Page 31 of The Cursed Fae

“She told me the truth last night, but I'm the only one who knows,” Astrid continued. She gestured in my direction. “Well, and you, I guess. Have you told anyone?”

“Did I tell anyone I'm seeing spirits?” I shook my head. “Hell no.”

“Good. The unsanctioned sharing of magic is a big deal. If anyone finds out the truth, they will drag Morgan in front of the High Fae Council.”

That sounded serious. “I won't,” I promised.

“And don't tell Morgan about Missy's spirit. You might think knowing her girlfriend is still around would help her, but it won't. Trust me.”

For the second time in a single minute, I felt like a moron for not seeing what was plainly in front of me. Morgan's girlfriend. Missy.

This promise was harder to make, though. I needed to know about the poem and find out where Morgan had seen the words before. If I got my lies in order beforehand, hopefully I'd avoid a repeat of this discussion with Astrid.

“Yeah, sure. Sealing my lips now,” I said. “Same with telling anyone about my spirit sight?”

As Astrid nodded, there was a knock on the door. We both froze like we were about to be caught breaking some rule. The knob turned, and Laz peeked his head through the opening. His face broke into a smile when he saw me, his gaze travelling from the chunky heeled booties to the low-cut sweater and up to meet my eyes.

“You look great. You guys ready?” he asked.

Seeing him relaxed my tense muscles. “Definitely,” I said.

Astrid stood. “Let's get drunk.”

Laz opened the door wider and gestured us into the hallway. He leaned into hug me as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Strangely, being in his arms felt natural. His lips brushed my cheek in a glancing kiss.

“Glad you're coming with us,” he said. “I thought you might back out.”

Truthfully, I had considered doing just that. But the prospect of spending time with Laz outside of school motivated me to act irresponsibly. Besides, I had the entire weekend for schoolwork.

Had I known what the rest of the night had in store for me, I would have stuck with my gut instinct and stayed in the dorms.

Chapter ten

A Bloody Good Time

Arcane Cove was a twenty-minute drive from campus, but the ride felt much longer with Tina in the car. She'd been waiting in the main hall when Laz, Astrid, and I went downstairs from the dorms. It surprised me to see her, if only because my roommate wasn't the most social person.

Snowplows must've been working overtime. All the paved surfaces in town were clear, including the sidewalks along Main Street and the parking lot at the top of the bluffs that surrounded the cove.

The same wasn't true of the path down to the water. My sensible boots were no match for the icy terrain.

I skidded along the path, nearly falling on my butt several times. Laz slipped his hand in mine to steady me, prompting Tina to make a disgusted scoff. I wondered whether my clumsiness had more to do with her than the ice.

By the time we arrived on the beach, the party was in full swing. Several dozen Arcane University students milled around a giant bonfire on the snowy sand. I almost asked how they'd lit the logs, but then I realized that wood wasn't fueling the fire; magic created and sustained the flames.

Thumping music played loudly on a speaker, and a few people were dancing. A skilled fae had constructed a snow table close to the water's edge, and teams of two competed against each other in beer pong. Aside from the magical component, it was like most other parties I'd attended. In fact, this party was the most normal, human aspect of my life in Arcane Landing so far.

Tina broke away from our group as soon as she saw someone more interesting.

“Fern and Belle are over there. I'm going to go say hi,” Astrid said. She glanced at my and Laz's intertwined fingers. “You good here?”

“Yeah. I'll find you in a little,” I said.

Laz squeezed my hand. “Come on. I want you to meet my friends.”

A tendril of excitement fluttered in my stomach, mixed with some dread. He wanted me to meet his friends. That was a good sign, but it also felt a little like a test. If his friends didn't like me, would whatever was going on between us come to an abrupt end? What if they thought lesser of me because I wasn't full fae? Because my biological father was most likely human. In just one week at the university, I'd seen a lot of bias in the supernatural community.

The first friend Laz introduced was Justin, Ray's former roommate.

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