Page 5 of Faerie Gift

Hmm, that didn’t sound good. At all. “I can tell you didn’t really have a fun time,” I said.

“Well, it’s hard to have fun when there are people breathing down your neck and watching every move you make,” he clarified. “No one cares what you have to say and no one listens when you open your mouth. I spent three weeks of my break trying to make sure I didn’t put my foot in my mouth, Tavi, that’s what I did. And I barely saw anyone who mattered.”

Was he talking about his father? I wasn’t sure and I didn’t want to ask him outright, but I had a suspicious tingle in my gut.

The flatness in which he told me about his time at home said enough about how he felt. About the king, his title, and why Mike never seemed excited to hear anyone speak about either.

But it was a little too personal, a little too much like prying to ask him for details. Or why things with his dad were never good.

I cleared my throat and said, “I understand how you feel. My family acted the same way. Like no matter what I did, there were a thousand eyes on me making sure I did it right. Or better.”

I’d never told Mike anything major about my past because if he knew I was half shifter, and if he told anyone, I would be kicked out of the Academy. Not to mention it would change how he thought about me and hurt our friendship.

It was one thing I didn’t want to lose. His friendship. It meant too much to me.

Our feet crunched over the frozen grass as we approached the pitch-black line of the forest. The trees grew close together and although the canopy was bare, the thickness of their limbs and trunks did not allow the starlight to penetrate. We turned at the edge of the trees and continued around the lawn like we were both unwilling to step into those dark depths.

“You know what? I’m not sure I want to go home for our next break,” Mike suddenly said.

How surprising. “Really?”

Were things bad for him at home? I didn’t know; he rarely spoke to me about his personal life.

“Yeah, I mean, I know my mom would like to see me, but beyond that, I don’t know of a good reason to go back. What about you? Will you go anywhere for spring break?”

I prodded the side of my leg through my pants pocket, digging short nails into my skin against a swell of anxiety. “There’s nowhere for me to go, really. I don’t have a family waiting for me. And even if I did, I think I’d rather stay here anyway.” I couldn’t reveal much more to him.

Mike didn’t comment. After a rather long pause, he asked, “What happened to them? Your family.” When I lifted my brows at the question, he said, “You never told me how they died.”

Thank goodness I didn’t hear any pity in his voice. “Both my parents died a long time ago. I don’t remember them, and my uncle wasn’t really forthcoming on details. I only know that people hated them being together. My uncle raised me after they died.”

“Tavi,” Mike said, and I half turned to him, watching his expression soften. “You know you can tell me anything. Right?” He shook his head at my empty expression. “Seems like neither one of us has the best home situation.”

I tried to keep from grimacing. At least he still had his mom and dad.

“You could stay here with me during the breaks. I mean, we can use all the extra studying time.” I mimed knocking him on the arm. “Try to get you into the top ten.”

He pretended outrage when he spoke again. “Are you poking fun at mybarelymaking it into the top one hundred for the first-year class? You ass! We can’t all be number one, you know.”

I laughed at his joking tone, the sound turning into a snort. “That’s what I’m saying. The extra studying would do you good.”And give us more alone time.

A secondary benefit, my mind hastily qualified. Yeah, right.

He paused, waiting for me to catch up. “I could use the boost,” he agreed. Then his voice dropped. “It might help things. Besides, it feels like my mind is clearer when I’m…here.”

My heart twisted. Maybe Mike was at the Academy not to learn more about the Fae people, as I’d initially thought, but to prove something to his father.

It made sense, in a way. And I understood the desire to prove yourself worthy to someone.

I’d been in his shoes with my Uncle Will, who took me in after my parents died, where nothing I did or said was good enough and I’d constantly felt like I walked on eggshells. Trying to look the best, be the best.

I had even started working for him at his law firm as an intern. Mostly because he needed help, but underneath it all, because I thought it would improve how he felt about me. How he saw me. I knew my uncle loved me or else he wouldn’t have raised me the way he had, but did he like me? Did he see me as a strong and capable young woman or as a bargaining chip?

I guess it didn’t matter anymore. “I’ll be happy to crack the whip on you,” I told Mike with a sly smile. Ooh, it would be my pleasure, actually.

He raised a hand to his chest as though I’d wounded him. “Ouch! I never thought you’d be a whip wielder, Tavi! How cruel. You think I deserve a beating?”

“Not cruel.Necessary. I’m going to make sure you get into the top ten this semester, I promise. Mark my words, Mr. Thornwood.”

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