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Chapter Forty-Five

RAIN

C ome to find out, I really did do better in math if I was distracted.

Friday morning, I flew through the test, surprised to find most of my answers were in the list of options!

Clearly, kissing and cuddling with Hawke while he explained the concepts of how letters and numbers mixed together had been exactly what I needed.

Seeing him waiting for me in the weapons closet for my detention class? Even better.

Granted, he hadn't flirted with me in front of Keir, but we had traded a few looks.

Keir had also noticed, so that evening, I'd gone out of my way to tell him what had happened.

What shocked me the most was that Keir had just nodded before saying he knew.

Evidently, Hawke had come back to the boys' side "gushing" about me.

I was trying to just roll with this, but Aspen either knew I was confused or she really did need to check on her plants.

Either way, she convinced me to head down to the atrium with her.

First, we checked on the Elysium Burst, which I had given the overly original name of "Bubbles.

" After it made me giggle a few times, we checked the others.

Just as she was finishing up, doing her best to teach me the names of all hundred-some-odd plants in the atrium, I saw a very cute man leaning against the willow tree with an old-fashioned paper book in his hands.

"Hey, Keir!" I said, making him look up .

He quickly shoved a piece of folded paper between the pages and sat up. "Rain! Hey, where's..." He paused when my girlfriend came around the corner. "There she is. Why are you two awake this early?"

"It's noon," I pointed out.

He lifted a brow as if that proved his point. "And you have breakfast about now on the weekends."

"I had to check my plants," Aspen said, walking close enough to catch my arm and drag me that way. "You've been a stranger."

"Mm, I've been busy with tutoring while you, Aspen, have been learning magical bullshit."

"It's not bullshit," she said around a laugh. "It's dragon shit! Much, much bigger."

"Ugh, how long until you're done with that anyway?" I asked.

But Keir patted the ground beside him. "Sit. It's supposed to be in the mid-fifties today, and the ground is almost warm."

"I can make it actually warm," Aspen offered, lifting a hand to make a fist. "Tell me when!"

"Little more..." Keir said. "Ok. When!"

She released her magic, so I sat down beside Keir.

Sure enough, the ground was definitely warm.

Not hot, and not bad. Nope, this was like a nice spring on my rump.

I kinda liked it. But while I was looking down at the dirt, Aspen moved to Keir's other side, sat, and then shifted so her back was up against one side of his chest.

"Oh, I can handle this," Keir teased.

Giggling, I moved to match her, putting the guy in the middle. "Sure about that?"

"Positive," he said. "Besides, you're both cute. What's not to like about this? Beautiful and amazing." He bent his arm to push a bit of hair away from my face. "I mean, we're all friends, right?"

"Definitely friends ," Aspen agreed. "But did Rain tell you she made out with Hawke enough to pass her math test?"

"Shit, that sounds like a lot of making out," Keir said, leaning a bit to see my face. "Does sucking face make your brain go or something?"

My face was getting hot. "I just..."

"I'm picking on you," Keir assured me. "You know, implying you're bad at math?"

"And that I was kissing our friend," I added.

"Because you did kiss him!" Aspen said .

"Yeah, but you're not supposed to - "

"Nope," Keir broke in. "Aspen and I agree. This is the fun part. I mean, Hawke's kinda hot in that whole dark and mysterious sort of way."

I turned, shooting Keir a confused look. "Wait, what?"

Letting his eyes close in a long and weary blink, Keir sighed. "I'm fae , Rain. I like people for who they are, not what's in their pants."

"You date guys?"

"Not often," he admitted, "but it has happened."

Ok, and now my mouth was hanging open. Talk about jumping to conclusions!

Keir just acted so manly, and I'd only ever heard about the girl's he'd dated, so I'd just assumed.

Even though the court kept trying to tell me that having multiple partners - across all genders - was a fae thing, it hadn't really sunk in until this very moment.

"That's... Uh... Yeah." I couldn't even get a whole thought out.

"What did I do?" he asked Aspen.

She shrugged. "Been single a while?"

"Because I'm into her!" he shot back. "Kinda know how humans are about these things. Sluts, you know? And I'm talking about me, Rain, not you."

"I just..." Bending forward, I used the heels of my hands to rub at my eyes. "I didn't know you dated guys!"

"First time I had sex was with a guy," he said as he leaned back.

Somehow that made his comment feel casual, as if he was just trading stories.

"See, I like people who are driven, determined, and looking to stand beside me, not behind or in front of me.

Sadly, most guys want to be the strong one.

Most girls want to be protected. And while I find both sexy, I have no interest in getting shoved into a place I don't belong, so it's easier to find strong-willed women who like being a partner.

