“Told you I was going to mess up your make up," he said, a smug grin on his face.”

“Lend sat up,craning his neck to see down my shirt,which I hurriedly pushed back into place. "Last time I checked, you couldn't see souls."He shrugged,an exaggerated look of innocence on his face. "Still,it wouldn't hurt for me to try,would it?""You have got to be the most sefless boyfriend alive.""Like I said,anything worthwhile is worth making sacrifices for.""Speaking of which,weren't you going to give me a tongue demonstration?”

“I frowned."You didn't dress up!"He grinned,opening my door for me. "Sure I did.I dressed up as the non-invisible man!"I smacked him in the chest. "Lazy.""Hey,I wear a costume every waking hour. You only dress up once a year,which I believe makes you the lazy one.However,you look really hot in pink tights,so I'll let it pass.""How noble of you.”

“Jack was balancing a spoon on his nose when I walked in."You," I said knocking it off his face."Me!" He answered cheerfully.”

“How did you learn? To use the Paths, I mean?"His mouth twisted into an impish grin. "Don't let my good looks fool you. I'm terribly clever."I rolled my eyes. "Clearly. But you still shouldn't be abot to use te Paths."He shrugged, standing. "Watch and wait long enough, want something bad enough, and you can figure out a way to make it happen. I make a lot of things happen." Smiling enigmatically, he reached out a hand to my wall. "I'll pick you up later?""I haven't agreed to anything!" I narrowed me eyes."Of course," he said, distracted as he focused on the white lines snaking out to make a door. "So, I'll pick you up later, then.""No! Don't you listen to anything? Tell Raquel I'm not going to-"Before I could finish my sentence he walked through the faerie door, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like, "Girls are annoying."The wall formed again behind him, becoming the innocent recipient of my withering glare.Jack might look my age, but he was like a little kid on a sugar high-in need of a good spanking.Good heavens, that sounded creepy.”

“Hello,' he said, his voice and smile pleasant.'You can't touch me!' I sat up and pulled the covers over myself.'Yes about that. You need to negate the command.''Excuse me?'He looked at me patiently, like he was explaining something to a stubborn child. 'You need to break that command.''And why on earth would I ever want to do that?' I glared at him. Lunatic.'Because I wasn't finished.''Oh, no, I really think that you were.' I held up my wrist. It still bore the scarlet mark of his hand and, to my eyes at least, was bright against the light of the lamp. Then, since I was holding up my hand anyway, I flipped him off.'You're going to need more.''Well, that's easy.' I held up my other hand and flipped him off with that one, too.”

“And..it was Jack. Jack. Of the many things I'd considered doing to him, most involved violence.None of them involved lip-on-lip action.I jerked my head back,but it wasn't hard to get away,since he pulled back at the same moment.He wrinkled his nose. "Well, that was...interesting. Always wanted to try it,but now that I have,I'm pretty sure I never want to again."Furious,I smacked him in the shoulder with my free hand, hating that we still had to have one clasped so I wouldn't be lost forever. "You"-smack-"little"-smack-"freak!"-smack. "What was that?!" SMACK.He dodged another volley. "And I had been under the impression that afterward was a little less"-he winced as I connected hard-"painful.""Listen,creep,if I wanted you to kiss me,I would have asked! And I didn't. And I wouldn't! And if you ever try that again,so help me,I will find that fossegrim and throw you to a watery death!"And then-as if his awkward,terrible kiss weren't bad enough-he started laughing."SHUT UP!"He shook his head,grinning smugly. "See? Two goals accomplished. One:try out kissing. Miserable failure, no doubt your fault,but a noble effort nonetheless.I should find your friend Carlee. She's probably better at it than you are."Why couldn't my glamour-piercing eyes have a laser function? I wouldn't kill him. I'd just burn the word "freak" into his forehead."Aren't you going to ask me what my second goal was?" He batted his eyelashed at me."No,I'm not."He nudged me in the ribs with his elbow. "You aren't crying anymore, are you?"I'd have to let go of his hand to throttle him. So that option was out. "Being so mad I'd like to kill you is better?”