“Anywhere your heart desires.”
“Hmm. And if it were to be up to your heart? Your room, right? Your bed?”
“Maybe the first time but then we could go to Philadelphia. Or Boston. Or London, Paris, Hong Kong. Anywhere you would want to go.”
“Human cities,” I say, a bit breathlessly.
“You left campus last year to investigate human cities, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“How was it?”
“Amazing. But also scary. I was interviewing people about the murders.”
“You amaze me. You know that?”
“No.”
He laughs and shakes his head. “I’m failing in so many ways, aren’t I?”
“You’re doing fine. It’s just me. I’m the one who gets so easily flustered and overwhelmed, and—”
“And that just adds to your charm.”
“You aren’t hurt, are you?” I ask desperately.
“That you haven’t just picked me already?” He tilts his head to the side. “You’re worth it, but like I said…”
“I know.” Unbidden, my hand comes up and touches my lips where he traced them.
Damon winks.
"Daredevil, hello there." Sage flies on over at an angle that nearly cuts off Damon. Not an accident, I'm sure.
“Hi, Sage.” I glance from him to Damon and back again. “How was your break?”
“Lonely. I wish I could’ve done more than just call you. I would’ve loved to have met your parents.”
My eyes widen. The idea of my parents meeting the fairy I gave my virginity to isn’t something I want to contemplate or experience. Then again, I’m sure Dad will have a wonderful reaction to my bringing home a half-demon. I can completely understand why Bay isn’t in a hurry for our parents to meet Zoth. Mom will freak, and Dad very well could too.
“Ah, my parents aren’t that important,” I say.
“Nonsense. They made an incredible fairy in you.”
“So incredible that you mistook her for her twin?” Damon interjects. “And then what did you do? Forgive her? No, no, you hung it over her head, didn’t you?”
“No one asked you, Damon,” Sage spits out.
“Maybe there’s a reason why she isn’t with you,” Damon continues.
“She’s not with you either.”
The two fairies face each other, chest to chest, and I spy Damon’s right hand curl into a fist.
That’s it. I push my way between them, a hand on each of their chests. “Boys, grow up.”
Damon’s glower that he’s shooting around me to Sage softens as he looks at me. “I hope we have a few classes together this year. Regardless, I’ll see you around.” He touches my nose then my lips and flies off.
My heart is still beating hard and fast as I turn around to see Sage. He holds my hand in much the same way Damon had, but then he interlocks our fingers.
“I’m sorry about that,” he says sincerely.
“It’s all right.”
On impulse, I lean forward and kiss his cheek before withdrawing slightly, forcing our hands to be held loosely instead of tight and close.
“Why don’t I get one on the lips?” he asks. “Or have you made up your mind then?”
Flustered, I open and shut my mouth a few times before I shake my head.
“I can explain that,” I say. “I didn’t mean to kiss Damon. It just… It’s not what it looked like.”
His green eyes show how hurt he is, which makes me feel even more terrible than I already do. His hair is longish but about the same length it always is. For once, he's cleanshaven. Normally, he sports the slight stubble look that, ironically, Damon has going for him right now. Both of them can pull off that look and be almost too hot to handle.
“What do you want?” Sage asks point-blank.
I gape at him.
“Who do you want?” he presses.
“I… I don’t know. I’m sorry. I just don’t have an answer for you.” I bite my lower lip, worried about how he’ll react.
Sage stares at me and then nods. “I guess he and I aren’t exactly helping matters.” He chuckles.
“Not really, but that’s on me.”
"No, what we do is on us. I mean, I hate the guy, but I can't blame him for being attracted to you, and I hate myself for being so petty at times. I don't like that side of me. Worse, I hate myself for how I reacted to everything. I just… You mean a lot to me. Yes, I was surprised to realize there were two of you, and I…" He stops and stares at me.
“What?”
“I never did tell you about the nightmare I had, did I? I only told Bay. If you want to know, I’ll tell you.”
“It’s up to you,” I say, but I have to admit that I am curious.
