Chapter 17

17

Iworried about Juno and Bronwen, with only their word to protect me. Did I trust my future in their hands? One’s promise to keep silent and one’s promise to clean away the evidence?

I had to. Because I had enough to worry about already.

Someone was out there with enough muscle to make me worry, someone who apparently wanted to target the people I cared about. Although Juno didn’t look like any of the other women the half-shifter had attacked, he’d gone after her regardless, and it felt personal. His attention on her and on Bronwen felt personal. Was it because of their connection to me?

And if that was the case, then who would be next?

Through the window in my room, I studied the shadows between the bare trees now beginning to bud with green. I stared down at the quiet meadow and found nothing amiss. The moment I’d gotten back to the castle, quietly shifting form so none of the guards would see me enter, I’d shucked my clothing aside. Stared at myself in the full-length mirror and memorized the roadmap of bruises. This wasn’t the body Mike had touched earlier. This was someone new. Someone with battle scars I hoped would heal and internal ones I knew never would.

Mike could never know the extent of it.

I took a long soak in the bath with a few of the herbal remedies I had on hand and a spell or two to promote rapid healing. Between those and the nature of my blood, I knew the bruises would be all but gone by morning. And I didn’t have any broken bones.

A small miracle.

Then I was back at the window, watching for…I didn’t know what.

The king could never know about the half-shifter terrorizing his domain. As the ruling monarch, he would have to retaliate by launching a massive campaign to clear the land of my kind. We couldn’t risk word getting out, but if we didn’t find the guilty party soon, it would be too much to keep hidden for long.

The light of the full moon cast the world below in shadows of silver and black. Stupid. It was absolutely stupid to watch for the beast’s return, to see if he would come for me this time and finish what he started. But nothing moved outside in the courtyard and finally I went to sleep right before the sun rose.

Two days later marked the end of break and the start of the new school week. Although I couldn’t say I felt better, I was at least a little refreshed from spring break and ready to deal with the Trials, whatever they may be.

Mike had walked with me through the portal and then found me between homeroom and first period, resting a hand on my locker and casting a warm smile down at me.

“Don’t be nervous,” he said at once.

It was his standard greeting at the start of any term, as though I might lose it if he didn’t say the words. I took small comfort in them nonetheless.

I forced a nonchalant shrug even as every piece of me threatened to burst into flames at his nearness. “I should say the same thing to you. You looked a little green on the trip over here. Something on your mind? Like maybe the Trials?”

The Trials. He didn’t want to talk to me about them but from the way he glanced at me, I knew. “What?” Mike scoffed, rolling his eyes. “I’m a seasoned pro at dangerous games, Tavi.”

Dangerous, sure, like the one we were playing with each other right now. But I knew that wasn’t the kind he meant.

“Oh, I’m sure. Which was why I had to intervene to save your ass during the Summer Games.” I lowered my voice to a whisper for the joke. “Seasoned pro. Don’t make me laugh.”

Mike wagged a finger in my face. “No fair, no fair. You know they brought out the thing I’m most terrified of facing. Then expected me to kick its ass. I had it handled.”

“No doubt in my mind.”

I’d been so terrified for Mike’s safety I’d transfigured into a bird and nearly pecked the eyes out of the muskie he couldn’t see or smell thanks to a genetic defect. I’d gotten screamed at for my intervention, feeling like I’d done something wrong by stepping in. I probably should have stopped to think before I acted, but this was Mike, and I lost my head with him.

Still, I had no regrets. I liked him alive and I wanted to keep him that way.

“I need to know you’re ready for whatever we face. Otherwise I’ll worry and it will distract my focus.” Mike adjusted his bag over his shoulder and those green eyes practically bored a hole straight through me.

“Well, I haven’t been working with a mentor for nothing,” I told him. Hopefully with more confidence than I truly felt. “Juno has done everything in her power to get me ready. She and I really developed a plan to deal with the Trials.”

