Chapter 9

9

To say I slept horribly would be the understatement of the century. And despite the burning malice I remembered in the shifter boy’s eyes, I woke up the next day to a shining sun and gardens bedecked in banners and flowers. For the courtier family, more than likely. The world continued to turn no matter what kind of bad people were out there.

There was a thin haze of clouds Wednesday morning, and when I threw the window open, I sensed a distinctive wet chill in the air. More than likely we’d have more snow before the day was up and suddenly, from the safety of my warm comforter when I snuggled back under it, I was glad to have a direct portal to the Elite Academy instead of hoofing it to the train station.

Yes, I thought again, being friends with the prince definitely had its perks. And although I hadn’t been allowed to move out of the castle and into the apartment with Melia, it was the one aspect of my life that didn’t seem too bad right now. The portal, Mike, and our renewed friendship.

After showering and getting dressed, I gathered the books I’d need for classes today and waited outside of my room for my escort. Mike arrived right on time and the two of us walked to the portal together.

Different class schedules kept us apart for the rest of the day. Luckily, I had a free period between lunch and herbalism and used it to infiltrate the academy library with their vast array of resources. It put the library at the mortal halfling academy to shame, and I’d once thought it to be one of the best I’d ever seen.

It was time to do some serious digging on Dorian Jade.

I’d asked Mike about him once but he didn’t have much information for me. In fact, the only thing he could tell me was that Jade had set himself up as a sort of monarch to the Unseelie Fae, constructing a magical wall dividing Faerie into two distinct parts. Mike’s people, the Seelie Fae, weren’t allowed to pass over the wall and into Dorian’s territory.

Mike had also told me his father had worked to try and create an image away from the black and white lines of the old Fae court system, no light or dark, until Dorian came in to fan the flames of chaos among the people of this land.

None of this was taught in class. Probably for multiple reasons. I remembered Mike saying Dorian was too powerful for anyone to move against right now, so the professors had more than likely been instructed to keep their mouths shut and their students in the dark as to the conflict.

I grabbed a few books on the history of the old court system and chose a table nearest the windows, where the sunlight felt thin and cold. Good thing the library had multiple fireplaces to keep the room cozy.

Dropping the books on the tabletop, I stared at them, an ache forming between my eyes. How would I focus on the words when I could barely make out the titles? Except this wasn’t something I could just let go.

Shaking my head, I grabbed the top one in the stack and flipped to the first chapter. I made it all the way through the third chapter before I jerked back, half asleep. I wasted precious time before I remembered Raelynn’s brain boost powder. Practically burning a hole in my backpack, waiting for me to use.

With a small smile, I unzipped the large pocket and drew out the plastic bag. It looked like normal white powder, like maybe a magnesium supplement, so if anyone asked, that’s what I’d say. I glanced around the library and saw no one around.

Better for me.

I had a bottle of water with me and I measured out an entire teaspoon, chugging it down with a wince. It didn’t taste terrible but it wasn’t exactly candy, either. It left a strange gritty feeling on my tongue and I smacked my lips to try and get rid of the taste.

“You look like you swallowed a lemon.”

I wasn’t surprised to see Mike walking through the aisles between two bookshelves.

“Close enough,” I told him, still trying to get rid of the taste. “Vitamin supplement.”

He didn’t seem bothered. “You also look like you’re reading something you would rather not be and it’s giving you a headache.”

I set my palm on the book and smiled at him, the sort of tired smile you give when you’ve been pegged correctly. “I’m transparent, then,” I said. And then glanced down at the words that, thankfully, were no longer blurring together. Wow, the brain boost worked quickly! “I’m trying to figure out a little more information on the disintegration and reformation of the fairy court system. Especially since you once told me your family pre-dated the courts.”

Mike’s lips pursed as he grabbed the chair across from me, pulling it out and turning it around so he could straddle it and lean his arms across the flat back. “Some pretty heavy stuff.”

I nodded. The powder made quick work of my brain fog. I already felt my senses sharpening and my focus returning. “Absolutely. Still, I wanted to know more about Dorian Jade,” I said.

I wished I could tell him about the murders, but I couldn’t, not without revealing the Claw & Fang right along with my shifter nature. Those were the two things I absolutely needed to keep hidden at all costs. Even from Mike. Or maybe especially from Mike.

Kind of a bad situation.

Mike stared at me before slowly shaking his head. He even flashed me an eye roll for good measure. “I know how you get when you’re curious about something. You’ll research it to death.”

I threw a quill at him. “You make it sound like a bad thing.”

“Never a bad thing. But there really isn’t much information on Dorian Jade and I don’t want you spending all of your winter hours holed up in the library.” Mike took hold of the quill, the slender stem dwarfed in his large hand, and magicked it back to me with a flick of his wrist and a muttered word. It floated through the air, making designs as it went, before landing smartly next to my arm.

Was it my imagination, or had one of the designs been a heart?

I might have melted right there.

