Page 47

Chapter Thirty-Nine

KEIR

O n Tuesday afternoon, I walked Rain back to the elevators on her side, swept a lock of hair from her jaw, and let her go. The girl looked happy again, and I couldn't get enough of it. Ever since Aspen had come back, Rain had relaxed - and more than I'd expected.

I was smiling over our chat on the way back when Hawke met me at the elevators on my side. "Held it for you," he assured me, since he'd been in class with us. "And what's with the stupid-ass smile?"

"Fuck off," I grumbled.

"No, I was serious," he insisted. "What has you smiling like you just met someone cute?"

I huffed at that. "The girls. Now that Aspen's back, Rain's just..."

"Into her?" Hawke offered as the car moved upwards.

"Cute," I told him. "Happy, giggling, and rambling on and on about her plants, her crow, her shadows. All of it."

"Nice," Hawke said as the door dinged to announce our arrival.

Together, we stepped off, making our way through the double doors and towards our rooms. Just as we passed the second door, Torian stepped out of the one past it. Wilder's, I was pretty sure. Glancing back, I checked to make sure I was right, but it didn't go unnoticed.

"Don't fucking say shit," Torian snarled as he marched toward us.

Yeah, that was one asshole moment too far. Shifting over, I got in his way and stopped. "What the fuck is your problem?" I demanded .

"Leave it alone," Hawke warned. "Keir, I got this."

I turned to snap at him only to find his expression begging me to let it go. "Sure, whatever," I grumbled, storming past Torian in the process.

Our shoulders collided. The kid didn't budge, though. The impact was hard, making me regret my dumb pride, but I wasn't about to back down now. My head snapped over, our eyes met, but we both kept going, that brief moment the closest thing we'd had to a conversation in days.

But that color of green hung in my mind.

His eyes weren't neon. They also weren't emerald, lime, or anything so common.

Spring was the best word I had, but an unusual shade, even for the fae.

They were too close to yellow, and yet not close enough to count as hazel or amber.

If I was honest with myself, the prick had gorgeous eyes.

I did not want to think about that.

So instead, I headed straight for my room, shutting the door a bit too hard.

How had I gone from being so happy to see Rain and Aspen working out to so pissed about Torian?

This, right here, was why I'd avoided these kids when they'd trickled into Silver Oaks.

Never mind that four pure fae had all arrived, or that they were in the same year of schooling - which was not mine.

Huffing out a breath, I dropped my ass onto my bed. Jealousy. That was why I was so pissed right now. All my life, I'd been the hot guy among humans. I'd been the cool one people wanted to impress. I'd enjoyed "pretty privilege," as the internet called it, and losing that sucked .

Because the truth was Torian Hunt and Aspen Fox were gorgeous.

Oh, Wilder wasn't a bad-looking guy either.

Hawke? His charms weren't in his looks. He was strong, with sharp features, and the guy knew how to keep his mouth shut.

He was also amazing as a fighter, almost like he'd spent his entire life mastering the sword - or any other weapon he picked up.

But Torian? He was a monster! Nevaeh still didn't have her power, and nothing else could explain why. Everyone at the Winter Solstice had seen him rip it from her, and there was no doubt Torian had done it. Combined with his quick temper, there was only one thing that did make sense.

He was a jevadu.

But Rain thought that was ok. Aspen needed her brother. He was a part of the court, whether I liked it or not, and the truth was I did like being a part of their group. When I spent time with them, two years didn't seem like a big difference in age.

Ok, so Rain was the youngest-feeling one, but most of that was her adjusting to all the fae shit around her.

It wasn't like she was immature. She certainly wasn't a kid, since her eighteenth birthday was only a couple months away.

And if I didn't have a problem with her being seventeen, then why did I keep dwelling on Torian's age?

Not Hawke's, not Wilder's, but always Torian's?

I bent over my knees to scrub at my face when my door creaked open a crack. "Keir?" It was Wilder.

"Come in," I told him.

"Hawke sent me a text saying to check on you." He claimed the chair at the desk. "Why am I making sure you're ok?"

I pushed out a laugh. "Ok, Hawke's a good guy. I thought he'd just ditched me."

"Uh?" Yeah, the look on Wilder's face made it clear he had no clue what was going on.

"Torian came out of your room and immediately turned grumpy. I don't know what I did to set him off this time, but I was simply counting doors, making sure it was your room, not his spare, you know?"

A smile began to grow on Wilder's face. "He was looking for Hawke. You had Hawke. Torian was annoyed because he had to wait."

"Fucking dick," I muttered.

Wilder hummed like I might have a point. "He's Torian."

"Rumors are still going around about him."

And now my friend was smiling. "Yeah, I've heard. That's part of why he's pissed."

So I decided to finally put it out there. "Are they true?"

Wilder laughed once, but paused. His mouth opened, closed, and then opened again. The sound that came next was pure frustration. "Fucking promises!"

"What can't you talk about?" I asked. "At least give me that?"

"Any of our lives on Faerie." He rocked his head from side to side, showing that wasn't quite right. "No details. No incriminating evidence."

"Gotcha."

That was a very broad promise, but it sounded like it was strong one too. Someone with a lot of power had bound him to it, if not even Wilder could work around it. Then again, Wilder had said his promise was different, but if this was a part of it, what else had Torian, Aspen, and Hawke agreed to?

"How can I help?" I asked instead.

"Fuck," Wilder grumbled as he stood, crossed the room, and then dropped down onto my bed behind me. "I'd tell you, you know. I trust you."

