Page 43 of The Cursed Fae

“Do I want my coffee Beast Mode?” I asked when Pei left to fix our drinks. “It sounds intense.”

Laz laughed off my concerns. “It’s like having a triple shot of espresso.”

I narrowed my eyes. “But the espresso is actually magic?”

“Well, yeah.” He shrugged. “It’s a fae potion. Meant to wake you up.”

“Are you sure you should drink that before you fight?” I asked.

He wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed my cheek. “It’s totally legal. All natural.”

Pei returned with our drinks and two cinnamon muffins. She wished Laz good luck in his match and mentioned she’d be in the stands, which induced a spike of jealousy that made me lean closer to him. He squeezed my waist, giving me a sense of smug satisfaction.

We left, and I waited until we were inside the car with the heater blasting before asking, “How do you know Pei? Does she go to the university?”

I hadn’t seen her around, but that meant little. Sort of by accident, I’d fallen into a bubble at school. My new friends, except for Archer, were all friends with each other. I had yet to branch out.

Laz shook his head. “Nah. She’s been working at Beans & Brews since I was in high school. My Aunt Suzy and her husband own the coffee shop.” He backed out of the parking space and then shot me a wicked grin. “Jealous?”

I rolled my eyes. “Curious,” I fired back. “How big a deal are these arena games? I figured only students went.”

“Most of Arcane Landing turns up. Even Essie usually comes.”

“Weird. She didn’t say anything about that,” I said.

Laz reached over and squeezed my gloved hand, keeping his other hand firmly on the wheel. “Pei is just a friend. She lives out on Siren Island.”

My eyebrows shot up. “People live on Siren Island?” I asked, choosing to ignore the first part of his comment for now.

Laz hesitated a beat too long. “Only a few. No Gemini fae.”

“So, other fae live there?”

I didn’t intend to be argumentative, I just didn’t understand why Laz danced around the topic. Did he and Pei have history? Had they dated? Laz said she’d been working at Beans & Brews since high school.

“Pei is not fae.” Laz drove through the gates to campus. “Not entirely.”

“Neither am I,” I pointed out.

He shook his head. “It’s not the same.”

It felt like I’d heard that a lot. It would be great if everyone in my life wasn’t so damn cagey about everything.

We parked in the covered garage. Laz grabbed our bags from the back and slung them over his shoulder. He slipped his hand in mind as we walked and sipped our coffees. Campus was quiet, most students taking advantage of sleeping in. We encountered a few people studying in one of the common lounges. Enticing aromas wafted from the dining hall when we passed. My stomach growled, and I considered a second breakfast.

Why was I so hungry lately?

Up in my floor’s lobby, Morgan sat on the couch with Astrid. Several other girls I recognized but didn’t know laid on pillows on the floor. Astrid saw me first.

“Winter!”

Laz turned. “Guess that’s my cue.” His lips brushed my cheek. “I’ll see you after the games?”

“I have that quiz,” I reminded him.

“How about dinner?”

“Yeah, sure.”

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