Frosted (Frosted #1 | Jackunzel)

{ Chapter Seventeen }

Jack could have sworn he caught the Swiffer-tailed squirrel glance over its shoulder to snicker at him. Evil. Evil, cold-blooded devil spawns, those creatures were. How had he not notice them coming? The buggers weren't that sneaky. The woods had been so quiet, save for the crackling fire, that he'd been able to hear himself breathing. He'd just dropped a handful of branches into the flames when movement had caught his eye—the wood had barely huffed into the ashes of the fire-bed by the time the creatures had escaped, Twinetender in their greedy, dirty, squirrely claws.

Jack swerved around a tree, using a thick, fallen branch he'd swiped from the ground to push himself into a forward lunge and—his fingertips practically licked Twinetender's body. So close! Quick as the wind, his other arm swung up, fingers wrapping securely around the wood. "Ha!" Jack hollered, rooting his feet into the ground. This time, the squirrels did not look back while they scattered like a cracked firework. Jack huffed with prideful success, neatly tossing the staff into his opposite hand—the one that had nearly let Twinetender get away. He would have gladly spared a few more seconds for his victory had a hard lump not flown into him at that very moment.

"Baby Tooth?" Jack exclaimed, spinning on his heel to catch the fairy before her disoriented wings sent her falling to the grass. Her being here wasn't a good sign. Not when he'd left her at the fire to watch over Rapunzel. But the sun was nearly crested over the horizon—Pitch couldn't be attacking them now, could he? Did his spying fearlings catch up to them after all?

Jack wasted no time flying back. He should have stayed by her side and searched for Twinetender when she woke, or simply woken her to help him retrieve it instead of leaving her unattended. What if she was hurt? Taken? Or worse. Jack found he couldn't bare to think of it any longer.

He found Rapunzel facing a well-built, ridiculously dressed guy, with only the fire flickering between them. Her hands were clasped onto the hilt of her frying pan, forming a triangle whose aim was pointed dangerously at the stranger. The mans palms were lifted in cease fire, but he was fidgeting on his feet in an almost anxious way.

Rapunzel's eyes briefly flicked to Jack when he appeared over her shoulder, and he swore he caught some of the tension immediately drain from her spine. He didn't bother asking her any questions, given she was probably just as clueless as he was. Plus, she wouldn't be able to answer him with this guy here anyway. Not without looking crazed to the bone, at least.

Maybe that would be a good thing.

Maybe the guy would be scared off by her and run back to where he came from.

But then he'd probably find his way to the nearest tavern and spark talk about the blonde girl with a chameleon on her shoulder who talked to imaginary folks in the wood nearby. So much for avoiding Pitch's trail after that.

"Who do you work for?" Rapunzel asked the stranger. "The dark man? Are you his day minion?"

"His day—?" The guy started before closing his eyes and shaking his head slightly. "No. Whatever you think I am, no. Thing is, we're running a bit short on time here and, if my undoubtedly flawless calculations are correct, we should have been hiding about thirty seconds ago."

"Why should I trust you?"

The stranger gave her a sloppy grin, reeking of a shameless flirtation that made Jack want to scowl and gag. "You shouldn't." The stranger finally said. Neither Rapunzel nor he had the time to react when the stranger suddenly leapt over the fire to take hold of her wrist. He shoved her to ground, with him in tow, before Rapunzel could even finish swinging the frying pan with her lose hand. The two of them tumbled down the small hill, rolling fast toward the riverbank.