Mom and Dad exchanged a glance. Mom said, “I’m sorry, Tiago.”
Dad nodded. “We don’t know what it’s like to be gay, but if you need someone to talk to, we’re here for you.”
Aiden’s eyes stung, and he blinked a few times. He couldn’t have ended up with better parents.
“Thanks.” Tiago reached over and took Aiden’s hand. “And I want you to know I would never do anything to hurt Aiden.”
“Of course not,” Mom said. “And now I’m going to embarrass you some more by telling you how cute you look together.”
Aiden could handle that a lot better than the sex talk.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Warden Bully walked up and down the rows of desks, handing back papers. This was the worst class Dylan had ever had. He disliked other classes because they were hard or boring, but now he had to sit in this classroom twice a week and learn about something he hated.
Dylan gripped the sides of his desk as Warden Bully approached. The paper landed in front of him, the grade circled in red pen. “You gave me a C?” He barely stopped himself from jumping out of his seat. Sure, it was a comfortably passing grade, but Dylan had worked hard on that stupid paper.
“I didn’t appreciate your commentary on the wardens having too much power,” Warden Bully said, his tone falsely cool. He barely glanced at Dylan as he returned the last few assignments.
“Dylan…” Aiden warned him, speaking in an undertone.
Dylan glanced over to see his friend’s paper. A-minus, which surprised him. Dylan figured Warden Bully would give Aiden a bad grade based on guilt by association.
“You lowered my grade because of my opinion? I supported my damn opinion—that’s how essays work.”
“Dylan.” Aiden’s voice was a little louder.
Warden Bully turned around. “Mr. Galloway, I still don’t understand why you’re here. Joining the wardens isn’t merely a sanction to fight the extremists. This is about responsibility, respecting what the wardens stand for, and serving the supernatural community.”
He sounded like he believed all that bullshit. “And what about the people you consider guilty? Don’t they deserve some protection too? Some respect? What about Enrico Abelli?” A ripple of tension went through the class. That name worked practically like a spell.
Aiden reached across the aisle to grip Dylan’s arm. “Please don’t.”
“He broke the law.” Anger flashed in Warden Bully’s eyes. “He left Shadow Valley without certification, and he attacked the wardens sent to apprehend him.”
Aiden squeezed his arm harder, and Dylan glanced over at his friend. Dylan should stop, let it go. Arguing with Warden Bully wasn’t going to change anything, and it would only get him in trouble. But anger burned in him like fire eating up kindling. A whole life of hating wardens and his bitterness at being trapped into joining them were too much.
“So the wardens say. Maybe they attacked him first and he was defending himself. Maybe he had a good reason for leaving and they wouldn’t let him explain. Maybe—”
“Maybe he left to join the extremists.”
Dylan tried to think of a comeback, but words failed him.
“How about that, Mr. Galloway?” Warden Bully paced in front of the class. “Or perhaps he sacrificed himself in order to incite anti-warden sentiment. It was very convenient that the leaders of the anti-warden protests were also the leaders of the extremists. How they used the anger from this death to recruit members.”
Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes had used Dylan as well, encouraging him to give that speech in front of city hall. And then someone had thrown a bottle at the wardens. Had that been planned too? Provoking the wardens into arresting them?
Dylan swallowed a few times before his sluggish brain finally came up with something. “That’s why we need a full investigation. To find out what really happened.”
Warden Bully glared at him. “We hardly have the resources thanks to the attack by your friends.”
“They’re not my friends!” The extremists had tried to kill him along with all the kids at prom.
“I’ve had enough of your disruption, Mr. Galloway. You’re wasting everyone’s time. Please leave.”
Kicked out of class, just like old times. It was almost funny. “Fine.” Dylan didn’t bother to take his things. He stalked past Warden Bully, shoved open the door, and went out into the hall.
Someone came up behind him. Oh hell no. Thinking it was Warden Bully, he spun around with his fists clenched.
