By the time the baby started to wail, Juniper was already out the window and melting into the night. But it hardly mattered if the child cried. The parents would rush into the room not to an empty cradle, but to another child, identical only in looks--a child that they may never realize wasn't theirs. A child they may never realize was fae.
The swap was complete. The human child was hers.
It had been an easy mark. Juniper had spotted the couple in town earlier the previous day, the mother carrying an infant swaddled against her chest. From the shadows she had watched, observed, and followed them about their business, followed them to their home. She had watched them through the night, and the following day, learning their routines--and seeing they were as predictable as most other humans'. With her target locked, she had gone back to the fae realm to be given a fae child to exchange, and then it had just been a simple matter of slipping in and out of the home while the family slept, happy and unaware. Her duty was done. Her people would be satisfied for now--until they came calling for more.
They would always want more.
Moving fast through the night, away from her target's home and melting into the dark alleys, Juniper frowned down at the baby she cradled in her arms. It wouldn't stop crying, no matter how she hushed it, and that could make things problematic while she was trying to be stealthy. With a sigh, she paused and adjusted the baby, placing it against her shoulder and stroking its back.
"Shhh, shhh," she murmured while it hiccuped and sobbed, her voice sweet but her expression distant. "Be quiet, sweetling. You're going to a better place. Trust me."
