Page 42 of Forbidden Magic
He pushes a pile of books toward me. “You look through these four, and I’ll take the rest. Between the two of us, we can probably finish by dinner.”
“Okay.”
Cole’s pen flies over a blank piece of parchment, his brows bent in concentration.
I discreetly step behind the stack to avoid a wardrobe malfunction and rearrange my bra. Once everything is back in its rightful place, I sit in front of him. He’s consumed by what he’s doing. His amber gaze travels across the book, his elbow propped on the table, a hand scratching an absent-minded pattern behind his ear.
In a weird way, I’m seeing him for the first time, seeing the man behind the Fae glamor. A sharp intelligence is hidden behind the princely smugness, and the dark stubble roughing up his smooth, creamy skin makes him look more human.
Unfortunately, the tameness of the quasi-absent Fae glamor isn’t the turn-off I thought it would be.
16
Homework
When I return to my room, Lydia is hunched over a thick red book and a piece of parchment, scribbling notes.
“What happened to you? I thought we’d eat dinner together?” I ask, throwing my leather bag on my bed. The standing mirror in the corner of the room shows me no trace of the weird rune tattoos, and I let out a breath of relief.
Lydia grunts. “Sorry, I have an essay to write for tomorrow, and with Divination at 7:00, I had to power through.”
I peek over her shoulder. “You’re writing an essay on Fae ancestry?”
“Yep. It’s my punishment for missing the History of Magic class. Blane and Bailey trapped me in Miss Eillis’ shed, and it took forever to get out. I have to do a family tree and everything.”
My fists curl. “Those snakes need to be put in their place.”
“Don’t anger them; it’ll only fuel their idea that this is a game.”
I rap my fingers against the back of her chair. “Why the Fae?”
“Miss Black put me up to it. Do you know they used to abduct mortals and use them as slaves? And that some of them still do? It’s disturbing.”
“I thought it was illegal to keep slaves now.”
“In theory. But if you make a deal, they own you. They can argue that you technically agreed. Fae deals are unbreakable. If you go back on your word, you waste away and die a slow death.”
My stomach curls. “Creepy. No wonder my father warned me copiously about Fae deals.”
“It says here the previous Fae King had a harem of 30 women and men. Who needs that much sex?” Lydia grimaces.
“Fae, apparently.” A harem sounds about right.
“Look, Cole is even listed here.” She points to the top of the tree, where a big, gnarly branch separates into a dozen more. “He’s the thirteenth offspring of King Kirkan, but it doesn’t mean he won’t get to rule. Fae Kings rule for a thousand years, after which they choose their successors amongst their living children.”
A thousand years…no wonder they’re in no hurry to graduate. Four years is like a drop of water in a bucket.
“What about the queen?” I ask.
“There is noqueen. There are queens. Kirkan is married to eight women.”
I draw in a quick breath. “Girls everywhere are throwing themselves at royalty.”
Lydia throws me a sideways glance. “And you wouldn’t join them, given the chance?”
My eyes narrow. “Would you?”
“Maybe. I mean—Flynn is a tool, but Cole is not nearly as brazen. He looks shy.”
