FABLE

Chapter Forty

"I guess you won't be staying the night then?"

Felix is in the tree above me, stretched out languidly on his back along a wide branch. There's a book in his hand.

He jumps down and lands right in front of me in one swift graceful movement, and I stumble backwards, until my back is pressed up against the huge tree trunk. He leans forward, placing the palm of his hand against the wood right next to me, leaning down until his hazel eyes are just inches away from my own.

"How much do they know?" He says.

He must be talking about the phone call. Does he know it was Jamie?

"Nothing," I say.

He leans closer in, as if to lock me down, maybe trying to intimidate me. Scare the truth out of me. But the thing is, I'm already telling the truth. I haven't told anyone where Fable is or what they're doing.

If there's one thing I'm good at, it's keeping secrets.

"Tell me what's going on." He says, his eyes glinting in the scattered light. "Something's wrong. I can tell."

He doesn't say it in a comforting way, like he wants to help. He says it like it's an annoyance. Like I'm an annoyance.

"I don't exactly know what's going on," I say, wishing I had the courage to lift my hand and slap him. Not that I can imagine myself ever actually doing something like that. But if there's anyone in the world who deserves a solid slap in the face, it's definitely him.

"I phoned to let my mom know I wouldn't be coming home tonight, but my friend answered," I say, adverting my eyes so I don't have to look him in the face. "She seemed really freaked out. I think something's wrong."

Without warning, Felix swoops in closer, and grasps my chin, tilting my face up to his. With our faces less than inch apart, he stares intently into my eyes.

After a few seconds of his penetrating gaze, I feel a hot blush creeping across my cheeks. I twist to the side, trying to turn my face away, but he grabs my chin harder and forces me to face him again. His eyes are hard and unblinking as they peer into my own with a ruthless intensity.

It's like he's trying to read my mind.

By the time he lets go and takes a step back, my whole face feels like it's on fire.

I reflexively shrink back against the tree and cross my arms across my chest, while he looks away and runs his hand through his dark hair, the intense gaze replaced with the same cold, disinterested expression he usually wears.

"I'll walk you home," he says. Before I can respond, his hand is around my wrist, and he's dragging me behind him, away from the clearing and into the forest.

I stumble along behind him for a moment before digging my heels into the dirt, pulling him to a sudden halt.

"I don't need an escort," I say, struggling to free myself from his grip. "Really. Just let go."

His hand tightens around my wrist for a moment before he frees me.

"I'm not letting you walk alone," he says.

WTF? It's not like this would be the first time I do this trip on my own.

"Seriously Felix, I'm ok-"

"No," he says, "It's getting late. It'll be dark soon."

His eyes subtly dart around the forest surrounding us, and I notice a stiffness, an alertness, in his posture. Like he's on guard. Is he seeing something I'm not seeing?