Nick had no idea what was going on. He was in shock, he knew. His mind was not processing anything that had happened from the moment Jen had sunk down on top of him. Since then, he merely followed where she led. There wasn't anything else he could do.

She did not say a word as she got dressed and they put the picnic things away. Jen instructed him to leave it beside a tree and they'd come back for it later. When later, he didn't know. Apparently she was taking him to the fairy realm. Assuming such a thing existed. He vaguely wondered if he was being kidnapped and brought somewhere dangerous where he'd be harmed or sold into slavery or something. But he just followed her anyway. He followed her and her magnificent glowing wings.

Jennifer wished more than anything else that she could explain everything to Nick. He was afraid, she knew. Whether or not he would admit it was something else, but his numb compliance went right along with his frightened expression. She wanted to comfort him. Soothe him. After the beautiful afternoon they'd had together, Jen could feel herself starting to fall in love with him, and seeing him distressed wounded her. But there were things more important than her feelings. Than his feelings. They needed to go to the realm. There, perhaps, she could try to set his mind at ease.

"Come with me," she said.

Her voice was gentle, gentler than when she'd been barking instructions and demanding answers to questions about his tattoo and the bird and whatever. The bird himself, Jerry, was flying from branch to branch alongside them. Jen reached her hand out to him and, somewhat inexplicably—perhaps he because he was unable to do anything else—Nick took her hand. It was small but strong, warm, and reassuring.

Jen led him through the trees to a part of the woods he had never seen before. There was a small clearing, so small that anyone might have walked right past it, but as soon as they entered it, he felt something. The hair on the back of his neck was raised, though not from fear or anxiety but from some sense of understanding. It felt like when he figured out who the killer was in a homicide case and he was right on the trail on the brink of an arrest. This was a feeling of overwhelming rightness.

Jerry the bird gave his familiar cry and swooped down from a tree and dove through an archway created by the intertwined branches of two trees. And instead of coming out the other side, the bird was gone.

"That's the portal," Jen explained. "Can you see it?"

"I see the trees. The arch," he said.

She gave a soft smile and nodded. "I think most humans don't seen the arch at all. Just the trees. Though I don't quite know. But now that you can understand Jerry speak, I had a feeling you'd be able to see the portal."

Nick did not know why such a thing might have happened, but he would deal with that later. "Have you brought other humans here?"

"I never have. I don't think anyone has, but I'm not sure. You're certainly the first in a long time. In my lifetime, at least."

He suddenly realized something. "How old are you?"

Jen laughed lightly. "Not as old as you think. I'm only thirty-six."

"Years?"

The ways in which he was confused was quite endearing. "We can talk about it later. I can tell you everything you want to know later. We just have to talk to someone else first." Just to try and calm him a bit, she got up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. "Come on," she whispered.

Nick led her take him by the hand again. They walked together through the portal, though Nick had to duck his head slightly to account for his height. He expected to feel something or see something. Like fog or sparkles or a whoosh of magic or something like that. But it wasn't like that at all. It was just like walking under any other tree branches.

"Here we are," she announced.

It took Nick a moment to notice anything different. It looked just like the woods they had supposedly just left. But then he noticed. The trees were ten times as high. The wildflowers growing alongside the path were twice as tall as Nick. "Did we shrink?"

"No," she said. "But everything is bigger here. The woods in your world look as small to me as these trees look to you."

Jen watched him look up and around at everything with awe. A smile appeared on his face. "This is incredible," he breathed. Her wings and her heart fluttered at that, so strangely gratified to see him take in all the beauty of her world.

"I'm going to take you to the palace," she said.

"Palace? Like with a king?"

"Sort of. We have a queen. She's a very dear friend of mine, actually. I work with the Royal Guard and I'm the queen's companion. Though now she's got a royal consort."

The intricacies of fairy royalty—Christ he really was losing it, fairy royalty!—were somewhat beyond him. He just hummed in feigned understanding. "Do you live in the palace?" he asked, hoping to change the subject to something that might make slightly more sense.

"No," she replied. "I have a house of my own. It's not too far from here, actually. And hopefully I can show you later."

He smiled. "I'd like that." And he would. He was now here in this place that he might possibly be dreaming or hallucinating, but for the moment, he was really here. The very air seemed to sparkle with light. Jennifer seemed so right here in a way she did not seem anywhere else. There was a beauty and power and mystery to this place that he wanted to see and experience. With her.

"Hi, Jen!"

Nick saw the way Jen's eyes widened in fear when some man called her name. He was flying high above them, which was more than a bit shocking for Nick, and Jen quickly waved and forced a smile. "Hi, Matt. I've got to go see Terry. I'll talk to you later, alright?"

"Sure," the man called back. Nick watched in slight awe at the way a man about Nick's own size soared through the air.

Jen quickly led Nick down the path. "Sorry, that's Matt. I didn't want him to see you and ask questions. He's Joey and Kayla's father, you remember the children I was with in the woods that time you found me?"

"I remember. So the kids are fairies too?"

"Yes. Everyone I know is. You're actually the first human I've ever really talked to."

"I suppose I'm honored."

Jen just chuckled lightly.

As they hurried through the enormous woods, he asked, "Does everyone fly?"

"We all can fly to varying degrees. Some are better at it than others. We've all got wings and magic," she answered.

"Are you not flying now because of me?"

"No, I prefer to walk."

"Do you?" It surprised him that someone with wings capable of flight would prefer to walk. Most birds and insects seemed to prefer flight as their mode of transport. Though ducks seemed to walk and swim as much as they flew. Comparing Jennifer with a duck was probably the least effective metaphor he'd ever though of.

She explained, "Walking is less effort. I'm a very good flyer, actually, and it's much faster, but because it's faster, I have to pay very close attention to what I'm doing. I usually walk around when I'm not doing patrols."

"Can you fly in…my world?"

Jen nodded. "That's how I've got home each time we've seen each other. Much faster my way."

"Then I guess you can be…invisible?" He wasn't sure what the proper terminology would be.

She nodded again. "My magic lets me make any part of me invisible. I've hidden my wings from you until…well…"

Yes, he knew what she meant by that. Nick realized something else. "Have you been completely invisible around me before?"

Jen hesitated. "I…yes."

His brow furrowed even as they continued walking side by side. "Why?"

"Because I was told to. Because Jerry led you to me over and over, and we didn't know why."

"We?"

"Sir Terry, the head of the Royal Guard. He's my boss. I think he'll want to speak with you."

Nick fell silent. He felt his fear returning. The numb was wearing off as he got comfortable just talking to her and asking questions. But perhaps these were not answers he wanted.

She wrapped her arm around his. "Don't worry, I'll protect you."

He didn't quite know what to say about that. He wanted to believe her. He wanted to trust her. He just wasn't sure if he could. Or, more accurately, if he should.

"Here. This is why I had to bring you here," she said.

They rounded a bend beside an enormous tree and came upon one even bigger. Shining and elaborate and with a whole world carved inside. And it looked exactly like the tree tattooed on his ribs.