Page 8 of Faerie Trials

“I’m coming!” I called out shakily. “Hold on.” The broken glass would have to wait until I answered the repeated knocks. I stepped over the mess and crossed to open the door.

My heart stopped.

“Mike! What are you doing here?”

The Crown Prince of Faerie stood in the hallway with his own school uniform conforming to his muscles. Yup, my mouth was dry again. He didn’t just look delicious. He looked worried.

“Um, are you okay?” he began. “I thought I heard glass breaking.”

I laughed to cover up my nerves and the crazy way everything inside of me rose to a boil when he spoke. Those deep, rich syllables made me quiver. Neither one of us was surprised when my laugh ended on a snort. “Yeah, I’m fine,” I insisted. But I kept the door partially closed so he’d have no chance of seeing the shattered glass.

“Okay, I’m glad to hear it.”

His smile melted my insides and I turned into a puddle of goo on the floor—luckily not literally. I had to keep a close watch to make sure my magic didn’trespondto my emotions. Then I remembered him walking with some strange girl last night and my good mood disappeared, anxiety taking its place and my chest aching.

“Are you ready to go?” Mike gestured over his shoulder. “I thought we could walk to the portal for school together. Like old times.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I know things got a little weird for us last semester but I thought we might try to get back to how things were. You know.”

I did know, yes.

The castle had its own direct route to the academy. Instead of walking through town or using the magic-powered silver bullet train I’d ridden on first arrival, Mike and I used a portal. Being friends with royalty had its perks.

At least, I hoped we were still friends. Part of me really wasn’t sure anymore but still managed a small sparkle of hope despite the anxiety.

Would I pass up an opportunity to spend time with Mike now? No way.

“Sure,” I agreed quickly. “Let me grab my things. Hold on one second.”

I kept the door partially closed to dissuade him from coming inside, then hastily kicked a pile of dirty laundry under the bed. My books were on the desk. I shoved them inside my backpack, dreading what we’d face today and knowing I needed to take advantage of this silver lining.

Once I had everything I needed, I flung the bag over my shoulder and joined Mike in the hall with a wide grin. Cheers to starting fresh and not worrying about him making the moves on anyone else. No matter what my eyes and ears and fears told me was going on. “All right, let’s go.”

He led the way toward the portal, located next to the throne room on the first floor of the castle. It had taken me months to find my way around the complex three-story monstrosity without any help. And even though I worked in the kitchen after school, as part of my work–study requirement, I still got lost sometimes.

“Hey, I want to talk to you,” Mike started as we walked side by side.

I glanced over at him and saw he had his head down. “About what?”

“About last night.”

My stomach turned clumsy cartwheels like a cat after a bug.Oh my God,he knows about the Claw & Fang!Had Mike somehow seen me transform into a crow and take off? Was he watching me? “I can explain, of course. What you saw—” I stopped abruptly when I realized we’d both been speaking at the same time.

“The girl with me…ah, walking in the village?” Mike clarified. He swallowed hard. “She’s just a friend from one of the titled families of Faerie, visiting from a sister school in Khoysas. I was giving her a tour while she and her parents are in town.”

“A tour? At twenty bells?” I asked before I thought about just keeping my mouth shut. Then shrugged and tried to act like I wasn’t about to freak out. “It’s no big deal.”

“Twenty bells, yes, because my father insisted on a five-course meal to impress Larissa’s family. Her dad is titled but he also owns a gemstone mine, and King Tywin likes to keep an eye on the profits, if you know what I mean. The soonest I could get away was after we ate and Larissa wanted some fresh air. She also has a few anxiety issues around new places. I wanted to make things easier for her.”

I waved him away before I heard any more. “You don’t have to explain it to me.” In all honesty? I was relieved even if it was an excuse. The thought of Mike kissing another woman made me want to puke. Or retaliate. Probably both.

“Larissa and her family will be leaving this afternoon,” Mike continued. His shoulder knocked against me playfully. “And with my royal duties at an end, I think you and I might be able to fit in a study session or two. Maybe we can actually get ahead of the curve for this semester and stay ahead before we get too stressed.”

“You want to get a head start on studying? Who am I to tell you no?” I joked. Feeling infinitely better without the weight of him with someone else trying to drag me down.

How was it, with him, a single sentence changed my entire mood?

“There’s the smile I missed. You looked a little down last night.”

I shook my head and tried not to sound strangled. “Oh, I was all right. I wasn’t expecting to run into you.”

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