Page 28 of Faerie Trials

The dress left most of her shoulders and chest bare, hugging her curves and trailing down into a pool of fabric on the floor. Even the dress I’d worn to the Solstice Ball paled in comparison to this gown. Real jewels were sewn into the seams and reflected the glittering firelight.

“You don’t like her, do you?”

I nearly choked on my ambrosia at the question, but Mike saved me by smacking me on the back. When had he found me? I didn’t even notice his approach.

“How did you know?” I croaked, looking up at him through teary eyes.

“You know, intuition,” he said with a laugh. “You’ve hidden it well but I know you. You’re the kind of girl who doesn’t give the time of day to someone she doesn’t find redeemable.”

“Actually, I don’t think I’ve hidden my dislike at all. At least I can say it is mutual and Coral knows where we stand with each other.”

Mike took a sip of his own ambrosia, keeping eye contact with me. “Which begs the question why you wanted to come here tonight.”

“I’m a sucker for punishment?” I suggested saucily.

“Ha! Yes, this I know. How long do you want to stay?”

Was it possible to leave right now? As far as I could tell, Coral hadn’t even seen Mike, but in my mind we’d stepped through the door and thus I’d upheld my end of the…bargain? No, not bargain, because I wasn’t getting anything out of it and a bargain benefited both parties, right?

“I’m ready to go whenever you say,” I told him and took another sip. Like liquid fire. Ambrosia was powerful stuff, much more potent than normal alcohol. I’d have to watch how much I drank or I’d put myself squarely in line for a night of bad decision making.

Then I looked up at Mike and saw his smile. Would a night of bad decision making be such a terrible thing? Suddenly I didn’t think so.

“I say we should help ourselves to some food, a little more of this,” Mike shook his empty glass, “and then we make a run for it. Those are all the typical date components, anyway.”

He thought I didn’t register how he’d sidled closer. Trying to be sly. Like I didn’t notice. Even if I’d had my eyes closed, my body would have recognized his nearness. Every fiber of me acknowledged his presence. “Is this a date?” I asked coyly.

He also thought I didn’t see how his fingers twitched at the word. “It depends on how you feel about the word. And about having one with me.”

Ah, the feeling when his voice dropped low, skittering along my nerves in a delicious way. I liked the idea more than I liked the way he looked at me. Which wasa lot. The two of us on a date…

Yes. A hundred thousand times, yes.

“At the moment I feel pretty good about it.” I held my glass up for a toast, delighted when he touched his to mine with a clink.

“You two look pretty cozy over here.” Lane joined us at the food table. He flashed me a smile and grabbed a plate to start noshing. “What’s up?”

“Nothing for you to concern yourself with,” Mike said immediately, straightening his spine. “We’re entertaining ourselves in the middle of this free-for-all.”

Lane grabbed a bacon-wrapped fig and popped it into his mouth, speaking around the food. “Oh, come on. It’s not that bad.”

“I didn’t say bad,” Mike corrected.

“No, you said free-for-all. Which is equal to or worse than bad. At the very least you’re comparing Coral’s party with a circus. Which, now that I think about it, you might be right.” Lane surveyed the crowd. “Do we even go to school with half of these guys? A lot of unfamiliar faces. They’re probably friends of the family or relatives or something.”

Mike sighed. “No clue. I only know there are better places to be than stuck here in a room full of…these kinds of people.”

I glanced over at him, struck by the odd tone in his voice.These kinds of people?I mean, I thought about it constantly, but to hear it come out of Mike’s mouth, and in such a cold way? I didn’t really like what I heard. Or saw. There was a glint in his eyes, his fingers tapping the side of the glass.

I frowned. Something was up with Mike.

Memory thrust a picture before me of a tall auburn-haired man in an expensive suit in front of a room filled with other men in expensive suits. He’d had the same hard glint in his eyes. The same air of authority that compelled the others to listen to him and accept his opinions as if they were their own. My Uncle William was an excellent defense attorney. Absolutely cutthroat.

“Well, at any rate, I’m going to hit the rest of the buffet and enjoy the spread Coral laid out. She’s really outdone herself, in my opinion.” Lane shifted farther down the table and when I glanced over again at Mike, I saw him smiling at me once more.

“What was that?” I asked.

He quirked his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

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