I didn’t mention how I had yet to make it through and complete a past test or how I’d botched things every single time. Or how I’d gotten my ass kicked two nights ago and still woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, swearing I felt the shifter’s fangs at my throat, come to finish the job.

I squared my shoulders to adjust the weight of my backpack with a thousand books stuffed inside. Books I would surely need once they announced the direction of the first Trial. Luckily, they gave us ample time to research and plan our magic accordingly, I believed because they wanted to see the best we could offer.

“What’s this? You’ve had to work with a special tutor, Tavi?” Coral sidled up to the lockers with the rest of the little elite gang in tow behind her, reminding me so much of Persephone, who’d attracted an identical group of little meanions within her first few hours in Faerie.

Lane and Arlyss were ever-present and both flanked Coral. A lot of students found Arlyss to be the most handsome guy in school. He stood over six feet tall with muscles like an ox and the disposition of one too. Sadly, he was one of those students whose big head was helped along by a reputation for being a very powerful Fae. A reputation built on truth. He’d won the Summer Games with ease and since then hadn’t let an opportunity to remind us of his superiority pass him by.

He and I had never gotten along and the more I got to see him, the less we liked each other.

“What’s this about Miss Perfect needing extra help after class?” Arlyss asked. “I thought since you were good enough to secure a place in this school, you’d need nothing and no one to keep you here. It must be my mistake.”

For such a big guy, Arlyss was a worm.

I rubbed at my chest and the knot of pressure there. I knew I shouldn’t let him get under my skin. He managed to do it no matter what I told myself. “A little extra help never hurt anyone,” I said. “It was a decision the school councilor made.”

Shouldn’t have said that. It added fuel to the fire.

Even if I’d once been a stupid hopeful fool to think coming to the Elite Academy would somehow make these pure-bloods accept me, now I knew better.

Arlyss eyed me sidelong. “It doesn’t hurt anyone when you think you are going to make it through the Trials. These are hard enough that even people like me have a hard time crossing the finish line. What kind of extra work has your tutor been putting in to get you ready, halfling? Do you believe you can keep up with the rest of us?”

“Well, when you spend so much of your time living in luxury and lording your superiority over the rest of us—”

“At least he’s fed and comfortable,” Mike interrupted, clapping Arlyss on the back. “What more can one ask of in life? Whatever makes you happy.”

His voice had gone a little cold but I shook off the observation. He’d promised me…

“We certainly know who’s going to make the biggest splash during the Trials.” Coral slid closer to Mike and trailed her fingernails along his arm. Shooting a minuscule glance at me as she did. “Crown Prince Michael is never a disappointment. What plans do you have to dazzle us, Your Highness?”

The look she flashed in my direction told me exactly how she thought I fit into the picture. Great, super. Like her opinion mattered to me.

Except it did, and I didn’t like the way Mike’s eyes narrowed in speculation. I glanced between them, waiting to see what he would say, what he’d do.

“I’m expected to be the best and that’s exactly what I plan to do, despite this being my first year competing,” Mike boasted. “I’m going to give Arlyss a run for his money. Let’s see who comes out on top, shall we?”

“Don’t forget about us little guys,” Lane joked.

“There always have to be little guys to make the big guys look better.”

“And how much better you are, Michael. Better than the company you keep,” Coral stated, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “When are you going to learn?”

I held my breath… Nope, there went Mike, slipping automatically into the persona I really hated no matter how he told me he’d try to work on it. Though he stood across from me, I reached over, pinching him in the side.

The quick snap of pain did the trick and he jerked. For a split second he looked ashamed, rubbing the back of his neck before saying, “Coral, come on. You’re not being very nice. In fact, you’re being a real bitch.”

Lane sucked in a breath at the statement and the three of us turned to see Coral shifting up to glare at Mike. “What did you say to me?”

He narrowed his eyes and I watched him shrug off the cloak of the haughty persona. “The truth. I don’t like it when you insult Tavi, especially when you think no one sees what you’re doing. Just because no one has said anything until now doesn’t make your behavior proper.”

