Page 52 of The Cursed Fae

I’d been so caught up in my head that I didn’t hear Archer come into the attic room.

“Fae-human relations,” I said with a heavy sigh.

He smiled sympathetically. “I’ve been through my fair share. Is that why you’re hiding up here?” Archer slid down the wall to sit beside me. “I thought maybe you wanted to be alone after Friday.”

“I don’t know what I want. Particularly after Friday.”

He leaned closer and nudged my shoulder with his. “Want to talk about it?”

I shook my head, but then changed my mind. “You were there. You saw what I did.”

Archer shrugged. “Yeah, I was there.”

I met his gaze. “Tell me the truth, did I use a shielding spell?”

His expression didn’t change. “No. But I’m guessing you already know that. And you’ve probably already figured out you aren’t a water fae either?”

“How long have you known?” I demanded.

It was Archer’s turn to look away. “I sort of suspected you might be a dimensional fae, but I’m not as sensitive to that sort of thing as others.”

“Why do you think that, then? Aren’t dimensional fae rare?”

Archer’s gaze turned inward, staring at a memory I couldn’t see and he didn’t share. I felt like I was missing something, but couldn’t figure out what it might be. Finally, Archer looked up and grinned as though no time had passed.

“Yes. We are indeed quite rare. Welcome to the club, Winter.”

Chapter seventeen

Pitchforks and Proof

Monday morning came faster than I wanted. For so many reasons, but the biggest one was Laz. He'd lied to me about my elemental magic—Archer confirmed as much. Not in so many words, of course. Archer had spent half of Sunday night convincing me dimensional fae were exceedingly rare, and it was more likely Laz just hadn't encountered enough of us to spot the signs.

In that case, the university really should've assigned someone more competent to administer the elemental exam.

We'd spent the rest of the night in the astrology room discussing pocket dimensions and portals. In the light of day, the conversation felt too fantastical to be real. My mind had a hard time digesting all the information that was utterly foreign to me. Archer had promised to meet me that evening so we could talk more, but I was too impatient to wait for answers from him.

The school library opened at 5:00 a.m. for the overachievers who just had to fit a few more facts in their heads before a day of learning. Usually I was not one of them, though I probably should've made it a daily habit if I wanted to pass my classes.

I was up and out my door by 5:05 and in the basement stacks ten minutes later, searching for books on dimensional fae and vampiric lore.

There was no Dewey decimal system, electronic database, nor seemingly any rhyme or reason to the organization of the books. After twenty minutes of scanning shelves and finding books like Sea Plants of the Caribbean next to Where Did the Wings Go? The Fae of Today, I gave up and sought a librarian.

“Can you point me toward a section on unusual fae magic?” I asked the old man behind the circulation desk. “Or vampires. Maybe even something about vampires who use magic. That's unusual, right?”

There was a twinkle in the man's eye. “Yes, that is unusual, as you say. Though lately it seems to be the hot ticket here in the library. You're the third one in three days to ask for something of that sort.”

So my classmates had seen the vampire use magic, too. Then they lied about it. Why?

“Have you ever met a vampire who uses magic?” I asked.

The librarian was at least as old as Nana. Surely he'd encountered some weird shit in his time.

He chuckled, thick eyebrows dancing on his wrinkled forehead. “No one meets a vampire, dear. They're soulless creatures, and you can't meet someone without a soul. But,” he held up a finger, “I have encountered such a beast. Just one time. That was enough.” He shuddered at the memory. “Yes, that was enough.”

The librarian's expression had taken on a haunted quality, and I couldn't bring myself to press him for details. Instead, I stood there awkwardly while he relived the traumatic experience in his mind, unsure what to say to comfort him.

After a minute, he shook his head. “Now, let's see. Books, right? Coven of Eternals is outstanding. There's a lot of truth to the faerie tales. Wars of the Fae is also a good source.” He held up a gnarled finger in warning. “It's a lengthy one, but I think you'll find the material interesting.”

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