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Chapter Fifty-Nine

RAIN

W orking with Poppy and her courtiers helped more than I'd expected. She had a system. For every dot, two groups had to verify that it wasn't some version of a Hunt sign. We could only do that by identifying the enchantment that was marked. If both groups agreed, the dot was removed from the list.

We were now down to just over two hundred dots.

That was still a lot, but Wilder, Hawke, Keir, and I woke up early to head outside.

Our big plan was to spend all day doing this.

Torian had made arrangements with Ms. Rhodes.

While we walked the grounds, he and Aspen put their abilities together to search for this thing a different way - the kind that kept my girlfriend safely inside.

But instead of a quiet and sullen morning, Keir decided to start the conversation with a bang. "So, is Torian ok lately, or is it just me?"

"He's Torian," Wilder said, flashing a smile at Keir. "Lately, his moods have been swinging faster than a hare in heat."

"A what?" I asked.

"Rabbits," Hawke clarified for me.

"They fuck a lot," Wilder said, struggling not to smirk. "You know, quick turnaround?"

"That's not..." I just groaned. "Wilder, that's not a real phrase!"

"Should be," Keir said.

"Mhm," Hawke agreed. "Fitting too. After the kiss and all. "

"What kiss?" I asked.

Hawke and Wilder both looked right at Keir. He sighed, making it clear this was his story to tell. Considering he shared a room with Torian, I could only imagine what he'd heard going on next door. I also wasn't completely sure I wanted to know.

"So, the day we got suspended?" Keir said. "Yeah, um, I went to shield his room and he sorta kissed me."

"Wait." My feet stopped hard. " You kissed Torian?" Holy fucking shit. I did not see that coming!

"He kissed me," Keir said again. "I thought I was pissing him off so he'd punch me. You know, so he could vent after that bullshit in the halls."

"But they kissed!" Hawke laughed. "Oh, and Torian is still fucking confused about it."

"No. Wait. What?" This was not making any sense. "Torian's straight!"

"He's fae," Wilder said, shrugging it off. "Maybe he's only liked women before, but that's because he doesn't really give a lot of guys the chance to get to know him."

"He also spends most of his time with women," Hawke added.

"To fuck them!" Wilder huffed.

"No!" Hawke groaned. "He and Aspen are always checking out girls.

Well, were. And last year, the girls would not leave him alone.

He had his pick. Didn't matter if they were in 11th grade, 12th, or upperclassmen, you know?

Torian flashed those summer-green eyes around, and every girl wanted to jump on his dick. "

"Half the guys too," Keir said.

"But, so..." I was still having trouble processing this. "Are you and he..." Was couple even the right word?

Keir laughed. "No, Rain. He kissed me. I kissed back because it changed the subject."

"Oh, just because it changed the subject?" Wilder taunted.

"Fuck off," Keir told him, but it was with a smile. "He's hot. He's also a little young for me."

"Oh, keep going, old man," Hawke joked. "You do know Rain's younger than Tor, right?"

"Aren't you almost eighteen?" Keir asked me.

I shrugged. "End of May."

"Tor's is two days after the Spring Equinox," Hawke said.

"Aspen's is the day before," Wilder pointed out.

"Wait, when do you two turn eighteen?" I asked .

"October," Hawke said. " Last October, Rain."

"I'll be nineteen in July," Wilder said.

"The middle of summer?" Ok, that surprised me a bit.

"Fae do fuck all year long," Wilder assured me. "Believe it or not, our magical season has nothing to do with the date of our birth." Then he jerked his chin at Keir. "So, you crushing on your suitemate now?"

"Fuck," Keir grumbled, walking off a bit. "Are we doing this? Walk and talk, people."

"We're wanting to hear about you kissing Torian," I said as I hurried to catch up. "I mean, was it a stupid peck on the lips? The cheek? We talking full tongue, or what?"

"It was more of a disagreement than a make-out session," he said. "Kinda why I didn't mention it, but Torian's been in a good mood lately. Well, mostly he's just been nice to me. Said I could call him 'Tor' and everything."

"Ok, that's a bigger deal than you know," Hawke said. "It's a little close to his true name, so he gets twitchy about it."

"Makes sense," Keir agreed. "I just..." He let his words trail off.

"What?" I asked. "C'mon. Keir, you can't tell me to talk to you about all my girl problems if you aren't going to spill your boy problems back!"

"And that, right there, is the problem," Keir told me. "He's two years younger than me! So are you. Kinda why I'm keeping my hands to myself, Rain."

"That," Wilder said, "makes absolutely no sense. Either she's old enough to appeal, or you're a pedophile who's just waiting for her to turn legal."

"Or both," Keir said. "Look, I enjoy getting to know someone, but I grew up here. So the whole 'legal' thing has been drilled into my head. And sure, her dads are ok with it, but she's human, I'm not, and she has a great thing going with Aspen."

I reached up and tapped him twice in the forehead. "Dumbass. I'm right fucking here!"

"And you ," he said, "didn't ask. He did.

All I'm saying is that I'm not going to make some move to get you in bed while you're still figuring things out with Aspen.

That's about the shittiest thing a friend could do.

And so you know, we are friends. I'm not just your friend because I'm waiting for my chance.

I'm your friend because I like you, I like that bird of your - "

"Jack!" he crowed out from the trees, making it clear he was sticking close.

Keir rolled his eyes. "And I like your girlfriend," he continued as if nothing had happened.

"Have I kept my hands to myself? No. Have I been respectful of Aspen?

Yes. Does your age play a factor?" He rocked his head from side to side.