Older men work too, but most of them think I'm a stupid little kid. "

"Ouch," Aspen said in sympathy.

"Well, I had a massive crush on Rain's zez for my first two years."

"Bracken?" Yep, my mouth was hanging open again.

Keir just nodded. "C'mon, your dads are hot."

I made a face. "Liam's not ugly, but Bracken is definitely hot."

"Blech," Aspen said, sticking her tongue out to make the noise. "I think Ms. Rhodes is pretty, though."

"She is," I agreed. "I just figured it was a fae thing."

"She's a beautiful woman, even for the fae," Keir assured me. "I like curves, though. No offense, Aspen, but our kind is a bit stick-like. But human guys?"

"Blech!" Aspen said again, but grinning this time. "I like the women - and only the women."

I turned a bit, snuggling my shoulder under Keir's. "I like personality more than looks."

"...Says everyone," Keir countered. "And yet we all like certain looks. C'mon, what gets you going, Rain? I shared. Your turn."

"I like kind," I told him. "Considerate. Gentle - but the kind that is soft because they know what it's like when others aren't. Not the type who can't be anything but. I like people who are smart."

"Looks!" Aspen insisted.

I just held up my hands. "I dunno! I think Keir's hot and Hawke's hot, but they're very different types of hot. And you, Aspen! Uh, the only thing you and Keir have in common is 'light hair' and it's not even the same color. Silver." I pointed at her. "Gold." I tapped Keir's chest.

"I think she likes clean jawlines," Keir said.

Aspen nodded. "High cheekbones. We all have those too."

"Lean."

"No," I said, waving him off. "You are not 'lean.' Hawke isn't either! I mean, lithe might describe Wilder, but only because he reminds me of a male ballet dancer. You know, the type with the amazing bubble butt? Thick thighs? Ripped muscles, but small ones?"

"She has a point," Aspen told Keir. "You are kinda muscley. She says you're solid."

"Oh god," I groaned, trying to hide my face again.

"I'm good with being described as muscular." I dared to check to find him smiling conspiratorially at Aspen. "We should get together and trade info on what she's said about each other. I mean, I'm assuming she talks about me at least a bit?"

"All the fucking time," Aspen assured him. "Keir this and Keir that."

"I get all the 'Aspen's so amazing' stuff."

"Why are you two doing this to me?" I asked, struggling not to whine about it. "Look at me! So you know, human skin should not be this shade of strawberry!"

"It's just your cheeks and nose," Aspen said.

"And it's cute," Keir agreed. "It makes you look a little less intimidating, Rain le Fae. "

Aspen gasped. "Are you nervous to seduce the Morrigan?" She giggled. "No way!"

"Aren't you?" he asked.

Aspen shook her head. "No, I've already figured out she doesn't care about anyone's titles. Not the Queen's or Jack's or even Ms. Rhodes. Rain judges people on what they do."

"That's why you're my favorite," I told her.

"Hear that?" Aspen asked Keir. "Means you need to work for it."

"Then let me up," he said.

But when Aspen moved, Keir didn't stand.

Instead, he twisted so he could caress my face.

"Rain, I think you are beautiful, powerful, and the most amazing woman I've ever met.

Your girlfriend is a damned close second, and this?

" He tipped his head back in Aspen's direction.

"This is what I meant when I said being included makes me happy, so you can stop being embarrassed. "

"Yeah?"

On his other side, Aspen gave him a nudge. "Kiss, kiss, kiss!" she encouraged, sounding like kids chanting "chug" instead.

Keir's eyes dropped to my lips. "Overwhelmed yet?"

"Nope," I said. "Just waiting for the catch." And I lifted my chin a bit, tilting my face to his.

This was all the excuse he needed. Leaning in, the man's mouth found mine, and he kissed me gently. I couldn't help but think of how different this was to the way Hawke had kissed me. Keir was careful. Hawke was determined. Keir was confident. Hawke was almost skittish.

And Keir was here. As my tongue moved with his, I pushed away all thoughts of Hawke - and of Aspen sitting on the other side - so I could enjoy this. Just this. Not the implications, the nagging insecurities running through my head, or anything else. I just wanted to taste his lips one more time.

His thumb caressed the line of my jaw. His mouth worshiped mine. Keir kissed like everything else in the entire world could stop and it wouldn't matter. The man made me feel like I was the center of his world, and I liked it so much more than I should.

But the sound of a text being sent made me tense. The second time the little noise went off, I pulled away to look at Aspen, only to find she was the source of it. In her hands, she was typing furiously, smiling down at her screen.