“God, Dylan,” Aiden said. “You can’t keep antagonizing him.”
Dylan leaned against the wall, trying to calm down. “He’s an asshole.”
“Yeah, but he’s our teacher and we have to pass this class.”
Dylan swallowed, closing his eyes. They were only here because he was an idiot, and now he was being stupid again, and Aiden still wasn’t mad at him.
“He gave you a passing grade.”
“After everything he’s done, how do you not hate him? He told the whole school that your boyfriend killed and ate people.”
Aiden grimaced. “Hate is a strong word. I… intensely dislike him.”
“How are you so calm while that jackass walks around lording it over us?”
Aiden sighed and leaned against the wall next to him. “I focus on getting through class. On what he’s talking about and the next assignment. I try not to think about what he did because that just increases my anxiety.”
Which was mostly Dylan’s fault. Aiden had always been kind of a nervous kid, but after Dylan burned him, he’d developed an anxiety problem. “Why are you even my friend? I make everything worse. I can’t control myself.”
“You don’t make everything worse.” Aiden leaned closer, bumping their shoulders. “You’ve always been nice to me—”
“Not always.” The image of his fire racing toward Aiden filled Dylan’s mind.
Aiden sighed. “Most of the time. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had. You always stand by me.”
Somehow that made Dylan feel worse. “So does Tiago.” And Cat Boy had never done anything terrible to Aiden.
“Jealous?” Aiden smiled and nudged him again.
Dylan realized they’d been out here for a while. “Won’t you get in trouble for leaving class?”
“Maybe. I guess I’ll find out when I go back in.”
“You should go. I’ll… wait outside, I guess.” He needed to drive Aiden home.
“Calmer now?”
“Yeah. I won’t go back in there and punch him. Not today at least.” He smiled to show he was joking. Dylan wondered if that had been enough for Warden Bully to throw him out of class for good. Would Mr. Johnson make him take Dylan back?
Warden Bully was sure to complain about the incident. Which meant Dylan was going to get a lecture from Mr. Johnson. Hooray, Dylan thought as he watched Aiden duck back inside the classroom.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Aiden stared down at the dagger. He’d slept with it under his pillow for years to keep Morgan out of his dreams. Aiden had nightmares about him, but that was a version of Morgan conjured up from his mind, not the real thing. Deactivating the spell would leave him open, and as Maggie had warned him, dream walkers could kill you in your sleep.
Even if this wasn’t some kind of trick, Morgan might be waiting for the spell to drop, and he’d pounce on Aiden the second he was asleep.
If Aiden could even get to sleep with his anxiety cranked so high.
This might be his only chance to contact his fae family. Faery was closed off from the human world and had been for centuries. Crossing the border took a lot of power, and it was risky. If Aiden managed to find the right spell, he could get stuck over there or leave a hole open for other people to get through. Maybe someone like Morgan.
Visiting in dreams at least kept everyone else safe. That probably wouldn’t be a comfort to his parents if they found him dead when they came to wake him.
Aiden took a deep breath and shook his head. He shifted the small iron dagger, watching the light bounce off the polished blade. It was dull—a symbolic weapon rather than an actual one.
He’d been practicing and had gotten good at lucid dreaming. At first it happened days apart, almost at random, but now he’d managed it three mornings in a row. I’ll have my magic with me. He wouldn’t be defenseless. If this was a trap, Aiden would be able to wake himself up, and he’d be even more powerful in his dreams than he was in real life. He’d tested it out by flying, changing the weather, making the sun rise and set. It was the next step up from lucid dreaming—full control.
I’m ready. He repeated that to himself as he got up and moved to the far corner of the room. Setting the dagger on a shelf, he touched it with one finger. A brief zap of magic removed the protection spell.
