Jareth pauses, mid-stroke. "Um, about that," he says. "I think it might be better if I go myself."
"What?"
"You're in no shape to travel. I want you to stay here in the coven until you've seen the doctor and he's prescribed you some medication."
"No way! I can't take a mental holiday while the cheer-leaders are running around eating people!" I protest.
"I think you need it," Jareth determines. "But don't worry. I'll go to England and get the antidote myself."
I struggle to sit up in bed. My cuts are all healed, but my head still hurts. "But it's my job. My duty. My destiny. After all, I'm the slayer."
"Rayne, you don't always have to be so tough. Relax. Let someone who loves you do something for you for once."
"No. I'm going and that's all there is to it."
Jareth frowns. "I'm sorry, Rayne, but that's not going to happen."
"You can't stop me."
"Actually, I can. I've set a guard outside this door."
"What?" I cry. I run over to the door and try to yank it open. It doesn't budge. "You've kidnapped me?"
Jareth rolls his eyes. "Oh, Rayne, stop being so overdramatic. This is for your own protection."
"But I need to go to England!"
"You don't. I said I'd go and I will. In fact, I'll leave tonight, just as scheduled. I'll get the antidote and bring it back."
"But what if you can't?"
"Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"But ..." I realize my protests are useless. The bastard isn't going to give in. I wander back over to the bed and slump into my pillows. I'm trapped here, helpless, while he goes and saves the day. Just because
I happened to run into a guardrail. I'm not sick. I don't need help. I just had a car accident. I shouldn't be under house arrest for it.
Jareth's such a jerk. And he treats me like I'm a child. I bet Magnus never treats Sunny like that. In fact, I bet Sunny gets to do whatever—
A lightbulb goes off over my head. Could it work? Could it really work?
"Jareth, you're right," I say, reaching over to take his hand in mine. I stroke his palm with my fingers. "I do need a little rest and recovery. And of course you can get the antidote without me. I mean, you're so big and strong and wonderful and all."
He looks at me, his eyes clouded with suspicion.
"And I'm so lucky to have you to take care of me," I con-tinue. "You and Sunny. You're the best friends a vampire girl could have." I pause for dramatic effect, then add, "If only she were here right now. By my bedside. Keeping me com-pany while you're away."
Jareth smiles, totally buying my act. Sucker. "Do you want me to send for her?" he asks. "I'd be happy to."
"Oh, would you, my darling?" I coo, looking up at him with round, innocent eyes. "I'd be forever grateful to see my sister in my time of need."
Jareth nods and pulls out his cell phone. I grin to myself. So he wants to play Daddy, does he? Well, get ready for a lit-tle Parent Trap.
14
God, my legs are cramped. Hiding in the airplane bath-room until we got over international waters seemed like a great idea at the time. Two hours later I'm not so sure. So I decide to take a chance.
Hopefully we're far enough out that we won't have enough gas to turn back.
"Surprise!" I cry, jumping out in front of Jareth, who had been sleeping in the fully reclining leather seat of the coven's private jet. He jumps up with a start, his eyes wide as they fall upon me.
"Rayne!" he says, obviously flustered. "What—I mean how—I mean—"
"Why am I here, standing in front of you when I should be under coven arrest? What am I thinking coming to England instead of seeing the shrink? How did I escape your big, burly vamp guards and manage to sneak onto a top-secret, high-security vampire plane?"
Jareth runs a hand through his hair. "Urn, yes. I suppose all of the above."
"I'm here because you need me. I'm the Slayer. It's my job to find the antivirus and save the cheerleaders. And I'm not going to let anyone, including you, stop me from accomplish-ing my mission."
Jareth sighs, slumping down in his seat. "Of course you aren't," he says resignedly. "I should have known."
"And as to how I performed my Houdini act of disap-pearing—"
"You used Sunny. Of course," Jareth says, not allowing me my triumphant explanation. "You left your poor twin a prisoner in the coven while you stowed away on an im-promptu trip to England."
"She owed me. I covered her when she went to England last semester to go get the Holy Grail. Besides, she'll be fine. Like a vacation. Maybe they'll even allow Magnus in for a little conjugal visit. Not that she's made up her mind to have sex with him yet."
"I should have guessed it wasn't you when she called me sweetheart," Jareth mutters. "And when she didn't bite my head off when I asked her if she needed anything to make her stay more comfortable."
"Really?" I raise an eyebrow. "Hmm. I told her to act mean and nasty. Guess she doesn't have it in her."
"And then there was that good-bye kiss ..."
I stop short. "Wait! What? Sunny kissed you?" OMG, she kissed my boyfriend? I'm going to kill her. I mean, it's bad enough she accidentally stole Magnus from me to begin with. She's so not taking Jareth as well. Even if he is an overbearing pain in the ass. He's my overbearing pain in the ass.