"Oh!"
Turning, Jack found the culprit. The person who had been following him was none other than Zalea. She had been carrying a small bag herself, which she had accidentally dropped, and it had rolled into the water.
"You'll never make a spy," he chuckled, standing and retrieving the bag from the stream. "Your father won't be pleased."
After glancing down, Zalea lifted her eyes to look into his, batting her lashes in time with the movement of her lilac wings. "I know, but I had to do it. I couldn't just sit back and let you go alone. I need to find her, Jack."
"I know, I know," he said as he took her into his arms in a soft hug. "And we will. We will find her. But why didn't you just tell me you were coming with me."
"You would not have let me. You would have told my father."
He smil
