Page 53 of Wanted: A Roommate Who Isn't Evil

The Shadows moved out of the way, revealing a wild-eyed fairy with metallic-red hair and heart shaped lips, andbringing forth more memories than Mor wished to keep.

Luc began mouthing off to his father, and Mor thought he was dreaming. What was Luc doing here? Why did none of this make sense, and for the love of the sky deities, did Lucwantto die? It was like being back in that clearing all over again when Reval Zelsor had stabbed his own son through the chest and Luc had risen from the dead while Mor watched from the thornbush. Only this time, Luc seemed ready for it. Like he knew it was coming and didn’t care.

“I’m here now,” Luc said, “so let the broken North Fairy be on his way before you awaken the wrath of his brothers.”

His brothers. Mor came back to his senses and yanked out his phone. The phone rang a few times after he dialed. Cress still didn’t answer, so Mor left a message.

“There’s trouble. I’m at the park by…”

Mor choked as Reval sliced his palm and slapped his blood onto a lock binding Dranian’s wrists.

“By…” Mor tried again, but his ear tilted to the Army and he went quiet, desperate to hear what was happening.

“If you want to stop me, perhaps you should stand in my way,” Prince Reval said to Luc. It was an absurd suggestion. One that Mor thought Luc couldn’t possibly even consider, except… Except that Luc shouldn’t have come here at all. And he did.

Reval raised his fairsaber blade high over Dranian’s neck, and Mor dropped his phone. He was three paces closer when Luc swept in and slashed Reval’s blade aside. Mor blinked as Lucglanced back at Dranian and muttered something, then he turned back to Prince Reval.

“You were right about me. I planned to betray you once I was of age,” he said, and Mor slapped a hand over his thundering chest. “We’re less than a year away from our appointment on the mountain, aren’t we? Fight me, Father,” he said. “Let’s see who’s the more cunning fox.”

“I have a better idea. How about some sport?” the Dark Prince countered.

“Stop deflecting. It makes me think you’re afraid of me,” Luc stated, crouching and preparing to charge his father—something Mor never thought he’d see in his faeborn lifetime.

But Reval ignored him. “What do the humans call it here again? Agoalie? I’ll try to kill him while he sits there. Block me, if you can. He takes the punishment for whatever you can’t stop.”

Mor’s stomach dropped and he strode toward the Army after all, every apology he knew whispered in the wind, hoping this plea for forgiveness would find its way to Violet.

“How about a trade first?” Mor called, grabbing the attention of Prince Reval.

As soon as he said it, Mor knew the High Prince of the Dark Corner would recognize him as the village boy who had destroyed his reputation. From the corner of his eye, Mor saw Luc’s head snap in his direction. He felt the fox’s eyes burrowing into him. He felt Dranian looking at him, too. He felt the stares of the whole division he had attacked and abandoned piercing his fairy flesh wherehe stood.

But Mor tossed his fairsabers into the grass. “This is a game for Shadow Fairies,” he said. Prince Reval’s face flickered with recognition, then he glared. “Let’s keep it between Shadows,” Mor finished.

Luc looked like he’d been slapped. Then he looked furious, accusation on his twisting lips as he turned to face Mor, a question burning from his being in the manner of,“What in the name of the sky deities are you doing here?”

Of the two foxes, Luc’s glare was perhaps worse.

Popping filled the air, and Mor was apprehended. He was torn into an airslip and appeared at Dranian’s side. The backs of his legs were kicked, and he kneeled before the great foxes who ruled the armies of the Dark Corner of Ever. Luc did not take his glare off Mor.

“Mor…” Dranian rasped. The auburn-haired fairy looked dreadful. Mor wasn’t sure if he could perform a rescue with Dranian in such condition, but he had to try. And he knew he couldn’t do it alone.

“It’s alright, Dranian, there’s no need to panic. I’m here,” Mor whispered. He finally met Luc’s eyes as his arms were yanked forward and a metal bloodlock was forced onto his wrists. Luc showed no signs of understanding. His terrible gaze hadn’t left Mor for a single second; his rosy lips had not moved from their frown.

Mor looked back at the Dark Prince who had once tried to stealhis only good memories in hopes of creating eternal bad ones. “I’ve traded myself, now release him. He’s injured.” Mor nodded to Dranian, who shook his head in protest. “Let’s deal with this like Shadows.”

Prince Reval’s lip curled. “I cannot believe my fox eyes,” he said. “I deny your request for a trade, Trisencor. I deny your right to live, too.”

An arrow spiralled from the Army, and Mor stiffened.

A black fairsaber sliced it in half a mere second before it would have impaled Mor’s face. He swallowed, his eyes following the length of the black blade to Luc who held it. At Luc’s wrist, Mor noticed a twist of branches with two white blossoms. He’d seen one of those before—when Prince Reval had given a disobedient fairy three days to live.

Luc finally stopped glaring at him. The fox took in a deep, long breath and let it out through his nose. He turned slowly to face Prince Reval, his jaw flexing with the motion.

“Game on,” he said to his father.

Prince Reval sneered as he tied back his hair with a ribbon. “Since you now have an extra fairy, I shall have one, too.” He waved a Shadow forward who raised a glistening pearl bow and a sheath of silver arrows likely coated in cold iron. Prince Reval placed his ruby on his tongue.

Mor watched Luc draw his own bead from his pocket. The young fox looked at it long and hard, not revealing a thing going through his cunning head.And then he ate it.

---