Free Dreams of Ivory by Carrie Ann Ryan Page B

die, Honor. We’re fine. I don’t know that I like that you’ll be out and about so soon after the accident, but I’ll be by your side. You’re too stubborn to listen to good sense.”
    She scowled. “Jerk.”
    His mouth lifted in a semblance of a smile. “Get some rest, and I’ll do the same. I’ll watch you prance around in a tutu tonight.”
    Her eyes narrowed. “No tutu for me. No tiara either.”
    “Well damn. There goes my image of you in that get-up.”
    “You’re a disturbed man, Jackson Cooper.”
    “True. See you in an hour.”
    They slept on and off throughout the day, and after eating some soup Jackson had heated up, she felt much better. Her head still hurt a bit, but not as bad as it had before. The doctors had said she’d be fine within a day or two as long as she didn’t bang her head against a wall or something equally as stupid. Her side hurt if she bent the wrong way, but other than that, she was healthy. Yes, she missed her car, but she hadn’t lost her life.
    Her aunt had sent over her things for the night so she was ready to go. Unlike the outfit Jackson had joked about, there wasn’t a uniform. She’d be wearing black jeans and a black shirt though because she liked to blend in. She picked up the small wooden box in her bag and smiled. Once she held this, those without magic wouldn’t be able to see her at all. Her aunt had also packed one for Jackson, so they would be safe from prying eyes. They could keep the boxes in their bags or in their hands. As long as it was on their persons and in the middle of its magical duty, they were okay. 
    “What’s that?” Jackson asked as he strolled in wearing dark clothes that clung to his toned body.
    She swallowed hard and pulled her gaze to his face. It wouldn’t do to pant after the man when she needed to work.
    “You’ll see, but you’ll have to carry one. The box will keep you hidden from prying eyes and little kids who wake up when you get into their rooms.”
    Jackson frowned as he took the box. “It would be easier for me to just pull the teeth in my office and collect them there.”
    Honor rolled her eyes. “Sure, then I could just walk in and take the teeth there. You could send me a bill for the coins as well.”
    “I was just saying.”
    “I know, but what the tooth fairies do is important. When I take a tooth, I take a little bit of that child’s hopes and dreams with me. Well, not per se, it’s more like I borrow them. When they get older, they lose that part of themselves, and that’s why we have it on reserve. We’re there to make sure that, as kids, they keep that innocence and happiness. When a kid loses a tooth and believes in the tooth fairy, they have the joy that comes with knowing they’ll find a coin or dollar bill, thanks to inflation, under their pillow.”
    “Yeah, but their parents could do that.”
    “Sure, and because of our magic, the parents believe they are doing it, thereby instilling even more hope into the family. If the parents were doing it, though, that reserve of hope and dreams that we have wouldn’t exist.”
    “You mean an actual reserve, don’t you?”
    “Yep. Right now it fills a few hundred caves and warehouses, I think. My aunt really knows what she’s doing with all of that. We fairies collect the teeth then put them in the box. The box, once we’re free of prying eyes, will magically go to the right warehouse or cave and be stored forever. When we’re on our mission, we’ll be hidden. The box knows these things, I promise. Its presence infuses magic and hope into the world, helping more children smile and keep their innocence.”
    Jackson looked down at that small box in his hands, and Honor was afraid she’d said too much. This was a man who hated magic, and here she was going on and on about how much magic there really was in the world.
    “The world’s a lot bigger than I thought, isn’t it?” he said, his words low, his tone a bit sad.
    She took a chance and