Page 21 of The Cursed Fae

“My dad's probably human,” I said automatically.

He cocked an eyebrow. “Really? That's way less interesting than the rumors.”

“What exactly are these rumors about my family?”

“Totally normal stuff,” Archer replied, the corners of his mouth twitching. “That your father was a hell beast. Or your mother ran away because John Keene got her pregnant and tried to feed her to a shifter to cover it up. Just typical small-town gossip.”

I chuckled. “Charming stuff.”

A comfortable silence fell between us, and I refocused on the textbook in front of me. Besides Professor Tartan's copious notes, she also wanted me to read the ten chapters in the text devoted to Aries fae.

Archer stood and stared down at me expectantly.

“What?” I brushed my cheeks with my hand to make sure I didn't have food on my face.

“It's after midnight. Shouldn't you be getting back to your room?”

“I should be,” I agreed. “But Tina locked me out. I have so much work still, I figured I'd just make it an all-nighter.”

“Tina?” Archer looked confused.

“Yeah. Tina Keene. You know, the chancellor's daughter.”

“Oh, right.” Archer laughed. “She's a piece of work.”

I made a noncommittal noise in response. “Don't let me get you in trouble, though. Run along to your room.” I made a shooing motion toward the door.

Archer stretched his arms over his head, his shirt riding up to expose a taut stomach. I tried not to stare, but his abs were worth a second look.

“I am pretty beat,” he said around a yawn. “Later, Sable.”

With that, he turned and sauntered out of the astrology room.

I stayed up until my vision went blurry and the lines of type-written text bled together. I didn't remember falling asleep or grabbing a blanket or setting the alarm on my phone. But I woke up to beeping in my ear and a warm quilt tucked around my shoulders.

The door was unlocked, and Tina was in the shower when I trudged to my room. My body was stiff from napping on the floor, and I felt sluggish from lack of sleep. Nothing a hot shower and coffee wouldn't fix. When Tina exited our shared bathroom, she barely glanced at me.

“I still need to brush my teeth,” she said when I grabbed my toiletry case.

“Would you mind doing that now?” I asked with forced politeness.

Tina started towel-drying her long hair. Then she dropped the towel covering her body and walked over to her closet, fully nude. She selected a fluffy white robe, which she wrapped around herself before finally going to brush her teeth. This was a ten-minute ordeal.

By the time I finally got my shower, I only had twenty minutes to get ready. That was sufficient time, but it miffed me on principle alone. Tina was hurting since the news about Missy—that much was obvious—so I felt like I should give her a pass on her bitchy behavior. And yet, I also refused to tiptoe around her for the rest of the semester.

Give her another few days, I told myself. If she doesn't chill, go to her dad.

When I emerged from the bathroom to an empty room, a handwritten note rested on my pillow. As I scanned the words, I wanted to scream.

“What. The. Actual. Fuck.”

Chapter seven

Am I in the Business of Misery?

“Knock, knock,” Astrid called as she tapped on the open door of my room. She nodded toward Tina's empty bed. “Where's Lucifer?”

“Breakfast, I guess. She took off while I was in the shower. She left a note, though.” I handed Astrid the single sheet of stationery with loopy black writing.

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