Aiden pulled the curtains closed and climbed into bed. He tried to focus on the hope of seeing his birth mom rather than the fear of encountering Morgan. For hours, he tossed and turned. And then…
* * *
The path wound through huge old trees, sunlight cutting through the bright green leaves. It smelled like spring melting into summer, everything fully in bloom. Something tickled at Aiden’s mind.
He was supposed to remember… remember…
A bright orange bird landed on a low branch ahead of him, and awareness flooded Aiden’s mind. The bird was his talisman, a signal to let him know he was dreaming.
The forest was warm and beautiful, but a shiver crawled up his spine. This was the hyperreal kind of dream that meant a dream walker was here. Aiden turned in a tight circle, looking for danger. If he saw a huge oak tree at the end of the path with a shadow lurking under it, he was out of here.
Slowly he started down the path again. It shifted slightly to move around a huge tree or through a cluster of bushes but kept to a general straight line. Aiden glanced around him, looking for any sign of Morgan.
The trees thinned, and he stepped out into a clearing. Wildflowers in brilliant colors surrounded him, filling the air with sweet scent. It was strangely familiar, though Aiden figured it was because of the dreams with Morgan. This forest was very similar to the one he’d been in before.
A woman stepped into the clearing. Long brown hair flowed around her, woven with bright flowers. Just like Tiago had described her. “Aiden?”
He prayed this wasn’t a trick. He wanted this so bad it hurt. “Mom?” Tears stung the back of his eyes as he took a few steps toward her.
Her face broke into a smile, and then they were both running. Aiden ran into her arms, the smell of her surrounding him—flowers and sun-warmed leaves.
“Aiden.” She breathed his name into his shoulder. She was a little shorter than his other mom, the top of her head at about the level of his nose.
“Is it really you?” His voice was thick and watery.
She stepped back to look up at him. “Oh child, don’t you feel it?” She took his hand, wrapping their fingers together.
Magic pulsed between them. Hers felt exactly the same as his own magic did—a warm, bright energy. Aiden recognized it down to his bones, in his blood.
“Mom!” He hugged her again, tighter this time.
Years of wondering where she was, if he’d ever get to see her. “Why did you give me up?”
“My sweet child.” She wiped tears from his cheeks, her thumb as gentle and comforting as that of the mom who’d raised him. “I had to, to keep you safe—”
“I cannot hold much longer.”
Aiden started, looking over at another woman standing a few feet away. That must be the dream walker, with long red hair as Tiago had described.
As much as Aiden wanted to know what his birth mom meant by that, another question burned in him. “What about my brother? The human you traded me for. Is he okay?”
His mom smiled. “He is fine. Grown into a strong young man, like yourself.”
Aiden let out a breath. Around them, colors had started fading from the grass and flowers. “And my dad?”
Her expression darkened. “Your father… does not know of your existence.”
“What? Why?”
She put a hand against his chest. “I will explain later. I need you to do something for me. Our connection is weak. The dream walker has difficulty holding it. There is a spell surrounding the place where you live. If you can bring an object, a flower or a leaf, that has touched this spell—”
“It’ll make the connection stronger.” Aiden’s chest tightened. Déjà vu. Was this a trick after all, or was this part of dream walker magic? “A dark fae tricked me into doing the same thing.” He looked over at the dream walker. Was she a dark fae, or could light fae have that kind of magic too? He didn’t get the same creepy vibe from her as he’d gotten from Morgan.
His birth mom gasped. “A dark fae? Did he hurt you? Are you all right?” She gripped his arm, eyes wide. If she was faking it, she was a damn good actress.
“I’m fine. But how do I know this isn’t another trick?”
The world around them had turned black and white, all except for the two women standing in bright contrast. “You know the truth in your heart, my son.” Her blue eyes seemed to burn into him. They were the same eyes he saw in the mirror every day.
They were the last things he saw before everything went black.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
There was a new kid in the LGBTA group. She looked so young she had to be a freshman. She glanced up a few times but mostly kept her gaze on the desk in front of her. Maggie suggested they all introduce themselves again, and when she mentioned pronouns, the new girl perked up.
