Page 33

Chapter Twenty-Nine

RAIN

O ver the next few days, things were weird. That was the best word I had for it. Too many people wanted to grovel to Torian. Needless to say, he wasn't impressed. Instead - thankfully - he went out of his way to be nice to the various Winter users he came across.

Aspen had gotten a few death threats, though.

One had been slipped under her door, but we hadn't found it right away because we'd both been in my room.

But face-to-face, people weren't really going out of their way to give her shit.

Most were gaping, but that was better than shoving or screaming at her.

And the sentinels had noticed the change as well. On Monday, Bran cornered me the moment I walked into the gym to make sure the stories were real. Not that their ranks were a surprise, but that Torian had made a scene in the dining hall? He'd been sure someone was telling lies.

Pascal smugly pointed out that Torian liked to make a scene when he could.

It had started with Harper, back when she'd tried to pit him and Keir against each other.

Then he'd attacked the jesters, and now he'd made it clear he really was royalty.

Likely, the jesters regretted ever putting that title on his group of friends.

For the court, this meant we had to be even more careful. None of us left our rooms alone. Not for any reason. Torian was already grumbly about that, but Keir shrugged it off.

"He's kinda cute when he's not getting his way," he'd told me as we walked back to the main building after practice on Tuesday.

"That," I countered, "is not cute, Keir."

"Sure it is." He flashed a grin at me. "He gets all growly and smoldering. Now tell me you don't have a thing for smoldering."

"I don't."

"Hawke?" he countered.

Damn. Ok, he had a point. "Ok, I didn't realize I did," I tried next.

Which made Keir bump his shoulder into mine. "I think you scare Hawke a bit, though."

"Me?"

"Mhm." Keir looked like he was enjoying this immensely. "Now, here's the reason I'm amused by that: he's a jevadu. That's an actual monster, Rain. I mean, imagine if a vampire and a fallen angel had a love child, then gave it fae magic."

"Have you been reading my romance books?" I teased.

He chuckled. "No, but I know the genre tropes. I mean, I'm basically a walking example, aren't I?"

"Mm." I reached over to take his hand, lacing my fingers between his. "I think you might count as the golden retriever type."

"Mighty warrior," he countered.

"Doesn't mean you can't be both." I glanced back to make sure the rest of the court were still meandering in basically the right direction. "So what are you going to do about this crush you have on the arrogant prince, oh lowly peasant boy?"

He pulled his hand free and slapped it over his chest in mock horror. "You don't think I'm worthy of royalty?"

"Oh, are you only interested in those of regal birth?" I teased in return. "What's a poor nobody to do, unable to catch your eye?"

And he rushed in, catching me around the waist with both arms. "The Morrigan is pretty much the opposite of 'nobody,' Rain. I mean, I dunno. I think she might be more like the main character. Or at least part of the cast."

"Oh, you want to be a main character!" I taunted next.

But Keir pulled me to a stop. "No, I'd actually like to be one of your supporting cast." Then he reached up to smooth away a loose strand of my hair. "And I've missed this. I feel like we're always going two different directions, needing to focus too hard for me to laugh with you like I want."

"Kiss her!" Aspen's voice called across the grass.

"Don't ruin the moment!" Keir called back.

And Torian looked away with a scowl on his face. I saw and gasped, aware he wasn't upset about anything I was doing. Nope, I was pretty sure his sullenness this time was simple and easy to explain.

"I think you're making Torian jealous," I whispered to Keir.

He shrugged that off. "He'll learn or he won't. I can't change him, Rain, and I don't want to. But speaking of royalty, how're things going in your suite?"

I bit my lip, feeling my cheeks immediately warming up. "Um, there's been a lot of bed sharing, and some sharing of the shower. Not closing the door when we change. No more shyness about being undressed, you know?"

"I do not," he admitted. "Sadly, that's a girl thing. Maybe a human thing? I'm not sure, but most of us know we have nothing to be ashamed of." And he leaned down, lowering his voice. "Trust me, you don't either. So stop trying to be some plastic doll, carved to perfection, and make a move."

"I have been," I admitted. "We're now at the roaming hands stage, and I kinda like it." I groaned, realizing how that sounded. "I mean it's not a big rush, you know?"

His eyes slipped down my body. "Yep. I completely understand.

" Then he turned me and pulled me against his side, making sure we weren't the last ones back.

"See, I feel like I know you better now than when you first showed up.

I like you just as much - or even better.

I like you for you, not just because you're hot. "

"I'm not hot," I mumbled.

He laughed at that. "I hear you think it's the truth. I can also say you're wrong."

And I found myself smiling down at my feet. "Thanks. I think that's what I needed to hear, Keir."

"Then I'll add this," he said just as we reached the door. "I'm worried, Rain. I want to say the teachers and staff will keep us safe, but I don't know if that's true anymore. Torian just kicked this up a notch, and we're no longer dealing with mere teenage drama."

"So, this is that big of a deal?" I asked.