"What are you doing?" I asked. "Did I just screw up? "

"Huh? What?" She looked up, then over at Keir. "Oh, did I mess it up for you?"

"Were you trying to?" he asked.

She wrinkled up her nose. "No?" It came out like a question. "I was trying not to stare. I'm kinda new to this too." Her eyes jumped back to me. "Carry on! Kiss, kiss, Rain!"

"No, no, no," Keir said. "Who are you texting?"

"My brother," she mumbled. "I, um, figured I could hang out with him since I can't really kiss her and now I wanna."

"You can kiss Keir," I teased.

Aspen huffed at me. "Uh, how about no? Like I said, you get the 'hard' ones. I prefer soft."

"Not hard yet," Keir mumbled under his breath.

In unison, Aspen and I both smacked him. "Pervert!" I huffed.

"Gross!" she said.

But he flopped back against the tree, laughing his ass off. "So does this mean you two will be cute when we're all together? Fair's fair, right?"

"Free for all?" Aspen asked.

"That does not sound the way either of you intend," I told the pair. "This just got kinky."

"This," Keir said, "is nice, comfortable, and exactly what I - "

"Get the fuck out of my way!" Torian's voice cut across the atrium. He wasn't yelling, but it wasn't far off.

My head snapped to the sound, finding him glaring at a group sitting just behind the entrance on that side. Nevaeh had pulled back, her arms up like she was braced for a blow, but Poppy Hawthorne had shifted before her.

"This isn't your school," she told him. "Maybe you're friends with the Morrigan. Good for you, asshole, but you do not have the right to tell any of us what to do!"

Torian just smiled, but the look was cold. "You want me to strip your power next?"

Poppy's body leaned back slightly. "Rain wouldn't let you." It sounded like she wasn't sure, though. "She's supposed to protect us - and that includes from you."

So I raised my voice. "Leave her alone, Torian. Poppy's helped me out a few times, and I don't forget things like that."

"Tor, stop abusing the faelings!" Aspen yelled a second later. "Nevaeh fucked up. I'm over it! "

"She was going to kill Hawke!" Torian spat. "She was aiming for him !"

"And now she's paying the price," Aspen said. "We're in a good mood today, right?"

Torian just lifted a brow. "Oh, is that what we are?"

"And it's more fun to share."

Finally, the brooding boy relaxed, a hint of an honest smile on his lips. "I heard there's a Burst down here now."

"Oh!" Aspen said, jumping up to her feet. "Come!" She turned, gesturing for Keir and me to get up and follow her. "You want to see this one. Rain loves it. C'mon. Tor, tell Wilder and Hawke to come too. There's a nice place back there where no one will bother us."

We all stood, and Aspen hurried over to grab her brother's hand. Keir just bent, whispering in my ear, "Make sure Poppy's ok? Since you know where this plant is?"

"I'll meet you there," I agreed, dawdling long enough for the three of them to make it around a few bushes.

Then I headed towards Poppy, Nevaeh, and three other faelings I didn't really know. Poppy had an arm around Nevaeh, and the girl was shaking her head. The other three had leaned in, so none of them saw me coming. Trying not to be rude, I cleared my voice.

"Hey, I'm sorry about him," I said.

Nevaeh looked up. "Keep your damned dog on a leash, Rain!"

"No," Poppy said, "we don't want to pick a fight with her. Nevaeh, I am trying to help you, but you have to do some helping too."

"I didn't do anything wrong!" she insisted.

I huffed. "Really?"

"I had to help my cousin! Harper's the only reason I got in here, and Ms. Valentina is hoping I'll be able to get her back in."

"How's that working out?" I asked. "Because if she comes at me now, I will kill her, Nevaeh. I'll kill anyone who attacks me. Do you hear me?"

"Rain?" Poppy said, her voice gentle and soothing. "Nevaeh had to."

"What?"

"She made a deal with Harper's mother." The girl rubbed Nevaeh's shoulder, then turned to face me. "In order to get into Silver Oaks, Nevaeh had to agree to owe Ms. Valentina a favor. That favor was to take care of Harper."

"To have her back," Nevaeh corrected.

"So she had no other option. For the fae, our word is our bond."

"Yeah," I breathed, "and often a magical one. So you know, it still doesn't make it ok, but I'll keep Torian off you - unless you screw up again. We all make mistakes, but this time, Nevaeh, I think you have the right friends."

"Real friends, " Nevaeh agreed. "And I've been trying to make them leave Torian alone. They don't know how dangerous he really is."

"I don't think anyone does," I admitted, turning towards the other side of the atrium.