“Why don’t we start with you?” Maggie said.
“Um, okay. Hi, I’m Leah.” She fiddled with her hands. “So we can just pick what we want people to call us?”
Maggie nodded. “Whatever pronouns you want us to use. And you can change your mind later if you want to.”
Aiden thought Maggie should be a teacher or a counselor, something like that. She was so good with people.
“Oh.” A little smile tugged at the new kid’s mouth. “I think I want to be ‘they’ if that’s okay.”
“Of course it’s okay.”
Some of the tension left her—no their—shoulders.
This time Maggie had only asked for names and pronouns, so the introductions went faster. When Aiden’s turn came, his heart pounded in his ears. Don’t chicken out.
“Hi, I’m Aiden Spencer. He pronouns. And um, I’d like to share something.”
Beside him, Tiago gave Aiden an encouraging nod.
Everyone was watching him. This group existed as a safe place. They wouldn’t turn on him and start calling him names or treat him like crap. Nobody had said anything about being outed to the rest of the school, so they hadn’t tattled on each other. If none of these kids had even outed Tiago, which would be seriously juicy gossip, then they could be trusted.
Besides, even if someone did blab to the whole school, would it be a big deal? Aiden’s parents knew. Dylan knew. Was anyone else really that important?
Is your fear more important than what you want? Mr. Emery asked him that sometimes.
What Aiden wanted was to hold hands with Tiago in the halls, give him a quick kiss before class. To not carry around one more secret than he absolutely had to.
“I’m bisexual.” Several people’s eyebrows went up. “I’ve known it for a long time, but I was scared of how people would react. And then I found out I was a changeling and had to come here, and I didn’t want to burden my parents with something else and…” The words tumbled out of him, and he paused to take a breath.
“Anyway, I’m tired of hiding. And I’m tired of making Tiago hide for my sake. So, I want you all to know we’re dating.” He reached out for Tiago’s hand and grasped it clumsily.
There were a few murmurs of surprise, but all that mattered was the wide smile on Tiago’s face.
“I’m so proud of you.”
Tiago squeezed his hand. Then he leaned over and kissed Aiden’s cheek.
It wasn’t the same level of relief as coming out to his parents, but Aiden still felt lighter.
“Thank you, Aiden,” Maggie said. “I’m so glad you feel comfortable enough to share that with us.”
“Is that why you kept trying to talk to us?” Ellie said. “You weren’t perving on us, you just wanted to be friends?”
Aiden tore his gaze away from Tiago. “I wanted to ask you how people reacted to you. Maggie said gay people were no big deal in Shadow Valley, but what people see and what it feels like to experience it are two different things.” Just because gay people weren’t being shunned didn’t mean they were accepted.
“Some people are bigoted assholes,” Kenzie said. “A lot of people give you funny looks. Gross dudes think it’s hot and want to watch you make out.” She arched an eyebrow. “Though I guess you won’t have that problem.”
“Most people get used to it,” Ellie said. “When Kenzie and I started dating last year, we got weird looks and comments. But after a while, that started going away. Most kids in our grade don’t care. But this year it started up again.”
Kenzie snorted. “I thought high school kids would be more mature.”
“If anyone picks on you, let me know,” Tiago said.
“You think a girl can’t take care of herself?”
“I made the same offer to Aiden.” Tiago shrugged. “Some people don’t like confrontation. If anyone here wants help, I’ve got your back. Pretty sure Dylan would have your back too.”
It sucked that Tiago didn’t include him, but it was true that he didn’t like confrontation. Some days he couldn’t handle it at all. Some people called Aiden a hero, but he sure didn’t feel like one.
“The dragonkin?” Leah asked.
“Yeah, we’re friends with him,” Tiago told them.
“I thought everybody knew that,” Kenzie said.
Leah hunched their shoulders. “I heard that, but I didn’t think he would want to protect… people like us.”
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