Page 52 of Faerie Gift

“What do you have?” I asked, gesturing toward the bag she toted over her shoulder.

“Why, this little thing? This is all the work you’ve missed. Did you think it was pleasure reading?” She smiled, shaking her head.

“One could only hope.” I blinked. “Are you sure you didn’t need to bring a dump truck? How could a few days add up to so much?”

Melia shrugged. “Who knows. But don’t worry. I’ll sit with you this weekend and help you get caught up.”

“Oh, right. I guess it is Saturday. I lost track of time.” Still, having Melia’s offer to help on the table was a great relief. “And please don’t waste your time on me. You have your own stuff going on.”

“This is the first time Julie and your friend with the pretty eyes have let me in to see you, you know,” Melia said with a sniff. “I’ve been trying for days to get in. Your nurse said you needed rest and not to disturb you.”

Sounded like her, for sure. “I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have been good company, though. I spent most of the time asleep.”

“Okay, I feel a little better about it, then. You can be a real pain in the ass when you don’t feel well. I speak from past experiences.” Her stern expression didn’t last for long and soon melted into a gale of laughter.

She stayed to chat for a few more moments before running off to grab her own breakfast, promising to be back as soon as possible.

Good thing I was sitting down for my next visitor, otherwise I would have fallen over from shock.

I certainly never expected I’d see Mike peeking around the corner. He stopped in the door, rooted to the spot, as though trying to decide whether this was a good idea or not.

Some men were handsome. Some had inherent power, evident in their hero swagger whenever they walked into a room. Mike possessed both of those in abundance. Muscular and athletic, he moved with an easy, preternatural grace. You knew just by watching him he was someone important.

Would averting my eyes give my nerves away? Probably.

“What are you doing here?” I asked. Then cleared my throat at the phlegm-y sound. My luck the first thing I said to the man was ruined by the phlegm.

“I’ve been worried about you,” Mike said after a time, keeping his hands behind his back. “I heard you weren’t feeling well but I didn’t know it was bad enough to warrant a trip to Nurse Julie and an extended infirmary stay. Did you take a vacation? I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”

“Yes, a vacation accompanied by pain and suffering,” I agreed sarcastically.

Today he wore, instead of his usual school uniform, a shirt of vibrant green the same color as his eyes. The V-neck showed me an enticing view of golden skin, the short sleeves leaving his muscled arms bare.

I wanted to eat him. I wanted to kill him.

I wasn’t sure what to say, what to feel. A flash of anger reminded me of how I’d felt the other day, seeing him with Persephone’s arms wrapped around his neck.

Yes, maybe go withkill.

“Thanks for coming to check on me.” I tugged the blanket higher, hoping in the dim light of evening he wouldn’t see something different about me. Or that I was working on day four of no shower and no toothbrush.

If he kept to the door, and if I remained in bed, the distance might be enough for me to fool him and keep him from seeing the real, wolfy, disgustingly dirty me.

I hadn’t chanced using up another vial, what with the flu keeping me in its grip.

“You shouldn’t come too close,” I warned. “I might still be contagious, and trust me, this isn’t something you want to catch.”

He didn’t need the warning. He stayed where he was. “Look, Tavi…”

The goose flesh on my skin wasn’t from a chill. I was actually nervous. Nervous to hear what he had to say. So I waited. And waited.

“I’m really sorry,” he said finally, shaking his head, his focus on the floor in front of him. “I’m sorry for everything between us. I’ve been worried about you and I realized I’ve said some stupid things.”

I almost felt sorry for him. “Why would you worry about me?” I asked, though I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer.

“Because it’s so rare for one of us to get sick like this.” Ah. So it wasn’t really me that he worried about, only how odd it was that I fell ill. “And after the big fight we had, well, you’ve been on my mind a lot.”

I had? Was that a good thing or a bad thing? I still didn’t know quite where I stood with him. “There was no need for you to worry about me,” I said, finding myself inexplicably leaning toward him. I didn’t realize I’d moved until my foot fell off the side of the bed and I blinked down at the traitorous appendage.

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