He blows out a breath. “I dreamed that I was a young fairy again, that I was abandoned. That no one in the world could see me. No one could hear me. And then I started to get tinier, smaller, shrinking, and soon, I was the size of the head of a nail. I couldn’t even hear myself talk! And then I was nothing at all. I was gone. No physical body. Just a mind, a consciousness, and I felt so utterly alone that I woke up crying.”
“Oh wow,” I murmur. “You told Bay all of that thinking she was me?”
“Well, I didn’t tell her the crying part,” he admits with a sheepish smile.
I can't help smiling back. "I kind of felt that way at times before, that no one would see or hear me if Bay was around, and maybe that's why I never brought her up to you. I don't know if it was a conscious thing or unconscious, but I liked you, and I did want you for myself. I… I was afraid that if you met her, you would want her over me. It's happened before. Not her fault," I rush to add. "She doesn't try to make guys like her. They just do."
“Guys like you too, Rosemary. Clearly.” He touches beneath my chin.
I smile up at him. This is the Sage I fell for, fell hard for right from the start.
“I have one more thing I need to confess,” he says.
“What’s that?”
“I… I might have come across as too overbearing last year when I called you Nancy Drew and tried to discourage you from looking into the murders. I never intended for it to seem like I was telling you what you could or couldn’t do.”
"That's exactly how you came across," I say softly. I hate that he's bringing this up because his words made me feel so small that it almost got me to stop liking him that way. Almost. I was still drawn to him even then.
“It’s just… My mom left me. I know it wasn’t her choice, but she died, and I didn’t want anything to happen to you. I didn’t want you to leave me too.”
“Oh, Sage.” My heart aches for him.
“And then to learn that the killer did all of that just to try to be close to you…” His nostrils flare. “If I had been there, Rosemary…”
“I’m glad you weren’t.”
He lifts his eyebrows.
“If you killed him, they might not have allowed you to continue to attend here,” I say softly. “Even if you killed him to protect me.”
“You don’t want me to leave, huh? Does that mean you forgive me?”
I tilt my head to the side and do my best not to smile, but I can’t help it. “Yes, I guess it means I do forgive you.”
Chapter 8
As soon as I enter the cottage, Orchid barrels into me.
“Are you ready for this year to be our best one yet?” she asks.
Laughing, I disengage from her embrace. “I’m sure it will be. Hey, you think you’ll finally find a guy?”
“There’s no need to rush love,” she protests. “When it happens, it’ll happen.”
“Yeah, but something can be said for finding the one.”
“And you’ve found what? The two?” She snorts and shakes her head. “I honestly feel sorry for them.”
“Thanks. Way to make me feel small.”
“Oh, I don’t mean to upset you. It’s just…”
I blow out a breat
h. “I know. If the wing were on the other fairy, I wouldn’t want to be left dangling either, but…”
“I know,” she says gently. “You love them both.”
I gape at her. Is she right? Can you love two people at the same time?
"I don't want to hurt them, so I'm going to have to make a decision."
“Yes, you are,” she says firmly.
“What about that artifact from your great-grandma?” I ask. “Why hasn’t that helped you find love yet?”
She grimaces. “Honestly, since I got it back, it hasn’t been working right. I think it being stolen ruined its magic, or maybe I just don’t believe in it enough for it to work again. Who knows?”
“Or maybe you’re afraid to find love and let it do its thing.” I knock my hip into hers.
She laughs and pushes me away. “Not all of us can have hot fairies draped all over us.”
I blush.
“But are you leaning Damon?” she asks.
I blink a few times. “Why do you ask that?”
“Oh, you know I’m all Team Sage, but I was flying by, and I saw the way you two were.”
“You saw the kiss?” I flinch, wondering how many others saw it. “Sage saw it too and asked why he didn’t get one on the lips. I kissed his cheek, just like I intended for Damon, but he turned his head—”
“I’m sure that was an accident,” she murmurs.
I giggle. “I’m sure it wasn’t.”
