Page 57 of The Iron Raven

“Unfortunately,” I went on, “I couldn’t say the same for Drysi. One night, a few months after the attack on the village, she confessed that she loved me.”

Nyx’s gaze narrowed. “And what did you do with this revelation?” she asked.

I sighed. “I was going to give her what she wanted,” I began. “I was fey, and there was this pretty girl who admitted to being in love with me. Any normal faery would’ve taken advantage of that. But...” I frowned, shaking my head. “I couldn’t go through with it. For the first time, I felt guilty about what I was doing. Even though I had no idea what this strange new sensation was, I didn’t want to hurt her.

“I left the next morning,” I continued. “Turned my back on the village and disappeared into the forest again. It was better that way. I couldn’t be around Drysi anymore, not with what I knew. A human falling in love with a faery never ends well. And I couldn’t give her what she wanted. So, it was best that I moved on.”

“And the human?”

“I made sure she wouldn’t remember me,” I said. “The rest of the village was easy. When you’re fey, humans tend to forget you were ever there. The memory of the human boy who had appeared out of nowhere one day would just fade from everyone’s minds. Drysi was a little harder... She loved me, and that tends to make forgetting difficult. I did end up using glamour to make her forget. I didn’t want her to spend the rest of her days pining after the boy who disappeared with no warning or explanation. I wanted her to be free. Frankly, it ended up being the best decision. A few months later, Oberon called me back into the Nevernever. My exile was over, and I had to return to Faery and the Summer Court.

“But when I came back...” I raised both arms in a shrug. “I wasn’t the same Robin Goodfellow. I had changed. I started calling myself Puck, to further separate myself from the faery I was before. The name stuck, though most of the Nevernever still treats them as one and the same. I know the difference, though, even if the rest of Faery never lets you forget what you did in the past.”

“And what happened to the girl? Did you ever see her again?”

“I did, actually. As soon as I could get away from Oberon, I went back to the mortal world, to the village I left behind. I thought it had been a couple years, but time flows differently in the Nevernever. Drysi was a grandmother by then, a village elder, with a horde of children and grandkids frolicking around her. She had definitely moved on.

“So, that’s my tale.” I crossed my arms, giving the Forgotten a challenging look. “How Robin Goodfellow went from being a jackass to a less egregious jackass. All because of a mortal, and the power ofloooove.” I snorted and rolled my eyes. “I haven’t told that little story to anyone, you realize. Not even Meghan and ice-boy. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention it to anyone, either. Sometimes it’s a good thing the rest of the Nevernever doesn’t realize that Puck has a conscience.

“So,” I continued, watching the other faery’s reaction. Nyx hadn’t moved any closer, though the moonlight blades in her hands had not disappeared. “What’s the verdict, Miss Stoic Assassin? Kill me now for the threat Robin Goodfellow represents, or take a chance with Puck?”

Nyx considered me, her face unreadable...before she shimmered into moonlight and disappeared. I had about a second to be surprised before a curved, shining blade was pressed against my throat from behind.

A soft chuckle escaped me. “Wow, I can’t believe I fell for that,” I muttered, feeling the Forgotten’s presence at my back. The sword edge hovered against my skin, cold and razor sharp for being made of light. “Well, Miss Assassin? I’m still waiting. What’s it to be?”

“It depends.” Nyx leaned closer, bringing her lips to my ear, her breath cool on my skin. “Can I trust you, Puck?”

“I don’t know.” I wanted to shrug, but that was kind of hard with a sword at my throat. “Honestly, I don’t really trust myself right now. I’m not completelyhim, though. Not yet.”

“Not much of an assurance, Goodfellow.”

“Here’s one more, then.” My hands shot up, striking her elbow and forcing the blade from my throat. At the same time, I twisted in her grasp, sliding out and grabbing her wrist. A half second later, it was Nyx backed against a tree with my dagger over her heart. “I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize this mission,” I told her as she froze. “I fully intend to find this monster and stick it with knives until it dies properly this time. And if that changes me back, then so be it. Truthfully, that’s probably the best outcome. No one likes a horny Robin Goodfellow.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.” Nyx stepped closer, the faint smile and the look on her face making my heart pound. Her hand reached up, long fingers caressing the wrist that held the dagger...before she grabbed it and spun with preternatural speed, tripping me and tossing me to the forest floor. With a grunt, I hit the ground on my back, the assassin straddling my chest and my own blade at my neck.

Smirking, I gazed up at the Forgotten, who stared back with a cool, triumphant look on her face. “Are we going to do this dance all night, then?”

“Is there something else you would like to do all night?”

“I can think of a few things.”

One more time, I flipped her, pinning the Forgotten to her back and reclaiming my dagger. The knife once more hovered at her throat as I pressed her down. “Unless you’re ready to admit defeat.”

She smiled at me, and I realized her hands were not empty, after all. I suddenly caught the glimmer of a moonblade, pointed at a part of me that I really did not want it to be pointed at. Nyx’s grin was wicked as she met my gaze. “Don’t be so smug, Goodfellow. If I have to admit defeat, I’m at least taking a trophy with me.”

“Okay, okay.” With a grimace, I dropped the dagger, raising both hands in surrender. “I concede. You win, though that was a dirty cheater move, Miss Assassin.”

“This from the one they call the Great Prankster.” Nyx shifted to get more comfortable, though she did not release the blade in her hand. “Aren’t dirty cheater moves your specialty?”

“That doesn’t mean they should be done tome,” I protested, making her snort. “One, some things are sacred. And two, I notice you’re not making the sharp stabby thing go away.”

“Just want to ensure your continued good behavior,” Nyx replied easily. “I know you have another weapon on you, Goodfellow. If I make this disappear, how will I know you won’t immediately try something sneaky?”

“Because I really want to kiss you now,” I replied softly, suddenly very aware of my pounding heartbeat, my stomach tying itself into knots. “And having a knife in your groin makes it very difficult.” It was useless trying to ignore this, to deny that the Forgotten hadn’t wriggled her way under my skin. I was done trying to fight it. “If you don’t want me to kiss you,” I went on, “just say the word. But if you do, I’m going to be very distracted unless that stabby thing points somewhere else.”

The Forgotten’s gaze was suddenly hungry, golden eyes shining like a predator’s. But she still hesitated, her voice turning grave. “Didn’t you just say you weren’t certain that I could trust you?”

“I did,” I husked out. “And you probably shouldn’t. I will fully admit that my head is screwed up and I’m not the person I was. Say the word, and we can go back to camp and have Furball shoot us smug looks all night. But I thought... I was hoping I wasn’t alone in this.”

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