Page 414 of Once Upon a Fable

She lied.

Jareth was down there.

He was invisible in the darkness, dressed in black, slightly drunk, partially burned, his heart full of revenge and murder.

The woman glanced from me to Gem and back again, her face showing obvious discomfort and judgment.

I tensed.

Gemma squeezed my hand.

I did my best to stay with her and not let my headache make me pass out. I couldn’t afford to black out. Not just because I didn’t want to forget but because Gemma’s life was in danger.

I had to protect her. At all costs.

I had to be prepared to hurt and maim and—

Another woosh of noise flew past us, followed by another.

Two more helicopters, soaring back toward Fables with swinging buckets of water.

Would they succeed in putting the fire out?

What was left of the expensive, sadistic place? Drowned in water, covered in ash, melted into indistinguishable sins?

“Are you both okay?” the woman asked, her gaze once again lingering on Gemma as if looking for any sign that I should be put in chains.

A snarl crawled up my throat.

Gemma untangled her fingers from mine and placed them on my thigh, answering for both of us. “We’re fine.”

“How did the fire begin?” The woman narrowed her eyes. “We weren’t even aware there was a residence so deep in the park. There’s no building permits or government documents.”

Gem flashed me a look before squaring her shoulders. “It’s a long story.” She arched her chin. “A story we’re happy to share once we get on stable ground.” She coughed, her lungs most likely still sore from smoke inhalation. “How did you know to come?”

The woman laughed, revealing slightly crooked front teeth. “You’re kidding, right? The fire lit up the sky. Our nightly patrol called it in. It’s not the height of summer anymore, but the ground is dry and perfect conditions for a wildfire.” She shuddered and adjusted her headset. “We weren’t about to take that chance. We have another two helicopters inbound with drop buckets, and the first to the scene has already been refilled from a local water source. It’s not under control yet, but we will preserve the park the best we can.”

Gem nodded. “Thank you for coming so quickly.”

“You’re welcome.” The two women shared a look before the stranger asked, “You sure you guys are okay...apart from the fire of course? No other injuries? Did you live out there?”

I froze at her questions.

Each was a loaded gun if Gemma answered incorrectly. Ha...not incorrectly.Truthfully.All she had to say was I’d thrown her in the cellar and forced her into sexual servitude, and I’d be the one flying out the door into the clouds.

Gem felt me shift beside her, throwing me a look. Her lips twitched into a smile, affection glowing in her stare. Fuck, how did I get this girl to fall for me? It left me breathless and my head swimming for entirely different reasons.

Glancing back at the woman, Gem shook her head. “We’ll be okay.”

Her answer was more for me than anyone else.

I swallowed hard, doing my best to believe it.

The woman studied us another moment before nodding and glancing at the pilot, sharing whatever conversation they had on a different radio channel. Finally, she turned back toward us. “We’re flying you to the nearest hospital. We’ll drop you off for assessment, and law enforcement will pay you a visit for your statement.”

My hackles rose.

My thighs bunched to stand.