She lifts her eyebrows. “If you didn’t want to kiss him on the lips…”
I tuck my head. My cheeks feel like they’re on fire. “If I didn’t want to kiss him, I would’ve pushed him away. If you saw the kiss…”
Orchid blows out a breath. “Yeah, yeah. You clearly wanted to.”
“Why are you so dead set against my being with Damon?” I ask curiously. “Bay feels the other way. Please don’t tell me that it’s just because you can’t ever seem to be on Bay’s side with anything.”
“Please. Do you think I’m that petty?” Orchid fiddles with her purple hair, her black eyes soft. “Why does Bay push you toward Damon anyhow?”
I swallow back my first impulse—to say that Bay has a demon boyfriend. That intel isn’t mine to share, and besides, that’s not even the real reason for Bay wanting me to be with Damon.
“I helped her out of darkness. She thinks I can keep Damon toward the light,” I say simply.
Orchid’s thin lips form a perfect oval. “That… That actually makes sense,” she says haltingly.
I laugh. “You just don’t want to give Bay any credit, do you?”
“It’s not that,” she protests. “As for Sage, you were so gone for him from the start. You had a connection, a bond. The relationships that last, the ones that matter the most, can stand being tested. Yes, he thought you were Bay, but you were just starting school outside of homeschooling for the first time ever. You wanted to reinvent yourself. Now, you have more experience. You’re more secure in who you are, and you’re still attracted to him. Why wouldn’t you be? Although I saw that he’s cleanshaven. That takes some getting used to.”
I give a small smile. “What about him not wanting me to investigate the murders last year?”
“There’s a line between being controlling and being protective. Did he cross the line? Did he specifically say you couldn’t investigate?”
I shake my head. “He was just worried about me.”
“Can you blame the guy?” Orchid asks softly. “He cares about you. By the wing, he might even love you. I think you two deserve another shot.”
“But what if I regret never giving Damon a chance?” I ask.
Orchid throws up her hands. “Only you can say if he deserves one.”
“Hmm.” I turn to stare out the still-open door. One of Bay’s old friends flies by. He’s joined by another. Bracken and Cosmo. For once, Cosmo is wearing a shirt. In fact, they’re both dressed as security guards. They graduated last year? I hadn’t realized.
Bay squeals, darting into the room. She ignores Orchid completely, grabs my wrist, and forces me to fly alongside her to the two guys. Cosmo looks amused as Bay launches herself at him and then Bracken, but Bracken pins a steely gaze at me.
I shiver. I’ve always felt uncomfortable around him even though he’s done nothing to make me feel that way. He’s hated me since my first year, when I thought that one of their friends might be the thief. As it turned out, I was right, but I don’t think he’s ever forgiven me for having my suspicions.
But then he nods stiffly. “Rosemary, I have to admit that you had our crew pegged from the start, and you were right. Two years, horrible crimes, both criminals in our group.”
“Come off it, Bracken,” Bay snaps. “We can’t be blamed for what others do.”
“Who we associate with is important.” Bracken doesn’t look away from me. “You’re the reason why I became a security guard.”
“I don’t want to be the reason for anything,” I mumble.
“Thistle.” A muscle jumps in Bracken’s throat. “You do tend to have an effect on fairies.”
I swallow hard. “I don’t want to.”
“Not always for ill,” he assures me, and he cracks a smile.
For the first time, I feel a bit better in his presence, and I offer him a tentative smile. I would love to put all of the animosity behind us.
“I’ll always have you to thank,” he continues. “I don’t know if you know this, but when they cleared out Thistle’s things, it became obvious that he was going to pin the murders on me.”
I wince. “He said something that made me suspect that. If I had gone with him… yes, I think he would’ve.”
“My entire life would’ve been ruined because I trusted the wrong fairy. That will not happen again. Friends are important, but you have to truly get to know a person, and if you’re first memories are getting high on fairy dust—”
“Fairy dust had its time in our lives, and now, that’s over and done with,” Bay says.
“Yes.” Cosmo fiddles with the collar of his shirt. “It’s too hot.”
