Page 73 of The Cursed Fae

He took my hands in his and noted the chocolate smudges on my fingertips. Bringing them to his mouth, Laz’s tongue flicked between his parted lips to taste the sugar on my skin. A taunting glint sparkled in his eyes.

“What’s this really about, Winter?” he asked. “Are you trying to summon the ghost of an old boyfriend?” His tone was teasing, but I experienced a stab of guilt. “Why don’t you tell me who you’re so desperate to contact?”

He bit down on my finger. Not hard, though, just enough that my adrenaline spiked.

“This seems a tad manipulative,” I said.

Laz laughed and let our hands fall between us, still intertwined. “And you offering to help me with my initiation spell on the pretense of kindness isn’t?” he quipped.

“Only a little,” I replied.

He squeezed my fingers and leaned closer, so our faces were only inches apart. “Okay, so what’s really going on? Tell me how I can assist you.”

I considered the offer. Trying to do this all alone was exhausting. Keeping so many secrets was draining, and using my magic exacerbated the all-consuming mental fatigue. A lot of these problems didn’t have a simple solution, but telling Laz would ease the burden.

“Okay. So this is probably all going to sound crazy, but the truth is...”

I told him about my first encounter with Missy and let the story unfold from there. He took it all in stride, though I noticed the flash of alarm in his expression when I got to the part where Missy claimed someone had drained her magic and possibly killed Ray the same way.

“Does she remember it being stolen?” Laz asked doubtfully. “That is a serious accusation.”

I shook my head. “Not exactly. I think it takes time for that sort of memory to surface.”

“Which is why you want to talk to Ray—he’s been dead for months,” Laz guessed, sounding unhappy about the realization.

“That’s part of it,” I admitted.

“Why didn’t you just tell me all this from the beginning?” Laz tilted his head back and looked up, like the answer might be on the ceiling. He no longer found the situation amusing. I worried that by unburdening myself, I’d transferred the weight to him instead.

“It’s all sort of wild and illogical. I’m aware of that. I don’t even know if I believe there is a connection or a conspiracy or whatever,” I babbled.

“This is a school for supernaturally gifted kids,” Lazlo reminded me. “Ghostly whispers of strange deaths are par for the course.”

“Really? Because everyone seems pretty freaked out,” I replied.

Laz twirled a lock of my hair around his finger. “People are upset, which is expected. Death is a tragedy. And grief is weird. It’s processed in many different ways. But believe me, every young death in this town has a supernatural story attached to it. Don’t pay too much attention to the gossip and rumors.”

“It’s not like I heard it in a game of telephone,” I pointed out. “Missy says someone murdered her. And I got the same note she did.”

“Troublesome.” Laz scratched his head thoughtfully. “Nothing’s happened since, right? Missy received her letter the day she died, you said. Yours might’ve been a mistake. Or maybe the same creepy tween had a crush on both of you.”

“Maybe,” I agreed. “That’s why we have to talk to Ray.”

Laz feigned embarrassment. “So it’s ‘we’ now?” he teased, his good humor returning.

“I need help,” I admitted, shrugging.

He leaned in until our lips were all but touching. “Nah,” he muttered. “You don’t need me, but I’m happy to support you.” He kissed me softly. Warmth spread through my entire body.

One hand slid around my neck beneath my hair. I rested my hands on Laz’s hips and drew him closer to me.

“You better now?” he whispered as he peppered kisses down the side of my throat.

A wave of dizziness washed over me, and I swayed on the stool. Laz’s palms moved to my shoulders to steady me as he pulled back to peer into my face.

“You okay?” he asked, voice full of concern.

I closed my eyes temporarily to stop the spinning. “Yeah. Just dizzy. I think I need more chocolate.”

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