Page 29 of Faerie Marked

The infirmary.

“Oh my, what do we have going on? Someone isn’t feeling well, is she? We’ve got some light sweating…nope,heavysweating. I can feel the heat coming off of her skin from here. Yowzah, we’ve either got the magical influenza or someone is going through early menopause. Just kidding! I’m kidding, of course.”

I blinked at the nurse with the sweet voice, her image solidifying into two solid presences instead of five. Another species of Fae, with gangly limbs, pointed ears, and shiny wings protruding from her shoulder blades in a blue only a shade lighter than her skin.

Blue skin?

She clucked her tongue to get Mike’s attention. “Keep hold of her, young man. Don’t let her sag to the floor. Get her over to the table and help her sit up,” the nurse said brusquely.

“I’m not sure what’s going on,” Mike was saying. His hands moved to my shoulders to steady me. “We pulled up to the gate and she said she felt dizzy. Then she almost knocked her head on the car when she went down. It came out of nowhere.”

He helped situate me on the examination table but kept his hands on my knees until I steadied. “I’m fine,” I told them both again, my words only slurring slightly.

An improvement!

This time, I meant it. The wave of pain at last ebbed, the effects of the potion beginning to wear off. I drew in a breath and didn’t feel needles piercing my lungs, and when I opened my eyes again, the world swam into view after a few breaths.

Mike stood at my side with his arms crossed over his chest and concern coloring his every feature.

The nurse was on his right. Her name tag readJulie.

She had a stethoscope in hand, startling amethyst-colored eyes darting over me and flashing in warning.Warning?A muscle feathered in her jaw and I regretted letting Mike bring me to her, if only for the scrutiny flickering in her gaze. As though she saw right through me.

“What?” I choked out. What did she see when she looked at me?

Her gaze widened as she stared. My fingers clutched the edge of the table. If I had to make a run for it, I wouldn’t get far. Still…

“I just had a weird hot flash and dizzy spell,” I insisted. “Everyone overreacted. It’s nothing for you to worry about. I’m absolutely fine. See? The fever is already fading.”

“It’snotnothing,” Mike said. His golden skin flushed. “You went from fine to sick in seconds. Worrisome.”

“I’m not so sure…” Nurse Julie trailed off, bending in front of me. Examining me.

I sucked on my teeth for a moment.

Finally, she chuckled, a soft and gentle sound breaking the tension immediately. “I think it should be girls only for a little bit. If you’ll excuse us, young man, I need to speak to my patient alone. You can wait out in the hall until we’re done here. Go on, now. Shoo! Shoo!”

She pushed Mike out the door with a cluck of her tongue, flicked the lock behind him, then walked over to the sink and picked up a piece of gauze to run under the faucet. “The teachers here can’t keep their noses out of students’ business,” she told me without looking over her shoulder. “They are inherentlyinvested in the goings-on around campus. It’s always best to keep yourself to yourself at all times. Get me?”

Whoever this nurse was, I wasn’t sure I could trust her, and the ominous tone of her words had the breath whooshing from my chest.

“I don’t need anyonein my business,” I muttered.

“Who does? Now let me just check a few things with you and you’ll be good to go. Your color is already coming back.” She turned around and smiled, holding the gauze up to my forehead to wipe away the rapidly drying beads of sweat. Her wings flickered. “A few more minutes and you should be back to normal, although I recommend getting a little sleep. Okay, alotof sleep. You’re up late tonight. Have you been eating?”

I answered her questions to the best of my ability. They were perfunctory, going over my personal habits, my pulse, et cetera. She no longer looked at me with the same discretion she had earlier. No longer appeared as though she saw everything I wanted to hide.

“Okay, Miss Alderidge. Off with younow. Go check in and get situated in your dorm. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow and you are going to need your strength. You look fine to me.”

The nurse clearly had her own agenda and soon sent me on my way with a warning to drink more fluids.

I expected Mike to be long gone by the time I left the infirmary, ibuprofen in hand and orange juice helping to settle my stomach. He had no reason to wait around for me.

He stood up from a chair in the lobby and flashed me a smile, one I’d almost come to expect on his face. No, stupid. I couldn’t expect something from a guy I’d known less than a day.

“You waited,” I said in surprise.

“Of course I waited,” he replied, blinking. “I couldn’t let you walk out alone. Plus, I have your bags.”

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