“You have some nerve calling Coral names,” Arlyss said, crossing his arms over his chest. “She hasn’t done anything wrong.”

“I’m only throwing back what she is serving. If she wants to resort to insulting Tavi when she thinks none of us are bright enough to follow along, then it’s only fair to call her out on it.”

I leaned back. “I appreciate it.”

None of them appreciated the change in Mike’s behavior, though. It was clear to see on their faces. Without saying another word, Coral tossed the rest of her hair over her shoulder and headed in the opposite direction. Knocked down a peg, I liked to think. Then I watched Lane and Arlyss follow closely behind her. Fine, let them go. Things were always better without them around. I mean, Lane seemed like a nice enough guy but I could never tell with the students here.

Mike shook his head until a lock of pure gold fell over his face then shot me a wicked grin. “It’s good you caught me. I was starting to slip. And the scary thing? I didn’t even realize what I was doing until you pinched me. It seems I’m going to have to keep a really close watch on myself.”

“Yes, you will,” I said, “because I hate to think I’m going to have to be around you all the time to watch you myself.”

“All the time?” His eyes warmed. “I thought we talked about this and you agreed. I believe I spoke to you about it the other night. Do you remember?”

Oh boy. “I remember.”

He kept going. “What would we do to keep busy?”

Blood rushed to my cheeks. “I’m sure I could think of a few things. If you want to hear them.”

I didn’t get a chance to hear his answer. Not when two beefy hands grabbed my elbows from behind and whirled me around. My brain worked furiously to understand what I saw.

Blinking, I stared at the craggy monstrosity with skin like rocks and his—I guessed it was a him—sidekick, tall and willowy with Spanish moss dripping from the tips of her hair. Both of them stared down at me and made sure to block off any escape.

“Miss Alderidge? We’re with the Faerie Bureau of Investigation,” the rock man stated. “We’d like to ask you a few questions. Come with us, please.”

The hallway fell silent around us. The blush on my cheeks turned from anticipation to flat out embarrassment.

“What is this about?” I asked them as my insides went cold.

“Like my partner said. We have a few questions for you and we can’t wait for answers. You’ll have to make up your class load at a later date. Hopefully this won’t take long.” The woman with the moss hair raised a hand and beckoned for me to step forward. Her cohort loosened his grip enough to let me breathe and I stepped away from the locker, hiding my shaking hands at my sides.

I cast a glance over my shoulder at Mike. And noticed how Mr. Meat Hands still hadn’t let me go completely. His boulder fingers lingered at my wrist, prepared to grab me if I made any sudden moves.

Is this okay?I asked Mike without speaking.

He nodded once. “Go with them, Tavi. It’s going to be okay. I’ll make sure of it.” He took note of the two officers. “Don’t worry about anything.”

Wasit going to be okay? The bureau investigators, which by the way I’d never heard of before, dragged me down the hall without enough time to make excuses with my professors. I listened to the whispers and the snickers behind me.

Great, this would do wonders for my already low image here. Not to mention I’d be put on the shit list with my classes right off the bat.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked them on our way out the front doors. Figuring I at least deserved an answer there.

Rock Man looked down at me with what might have been a sympathetic smile. I couldn’t really tell. “Don’t worry about it.”

Don’t worry about it? Did he know me? “Sounds like the kind of thing terrorists say before they kidnap someone and they disappear forever.”

The moss-haired woman let out a single dry laugh but didn’t answer. Neither one of them seemed inclined to do anything except stare ahead with twin stony expressions.

They didn’t release their hold until we made it down to the grass-covered train platform, still green even in winter. The train, shaped like a silver bullet with no rails in sight, was powered by magic.

Fear tore me open from the inside and filled the ragged spaces with freezing cold. Colder than the winter air. I didn’t want to go inside. Inside meant no room to make a move. It meant having my control taken from me completely.

“Come now, Miss Alderidge,” Meat Hands said.

They loaded me into the train without any further conversation. No names, no introductions. No explanations about why they were pulling me from school in the first place. I knew nothing, and the imbalance of power had my stomach rising sickeningly high. The train took off with enough force to send me hurtling into one of the windows.