Bay gives him the once-over. “You’re just not used to wearing a shirt.”
“Why should I cover up this delicious bod? That’s the only crime happening on campus this very moment.”
I cover my mouth to smother a giggle. Cosmo is more than a little full of himself.
He winks at me. “You want to see my abs? Swing by our hut later. Maybe we can dance some.”
“In your dreams.”
Cosmo grins. “If you’re in my dreams, it’s gonna be wet.”
“Ew.”
Bay just gives me a teasing smile and lifts her eyebrows. I shoot daggers at her, not wanting her to mention the dream I just had. Luckily, she just slaps Cosmo.
“You’re a guard now. Act like it.”
“Why can’t I guard a heart or two?” he drawls.
“More like the pussies are going to be what’s guarded,” Bracken jokes.
“Need to investigate them thoroughly. Make sure they aren’t haunted or anything.”
Bay rolls her eyes. “And here I thought you’re being accepted for the position of guards meant you two had matured.”
“You’re sorely mistaken, but I can make you sore in other ways.” Cosmo winks.
"Does everything have to be a sexual innuendo with you?" I ask. "Seriously, how did you get through the interview process?"
Bracken laughs. “We interviewed together, and we had a code. If I tapped my fingers against my thigh twice, Cosmo had to keep his mouth shut.”
“Is that true?” Bay grins. “I would double tap all the time.”
“I’d tap you both,” Cosmo says.
Bay and I exchange a look and burst out laughing.
“Not even in your dreams,” she says.
“Sorry. That’s just not happening.”
Cosmo just smiles that much wider. “It’s all right. I know you’re both worried that after you have me and have an orgasm t
hat will send you through the cosmos, you’ll be ruined for all other men. I don’t blame you. It’s a rather legit concern.”
Bay and I just laugh and laugh. Bracken does too. Cosmo is the only one unamused.
“You should know that I’m a very patient lover,” he protests. “Making sure my partner comes is more important than my orgasm.”
“Sure it is,” Bay says.
“You’re welcome to try to see if I’m lying.” He winks. “Remember. I can’t lie.”
He salutes us and takes off.
Bracken clears his throat and shakes his head. “He can’t lie. I better get after him. We’re on probation. We have a month to prove ourselves before the jobs are completely ours, and I will not have him fucking this up for me.”
Bay and I wave, and then she turns to me.
“Cosmo might be a good lover after all. Or at least a good lay. Want to gain some experience before you pick between your two lover fairies?”
“I don’t think so!”
She laughs. “Oh, Rosemary. Loosen your wings a bit.”
“I’m not going to just open my legs for anyone.”
“You could do worse than Cosmo.”
“Have you two ever…”
“Fooled around? Yes. Gone all the way? No. I almost wish I had now.”
"See if he'll join you and Zoth." My stomach twists because of my suggesting that.
“No. Zoth needs my full attention.”
Bay grins, and we fly back toward the cottage. As much as I want to know why Zoth requires her full attention, I also don’t want to know. Sometimes, I think it’s for the best that Bay keeps things from me. I don’t always want to know what’s going on in her dark mind.
Chapter 9
Illumination is my first class of the day, and I can't wait for it to start. I'm out of my wings excited. I can't say why, but I've always just known that Illumination is the class for me.
As soon as I enter the room, I zoom over to the front row and claim the seat in the middle. The professor is already here. At least I assume the very young-looking fairy hovering above the desk is the professor. Reaching halfway down her back, her deep red hair fades to a light blond on her tips. Her wings are a bluish translucent color, her eyes a deep brown. Her clothes are almost more like a veil, all greens, blues, and purple. That's how the fairies in the court dress, as if they're more ethereal than the rest of us. It's a bit insulting, if you ask me, how the courts put on airs, and that's how all of the fairies who attend here feel. We're free fairies, but that won't always be the case if we continue to have crime here. The academy could be shut down, or the fairy courts go to war to decide which should hold dominion over here. My parents specifically live nearby because this entire region is free of the court's influence.
Light Fae Academy: Year Three Page 4