At least we were alone in the library. None of his stuck-up friends were around to see us and ruin the moment. They wouldn’t be caught dead in a place like this because they were too concerned about their image. Full-blood Fae didn’t need to research or concern themselves with dusty old books. They had enough magic and knowledge and power at their fingertips so that they breezed right through classes, let alone these stupid upcoming Trials.

I leaned closer to Mike and said, “You aren’t the least bit curious? I mean, he’s built a wall cutting your land in half. That’s a pretty big cause for concern. Don’t you want to know why? Or what’s on the other side?”

“Of course I’m curious! But I know my father and I know the grip he and the Elder Council have on the situation.” Mike shrugged, and I watched him lick his lips. Remembered how delightfully warm they’d felt against mine. I swallowed. “But if they aren’t concerned, then I don’t see the need to worry.”

I nibbled at my own lips. “Ah, but I didn’t say worry. I said curious. There is a big difference between the two.”

“Is there?” Mike reached out to tug on one of the loose strands of hair falling down my cheek.

“There is,” I told him with mock seriousness, although I felt the way my nerves stood to attention at the light touch. “And if you don’t understand the difference then I’m afraid all those extra study sessions will be for nothing.”

“Well,” he said as he leaned closer and lowered his voice, “I can tell you I have been curious enough to do a little research on the infamous Dorian Jade on my own.”

My jaw dropped. “Have you, now?”

“Years ago, before my father decided to send me to the mortal halfling academy, I was scared. Like how you’re shivering right now.” He slid his hand across the table and I thought I felt the tips of his fingers brush against mine.

“Yes, so scared,” I agreed, although I wasn’t shivering with fear.

“I did some digging in the castle library but came up with very little for the effort. It wasn’t until I cornered one of the imps who hangs around near the swan pond that I received some valuable information.”

He was close enough to touch and I found myself leaning closer still, until my skin went hot at his nearness. “What did you find out?”

“I found out you can never trust an imp,” Mike murmured. “Tricky little buggers.”

I giggled. Our noses bumped together. “The prince should never go unaccompanied to the swan pond. A valuable lesson indeed, sir.”

Mike shifted ever so slightly so the side of his nose slid along my own. Had I thought his looks melted me before? His breath on my skin, the slight scent of peppermint, did me in. I could not have moved from the chair if I wanted to. My fingers itched to grab him.

“What will you do about it, Miss Tavi? Will you choose to accompany the prince the next time he gets a wild hair under his crown?” His voice had dropped into growl territory.

“I would be delighted to, Your Majesty,” I agreed in a breathy voice. “Whatever impish head you need beaten in or squished, I will come to your aid.”

He chuckled, a low rumble in his chest. “One of the many things I appreciate about you.”

“My ability to hurt people who would hurt you? Yes, I’m sure it’s something you greatly admire.” I edged back just far enough to see the way he bit his lower lip. I wanted to bite his lip. Although we were alone, I swore I heard angels singing. “You were awfully mad at me for what I did with the muskie, if you recall.”

There were flecks of gold in his eyes, like little lines of sunlight cutting through the green leaves onto the forest floor. “I…may have overreacted,” he admitted, and his lips tugged up in a smile. “I was running on adrenaline, upset about nearly cheating, and angry about allowing myself into a situation where some creature got the better of me. Not to mention how you could have been hurt.”

I took an uneven breath and stared at him. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

“How different we are. You are the most unpretentious person I know.”

“Ah, not what you meant to say, I’m sure. You meant to say you are the one who has fun all the time and I’m the one who is stuffy and dull,” I said.

This time I wasn’t imagining it at all. Though our gazes were locked, Mike’s index finger definitely trailed a path of pure fire along my own, then the rest of his fingers covered the top of my hand. I felt scorched all the way to my toes.

“You’re trying to say I’m an arrogant playboy only after having fun?” he questioned.

“I didn’t say anything even remotely similar to that,” I protested.

“Well, I know you can’t mean it about you being stuffy and dull.”

“Maybe I’m just a girl who thinks she can have it all.” And is going out of her mind trying to accomplish it.

His forehead rested against mine and I closed my eyes, relishing the contact. “It’s a wonder we’re still friends. You dull, me arrogant, and neither one of us having a clue what to do about it.”

Close. He was so close, and I didn’t want to think about the distance there really was between us. Not with my lips tingling and his nearing—

Then the giant doors to the room burst open and a flood of laugher from the hallways reached us. The moment broke and Mike slid away, hiding his next words with a cough.

“Anyway,” he said, clearing his throat, “I’m not sure you’ll find what you’re looking for.”

My brows drew together. “What?”

He pointed at the open book before me. “There. You aren’t going to find anything on Dorian Jade. Not when he wants to remain a mystery and he’s willing to go to any lengths necessary to keep it that way.”

A hard knot settled beneath my sternum at the approach of two other Elite Academy students. The moment ruined, I could only offer them, and Mike, a small grin. The real world always dashed fantasies. Mike was not mine. Mike could never be mine.

It was better for me to remember that than risk breaking my own heart on nothing but a dream.