Because I could assume it was, but Aspen had been my first friend here. She was a queen. That sorta warped my perception of normal! If we'd been at a normal school, with normal students, and no magical stuff involved? Sure, a prince or a queen would be crazy. But weren't the fae used to that?

"Rain, humans respect royalty because of governmental power and money. Fae respect royalty for all of that, plus magical power. The monarch is the master of the purse, for both the nation and the magic each of us has access to."

"Not you," I pointed out.

"I'm not sure about that," he said. "We saw Torian strip Nevaeh. He's tried to do it again, but he has been stopped. I'm pretty sure Aspen could do the same."

"So that's their rank, not just because they're crazy powerful?" I asked.

He turned me to the elevator, but paused before we got there.

"Nope. No one else can do that. It's why everyone assumed he was a jevadu.

Remember, most of us were raised to fear royalty, not make out with them.

We were taught to suck up, hope for them to not notice us, and all of that crap.

But they're here, everyone knows it now, and most of the students have never seen the courts on Faerie. "

"Not the good ones," Aspen said, tilting her head to make it clear we could come closer.

"Some of the adults saw the Mad Queen's court, but usually from a distance.

In truth, I barely remember anything about it.

By the time I was born, Avalon was..." She paused, pressing her lips together.

"Peaceful is how I remember it, but I think empty would probably be what everyone else would call it. "

Keir shifted to clasp Aspen's shoulder. "You two be safe tonight. And if you have another Spike, Aspen, I'd suggest putting it by your door."

"I have a young male," she said, "but he's only like six inches tall."

"Does he have thorns?" I asked.

Aspen made a face. "Little ones. I mean, I could magic him bigger, but I haven't needed to do that in a while."

"Do it anyway," Keir said. "Make Rain and Jack help you."

"Jack!" the crow said on cue.

I rolled my eyes. "Ok. Go hang with Torian, Keir. We'll meet up for dinner?"

He reached down for Aspen's hand, then lifted it to his lips like an ancient gentleman.

"My partner." Then he gave me a warm, almost smoldering look.

"My lady. I think it's a date. I have a feeling I can entertain both of you.

" Then he winked and turned, making his way over to where Torian was talking with Hawke and Wilder.

Aspen giggled. "Ugh, I like him."

"Me too," I agreed. "I just like this, but he says he's worried."

"Then we'll grow another plant," she decided. "What will we name it?"

"Maybe Spot?" I offered. "I mean, because Spike and Spot are good names. Then again, it won't have spots, huh? So maybe Rex?"

She waited until we were on the elevator, heading up. "I like Spot."

And sure enough, the male Monarch's Assassin had variegated leaves that looked like they had spots, so the name fit!

Together, we repotted it into something bigger, and then she showed me how to encourage a plant to grow.

Of course, I didn't have the talent she did, but Aspen assured me I'd get better with practice.

That was why she'd gotten into plants. It was why botany was one of her favorite classes.

And while we grew the plant only big enough to guard the door, she told me all about the project they were learning in her class, and how she was working on making something special for me.

She also wouldn't tell me what, just that her class was going to be outside the next day, and that if the Hunt showed up, she'd see just how strong her magic really was, because she was going to do this.

So on Wednesday afternoon, I dawdled after leaving the Forge. I was supposed to be going to the gym, but I knew Aspen's class came this way. Jack took off, landing in a tree above me and chattered with the wild crows around us.

"Morrigan!" he cawed.

"What?" I asked, turning to look up at him.

"Court!"

"Who?" I asked, trying to spy a black bird in the midst of thick leaves.

But when Jack flapped his wings without letting go of his branch, I saw him. "Court!" he cawed again.

"Duke!" Hawke corrected as he made his way over. "And you need to remind your Morrigan that we agreed to not be alone."

"Jack!" the bird reminded him. "Jack-Rain."

"Which means," I said as Hawke jogged into view, "that I'm not alone."

"But you're later than normal, and I can get closer to the Forge than Keir can." He tilted his head back toward where he'd come from. "Let's go before we're late."

I shifted to his side and lifted my arm.

A second later, Jack swooped down, landing on my wrist before hopping up to my shoulder.

I liked how easy that was for us now. Keeping tabs on him had become so comfortable, I barely even thought about it anymore.

I did, however, need to get him to ride on the other shoulder more often, just so one wasn't stronger than the other.

Yet when Hawke pulled open the door to the gym, a shrill sound pierced the air. Immediately, we both looked up, but Jack was still on my shoulder. He always took off when the Hunt was coming, so what was going on?

Then someone else cried out, and then a few more afterwards. My head whipped around, trying to figure out where it was coming from, but the mass of the gym made the sounds bounce around weirdly. All I was sure of was that it wasn't between me and the main building.

And then the back of my head began to get cold and crawl. I reached up to check for something in my hair, but Hawke snapped around.

"Aspen," he breathed, rushing into the gym.

I almost followed, but then his words broke through my mind. That was Shadow's alert that something was wrong with Aspen! Was she the one who'd screamed? But the sky was still bright blue. That meant this wasn't the Hunt.

As I bolted toward her, led by the sensation under my skin, I hoped this wasn't something worse.