Page 30 of Faerie Marked

I stepped up to him, hissing when I expected pain and found none, my potion now in place. “I definitely appreciate it. You’ve been so kind to me.”

“New kids have to stick together, right?” He leaned closer and knocked me lightly on the arm, a gesture of camaraderie. Not hard enough to knock me off my feet in any way.

Why did it make my skin prickle deliciously?

With soft light pouring down from a crystal chandelier overhead, I saw Mike in full light for the first time since meeting, and I wondered how I’d ever thought him merelyunconventionally handsome. No, his looks went way beyond handsome.

My heart cracked open a bit the longer I stared.

His skin gleamed with a slight bronze sheen, his hair the color of sunshine itself. His eyes were a vibrant green with gold around the iris, like the personification of a summer forest. Young, sure, but devastatingly beautiful and captivating in a way I had never seen before.

I drew toward him not because of his looks alone, but the inherent kindness he’d shown me. The way he’d offered to lend a hand to a stranger. Then I stopped myself when I took a literal step toward him.

His brows, slightly arched, brought out the color of his eyes.

My breath caught in my throat and I slid my hands behind me to keep from reaching out to touch him. This powerful Fae male. I had to rememberthatabove all else.

What species was he? Half-human? I’d put human on my admission application if quizzed.

Or maybe half-Fae and half-elf?

His head quirked to the side, adorable to the point where I had to draw in a breath to center myself. “Come on, Tavi. Let’s get back to the entry hall and see if they will let us check in before orientation tomorrow. Our kind never sleep! I saw some tables set up where I guess the professors have prepared for early arrivals. We can get signed in, grab our paperwork, and then they’ll administer the blood tests.”

I started and felt my face go pale. “The blood test.”

I’d known it was coming, even as my heart clutched and I followed Mike back the way we’d come. They’d need to make sure the students fell into the acceptable half-breed categories. They couldn’t simply take us at our word.

“Are you afraid of needles?” Mike asked over his shoulder. “You can tell me if you are. I won’t make fun of you.”

Struggling to swallow, I said, “Yes, totally afraid.” It made more sense for me to fear the needle rather than fear the result.

“It’s nothing for you to worry about. You won’t even see the needle, from what I understand. It’s a machine analyzing magic in your white and red blood cells. It should only take a few seconds.”

“I appreciate your trying to spin this around for me,” I told him with a mouth gone dry.

This was it. If the potion didn’t work, then I would not be able to hide the truth from anyone, and they would turn on me.

“Come on, don’t be scared,” Mike teased. He stood beside me with a calm and steady presence. I tried not to lean on him. “It’s a little blood test and then we can get settled. No worries. See? There are already people here.”

Scared?No, I wouldn’t say scared. I wasterrified. I wondered when I’d grown so bold as to think I could pull this off and get away with it.

Enough time had passed that a line had formed while I was in the nurse’s office. I stared around at the crowd, the beautiful men and women who were all like me. Maybe everyone else had the same idea Mike had, to check in early and save themselves the hassle of doing it in the morning.

Yet I stood alone in the crowd.

My turn in line came up faster than I wanted. The woman in front of me maneuvered my finger into the device as I stood statue-still.

The needle shot out and sliced into my skin.

The moment of truth. If they could see the shifter inside of me…then I was done.

11

If the reader registered anything besides human, I could kiss my place here goodbye.You’re a liar.You’re a fraud.

I waited precious moments for the results to come in, my blood pressure rising with each second, almost hearing the clock in my head.

Tick.

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