Neither of the bureau officers moved. They stared straight ahead. Terror tickled the inside of my ribs. Was this about what happened the other night?

It had to be.

And why had I never heard about the Faerie investigative bureau or whatever before? Wasn’t this kind of like the king’s secret service version of the FBI?

My stomach dropped farther when the train rolled to a stop near the outskirts of the town, somewhere I’d never been before.

“This is us.” Rock Man took hold of my arm again with his companion leading the way out. A few steps took us off the platform heading toward a squat one-story building blending in with the landscape like it was shaped right out of the mountainside. Grass grew on its roof, kept growing by a constant stream of magic, and smoke curled from a chimney. To me, it looked like any other Faerie house.

Which meant they’d probably brought me here to kill me. And of course no one would find my body if they didn’t want me to be found. I could be officially MIA.

To hell with the questions. The king had decided I was too big of a problem to let live anymore. That must be it.

The woman opened the door with a spell and Rock Man and I followed her inside. I heard the click of a lock behind me and my throat went dry. Great, this was it. This was the end and I never even got to tell Mike how I felt about him. I mean, surely he knew. I thought back to the make-out session in the hot springs grotto with no little regret.

I should have gone for the full experience while I’d had the chance. What would Mike think if I didn’t come back?

Glancing behind me at the locked door, I noticed the plaque with the business name in Fae hieroglyphs above the door. Great, perfect. Then I swallowed my shock at seeing the splendid interior of the building. From the outside it was deceptive, a nondescript one-story exterior. But on the inside…

In some ways, the cathedral-like interior reminded me of the great hall of the academy. The walls soared toward a ceiling reflecting the image of the sky outside, with arched doorways and a cold stone floor. We passed a front desk ornately carved of living wood and a chair upholstered in velvet.

I kept my gaze averted, swearing the walls had eyes that watched me.

Rock Man brought me into a small room off a long corridor and closed the door. “Miss Alderidge, please take a seat. Make yourself comfortable.”

“I know how this goes,” I replied.

And sadly, I did. I’d been interrogated way too many times in my short life to honestly be surprised by the process. Although I would much rather have had Doug Wilson, the werewolf detective, sitting on the other side of the desk. He and I had at least come to an understanding. We each knew how the other worked. He’d been called to the mortal academy many times before and we’d managed to form a tentative mutual respect. I wouldn’t go so far as to say relationship.

“We’re sure you do.”

The woman spoke for the first time since leaving the academy, taking the seat opposite me and obliterating any fantasy I had about Wilson. The small table wasn’t enough space for me to feel comfortable.

“Talk to us about what happened with Juno Ians the other night,” she began.

I jerked upright in my seat. The cold feeling beneath my heart bit deep and settled into every piece of me. “What do you mean?”

The two of them didn’t look at each other but I knew they’d already planned out their interrogation of me. They’d isolated me in here and first one would come with her questions, then the other.

“We know there was an attack on the professor on the grounds of the Fae Academy for Halflings. Eyewitness accounts place a girl of your exact coloring at the scene. We know you are currently under her mentorship. Take us through the events of your intervention.”

So much for Bronwen’s shield keeping the fight out of sight. It must have gone down for a bit when she was knocked unconscious.

This was pure hell.

Nothing they found out should have surprised me. Except it did, and I found it hard to catch my breath.

What did the bureau know? How much of their knowledge involved me and what could I possibly say to take the spotlight away?

“Miss Alderidge,” Rock Man urged. He scraped out a chair and sat beside his partner, facing me. “Tell us everything. We know you were there. You have no reason to keep the truth from us.”

This was a far cry from how I’d felt with Detective Wilson. The werewolf detective didn’t exactly put forward his best foot; he had a problem being gruff, but he was pack. He was familiar in a way I knew I could count on. Talking to Wilson had been comfortable, like I could tell him anything. With these two, I didn’t know how much they knew or where their loyalties lay.