"A bit. Enough of one for me to remember that my head is up here. " And he pointed at his own face.

"I'm not a virgin or anything," I said.

Hawke ducked his head and struggled to keep from laughing.

"Doesn't change anything," Keir said. "See, I'm working very hard to build a relationship with both of you. Different types of relationships, but the thing between you and Aspen is new."

"It's been months!" I countered.

"I think she's telling you to make a move," Wilder told Keir.

"Worry about your own partner," he shot back.

Then he looked at me again. "I'm not easier to get with just because I'm a guy.

I'm not the default, Rain. Yeah, I like you.

I also like having Aspen as a friend, and one I respect a lot.

I'd really like to keep her safe, protect all of my friends, and not get shit for kissing on you.

You know, kinda like how things have been lately. "

I glanced away, feeling my cheeks warming up. "Ok, that was a good line," I admitted. "And a true one, I know, but it kinda makes me..." My words trailed off as my eyes landed on the horizon.

The skies were perfectly blue above us. Before we'd come out, I'd checked the forecast, and the weather said it was going to be clear skies, a high in the low fifties, and a light breeze.

But there, peeking over the treetops on the far side of the property, was a line of dark and angry-looking clouds.

"Guys?" I breathed. "Can someone check the weather?"

Hawke and Wilder both pulled out their phones. Keir did as well, but his thumbs were moving in a way that made me think he was typing. My eyes hung on those clouds for a little too long before I had the same idea.

Snatching my phone from my pocket, I pulled up the group chat with my dads and sent one single line.

Rain:

I don't like the clouds on the horizon.

Then I yelled, "Jack!"

"Jack-Rain!" he replied, swooping out of a tree to my right.

Another crow followed. This one was smaller. Granted, most were smaller than Jack. It also circled above us before cawing loudly. The sound made two others take flight from another tree, but they headed higher.

"Rain," Jack said, landing on my arm as soon as I held it up. "Jack-Morrigan." Then he mouthed the edge of my coat.

"Anything, guys?" I asked.

"I'm letting Poppy know the weather is off," Keir said. "She's supposed to have people on the grounds today as well."

"I've got nothing on the radar," Hawke told me. "No precipitation at all."

"But wind speeds are up at the county line," Wilder said. "It's almost like..." He turned. "Rain, where were we when you noticed that?"

"Uh..." I glanced behind me. "Maybe by those trees?"

"Jack, can you see magic?" Wilder demanded.

Jack twisted his head. It was neither a yes or a no.

"If a Hunt sign activates, would you know?!" Wilder pressed. "You're a wildling. Can you detect the spell?"

"Jack!" he agreed, nodding to make the point.

"Then I need your help," Wilder said, jogging back towards the trees. "Jack, look for magic!"

That was when my phone vibrated with a reply. I opened it, flipping quickly to get to the message.

Bracken:

Get your ass inside. There's a cold front coming in fast!

Rain:

Wilder may have found the thing!

Bracken:

Leave it. Rain, I can see the edge rolling. Where are you?

Rain:

The same place where Aspen was burned with iron last semester.

I hit send before the implications of that hit me - and hard. "Fuck! Guys! This is where Harper used the iron on Aspen. It's where she comes for mistletoe!"

Hawke turned, looking at the area around us. "Here?"

"Yes!" I pointed towards the gym. "We were there, she was over there." I moved my finger to aim at a spot in the grass. "And the girls tried to run around those trees right where... "

My words trailed off as Jack folded his wings and dove right onto a tree. "Bitch!" he yelled. "Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch!"

Then a crow above us cawed loudly. More took flight. From another tree, a group launched into the air. All of them were cawing and rattling in their own language. Coming from different directions, they were all aiming for us. And from the sounds of it, something was wrong.

But Jack was still in the tree. "Bitch!" Jack said again. "Rain! Morrigan. Bitch!"

"I think he found something," Hawke said, dragging me that way.

"They used to use our season to activate the signs," Wilder said. "And if anyone would remember that, it'd be Harper's mother! If I'm close enough, my affinity for Winter should allow Jack to see it!"

My phone vibrated in my hand again.

Bracken:

GET INSIDE!

A moment later, Hawke's went off. He swiped and his face paled. "Fuck, the storm's growing."

Keir said, "Poppy's calling her people back in. We need to - "

The wind slammed into us as the front edge of the cold front hit hard. I turned back, shocked to find those distant clouds had moved so much faster than I'd expected. They were almost right on top of us.

And worse, I could see the horses charging in the billowing forms. Their grey color matched the clouds, and they were coming fast.

"The gym!" Keir screamed. "Jack, we need to - "

"Bitch!" Jack said, hopping to the edge of a branch and taking off.

But there was something in his mouth. Flapping hard against the wind blowing into his face, Jack cut through the air, arced over my head and dropped the thing he was carrying.

It was still falling as he cried out, "Hunt!"

"Run!" Keir ordered, shoving Hawke's shoulder. "We need to get to the gym!"

I grabbed the falling object just as Hawke said, "It's locked," but he was already running.

Keir grabbed my arm and towed me along, all of us going as fast as we could. "Fuck locks!" Keir said. "The Hunt is coming and I will not let them touch Wilder!"

"I think I set it off," Wilder said, daring to glance back. "I didn't know it would work so fast!"

"Hunt!" Jack screamed. "Hunt-Shadows! Hunt-Morrigan! Hunt-Jack!" Caw !

Like some general giving orders, his cries worked. From every tree on the property, dark birds took to the wing, and all of them were heading towards the clouds. These crows might not be warriors, but they were an army. My fucking army.

And we weren't going to make it to the gym in time.