“Creepy Hollow?” He snorts. “Like Sleepy Hollow?”“No, like Creepy Hollow. It has nothing to do with sleeping.”

“Bound in a hollow of space and time, only those truly in need, without harm in their hearts, could find their way to its sanctuary.”

“Seelie Court,” murmurs Nate. “Sounds familiar. Was it in a computer game?”“Do I look like someone who plays computer games?”A grin stretches across Nate’s face. “You look like someone who could be in a computer game.”

“Colors shift like smoke within the branch beneath our feet. Sprites jump from leaf to leaf, leaving sprinklings of glittery dust in the air behind them. Droplets of water are strung like pearls from the silver strands of a spider’s web. Bluebottle glow-bugs stick to the leaves and branches, lighting up the night with their blue-green bodies. And high above us, clouds are draped like sashes of color across the sky. Amethyst, azure, jade.”

“I put my hands on my hips. “What’s wrong with the way I look?”“Come on, Vi,” he says, keeping his voice low. “You just need to add your boots and you’re like the forest version of Lara Croft.”“Excuse me? Lara who?”“I mean, it’s really sexy and everything.” He pulls me closer and slips his arms around my waist. “But it’s not exactly the way I’d want you to meet my mom.”

“Is that what you were doing in my room?” he asks after a moment.I sigh. Why am I telling him any of this? “Yes. I was on assignment.”“I was your assignment?”“Yes.” He hesitates a moment, then grins. “That’s kind of hot.”

“I angle my head down and peer up at him through my lashes in what I hope is an alluring manner. I have zero experience in this area though, so it’s possible I look like a total moron.”