Page 29 of The Cursed Fae

He laughed. “I meant the coffee. For the cove, I was thinking more of a bonfire and beer. But if you want to go for a swim, Cali girl, no one's going to stop you. How about it?”

Ray died at the cove. For that reason alone, I hesitated.

“I can get you something besides beer if you'd prefer,” Laz added, misinterpreting the source of my reluctance. “What do you west coasters prefer, some organic gluten-free nonsense? Hard kombucha?”

“Hell no, that stuff smells like bottled vomit. Though I do enjoy seltzers with antioxidants, it's like multi-tasking in a can. It's just... I don't have a car.” The excuse sounded lame, but at least it was true. My mother had sold my used convertible before our cross-country drive to help with moving expenses.

“You can ride with me.” Laz drained the last of my coffee and set the paper cup on the table. “I'll grab you another latte. Are you hungry? Did you eat yet?”

I shook my head. “I'm good with coffee.”

Laz frowned. “Skipping breakfast is not a good idea today. Canterwald is testing your magic. You need all the strength you can get. How about a donut? The lemon-filled ones are the best, made fresh every morning.”

“Right, because sugar is a substantial source of energy. I'll take two,” I agreed.

Ten minutes later, Laz returned with fresh coffee, donuts for me, and an entire tray of breakfast meats for himself. Morgan and Astrid joined us not long after, neither surprised to find Laz and me sitting together.

“Are we interrupting?” Astrid asked.

“Not at all. Sit,” I said, gesturing to the empty chairs.

Astrid had already heard about the cove party. She, Fern, and Belle were all planning to go. Morgan declined with an excuse about having dinner with her family. Personally, I thought she just wasn't in the mood to be social, and I couldn't blame her. A party would've been the last item on my to-do list if our roles were reversed and my best friend just died.

After five days at the university, I knew my way around well enough that I didn't need a tour guide. I still needed to speak with Morgan alone, though. With Astrid and Laz around, that would not happen. There would be other chances. I just needed to be patient.

That was easier said than done.

I didn't see Morgan between classes, and I spent my lunch break taking the online test for Professor Tartan on the Aries Fae. Maybe it was all the distractions, or maybe I simply hadn't studied enough, but my barely passing score was cringe-worthy.

Laz met me outside of Professor Hayes' class. The sight of him waiting for me with his lazy grin made my heart skip a single beat. Then Laz opened his mouth.

“So, I spoke to Canterwald, and she agreed to do your test on Sunday night,” he said, beaming like a proud new father.

I cringed. “Am I that bad?”

“Not at all.” He made a face. “I saw your score on Tartan's quiz and figured you could use a break. This gives you two days of rest.”

My cheeks burned. On the one hand, Laz's gesture was thoughtful. On the other, I hadn't asked for special treatment.

“Wow. Thanks, I guess?” I snapped. I could fight my own battles if necessary, and it was a bit humiliating to have him go behind my back to Tartan.

Laz either missed the sarcastic tone or ignored it.

Without the added pressure of an exam, my magic lesson went much smoother than it had the previous few days. I managed to summon and levitate a pillow, which I then used to chase Laz around the room.

“You're picking this up quickly,” he panted, having just run down and back up the stairs to get away from his feather-filled assailant.

“Like I said, I've used magic before.” I took a long swig from my water bottle. Laz might have been the one moving, but I was sweating just as much.

“Before you know it, you'll be ready for the arena. Tryouts are next week.”

I choked on the water, nearly causing liquid to shoot out of my nose.

“Excuse me?” I coughed. “What's the arena? Tryouts for what?”

Laz held out his hand for the water bottle, and I showed off my impressive talents by making it waltz over to his waiting fingers. He downed a good portion of the water and then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. My eyes landed on his full lips and lingered a beat too long.

It was cliche to crush on a tutor; I was better than that. He was also my she-devil roommate's brother, and I didn't need to add to her steakhouse of beef against me. Laz was off-limits.

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