Page 7 of Faerie Marked

But her gaze held steady and strong. A being so small, one would think the expression laughable on her face. I knew better. She packed a world of power inside her minuscule body.

“There are places in this world standing apart,” she said. “I’ve told you this before. Places the lucky few know about. You happen to be in the correct position to travel to one of them.”

As if I’d been struck, I leaped up from the ground, an electric current in my blood at her words. “Tell me.”

“You could apply for a spot at the Fae Academy for Halflings. It’s located in the mortal realm, a school for halflings like you who want to earn a place in Faerie.”

“How far away?” And how would I get there?

“Not far. It’s located on the east coast. Massachusetts, if I remember correctly. A few hours if you travel by car.”

It was strange to hear her melodic voice say the wordcar. “I’ve never heard of such a school.”

“Because it’s hard to hear about Fae dealings when you’re smack dab in the middle of a wolf pack, having to hide your truth,” she replied, her eyes narrowing and her smile revealing sharp white teeth. “Your people are good and kind in many ways, but they can also be wild beasts without the ability to see both sides of an argument. Someday, Tavi, you are going to have to learn. This world is not just black and white. We all exist on a spectrum of shades of gray and you choose where you fall on the spectrum.”

“You of all people should understand. I know those lessons,” I replied bitterly. “Better than most.”

Elfwaite inclined her head in agreement. “In some respects, yes. I will not lie to you. You know this. Your best option in this case is to apply to the halflings school, because it’s the first step toward freedom. They will test you for Fae blood, and if you test positive, you must compete to earn the right to stay. If you do, and you graduate, then you are permitted permanent access to live in the Faerie realm. It is one of the only options for halflings like you. Fight for your freedom, Tavi.”

“They’ll know about my shifter nature,” I argued. Still, the idea had taken root inside of me. A place to escape, not just from my future but from the expectations going along with it. “What am I going to do about my life here?”

It seemed a moot argument at this point. I no longer had a life here, or I wouldn’t after Kendrick came to claim me.

I needed this hope and gathered it close to me. For the first time this evening, I imagined a better life for myself when I’d been taught only to stay in my lane and obey someone more powerful than me.

Elfwaite pointedly cleared her throat. “Your life will change irrevocably whether you apply to the school or not. And if you get accepted, then you would have to hide your wolf. I have a friend who can help, if you decide to go through with it, though her help will come at a price. You must be willing to pay the price.”

“I’m willing to pay,” I insisted quickly.Anything.

Her mouth quirked to the side. “Be sure before you commit to it. You never know what may be required of you. I’d hate to see you give up something you truly love in order to get what you think you want.”

3

Ihad to formulate a plan to get out of Kendrick’s clutches. Even without talking to him face to face, I felt him around me, felt his influence like invisible fingers tightening around my neck. Or maybe a chain.

I stayed in the park talking with Elfwaite until well after midnight, if the arc of the moon overhead was any indication. Sneaking back home, I kept my feet silent, my breathing even, and my focus on what lay ahead for me.

My fingers curled into fists as I walked through the front door. There was nowhere to run once inside the sprawling two-story mansion. I stared at familiar marble and bronze fixtures, the paintings belonging in a museum rather than on a civilian’s wall. When I looked toward my uncle’s study, my gaze hardened further.

Funny how things could change in such a short time. My life had been altered with my father’s murder and my mother’s public execution at the hands of their enemies. Things seemed to straighten out, and I’d been given a stable place to hide here with Uncle Will, yet now I stood at what felt like a final dead end.

Unless Elfwaite was right about this school.

At least the party was over and the house emptied of guests. From the silence and the slender dark space beneath the office door, I’d guess my uncle had gone off to get drunk with his high-ranking pack buddies at their favorite bar. It was a Friday and Saturday night tradition for them. Five or six males staying out until the sun crept over the horizon sharing stories and dirty jokes over expensive alcohol. I’d learned not to expect him home.

Admittedly, I’d been banking on tradition. I didn’t want to face him again. I didn’t want to hear him tell me again how wrong I was to fight this. Or how I should be grateful for a match at all, let alone a match with a fated mate. A match with Kendrick Grimaldi.

Gag.

Shoulders tense, I took the steps two at a time and pushed through the door to my room. My laptop lay on the desk beneath the windows, surrounded by papers and collectables, odds and ends I knew I needed to organize yet couldn’t bring myself to. Yet.

A glance at the clock told me it was 12:30. Grit and exhaustion had my eyes closing and wanting to stay shut. Even so, I needed to know more. Ihadto know more about the Fae Academy for Halflings.

Elfwaite had told me about their online application process. Someone had brought the ancient institution into the twenty-first century and made them more accessible to my generation. They were very progressive.

Now if I could find the link to their website…

It was the one thing my friend hadn’t been able to give me. Although she’d seemed to know enough considering she didn’t have access to the internet. The pixie knew more about the world than most humans I’d met.

---