Blood pounded in my ears as I hopped over the ledge to the next roof, very aware of the men closing in on both sides. There was no time to second-guess or give myself more than a dozen feet to take off from. I sprinted toward the rear of the building, passing so close to two of the men that I heard their grunting breaths and felt the shift in the air when they grabbed for me. Their curses fell behind me as I reached the edge of the roof and leaped.
The world seemed to slow, and in that time, I pictured myself falling, crashing into the ground below. Would my pursuers leave my broken body there for someone to find or take me away to be another object in Davian Wood’s Fae collection? My family would never know what had happened to me. I’d never see them or Violet or Lukas again.
My feet made contact with the ledge, and I windmilled for several terrifying seconds before I pitched forward onto my hands and knees. It wasn’t one of my more graceful moves, but I wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I couldn’t believe I’d done it.
Standing on slightly rubbery legs, I turned toward the other building where the four men stared at me in surprise and frustration. We all knew the only reason I’d made that jump was because I was Fae, and none of them was stupid enough to attempt it.
One of them spoke into a radio. I swore softly. It wouldn’t take long for their accomplices on the street to run around the block to this side. Hell, for all I knew, there could be a dozen more of them down there.
A little giddy from my escape, I couldn’t resist giving them a cheeky wave before I ran to the other side of my building. Ten feet below me was the top landing of the fire escape, and I wasted no time lowering myself down to it.
I started down the stairs at a run. I reached the third floor of the building and was about to keep going when music drifted from a window that was cracked open a few inches. I didn’t hesitate and knocked on the window.
Seconds later, a teenage girl, who looked no older than fifteen, appeared on the other side of the window. She stared at me with trepidation that quickly changed to shock.
“OMGEEE!” she squealed, opening the window all the way. “You’re Jesse James!”
I nodded. “Can I come in?”
“Are you kidding?” She stepped aside, dancing on the spot as I climbed into her apartment. “What are you doing here? My friends will never believe this! Can I get a picture with you?”
I straightened and closed the window before I faced her. “I need to make a quick call to a friend for a ride, and then we can take a picture.”
Her squeal pierced my newly sensitive eardrums. I winced and pulled out my phone, glad I hadn’t lost it with all the running and jumping. I had a missed call and a voice mail from Lukas. I hit dial without listening to his message.
He picked up on the first ring. “Why didn’t you answer my call? Are you okay?”
“I’ll explain later,” I said, aware of the girl listening to my every word. “Can you come pick me up?”
“Did you break down?”
“Not exactly. More like the Jeep is boxed in by a friend’s vans, and I had to leave it.” I couldn’t think of any other way of saying I needed help without coming right out and speaking the words.
“A friend’s vans? What friend?”
“Our friend Davian. You know what a joker he is.”
Lukas said something in Fae that I was glad I didn’t understand. His next words came out as a growl. “Where?”
“One sec.” I asked the girl for her address and relayed it to him.
“Stay in the apartment. We’re on the way.”
I hung up and smiled at the girl, who had her own phone out and pointed at me. I tugged the phone from her hands.
“No posts until after I go.” I gave her a conspiratorial look. “Can’t have the paparazzi finding me.”
Her eyes went impossibly round. “Are you hiding from them? Are they outside?” She went to the window I’d entered through and started to open it.
I stopped her before she could lean out and give my location away. “How about those pictures? What’s your name?”
“It’s Avery.” She squealed again. I used to tease Violet for doing that, but she had nothing on this girl. We took some photos with her phone, and she asked me a bunch of questions I evaded by asking about her instead.
Less than five minutes after my call to Lukas, I got a text from him. We’re here. It was followed by a sharp rap on the door. I checked the peephole and opened the door to admit Lukas, Faolin, and Faris. Normally, it was Faolin who wore the stony expression, but today, Lukas looked downright scary.
I’d told Avery Lukas was coming, and she knew who he was from our interview. But the sight of all three of them was too much for her. She let out a small squeak and swayed on her feet. She would have fallen if I hadn’t been close enough to catch her.
“Is she ill?” Faris asked.
I smirked at him. “You guys just have that effect on us girls.”
Faolin gave a surly shake of his head and stepped back into the hall. “I will wait out here.”
I snapped my fingers in front of Avery’s face, and she blinked before she turned bright pink and stammered, “I…uh…hi.”
I introduced her to Lukas and Faris, and Lukas gave her a smile that nearly sent her into a full swoon. He thanked her for helping me out and graciously submitted to several photos with her and me, which were taken by a grinning Faris.
“Thank you, Jesse, for making my whole year!” she said when we opened the door to leave. “My friends will go insane when I post these pics.”
I gave her a quick hug. “Thanks for helping me out.”
The door had barely closed behind us when Lukas said, “What happened?”
I quickly told them about the call from Davian Woods and running from the men. As soon as I finished, Lukas exchanged a look with Faris and Faolin, and the brothers headed for the stairwell.
“Where are they going?” I asked.
“To look for the men and get your Jeep.” Lukas raised his hands to create a portal. The set of his mouth told me he was keeping his anger in check, so I decided not to speak again until we got home. Only we didn’t go to my apartment.
“Why did you bring me here?” I asked as he tossed his phone on the kitchen island at his place. “And how were we able to bring our phones through the portal? I didn’t think you could bring stuff like that to Faerie.”
“I shielded them with my magic.” He raked a hand through his hair. “Tell me exactly what Davian said to you.”
The conversation was still fresh in my mind, so I was able to recall it word for word. When I was done, he made me give him a play-by-play of what had happen from the moment the men showed up to when he had arrived at Avery’s apartment. Back in Avery’s building, I hadn’t mentioned the dart the men had shot me with, and I could practically see the thundercloud forming above Lukas when I brought it up now.
“They shot you?” he ground out.
I raised my hands to placate him. “It didn’t work, and I got away.”
Lukas gripped the edge of the island. “You could have died. Your strength is still too unpredictable, and you could have missed that jump.”
I went over and laid a hand on his arm, which was so tense it felt like granite. “I didn’t, and thinking about what-ifs doesn’t help.”