Page 59 of Drama Queen

There’s not really anything around here. We live in some of the closest apartments to campus, and it’s still about fifteen minutes away by car. Not to mention, it’s hot as balls out here today.

“I don’t have a car,” she snaps without turning around.

Duh, that would explain it.

“Okay, no big deal. I’ll drive.” I walk past them toward the far end of the lot where my car is. Having afternoon classes means you get shit for parking because everyone in the morning classes is already here.

As we get closer, I pull my keys from my pocket, push the button to unlock it, and hear Emory squeak in surprise behind me.

“You know what? How about I just walk, and you guys can follow me?” Emory says in a rush.

“Don’t be ridiculous. We're going the same way, so it’s no big deal,” I tell her, thinking she’s worried about accepting my help. I can’t blame her; I wouldn’t love accepting her help if the roles were reversed.

No, that’s a lie. I wouldn’t mind, but I wouldn’t let her know.

It’s not until I turn around and see the fear on her face that I realize this isn’t just about accepting my help.

“Emory?” Silas says her name like a question, taking a step toward her.

Her posture is rigid, and she clutches her bag to her stomach like it’s a lifeline.

“I’m fine,” she says, sounding anything but. “Let’s just go.”

With that, she starts forward again, determination blazing in her eyes.

I’m not sure what she’s afraid of, but she’s sure as fuck not going to let it stop her.

Six

EMORY

Why anyone would wantto ride in a car is beyond me. I’m sure Pixie enjoyed my trauma, but thankfully, she’s remained quiet so far.

That’s about to change.

We made it to my apartment in one piece. Before we even reached the door, Aldric was there. I’m not sure who told him about us being here, but it makes things easier for me. I’d tried to resist the urge to touch him and see if he was, in fact, another one of my mates, but I couldn’t. Even still feeling sick from the effects of touching Carver wasn’t enough to stop me. I need to know.

Three mates.

Plus, Zephyr is four, which means I have one more than my sister.

They follow me up to my apartment in silence. When I push open my door, Aldric grumbles something about it not being locked, but I ignore him. I’m not worried about anything here, not to mention every damn key on the ring the old man gave me looks the same.

Once we’re inside, I don’t waste any time. I’d thought about how to break the news to them on the drive here. Even through my panic, I couldn’t stop obsessing about it. This is it. I’m not sure there’s a right way, though. I’m about to challenge everything they’ve ever known about the world, so I might as well go big.

Digging into my bag, I pull out the jar that holds Pix and set it on the counter. Three sets of eyes follow my every move, and I watch the shock and confusion play over their faces as Pixie lets out a high-pitched squeal of delight.

“All three of them, Em?” she asks, jumping up and down before pressing her face to the jar to try to get a better look.

“Yeah, all three, Pix,” I say with a nod, reaching over to unscrew the lid, making good on my promise to her. I’d wanted to let her out for a while now. I felt terrible keeping her trapped, but I needed her. As much as I wanted this friendship I thought we’d been building to be real, I couldn’t be sure. I couldn’t risk it.

Pix takes off around the room the second the lid’s removed. She does a lap around them before coming over to ruffle through my hair, only to take off again toward the guys.

“What the fuck is that?!” Carver shouts, dropping low as Pix gets close, swatting at her when she gets too close. Thankfully, she’s able to avoid his flailing arms with ease.

Here goes nothing.

“Where I’m from, life is divided between two courts. There are the Seelie and the Unseelie. The Seelie are known for their beauty, grace, and love of life's lighter, happier parts. Sunshine, rainbows, unicorns, all that shit.”

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