Page 38 of Ozma

“It’s not like I didn’t deserve it,” she said between chattering teeth.

Jack removed his clothes once again and knelt beside her so they could warm each other. “Let’s not talk about it anymore, okay?” He laid down and inched closer.

“Fine.” Ozma immediately wound her arms around his waist and snuggled into his chest. “I have to confess one more thing to you,” she mumbled, “and then you’ll understand. But I never stopped loving you, Jack. Not once.”

One more thing?What else could there be?

“Tell me tomorrow,” he said.

Tomorrow he would ask. Now he would allow himself a few hours of happiness.She still loves me.He sighed into Ozma’s hair and pulled her flush against him. This time, he would make sure nothing happened to her.

The lack of light in the cave made it difficult to tell how long they had been asleep. Jack pried himself away from Ozma’s body, his back still cold from the lack of skin-to-skin contact, and stretched. He’d slept on worse, but it didn’t make the stone any more comfortable. It was pure luck that his arm hadn’t lost circulation.

Ozma curled in on herself at the loss of his shared warmth, covering her breasts in the process. Jack wished he could’ve seen them again, but hopefully there would be another chance soon. Ozmaloved himand had seemed willing to show him that. Maybe she would again.

Thoughts of them fucking in the past flashed through Jack’s mind. Tip bent over. His smooth back. His soft moans. The taste of him on Jack’s tongue and the feel of Tip’s lips all over his body, his cock. They had always worked well together. He very much wanted to see her beautiful face flush as he pleasured her and tangled his fingers in her silky golden hair.

Shit.

Now was not the time to get himself overly excited.

Once his back cracked twice, he glared up at the opening they’d fallen through again. They were well and truly fucked. If only the walls weren’t so smooth, there would be a chance they could climb out. But the vines were too high up for—

“Ozma!” he shouted despite her nearness.

A small shriek echoed through the cave and a few of the blue bugs went dark. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He scooped up his now-dry clothing and began tugging it on. “Get dressed. We’re leaving.”

“What?” Ozma patted around for her dress. “How?”

Jack yanked his shirt over his head and grinned, then wiggled his fingers. “Magic.”

He couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of it the night before. Maybe it was the pain of smacking into the water, or the shock of the cold, or the revelation of Ozma’s truth that had kept the magical option from his thoughts.

Jack quickly spun on his heels and held his palms up toward the opening.Grow,he urged the vines. They crept down, down, down like snakes, groaning from the quick growth. Twisting and curling, they slowly descended from the top of the cave. When the ends were nearly at the water, Jack stopped them.

Form a net.It would be quicker and safer than climbing.

The vines slid over each other, up and down, making neat rows as if it were a basket they wove. They kept going until the edge of the vines reached their rocky platform.

With a cocky smirk, Jack turned to Ozma and held out his hand. Ozma’s mouth dropped open in awe.

“After you, Blossom,” he said with a chuckle.

Ozma brushed her fingers against the net and gave the vines a tug. “I’ve scaled worse. It seems sturdy enough.” She shrugged, stepping out onto the vines.

Let’s hope so. There was no reason it shouldn’t be though, so he simply followed her carefully onto the net. “Going up,” he said once they were both steady.

Lift us,he thought at the vines. Their energy pulsed through him like a second heartbeat. The vines creaked under their weight as the net rose, inching closer and closer to the surface. When they were near enough to pull themselves up, Jack reached out mentally to tell them to stop their ascent. The magic tingled through him and the vines eased to a jerky halt.

Ozma went first, climbing free of the cave as if it were nothing more than hopping over a fallen log. She seemed more agile than she’d been as Tip. More free and sure of herself. It was a wonderful change to witness after all he’d seen her go through in the past. He wanted to know more, see what was different about her, learn how she’d grown into the fae she was now.

“Onward,” he said with a flourish once they both stood outside the tree. It had looked so inviting the night before, but now he would steer clear of trees with caves.

The farther they walked, the more the sun thawed the last bits of him. Jack’s joints no longer felt stiff and his shoulders relaxed as he finally stopped hugging himself. There was only one uncomfortable thing left to deal with.

“So…” Jack hesitated, unsure whether he wanted the answer yet or not.Better to get it out of the way.“What’s the last thing you have to tell me?”

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