MY HEART THREATENED to explode from my chest as I imagined what he would do if he caught me. Even if I had come armed, I had no chance against a royal guard.
He dropped his hands and took a step toward the grove. At that exact moment, the pixie pulled free from my hair and flew out of the bush, taking a few strands of my hair with it. The faerie stopped his advance and watched the pixie disappear into the branches. All I could do was pray he hadn’t seen the red hairs trailing behind the pixie and come to investigate.
He took another step, shaving a year off my life, and abruptly spun back toward the pool. Raising his hands, he started again to create the portal. I watched in awe as the air shimmered and rippled, and a faerie-sized hole formed. Beyond the portal, I could make out a white