I wasn’t going to be able to get out of this by lying outright. So I had to carefully pick and choose the truths to impart. “I was out for a walk.” True. “Alone.” Not true. “I heard screams coming from the courtyard and I went to see what was going on.” True. I only hoped I could keep from tripping myself up.

“It was a risk for you to run toward a scream rather than contacting the proper authorities,” Rock Man stated with what might have been a hard look. Still couldn’t tell.

“What were you doing out so late? Alone, no less.”

“I needed some fresh air,” I told them, forcing an appearance of calm. “I’ve been working hard at my studies and sometimes I go out and take walks. To, you know, clear my head and stuff.”

“It’s an awfully long way from the castle to the halfling academy campus. You don’t go there for classes, either.”

“No, but I do go there to meet with Juno. Professors Ians, I mean. I’m comfortable on the campus. It reminds me of my time in the mortal world.” My hands knotted on my lap. I didn’t regret what I’d done to save her. But this definitely brought the microscope down on me further, and in a way I definitely couldn’t afford.

“What did you see that night?” Moss Lady asked.

“I saw a large creature towering over Professor Ians. The darkness made it impossible for me to make out its features but it was tall, powerfully built. It looked like a beast.”

“You expect us to believe that a girl of your stature scared away the monster? What weapon did you use?” Rock Man spat. More, I heard what he didn’t say yet. Why had I not reported this?

“Nothing. I don’t think the creature expected an audience. It was surprised to see anyone and bolted when I called out for Juno. I ran over and saw she wasn’t in good shape because of the shock so I took her to the hospital. The, ah, healing center.”

“Again, alone,” Mossy stated. “You must be awfully strong.”

I hoped Bronwen had been able to sweep our tracks clean. “Yes,” I agreed without hesitation. “And yes.”

“You weren’t afraid?”

They stared at me as though the act would get me to spill everything. Except they didn’t know what I’d been through, and they didn’t know how hard I’d worked to get here. My lips thinned. “I was afraid, yes. But Juno sounded like she needed help. I overcame my fear in order to help her.”

“And did you know the creature you came upon is believed to be the one behind multiple attacks on young full-blood Fae women?”

I knew it so deeply the knowledge would cut me from the inside out. But I didn’t tell them anything.

The officers took me through a long series of questions, wanting to know every detail of the encounter from the clothes I wore to what Juno and I said to each other at the hospital.

I saw their faces. They didn’t like what I had to say. And I knew if I reached out to their minds, I’d have my answers. Fear kept me rooted in my chair.

“I find it odd, Miss Alderidge, how you’ve been in Faerie less than a year and you somehow find yourself embroiled in yet another case of extreme violence. Let us not forget what happened to you last summer during the Solstice Carnival.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call what happened the other night a violent incident,” I hedged.

“Still, fascinating. Odd and…fascinating. No matter what is going on you manage to insert yourself into the uproar. Don’t you think it’s fascinating, Claribel?”

“Oh, infinitely fascinating, Rooker,” the woman agreed with a nod.

Finally, names.

It didn’t matter if I knew what to call them or not. My nausea continued to beat at me the longer I stayed in the small room, because I knew without a doubt they thought I had something to do with the attack. They thought I knew more about it than I let on. False on one count, true on the other.

I gripped the sides of my chair to hold steady. “Why don’t you look at the Halfling Academy students?” I finally blurted out. “Some of them might not be what you think.”

The two officers shared a look. “What are you getting at, Tavi?”

“I’m saying people have secrets. Maybe instead of badgering me, you could find the real person responsible.”

I thought about the aggressive young half-shifter who’d knocked me into the wall, threatening to dismember me. How was he not a suspect?

Finally, the door to the hall opened and another officer for the bureau, I assumed, called the others away. He didn’t look at me, and I didn’t like the way he kept his eyes averted.

Claribel finally nodded toward me. “We don’t have any further questions for you at this time, Miss Alderidge. However…” She paused. “There are more questions than answers in this case. The details are not adding up. And my gut tells me you are the lynchpin.”