Page 26 of Faerie Trials

“I understand the need to cut back, Tavi, I do. And I’m not going to be the heartless taskmaster who forces you to do more than you can handle. How about we agree to see each other on Sundays instead? I can spare an hour or two for you then.”

“Oh, my hero,” I said, my voice dry with sarcasm. Onyx wrinkled his nose at me before holding out a hand.

Was it my imagination, I thought when he helped me rise, or did Onyx look the tiniest bit upset about the change?

12

Iclung tightly to the idea of seeing Mike this weekend, to the point where it became the only bright spot in my future. Each day, each hour, became an obstacle to hurdle over in order to spend time with the boy I liked.

The boy I could never be with.

But I scrubbedthatthought out of my head. Everything standing between us I reproachfully ignored.

The rest of the school week passed in a constant battering of tutoring, schoolwork, and kitchen work. Over and over and over again. I spent all of Friday and most of Saturday trying to catch up on assignments to stay ahead of the game, including some practice Juno sent home with me after tutoring.

Those? Yeah, I failed them too. All of them.

Still at my desk, with my butt going numb from sitting for so long, I glanced over at the bag of powdered brain boost from Raelynn. The brain boost helped, no doubt. It gave me the focus I needed to make it through the studying.

Damn, the bag looked a lot lighter than it had when she’d first given it to me. Had I really taken enough to make a visible difference? No. A couple of teaspoons this week, just as she’d told me, and nothing more because I didn’t want to risk becoming addicted. Or risk any of those crazy side effects she’d warned me about.

My brain fog thickened and I shook my head, grabbing the bag and shoving it in the desk drawer. I didn’t want to worry about side effects. At least not right now. There was always time later. In fact, that was how I’d gotten through pretty much all of my time in Faerie, by pushing those worries aside for another day.

I grabbed my water and took a long sip before putting the cup down. At least I’d made it through my homework without bending to the temptation. I wondered when it would all come and catch up with me. I had a bad feeling it would be soon. There was only so much I could sweep under the rug until there was no room left.

All of these things tried to come together in my head, and I felt like if I tried hard enough, I could almost grasp them and make them make sense.

I rose and stretched, then went into the bathroom, kicking off my pants and pulling off my shirt to shower. The reflection I glanced at in the mirror offered me a tired smile and didn’t even care how strands of red hair stuck out at every angle.

The Fae were supernaturally beautiful. Some of them were unaware, but most knew they had the power to stop traffic. Then there was me. Not bad looking, but nowhere near the ethereal good looks of the other inhabitants of this world. I swiped a hand across the surface of the mirror.

I wanted everything to beperfecttonight. Mike and I hadn’t gotten a chance to spend quality time with each other for months. My fault, I admitted, because I’d been trying to keep my distance. But he hadn’t been trying to bridge the distance either, hadn’t put in any effort, and I honestly thought he’d lost all interest in me.

I tried not to think about how terrible we’d both been at keeping our friendship alive this year. Then I tried not to think about the last time he’d almost kissed me, right outside of the portal to the Elite Academy. Or how badly I’d wanted to feel his lips on mine again despite trying to run away.

I undressed and hopped in the shower, set the temperature to scalding.

There was something magical about Mike, I thought as I scrubbed my hair. It had nothing to do with his blood or his title. It came from inside of him, from his good heart and his integrity. He was just a genuinely nice person who wanted the best for everyone around him. He always saw the best in me, at least.

What would he think if he knew how badly I’d botched the spells I’d been assigned to work on? Or the mountains of homework sent back with me? He’d laugh and wonder why he wanted me to tutor him in the first place.

With snow still on the ground, I didn’t feel like using the last remains of my energy to maintain the temperature around my body, no matter that the other kids at the party would be doing the same.

Instead I rustled through my dresser for one of my old, favorite outfits. I’d worn it a few times back in the mortal world and always felt like a million bucks. When Mike finally came to my room to get me, I had on a thick burgundy-colored sweater over tight black pants, and boots up to my ankles.

“Hi!” I said to him right away. Feeling sexy, sassy, and more excited than I had a right to be.

He stared at me, his eyes raking me up and down, his face taking on an odd expression so unusual that it took me a minute to realize he was excited.

“This is a good look for you,” he commented. “Very comfortable.”

My face dropped. Okay, maybe I was wrong about the excitement. Maybe it was embarrassment. “Comfortable is a nice word forlooks like a hobo,” I said.

“No, definitely not.” His gaze warmed. “You are about as far from a hobo as one can get. The sweater really brings out your eyes.”

And now it probably clashed with my blush. “Well, thanks,” I told him. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

Putting it mildly, I thought. He always looked amazing no matter what he wore. Tonight, in a black shirt and close-fitting jeans, I could have gobbled him up in one bite, big bad wolf style.

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