"Torian doesn't," I countered.

He flapped a hand in the air, waving that off. "He doesn't trust anyone but Aspen."

"She trusts you, though."

He shrugged, staring up at the ceiling. "She does. Thankfully, she's not as bitter as her brother. He has his reasons, though."

A hint. Yeah, clearly Wilder was good at this, but I didn't want to push him too hard. I just really wanted to know one thing.

"What do I have to do to stop this bullshit between me and him?"

"That," Wilder said, "is the real question. See, I'm pretty sure it's Rain."

"She's my friend."

"Please," Wilder groaned. "She's your crush. She's always with you, has kissed you how many times now, and if she's not with Aspen, she's with you. That's a lot more than a friend."

"Still a friend," I assured him.

"Also a friend, not only." He flashed me a smile. "I just want to know what you'll do if someone else catches her eye - or lips."

"I got the whole low-down on the atrium make-out session," I assured him. "I also know which bed they’re in each night. She's fucking adorable when she gets going about Aspen, you know?"

"A guy," Wilder clarified.

I waved that off, dismissing his concern. "Wilder, there is one guy I'd have a problem with, and not for the reasons you're thinking."

"Then which ones?" He shifted upwards so he could recline on my pillows. "Why do you hate Tor so much you'd cut him - and only him - out of Rain's life?"

"I did not say cut," I pointed out. "I said have a problem with, and that problem is the way Torian keeps trying to chase me off.

You and Hawke do not deserve to get caught in the middle of that.

Hell, just look at the shit Harper caused.

And with Rain?" I shook my head to make the point.

"There's no way he'd accept me spending time with 'his' girl, so I'm glad Rain isn't letting him think of her that way. "

"But it's different for you, hm?" he teased. "Just fine for you to be thinking she's your girl?"

"No, no, no," I muttered, turning so I could see him easier.

"Wilder, I'm not Rain's. She's not mine.

We're friends because we haven't made it past that, and I'm not in a hurry.

She's Aspen's, because they have. The part you're missing?

I like being included. I enjoy having Aspen as a friend. She's pretty amazing as a person."

"She really is," Wilder agreed. "She also has a temper, but her fuse is a lot longer than her brother's."

"And tends to be deserved," I reminded him. "Torian? The guy's gorgeous, knows it, and expects everyone else to be blinded by it. He doesn't worry about whether he's considerate, polite, or anything else. He's like a magical bulldozer, destroying everything in his path simply because he can."

"More accurate than you know," Wilder agreed. "But beautiful? That is not the description I would've expected from you."

"Still fae," I said. "Trust me, it's hard not to see how perfect he and Aspen are. Almost too perfect."

"Just perfect enough," Wilder said. "But don't worry about Torian. Aspen has him on a leash. As soon as she hears about this, he'll get a squealy little lecture that won't crush his pride too much, but will sting. That will be enough to keep him in line another week."

"I feel like I'm pulling the court apart," I told him. "Wilder, you and Hawke have been cool with me. I mean..." I flopped a hand towards the bathroom - and the empty room on the other side. "You made sure I could handle that."

"Can you?"

I shrugged. "I think so. I won't say yes, because it feels like it might burn."

"Yeah, thought so." And he sat up. "So stop hiding in here."

"And go where?"

He smiled deviously. "My room."

"Oh, it's gonna be like that, huh?" I flicked both brows up in some fake-flirtation. "I'm down for it."

"Shit, Hawke would be thrilled," Wilder admitted. "I'm also not saying no, but I meant to hang. Torian can't constantly demand my boyfriend's time because he's having a tantrum and expect me to just wait around. Believe it or not, I don't answer to him."

Jokingly, I leaned in. "Should I call you Dukey-poo?"

"Fuck off!" he laughed, shoving me back up. "I was actually going to convince you to help me give Hawke a push."

"Why are we pushing him?" Because I was already on board. If Wilder needed my help, he had it.

Yet the guy groaned, lifting a hand to his face. "Rain, Keir. He's into Rain, doesn't know how to talk to her, and keeps backing off. She's not intimidated by him at all, but that's all he knows."

"Hawke?"

Wilder pushed out a breath and sat up. "Hawke," he agreed. "He knows he's not the prettiest guy, is convinced she'd never see him like that, and has decided he won't make a move until you do."

"Aspen's good with him?" I asked.

"Aspen thinks it's funny," Wilder assured me. "She said they're a matched set."

My head twitched, because that sounded like a hint. "Rain and Hawke?"

"Mhm."

Slowly, I nodded. "Well, you can tell Hawke I'm not in a rush. The last thing I want to do is pressure Rain, but if he moves in, well..." I smiled. "She likes him. I say that because he makes her blush more than she realizes. It's a good look on her."

"But do you care?" Wilder pressed.

"I do," I admitted. "I care that she's treated well, and I think Hawke would do that. Aspen is trying her hardest, but she has a very good excuse: trauma."

"Then ignore Torian," Wilder said. "Trust me, between that and Hawke making a move on 'your' girl?" He chuckled. "Yeah, that will either piss Torian off or make him wake the fuck up. Either way is a win, as far as I care."

I murmured, thinking about it. "Yeah, I'd be ok with either one as well."

"So." Wilder stood. "My room? Let's make this happen."

I stood, clasping his shoulder as I turned him to the door. "Yep, I think I like plotting with you, Wilder. We should do this more often."

"Definitely. It sounds like something friends do." And he turned, those dark eyes of his hitting mine. "I don't have many of them."

"You have me," I swore. The air tingled with the promise.