Starkeeper of the Fractured Crown

“Okay,” I hummed, making it a game. I pulled him into my side and scooted us down into the bed. “Here goes, but I should warn you, if you have nightmares, it’s not my fault.”

He puffed out his chest, trying to act as brave as he could. “Deal.”

I hated these games the most. Lying to him, but I had to. It was the only way to protect him. Just a little over a month and we’d be okay. We’d be safe. No more lies, just a good life.

A good life after I figured out how to get the Fallen out of my life for good.

“There I was,” I began, shutting his face out of myhead, “walking through the Forest of Malice.”

Mark gasped.

“Hunting for rabbits,” I went on, hugging him tightly.

“The ones you brought home today?”

The ones I had stolen out of the window of a home just blocks from where we lived. I had grabbed them on my way back, just so I didn’t have to come home empty handed. “The very same. So, I had my bow in hand, arrow nocked. I was as quiet as the shadows, as stealthy too, and I was weaving in and out of the trees, following the tracks of a particularly fat rabbit.”

“What?” he said dubiously. “You can’t tell how fat a rabbit is by its tracks.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

I smiled. “Then how do you explain the fat rabbit I brought home today?”

His brows furrowed, probably trying to remember what the three rabbits I had brought home looked like. Finally, he huffed. “They weren’tthatfat.”

I laughed, pinching his sides, only to shush him a moment later when he dared an octave higher. “Fat enough for you. Now, where was I?”

“Tracking a fat rabbit,” he said confidently.

“Oh, yes, thank you,” I beamed, poking his nose. “I was tracking the rabbit and I walked around this large tree, leafless, and the fog began to settle. The air chilled several degrees, and everything went deathly quiet. I suddenly felt miles away from anyone and anything, but I knew that rabbit couldn’t be too far ahead of me, so I turned back to thetracks andsnap!”

Mark jumped.

“A twig broke just in front of me. My breath caught, my heart was racing, sweat trickling down my spine, but did I back away?”

“No!”

“And why is that?”

Mark looked up, love shining in the depths of his eyes. “Because you would face any type of monster for me.”

I nodded. “That’s right, little fox. Any type of monster in the whole world.” I kissed his head. “So, I needed that rabbit. I inhaled deeply, gathering up all of my bravery and strength, and I went forward. Fear wouldn’t stop me, not when I had you to take care of. Arrow nocked, all alone, silent woods, and what do I find behind that tree?”

“What?” he whispered, eyes wide.

“A Tree Giant!” I rushed, shaking him for added effect. “A baby one, no bigger than me.”

He gasped in excitement. “No.”

“Yup. He was lost,” I explained, trying to keep my smile from hurting my cheeks. “Scared, and when I jumped out at him, boom! He hit me right in the face.” Tree Giants would never actually do that. Their movements were slower than most, and they weren’t easily startled, but Mark didn’t have to know that. Not yet.

Mark clicked his tongue. “But you were there though, he just didn’t know that when you’re around, he doesn’t have to be scared. Not of anything.”

I smiled softly, brushing his hair back. “He needed to find his way back to Phaidras, to his family. I told him Iwould help and in return, he would help me catch the rabbit. So, we went hunting and he told me all about his mom and dad, how they told him not to run off, but he didn’t listen and ended up walking through a stray portal right into the Forest of Malice where not one single tree could talk.”

Mark cuddled deeper into my side. “How did you get him home?”