. When Locke had slipped out of Dillards and Taryn went to find him though, she found herself alone with Cardan and she couldn’t shake the discomfort. Cardan, however, seemed delighted. He relished every frown she awarded him, every sneer when he picked up something lacy or frilly. She wished that she had brought knives at least.
They were walking along the store fronts now, peeking in each to search for signs of her sisters. They were meant to see a movie in half an hour, but they’d never decided on which movie to see. Cardan’s face perked up as they approached the pink and black store directly in front of him. His eyes roamed over the displays before fixing Jude with a smirk. Victoria’s Secret.
“We should definitely search in here,” he winked and she scowled. She grabbed his hand and yanked him toward the escalator.
“They’re probably at the food court waiting on us,” she insisted. His fingers laced with hers briefly before she realized she still had hold of his hand and shook herself free. He seemed to realize his mistake and his face suddenly transformed into the hard, unreadable expression he seemed to reserve mostly for her.
Jude and Cardan stood in line to order, Jude searching for signs of her siblings and growing more annoyed with every passing moment as Cardan did his best to break the flimsy debit card he’d snatched from her fingers moments before.
“Hey sweetheart,” a voice hummed too close to her ear. A guy about her age touched her arm, his sweaty fingers tight just above her wrist. She narrowed her eyes at him but before she had the opportunity to tell him off, Cardan stepped close to her.
“She’s mine,” said Cardan harshly, a familiar cruel sneer firmly in place.
Jude gave Cardan a questioning look as her own fingers find the sweaty fingers still tight around her wrist. She yanked them backwards until she heard a shriek from the man’s lips.
“Bitch!” he shouted. Jude smiled blithely at him.
“Crazy bitch!” he amended.
He raised his fist and Jude prepared to whirl out of the way when the man’s eyes suddenly go glassy. He blinked, dazed, and then turned around, out of the line, and walks toward the escalators. He slowly climbed up the downward escalator, never making it past the first few steps.
“I’m yours?” Jude asked with teasing interest as they settled into a table, food in front of them, sisters nowhere to be found.
Cardan seemed disconcerted for the briefest moment, black eyes round, color blanching, before he shrugged coolly.
“I thought fairies couldn’t lie,” said Jude.
Cardan gnawed the inside of his cheek.
“You’re my something. I just never said what that something was.”
“Enemy? Arch nemesis? Likely assassin?” guessed Jude with a grin.
Cardan said nothing. He couldn’t lie and to disagree would lead to questions he wasn’t ready to answer.